What an eye opener...ahem...ear opener. I never liked the sound of more modern JBL designs, but these L100's seem to bring you into the same room as the live performance. Excellent!
KEF sounds cleaner, transparent, JBL is more like you’re there, listening to this live. Please upload another video with more comparisons, I’d love to hear more of JBL, very interesting speaker.
That's because PA speakers use very big drivers, like the JBL, so it sounds like a live performance, but the Klippel people will say it measures like crap.
As a guitar player, I'm hearing a lot more finger movements on the JBLs than the KEFs, making it sound like the actual guitar is in the room. I've had several KEF speakers in the past- I'm actually surprised how laid back this pair is. Obviously I'd want to hear them in person before any final judgements. Enjoyed the comparison. Thanks
тут такое дело. Гитару, движения пальцев, может лучше передаёт и JBL, но у него есть сильное выпячивание в этой области , по чисто естественным причинам -широкий корпус. Поэтому голос уходит на второй план, а экстра бас -так и вообще не третий. У KEF -баланс, поэтому голос слышится на первом плане, как и делал режиссер скорее всего. Кроме того, uni-Q даёт пространствееный звук, в силу чего «гулкость» корпуса JBL исчезает, а остальное все -остаётся. То есть, звук получается более чистый, менее гулкий. поэтому понравилось оба, что естественно, но у KEF общая картина более выверена, ну и шикарный экстра суб бас, даёт такую основу, которой нет у других))
My r7 meta are also very laid back, audiophile snobs like to dump on jbl but for listening I think they are really nice. Klipsch I've also heard are dumped on by audio snobs, yet are loved by people who listen to music for the enjoyment of the actual music, I look forward to trying tube amps next with my speakers.
I have the l82 I noticed the same thing when I got these set up...the cavity of the guitar sounds so real I was shocked...I have 15 sets of speakers costing way more...but I have these set up on cheap smsl stack...as mid field monitor s and they are amazing..im selling my mofi source point 10s and getting l00 s in January of course it's the distance and volume that mitigate what u hear .... I listen to these 10hrs per day...they are not expensive at all but perfect for me it's that woofer I think not sure..good luck..
I have Kef R11 in the living room. And JBL L100 Classic 75 in the basement together with the JBL SA 750 amplifier. I have to admit that i use more time in the basement for the moment 😊
I've now listened to both recordings (twice) using two different pairs of reference-grade headphones, and I think that all of your observations are spot on. The JBLs yield a classic, West Coast, live-in-the-club ambient sound. The KEF R11s produce music that is restrained, balanced, and has depth. (You can really hear the differences when the bass guitar and the harmony vocal make their entrance. This song selection, by the way, was very revealing and was a great selection for this comparison.) Personally, I prefer the tonality and balance of the KEFs. Over the long haul, I would worry that the dynamics and the forward sound of the JBLs would become fatiguing ... whereas I suspect that KEFs can be tuned and repositioned, over time, and obtain greater flexibility with their sound as your hearing and musical tastes change. As one of the commentators observed, the sound of a JBL loudspeaker is a lot like the sound of a Klipsch loudspeaker: it's either your cup of tea or it isn't. (I own Klipsch and KEF loudspeakers, and I'm quite pleased with both of them!) I also detected a touch of sibilance with the JBLs (as did another commentator), which I found to be worrying ... This was a helpful and worthwhile comparison. Thanks for posting it! Good job!
Me too. I normally love the JBL warmer sound, but this recording of the JBLs felt more muddy with all the caveats of listening via RUclips. The KEFs seemed more transparent.
U can't make any judgment calls with these sound clips if you are listening threw your phone..no fidelity reproduction threw your 1/4 " speaker...seriously folks..
I'd pick whichever one sounds better to me using material I am familiar with to audition. Went to the store to pick up a pair of B&W one time, came home with PSB's after auditioning. Never even heard of them before then. Still got them, they've been fantastic. This is the way.👍👌 The JBL is built on the architecture of the monitor speaker of the day which in turn reflected JBL heritage of horn loaded speaker systems for live music/sound reinforcement. Its a traditional old school approach which has certain characteristics, the JBL sound. A lot of music has been recorded and played back over the decades on JBL speakers. Good review, thanks for your observations.
Fan club President here 😬, I’m obviously biased, but these speakers are amazing. You’re impressions are similar to my experience with the standard 100 Classic, but I’m sure those 75th are just phenomenal.
The Acoustic Energy AE520 Speakers with all speaker drivers made of Carbon Fiber are the biggest bargain on the market right now at $5K A Pair ! They can hang with the Big Boys !
From your Music Sample judgeing, I would say the KEF's are cleaner, the JBL are colouring the Sound, I am using Shure SRH1540 Headpones to listen. So the Question is: Do you like it if your HiFi Speaker have their own Sound ? For some that is ok, for some not.
