- A new edition of the L100 loudspeaker, first launched in 1970
- Limited to 800 pairs worldwide, for JBL’s 80th anniversary
- $7,499 (around £5,449 / AU$10,700)
JBL is releasing a new version of its legendary speaker, the L100. First released in 1970, the L100 became the best-selling speaker in JBL history. The L100s are loved for their warmth, deep bass and dynamics, which is why they’ve remained in production for decades with occasional updates, like the L100 Classic in 2019 and the L100 Classic 75 in 2021 – and now they’re back in a new, strictly limited edition version to mark 80 years of JBL speakers.
The L100 Classic 80 will be limited to just 800 pairs worldwide, and while the exterior retains that iconic ’70s style, these are thoroughly modern speakers.
I know the word “iconic” gets thrown around a lot in hi-fi, but the JBL 100s really are: they have a very distinctive design that’s instantly recognizable, and they even ended up in one – that word again – iconic advert: the 1983 Maxell advert depicting a man blown away by music.
JBL L100 Classic 80 comes with crate expectations
The very retro design features the iconic ‘quadrex’ foam grille that makes the JBL look like it’s been transported from a 1970s bachelor pad – that’s a compliment – and in this version it’s a very retro shade of brown that sits in a black satin frame. The cabinet enclosures are made of oak veneer.
Each pair features anniversary edition badges on the front and back, including a numbered plaque signed by lead engineer Chris Hagen. And on the back you’ll find two sets of gold-plated binding posts.
The drivers are a 12-inch (300mm) pure pulp cone woofer, paired with a front-tuned bass reflex port; a 5.25-inch (130 mm) pure pulp midrange driver; a 1-inch (25mm) titanium dome tweeter coupled to an acoustic lens waveguide; and high-frequency and mid-frequency level attenuators. The frequency response is 40 Hz to 40 kHz, the impedance is 4 ohms and the sensitivity is 90 dB/1 W/1 m.
The JBLs are sold in pairs with brackets included, and they will arrive in a “specially designed” wooden crate. They’re yours for $7,499 (around £5,449 / AU$10,700).
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