JBL L20T - Vintage Bookshelf Speakers From 1980s

[@AudioNostalgia]

For an in-depth review, please visit my website: audionostalgia.co.uk/jbl-l20t-review/. The purpose of this video is to demonstrate the look and feel of JBL L20T speakers and not their sound.

[@hemmohoving2558]

The best little speakers ever build , i'm a JBL collector and i onw a pair of these to and i love them.

[@AudioNostalgia]

TBH, I don't think that 'the best little speaker' exists. Also, I'm a little surprised you've made this comment about these particular speakers. Personally, out of the JBLs I experienced, JBL L20T are by far the worst speakers. Anyway, it just show how different we all are. Enjoy your collection!

[@GrandTrunkWestern85]

@@AudioNostalgia I don't find your conclusions shocking but there is a big difference between l20s and l 20 t3s for sure I read your review really enjoyed it thanks for the content take care Freddy

[@stackoverflow8260]

I'm very much impressed by them, playing them through a CR 820. There is more energy in the mids but nothing a tweak to EQ can't fix.

[@Meedav]

It all depends..... I've listened to these with a couple of different amps.,....recently a current model LUXMAN that runs in Class 'A' mode at 30 WPC ....and I must say they were very engaging. I work in the audio business.... and in this game it's all about finding components that complement each other. Some matchings just don't work.. others are pure bliss. And they don't have to be high end components. I've heard high end that sucks....and I've heard budget pairings that just blew me away.

[@AudioNostalgia]

Hey DJ Wood! Thank you for you input. My experience is a little different. Let me expand. So far my experience with modern and well engineered transistor amplifiers is somewhat mixed. In a blind AB test with balanced volume levels and live switch between the amps, I could never pick a difference between them. Neither could my HiFi friends whom I invited for these tests. Therefore, unless the amp designer 'tuned' it in a particular way (i.e. shaped its frequency response or other parameters to give it a particular charter), I don't really see modern transistor amps as that different from each other (based on my experience so far). With this in mind, I always try to voice my system using speakers, and have everything else as neutral/flat as possible. I know that a lot of people do opposite, i.e. get a set of relatively harsh or clinical sounding speakers and then try to compensate for this using valve amplification, etc. I also acknowledge that if loudspeakers present a challenging load (i.e. low impedance dips) to a poorly design amplifier, this can definitely result in a poor sound. So from that point of view, I definitely agree with a need for synergy. All the best, Shem

[@ryanacree]

The issue you are having is that the tweeters are no longer damped. Vintage JBL's are nice and the tweeters in the L100's and such will last nearly two or three lifetimes. However, the 035Ti that is in the L20T will get peaky over time and usually gives a misnomer to metal tweeters. You see, there is foam behind the dome of the tweeter to keep it damped. It basically gets mushy and degrades over time and without this foam, the impedance curve changes drastically and becomes more uncontrolled at some frequencies. There are refoam kits you can get online to restore them. There are even some videos here on KZbin on how to restore them. The crossovers can also be upgraded as there is still a bipolar electrolytic that can be changed out to a film capacitor to enhance their sound even further.

[@AudioNostalgia]

Hey Ryan. Thank you for your input. Based on what I've heard when I reviewed them, this was most likely the case (I'm going to read up more about it and mention it in the review on my website). When I review speakers, I only re-cap crossovers if the capacitors are way out of specs. I've checked the capacitance and ESR of the caps in the L20T, and not found anything that would lead me to believe that they needed replacing. If I was planning to upgrade them, then replacing the electrolytic caps would be the first step. All the best, Shem

[@ryanacree]

@@AudioNostalgia The crossover, yes, is an upgrade. But the replacement foam behind the tweeter is necessary for factory spec.

[@dantheman1998]

Im looking at a pair and not sure if i should pull the trigger. But looking for something in this size. Im not a huge JBL fan but maybe these would win me over?

[@AudioNostalgia]

They definitely did not win me over... you can read my thoughts on their sound here: audionostalgia.co.uk/jbl-l20t-review/.