@@pedrocols Hi pedrocols, the JBL are made for Lovers of the Vintage - Sound and Vintage HiFi is in the Moment the Thing. Clearly this old Fashion Bass Reflex Design will give the JBL her " Character ". The KEF's are Bass Reflex too, but they avoid this type of Colouration, like many other modern Bass Reflex Designs. I have the Wharfedale EVO 4.3 and you will be unable to tell that these are Bass Reflex ! The Problem with Speakers like the KEF, maybe because they are such a clean Bread, is to make them groove and that is where the fun is in listening and they are not very efficient. You need big Amps to make the KEF's rock, with the JBL you don't. I would not buy either of them ! I am " allergic " to the JBL's Type of Bass Reflex Colouration and the KEF's are too problematic for Amplifier choice. I had KEF R3, Reference 201 and 207 and they all had to go !
IMO it’s not the best music choice for demonstration of these speakers. He tends to prefer live recordings and thinner sounding sibilant music with stringed instruments and female vocals.
I like KEF's line of speakers, I own a pair of LS50 Meta's and I've heard the R11's, based on this demo I favor the JBL's, I'm going to have to eventually get a pair!
Like Klipish, if your a fan your a fan. The JBL’s can set a soundstage that are very sweet to the ears. Great review explaining your experience with them. Their beautiful too! KEF’s are nice too, but have the KEF matching and analytical sound about them . Very nice midrange. Thanks for the review! 👍
@@henrygentles1894 interesting. I have never heard a pair of KEFs that thought sounded musical or toe tapping. My KEF R3s are very smooth and accurate though never fun or "musical". My JBL L82's deffinetly are fun and man can they rip.
@@gregorymorrill7558 I've seen every major Mastering Studio ever built and I've built a few myself and no one has JBLS! But I've seen a few with Kefs in them! They were popular in Recording studios 30 years ago when there was nothing else!
When I heard the sound demo they were soo different. Like in every way. I'm very surprised and I love kef but it sounded like the jbl went warmer and deeper. But yea the kef sounded very coherent and the sound was everywhere.
You should move the mic closer to the speakers, this way you can hear more what the speakers sound like and less what the room is sounding like. Also the JBL are placed more back than the KEF and that will make a sound difference in itself. Moving the speakers out into the room brings out the midrange, which is what can be heard in the KEF. Putting the speakers back against the wall thickens up the bass and brings down the midrange.
I don’t need to bring out more midrange from JBL they sound great where they are and please do not think or advise like I didn’t try them in different places, I’m not moving microphones closer to the speakers because I’m only try to show how they sound in my room and how I hear them from my listening position. If anyone want to hear most accurate sound they have to try them in their system not from RUclips. Thanks
Please don't post generic copy paste comments undermining other people's efforts. Clearly, the KEF and the JBL has different placement needs as he mentioned already. Placement of the mic near the speakers is a terrible idea as he wants to show what be hears in his listening area.
Would love you to review the smaller L82s. Those L100s are way too big for my place! From your review they sound what I am looking for though, as I need a speaker that performs well at lower listening levels.Thanks.
Great review! Thanks. Don't you know will it worth to make such pair Marantz PM7000N or Denon DRA-800H with JBL L100? I'm interested in Spotify streaming music via Wi-Fi. Though I'm trying to choose acoustic and amplifier. Actually there are some ideas in my budget: (JBL L100 vs Transpuls 1500) + (Marantz PM7000N or Denon DRA-800H). Thanks for your advice!
The differences between JBL and Kef you describe are noticable, but you should have added a more challenging song for these speakers (more instruments, extremer pitch range etc.) to come to a final conclusion for listeners. Anyway, really good sounding speakers.
L100s have more midbass. I'm not a fan of either speaker. They both sound like entry level kit that needs refinement. The tweeter in the JBL is like a 20 dollar part, come on JBL, you can do better. I like your mic placement. I want to hear what a speaker sound like in a room, not just an algorithm. Your room is sorta average, comparable to ours. Good job.
The JBL are getting closer to their best sound with this amp while the KEF are not. Even with this ho-hum amp the KEF still sound better to me. I think the KEF would also shine more than the JBL moving up the food chain with amp/preamp. Be fun to see you do this with the R11 Meta and see if the JBL still does as well.
JBL no doubt. We have the original L100 during 70's, it was driven by SAE pre and power amplifiers (the company no more exist). Classic 3 way design , 12 inch paper dome , high efficiency , suitable for all kind of music. JBL is usually best paired with class A or tube amplifier. Denon may be a bit dry and better pair with British speaker.
More emotion with the JBL. The KEF has a polite presentation that makes me think : Ok, I'm listening to a recording. With the KEF I feel I'm with the musicians immediately, the connection just happens. I'm fully engaged into the music, and also, the 'attack' of string notes is realistic, not with the KEF.
