JBL L16 Decade finished

It was a bit of work but well worth the effort for this beautiful pair of JBL L16 Decade speakers.

I first hooked them up to a solid state amplifier and thought they sound good but not great, then I connected them to the tube amp and Oh My Goodness..... completely different speaker. These little speakers were meant for tube gear, not as good with the imaging as the Tannoy Oxford Gold.

The 8" JBL 116A woofer is from the same pedigree as the L26 and L100's that use a cast basket and Alnico magnet.

I could not source the proper surrounds locally so I turned to my good friend Audio Dogs Vintage Stereo in Comox for my hard to get parts, Thank you guys for the prompt and expert service.

The woofers where re foamed using a 50 hertz sine wave from my iPhone.

This is a really simple way of re foaming your drivers without cutting to dust cap off and shimming the voice coil, so far I have had a 100% success rate with this method.

The cabinets which were in excellent condition just got a light 220 grit sanding and a coat of Circa 1850 wood oil to bring out the grain richness. the small dimples in the tweeter were pulled out with a pin and re sealed with a dab of glue.

I have been really enjoying this set of JBL L16's through the tube amp, the bass is nice and deep for an8" woofer, the mid range is spot on without the fatigue I got from the JBL L26's that I have had in the past. It is a shame as the the bigger brother L26 gets more press than these speakers do.

I really like these speakers and I have a feeling they will be in the rotation for quite some time, absolutely amazing through the tube amp.....

Sherwood S-7200 Receiver

Along with the JBL L16 Decades that I got last night, this Sherwood S-7200 receiver was also available.
This one is in absolute mint condition with not a scratch in the wood veneer and all bulbs working. the second Sherwood that I have picked up in the past week, I recently came home with an 18WPC Sherwood S-7100A.

The Sherwood S-7200 is the middle of the line 32 watt per channel unit and from the limited time I have spent with the S-7100A I expect great things from this receiver.

From my research online, these early model Sherwood's rival the Marantz and Pioneer's of their day but flew way under the radar and still do.

 

JBL L16 Decade Speakers

Just arrived home late last night was this pair of JBL L16 Decade Speakers. The 8" version of the JBL L26 Decade Speakers that have been featured on this blog a few times, here and here.

These speakers have to be re foamed and the caps replaced. I will sand and re finish the Oak wood veneer.

I look forward to finishing this project and listening to these speakers.