Finally had some time to listen to these today, and I'm glad I didn't go with my first impression. The more I listen to my JBLs the more I like them - all of them. These were made in the early 80's, a decade where the quality of most consumer audio became compromised. Nice to see JBL continued to create quality speakers. These sound very nice to me - well-balanced, good bass, clear highs. Describing speaker sound is always challenging. Most words used by professional audio reviewers don't mean much to me when I read them. I like to know that the speaker is well-constructed, has a quality name behind it, etc. Sound is so personal, so subjective, that saying the sound is "really good" means as much to me as saying that the soundstage and imaging are exceptional. Well, these sound "really good" to me - not great, not B&W DM640 or KEF 105.2 or Vandersteen 3A Signature good, but "really good" nonetheless.Hope this helps.
Have opinions on the sound of your pair of JBL L56 Decade speakers? Please leave a comment or send me an email.
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My L56's just died in a party - driven to blown cone by my Bryston Power Amp and over-zealous guests. Phenomenal speakers - I'm hoping to have them reconditioned. Be a very sad RIP if they are no longer servicable. Keep yours running for as long as you can!!
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