I have the JBL L100's right now paired to a McIntosh MA8900, but have been looking at the Wharfedale Elysian 2's a lot lately. Everything you said about L100's is what I like about them. How would you say they compare to the Elysians? What similarities and differences do they have?
Elysian 2 is great sounding speakers but it can be boring over the long run, which produce polite sound with nice airy highs but lacks the dynamic attack if you like to listen different genre of music, that’s why I went with L100 C 75th, thanks
The best thing going on here is your room. This is the 4th time I've listened to it. Well balanced. While I prefer the overall natural and more live sound of the JBL it seems to me to have some overhang (?), by which I mean certain notes seem to linger a bit longer than they should...giving the impression that the JBL is not as quick as the KEF.
Are you kidding me? "Overhang". Ha! There is NO way your ears could/would detect any such difference...because it does NOT exist! Same source, just different speakers. HOW could a human ear detect a difference. You amused me.
I play with kef bbc monitor P60 K300, amazing sound, and at moments i vary with jbl 4312....different but also amazing sound....and when i want real goosebumps i put actif system with jbl 2245, in mids P audio neo 10" and midhighs beyma amt tpl 150...and even the small kef 102 reference with subwoofers added can produce nice sounds ,,,so the secret is 'variation'.....of sound presentation ...like paintings....
Great Job ! Thanks for the video One day i hope to purchase a JBL 4400 series blueface, I could almost bet your Denon would sound amazing with the JBL 4450s/4445 😆 Monsters
I m 64 I listened to both on my Sony MDR 7506 headphones.. The recoding from both pairs is superb R11 huge smooth Bass , being FS maybe L100 was more on clarity of words and Acoustic guitar , bass on lower side But both seems to be winner considering the Audio bandwidth is now getting narrowed with age ( I m earlier audio recordist) Superb quality work by this gentleman Thanks
One more thing. Those REL subwoofer drivers are totally bettered by those JW300PW-8 in JBL. After many hours of running, i think JBL's bass will be better than REL's. And also, after running-in the drivers, the JBL will wake up before 55 db.
How wide is your room? Both those speakers look great in there but the JBLs just look so cool. Love that you compared two speakers instead of just talking about them in generic terms - nice review!
Not sure about the mids, but he said the bass took a long time. He mentioned in his review that he played them for nearly 5 days in another room with a blanket on top of them before they loosened up. But yeah, after that he was happy.
Hey, off topic, but could you tell me your impressions between the elac uf52 vs criton 1tdx? They are on my short list, how much better is the 1tdx, but being a bookshelf vs a small tower
@@Tharbamar ok great thanks. Have you heard of diysg (do it yourself sound group)? They are highly regarded and get excellent reviews and considered high performance for the cost. They have a speaker called the helix, seems very similar to the criton (size/bass extension), but are hard to quantify how good they are comparatively. They go for $400. Would love a review of them if your interested in doing another diy speaker?
Hello what’s your opinion about pairing JBL’s with nad M33? You might heard or have your opinion about that 🤔 I owe jbl l100 classic,not 75th anniversary but still probably 99% same sounding speakers
Personally I like JBL speakers with Luxman, Denon, Parasound or McIntosh etc, I have not tried with NAD M33. L100 Classic 75th does not sound like regular L100 Classic, 75th is richer in tone, a bit warmer and much clearer overall sound with better bass definition as well, thanks
R 11 is far easier to integrate inside your room and your wife will love its design. R 11 still sounds good even if not placed accurately in the room .
@Terry Jom Listen to a Canton and you know Canton is nothing ;-)... Just enjoy your speakers, everyone got a different taste. I personally would never buy neither a Kef or Canton
These kef looks like an ugly vacuum cleaner and sounds like crap if you want a REAL sounding and a good looking Kef take the 104ab or the 104/2 they are on a complete different level compared to these ugly towers.
Hi! Now you made me change my mind. If only I can listen both myself. So, will the JBL sound better than the R11s in a 60sqm long room like mine? Low volume auditions. And what amp would you recommend in the 1.5-2k euros price range? Thank you!
Which model REL subs do you have? I know audiophles adore the REL's but i have a pair of the SVS SB3000 and I think they are pretty good but I am intrigued by what the REL's can do.
Neither is really like live music. One is cool because of the drivers used (KEF) and the other (JBL) is warmer but rather like a better guitar speaker that has a mix of different drivers. Because JBL is known for guitar speakers it sounds like one. Of the two, the JBL is less nerve-racking because it is probably closer to what a person who does not hear live music very often might think is normal. It kind of reminds me of home, without a sofa or a bed! Why do I say that? Speakers at more than $5000 plus price point should not fail at producing the initial transients or the fading away of the transients. This is not easy but for 5 thousand plus, it would be expected that music sounds like the instruments being played. Both sound like versions of instruments and neither gets the tone of the instruments right. They are both honorable companies and surely if there is no other alternative then well worth the money if money has little meaning.If Buchard ever brings out a stand speaker it will smoke both of these in the shade. Wilson and several others are interesting. I even imagine that if KLH brings out the model 7 or 9, they will likely be highly competitive against these speakers at a lower price point.