[@bekirson7145]

If we compare jbl l100 century and jbl l20 t, does it play the same character in terms of sound? May I know your views and opinions on this, thank you.

[@AudioNostalgia]

I no longer have these speakers, but from memory, the character was very different. You can read my opinion abut their sound here: audionostalgia.co.uk/jbl-l100-century-review/ audionostalgia.co.uk/jbl-l20t-review/

[@openheimer968]

Whether it is better to bass-reflex hole be on front or back of cabinet?What do you think?

[@AudioNostalgia]

There is no right answer to this questions. It all depends on the application (design, speaker size, how close to the wall it is going to be used, etc.).

[@joeygonzo]

I sold them back in the days. The titanium tweeters are too good for this size of speakers. They dominate the small woofers too much. Having no midrange does not help either.

[@AudioNostalgia]

TBH, I don't think that the material or of which the diaphragm it's made of or the type of the tweeter has anything to do with it. Speaker designer controls the balance of the speaker through the crossover and cabinet design. For instance, I've heard 2 way speakers with high quality metallic dome tweeters that sounded silky smooth and speakers with fabric domes that sounded bright and harsh. I agree about the midrange tough - there are definitely some benefits to a 3-way design.

[@ryanacree]

It is because the foam behind the dome degrades over time and becomes undamped. Under normal conditions, they are very smooth and articulate without being too loud or peaky. They also improved the crossover in the L20T3 to the tweeter to reduce the top end slightly. It is fairly easy to swap out a couple of parts to make the L20T's with L20T3 crossovers. (Note the L20T3's are rear ported.)

[@jean-micheldeleaz7248]

Il y a un problème l'ensemble ne sonne pas bien 😢

[@AudioNostalgia]

I agree. I was not too keen on the sound of these JBLs.

[@katdavrubens]

belle installation..des enceintes vintage rien de mieux..j'ai des audio référence 86DC, trop jolie son..

[@AudioNostalgia]

Thank you for your kind words.

[@Willow5673]

This guys seems kinda spoiled. Must listen to speakers not everyone can afford. These little greats are great sounds amazing. He makes them sounds cheap and they are not!

[@AudioNostalgia]

We all have different preferences and listen in different rooms. I can only voice my subjective opinion about what I've heard in comparison to other gear that I tested. If you like how the L20T sound, then enjoy them.

[@unclejediisampsonii3624]

@@AudioNostalgia I think you got a tampered with pair of L20T`s

[@xuser48]

I have read your review. I have 4406 my self and I don't feel a lack of midrange. I listen to all types of music with equal interest. It might be your amplifier that doesn't match the speakers. NAD 214 is a terrible match for 4406, whereas Kenwood Basic M2 is a near perfect match.

[@AudioNostalgia]

So far my experience with modern and well engineered amplifiers is somewhat mixed. In a blind AB test with balanced volume levels and live switch between the amps, I could never pick a difference between them. Neither could my HiFi friends whom I invited for these tests. Therefore, unless the amp designer 'tuned' it in a particular way (i.e. shaped its frequency response or other parameters to give it a particular charter), I don't really see modern transistor amps as that different from each other (based on my experience so far). With this in mind, I always try to voice my system using speakers, and have everything else as neutral/flat as possible. I know that a lot of people do opposite, i.e. get a set of relatively harsh or clinical sounding speakers and then try to compensate for this using valve amplification, etc. Just not something I ever considered. Based on all of that I would conclude that the difference between our impressions of these JBL L20T speakers is most likely in the rooms or in our perception of the sound.

[@xuser48]

@@AudioNostalgia Try an older amp. I use a Kenwood Basic M2 with mine. NAD 214 sound awful with these speakers.

[@matereo]

The are made to sit close to the wall

[@pierresternegard6951]

Not placed properly

[@AudioNostalgia]

Can you expand?

[@pierresternegard6951]

@@AudioNostalgia they are made to sit close to the wall