Can you suggest any amplifier on budget? Currently have R11 and have plan to get R2C in future. Currently powering them using marantz 6015. Thanks in advance
Huh? @var, Actually due to the wide baffle and front porting, close wall placement will be very possible if not optimal. The wide baffle supports lower frequencies before the transition from 2pi to 4pi.
@@Tharbamar what I mean is the JBL is too close to the wall compared to the KEF for the comparison. that's all. keep up your good work! thanks for the videos. appreciate it
What’s the difference between JBL L100 75th Anniversary and the L100 brand new on sale? Found 2 pairs of 75th but not feasible to get it to me. Both the KLH Model 5 and the Polk R700 are not available in Singapore.
Yeah, but the "in room response graph" is measured in your distinct room, so it is not really relative to others with totally different rooms. The R11s were tested to be extremizing flat in an anechoic chamber. Individual room problems can be mitigated with room treatment if the speaker is inherently flat. I think you have a good ear and are very accurate in your assessments, but I don't think your own room response warrants a comparison in a flatter frequency response between any two speakers. People will get the wrong idea. You do have very good sound quality in your demos, so people listening will appropriate means will be able to hear the differences and judge for themselves.
I like your program very much. Please tell me that I have JBL4367 and L100c speakers, and I want to match the Mclntosh amplifier. How should I match it? thank you
Can you please let me know the singer of Heart of Gold ? Additionally, I am thinking of adding the JBL to my current setup. I have a McIntosh MA900 and a pair of Sonus Faber Olympica III. What do you think ?
There seems to be quite a lot of sibilance on the JBL tweeter. I was looking at another recording on a you tube demo for this speaker and encountered the same thing. Disappointing as I much prefer the JBL sound to the KEF R11
Hello! Please advise me of good bookshelf acoustics to listen to in the evening at a low amplifier volume. jazz, vocals, classical. Budget from 1000 to 2000$
Listening to this comparison with JBL studio 580 ☺️ probably not good I like the look of the kef but i am biased to jbl. The sound is very close in this song over my speakers. I feel like the JBL hurt my ears a little more but it's fine I'll go jbl because JBL is my brand. 😊
Il serait intéressant de pouvoir comparer avec les pioneer tad s-1EX qui me paraissent bien plus fidèle et donnent l'impression d'écouter la chanson en direct.
I like to KEFs better, they sound Fuller on the opening guitar notes, and I hear a shrill in her voice on the JBLs.. I'm wondering how you could say off axis is bad with the r11 which are known for their off axis response, when your sidewalls are only 4 ft away from the speakers, so how off axis could you possibly get, and I'm sure at higher spl's the KEFs have a much tighter base response which you did not mention..I'm sure the 100s bass starts getting muddy at higher spl's
This room has big opening to over 20ft room on the left for off-axis, high SPL How loud can you listen? I don’t hear any muddy bass response even at 100db range and KEF off-axis is overrated.
@@Tharbamar your tastes in music must change often because when you first got these R11s you said they were 75% of the sound of the reference 5.. and I'm sure you made a lot of people run out and buy them
What an eye opener...ahem...ear opener. I never liked the sound of more modern JBL designs, but these L100's seem to bring you into the same room as the live performance. Excellent!
KEF sounds cleaner, transparent, JBL is more like you’re there, listening to this live. Please upload another video with more comparisons, I’d love to hear more of JBL, very interesting speaker.
And boring in the long run because real music don’t sound like it.
@@Tharbamar being boring etc., you’re referring to KEF ?
being boring etc., you’re referring to KEF ?
you talking about the kef
That's because PA speakers use very big drivers, like the JBL, so it sounds like a live performance, but the Klippel people will say it measures like crap.
As a guitar player, I'm hearing a lot more finger movements on the JBLs than the KEFs, making it sound like the actual guitar is in the room. I've had several KEF speakers in the past- I'm actually surprised how laid back this pair is. Obviously I'd want to hear them in person before any final judgements. Enjoyed the comparison. Thanks
I heard exactly the same thing, immediately.
тут такое дело. Гитару, движения пальцев, может лучше передаёт и JBL, но у него есть сильное выпячивание в этой области , по чисто естественным причинам -широкий корпус. Поэтому голос уходит на второй план, а экстра бас -так и вообще не третий.
У KEF -баланс, поэтому голос слышится на первом плане, как и делал режиссер скорее всего. Кроме того, uni-Q даёт пространствееный звук, в силу чего «гулкость» корпуса JBL исчезает, а остальное все -остаётся. То есть, звук получается более чистый, менее гулкий.
поэтому понравилось оба, что естественно, но у KEF общая картина более выверена, ну и шикарный экстра суб бас, даёт такую основу, которой нет у других))
Same here. I was wondering why I was connecting so much more to the JBL. You nailed it.
My r7 meta are also very laid back, audiophile snobs like to dump on jbl but for listening I think they are really nice. Klipsch I've also heard are dumped on by audio snobs, yet are loved by people who listen to music for the enjoyment of the actual music, I look forward to trying tube amps next with my speakers.
I have the l82 I noticed the same thing when I got these set up...the cavity of the guitar sounds so real I was shocked...I have 15 sets of speakers costing way more...but I have these set up on cheap smsl stack...as mid field monitor s and they are amazing..im selling my mofi source point 10s and getting l00 s in January of course it's the distance and volume that mitigate what u hear .... I listen to these 10hrs per day...they are not expensive at all but perfect for me it's that woofer I think not sure..good luck..
I have Kef R11 in the living room. And JBL L100 Classic 75 in the basement together with the JBL SA 750 amplifier. I have to admit that i use more time in the basement for the moment 😊
I've now listened to both recordings (twice) using two different pairs of reference-grade headphones, and I think that all of your observations are spot on. The JBLs yield a classic, West Coast, live-in-the-club ambient sound. The KEF R11s produce music that is restrained, balanced, and has depth. (You can really hear the differences when the bass guitar and the harmony vocal make their entrance. This song selection, by the way, was very revealing and was a great selection for this comparison.) Personally, I prefer the tonality and balance of the KEFs. Over the long haul, I would worry that the dynamics and the forward sound of the JBLs would become fatiguing ... whereas I suspect that KEFs can be tuned and repositioned, over time, and obtain greater flexibility with their sound as your hearing and musical tastes change. As one of the commentators observed, the sound of a JBL loudspeaker is a lot like the sound of a Klipsch loudspeaker: it's either your cup of tea or it isn't. (I own Klipsch and KEF loudspeakers, and I'm quite pleased with both of them!) I also detected a touch of sibilance with the JBLs (as did another commentator), which I found to be worrying ...
This was a helpful and worthwhile comparison. Thanks for posting it! Good job!
Trotzdem sind sie überteuert.
I like the clearer sound of the Kef's but the JBL's are so much more balanced. I feel like the kef's are missing something in the midrange.
I wanted to love the JBL but the KEF sounded better for me
Me too. I normally love the JBL warmer sound, but this recording of the JBLs felt more muddy with all the caveats of listening via RUclips. The KEFs seemed more transparent.
Listening on your phone I assume
@@frankhugh2052 Your assumption is wrong, I heard these in person.
U can't make any judgment calls with these sound clips if you are listening threw your phone..no fidelity reproduction threw your 1/4 " speaker...seriously folks..
Without doubt JBL. good job man
I'd pick whichever one sounds better to me using material I am familiar with to audition. Went to the store to pick up a pair of B&W one time, came home with PSB's after auditioning. Never even heard of them before then. Still got them, they've been fantastic. This is the way.👍👌
The JBL is built on the architecture of the monitor speaker of the day which in turn reflected JBL heritage of horn loaded speaker systems for live music/sound reinforcement. Its a traditional old school approach which has certain characteristics, the JBL sound. A lot of music has been recorded and played back over the decades on JBL speakers.
Good review, thanks for your observations.
JBL without any doubt. More natural, more opened and precise.
Nice review. I have the L-100 classic on the way. Pairing with Luxman 590axii.🤞
Nice! How do you think if I am pairing with Luxman505u?
It would sound great. Can go wrong with Luxman. Great stuff 👍
Fan club President here 😬, I’m obviously biased, but these speakers are amazing. You’re impressions are similar to my experience with the standard 100 Classic, but I’m sure those 75th are just phenomenal.
Welcome, it is a great speaker I’m loving every time I listen to them, thanks
What’s the difference between the L100 vs the 75th?
@@BillyKueekSG For the most part, I think it's the teak veneer and some driver modifications. I'm not completely sure though.
My pooch agrees. JBL wins by a hair. Would love to hear both with other music samples. Thanks!
great reviews and awesome sound demo which really highlights the key differences between these speakers. great song choice too.
подтверждаю
The Acoustic Energy AE520 Speakers with all speaker drivers made of Carbon Fiber are the biggest bargain on the market right now at $5K A Pair ! They can hang with the Big Boys !
From your Music Sample judgeing, I would say the KEF's are cleaner,
the JBL are colouring the Sound, I am using Shure SRH1540 Headpones to listen.
So the Question is: Do you like it if your HiFi Speaker have their own Sound ?
For some that is ok, for some not.
There is also a lot of sibilance with the JBLs.
@@pedrocols Hi pedrocols,
the JBL are made for Lovers of the Vintage - Sound
and Vintage HiFi is in the Moment the Thing.
Clearly this old Fashion Bass Reflex Design will give the JBL
her " Character ".
The KEF's are Bass Reflex too, but they avoid this type of Colouration,
like many other modern Bass Reflex Designs.
I have the Wharfedale EVO 4.3 and you will be unable to tell that
these are Bass Reflex !
The Problem with Speakers like the KEF, maybe because they are such a clean Bread, is to make them groove and that is where the fun is in listening and they are not very efficient.
You need big Amps to make the KEF's rock, with the JBL you don't.
I would not buy either of them !
I am " allergic " to the JBL's Type of Bass Reflex Colouration and the KEF's are too problematic for Amplifier choice.
I had KEF R3, Reference 201 and 207 and they all had to go !
IMO it’s not the best music choice for demonstration of these speakers. He tends to prefer live recordings and thinner sounding sibilant music with stringed instruments and female vocals.
@@st.michael9708Nice observation. Agreed. Which ones are you currently listening to and which ones are you looking into buying? Thanks
they both sound great, i think the jbl needs a bit of time to break in and balance out.
thank you & congratz on your beautiful new speakers
Posible..
Jbl vocals much more natural. Jbl warmer sounding which I like. Both sound great to me.
KEF | JBL
16:11 song start 19:22
16:50 voice start 20:01
17:22 2nd verse 20:33
18:06 3rd verse 21:18
18:45 duet 21:56
Thank you for this review!
I like them both. JBL has much more natural tonality. It sounds more natural.
I like KEF's line of speakers, I own a pair of LS50 Meta's and I've heard the R11's, based on this demo I favor the JBL's, I'm going to have to eventually get a pair!
JBL with right paring will make you enjoy more of your music than many others for realistic music.
Very good 👍🏾 Always a JBL fan. (KEF R11 also good)
Like Klipish, if your a fan your a fan. The JBL’s can set a soundstage that are very sweet to the ears. Great review explaining your experience with them. Their beautiful too!
KEF’s are nice too, but have the KEF matching and analytical sound about them . Very nice midrange.
Thanks for the review! 👍
Just sent you a text. Thanks
It will be interesting to compare them to vintage Cerwin Vega, Technics or Fisher. Great video!!
The Kef's sound lively and musical. The JBL much flatter sound, probably more accurate? For listening prefer the Kefs any day!
It’s other way around, thanks
@@Tharbamar I own a Mastering Studio, your experience might be different from mine!
@@henrygentles1894 interesting. I have never heard a pair of KEFs that thought sounded musical or toe tapping. My KEF R3s are very smooth and accurate though never fun or "musical". My JBL L82's deffinetly are fun and man can they rip.
@@Tharbamar I own KEF and you are right.
@@gregorymorrill7558 I've seen every major Mastering Studio ever built and I've built a few myself and no one has JBLS! But I've seen a few with Kefs in them! They were popular in Recording studios 30 years ago when there was nothing else!
When I heard the sound demo they were soo different. Like in every way. I'm very surprised and I love kef but it sounded like the jbl went warmer and deeper. But yea the kef sounded very coherent and the sound was everywhere.
You can only tell if it sounds coherent or not if you are actually sitting infront of the speakers, not on RUclips
You should move the mic closer to the speakers, this way you can hear more what the speakers sound like and less what the room is sounding like.
Also the JBL are placed more back than the KEF and that will make a sound difference in itself. Moving the speakers out into the room brings out the midrange, which is what can be heard in the KEF. Putting the speakers back against the wall thickens up the bass and brings down the midrange.
I don’t need to bring out more midrange from JBL they sound great where they are and please do not think or advise like I didn’t try them in different places, I’m not moving microphones closer to the speakers because I’m only try to show how they sound in my room and how I hear them from my listening position.
If anyone want to hear most accurate sound they have to try them in their system not from RUclips. Thanks
Please don't post generic copy paste comments undermining other people's efforts. Clearly, the KEF and the JBL has different placement needs as he mentioned already. Placement of the mic near the speakers is a terrible idea as he wants to show what be hears in his listening area.
Would love you to review the smaller L82s. Those L100s are way too big for my place! From your review they sound what I am looking for though, as I need a speaker that performs well at lower listening levels.Thanks.
My thoughts. the JBL has more power to the string, but the vocals are much more clear with the Kef.
I think the 12 inch tells a different story and I love it!
Great review! Thanks.
Don't you know will it worth to make such pair Marantz PM7000N or Denon DRA-800H with JBL L100?
I'm interested in Spotify streaming music via Wi-Fi. Though I'm trying to choose acoustic and amplifier.
Actually there are some ideas in my budget: (JBL L100 vs Transpuls 1500) + (Marantz PM7000N or Denon DRA-800H).
Thanks for your advice!
I prefer the liveliness and punchiness of the kefs.
The differences between JBL and Kef you describe are noticable, but you should have added a more challenging song for these speakers (more instruments, extremer pitch range etc.) to come to a final conclusion for listeners. Anyway, really good sounding speakers.
Song choice is very limited due to copyright.
PLEASE: WHO is covering Neil here? I am dying to know, I have tried hard to find is but it's difficult as it's been covered 9billion times. Love this.
L100s have more midbass. I'm not a fan of either speaker. They both sound like entry level kit that needs refinement. The tweeter in the JBL is like a 20 dollar part, come on JBL, you can do better. I like your mic placement. I want to hear what a speaker sound like in a room, not just an algorithm. Your room is sorta average, comparable to ours. Good job.
Have r7 meta and l100 classic. If forced to choose the jbls will stay. Very good with arcam and michi amps. With naim, kefs are great.
The JBL are getting closer to their best sound with this amp while the KEF are not. Even with this ho-hum amp the KEF still sound better to me. I think the KEF would also shine more than the JBL moving up the food chain with amp/preamp. Be fun to see you do this with the R11 Meta and see if the JBL still does as well.
JBL no doubt. We have the original L100 during 70's, it was driven by SAE pre and power amplifiers (the company no more exist). Classic 3 way design , 12 inch paper dome , high efficiency , suitable for all kind of music. JBL is usually best paired with class A or tube amplifier. Denon may be a bit dry and better pair with British speaker.
More emotion with the JBL. The KEF has a polite presentation that makes me think : Ok, I'm listening to a recording. With the KEF I feel I'm with the musicians immediately, the connection just happens. I'm fully engaged into the music, and also, the 'attack' of string notes is realistic, not with the KEF.
No, Denon is not dry with JBL. On the contrary! But....you have to wait for the bass driver to have it's mechanical running-in.
Zu berücksichtigen war auch noch der faire Preis. Von dem kann heute nicht mehr die Rede sein!!😂👎🇩🇪
感觉kef 处理的声音过于干净,缺少乐器该有的一些残响,kef 声音虽然精致,但是不够自然,JBL声音感觉自然,很想现场试听!
Based on Google translation, you said it best, thanks
I have the JBL L100's right now paired to a McIntosh MA8900, but have been looking at the Wharfedale Elysian 2's a lot lately. Everything you said about L100's is what I like about them. How would you say they compare to the Elysians? What similarities and differences do they have?
Elysian 2 is great sounding speakers but it can be boring over the long run, which produce polite sound with nice airy highs but lacks the dynamic attack if you like to listen different genre of music, that’s why I went with L100 C 75th, thanks
Hi fellow 100 owner! These things are amazing!
Can't beat big boxes, unfortunately i cannot accommodate either but if i had to pick one, JBL would get my cash . Both sound great .
When you listen to the song when it first starts you can hear in more detail with the JBL the sliding of the guitar strings then you can with the Kef.
The best thing going on here is your room. This is the 4th time I've listened to it. Well balanced. While I prefer the overall natural and more live sound of the JBL it seems to me to have some overhang (?), by which I mean certain notes seem to linger a bit longer than they should...giving the impression that the JBL is not as quick as the KEF.
I forgot to mention KEF R11 had better synergy with my Aquarius R2R DAC than with JBL L100C 75th, Thanks
Are you kidding me? "Overhang". Ha! There is NO way your ears could/would detect any such difference...because it does NOT exist! Same source, just different speakers. HOW could a human ear detect a difference. You amused me.
JBL SOUND 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻🎶🎼🎵🎶🎼🎶🎵🎶🎼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
I play with kef bbc monitor P60 K300, amazing sound, and at moments i vary with jbl 4312....different but also amazing sound....and when i want real goosebumps i put actif system with jbl 2245, in mids P audio neo 10" and midhighs beyma amt tpl 150...and even the small kef 102 reference with subwoofers added can produce nice sounds ,,,so the secret is 'variation'.....of sound presentation ...like paintings....
Another awesome video!
Hard to decide both sounded good on their own right but Kef is more natural more spacious and details on vocals
Great Job ! Thanks for the video
One day i hope to purchase a JBL 4400 series blueface, I could almost bet your
Denon would sound amazing with the JBL 4450s/4445 😆 Monsters
Thanks for the quick response for me. L82 are very very large in size. What bookshelf speakers can you recommend in a smaller size?
This would be real bookshelf speaker ruclips.net/video/-t5ASEofonQ/видео.html
I m 64
I listened to both on my Sony MDR 7506 headphones..
The recoding from both pairs is superb
R11 huge smooth Bass , being FS maybe
L100 was more on clarity of words and Acoustic guitar , bass on lower side
But both seems to be winner
considering the Audio bandwidth is now getting narrowed with age ( I m earlier audio recordist)
Superb quality work by this gentleman
Thanks
JBL 100% superior to KEF for sound quality. KEF sounds brittle and metallic where as JBL simply sounds musical.
One more thing. Those REL subwoofer drivers are totally bettered by those JW300PW-8 in JBL. After many hours of running, i think JBL's bass will be better than REL's. And also, after running-in the drivers, the JBL will wake up before 55 db.
For my money, I'd buy the L100
I picked the Marantz SP1515 which is bigger (15" woofer) thus better than the JBL. 3' tall, 2' wide, 1' deep.
There is no contest. KEF is my taste.
JBL L100 Classic 75th 100%
JBL looks badass, still, I would pick the KEF soundwise.
How wide is your room? Both those speakers look great in there but the JBLs just look so cool. Love that you compared two speakers instead of just talking about them in generic terms - nice review!
About 15ft wide where equipments are, 20ft across to the wall they are facing. Thanks
Great video! How long do you feel like it took the mids to break in on the JBL L100 Classic 75?
Not sure about the mids, but he said the bass took a long time. He mentioned in his review that he played them for nearly 5 days in another room with a blanket on top of them before they loosened up. But yeah, after that he was happy.
The kefs had way more detail and clarity but the jbls made me it seem like the singer was in the room with me .. 😊
JBL 100, still the reference. Wow!!! Nothing like JBL sound. Best all around. The Michael Jordan of speakers!
FYI, it's not regular 100 , the one I have is L100 Classic 75th and it does not sound like regular 100s.
@@Tharbamar That's good info, as some people (myself included) may have assumed no difference
@@Tharbamarare the upgrades in the classic black edition the same as in yours?
@@franktdot5932 It should be but I'm not sure.
Hey, off topic, but could you tell me your impressions between the elac uf52 vs criton 1tdx? They are on my short list, how much better is the 1tdx, but being a bookshelf vs a small tower
1TDX have to compare with speakers in $2K range, UF52 do not have have speed and refinement like 1TDX.
@@Tharbamar ok great thanks. Have you heard of diysg (do it yourself sound group)? They are highly regarded and get excellent reviews and considered high performance for the cost. They have a speaker called the helix, seems very similar to the criton (size/bass extension), but are hard to quantify how good they are comparatively. They go for $400. Would love a review of them if your interested in doing another diy speaker?
just to note, music track artist is Wies Kavelaar not Nicole Van Duin. same album
Thanks for the correction.
Hello what’s your opinion about pairing JBL’s with nad M33? You might heard or have your opinion about that 🤔 I owe jbl l100 classic,not 75th anniversary but still probably 99% same sounding speakers
Personally I like JBL speakers with Luxman, Denon, Parasound or McIntosh etc, I have not tried with NAD M33.
L100 Classic 75th does not sound like regular L100 Classic, 75th is richer in tone, a bit warmer and much clearer overall sound with better bass definition as well, thanks
Great review but never heard you give a price comparison between the two. Maybe I missed it. Thanks.
No I didn’t, I only mentioned comparatively priced, thanks
Great Video ! Yes ! JBL takes the price !
R 11 is far easier to integrate inside your room and your wife will love its design.
R 11 still sounds good even if not placed accurately in the room .
The KEF, no doubt. Point source is almost always superior.
@Terry Jom and how does the Reference 7k 'destroy' the R11s '23 times easily' again?
@Terry Jom that is the most ignorant statement that Ive heard all year.
@Terry Jom Listen to a Canton and you know Canton is nothing ;-)... Just enjoy your speakers, everyone got a different taste. I personally would never buy neither a Kef or Canton
These kef looks like an ugly vacuum cleaner and sounds like crap if you want a REAL sounding and a good looking Kef take the 104ab or the 104/2 they are on a complete different level compared to these ugly towers.
@Terry Jom what a troll
JBL Produce a lot of harmonic like the real instruments.
Exactly.
Hi! Now you made me change my mind. If only I can listen both myself. So, will the JBL sound better than the R11s in a 60sqm long room like mine? Low volume auditions. And what amp would you recommend in the 1.5-2k euros price range? Thank you!
By the way, the R11s are now 3k euros here in Romania. So, hard to choose.
Which model REL subs do you have? I know audiophles adore the REL's but i have a pair of the SVS SB3000 and I think they are pretty good but I am intrigued by what the REL's can do.
I’m using dual T9/X.
I have the standard edition of the classics and I use an SVS SB 3000 and it’s mind blowing good
Jbl for certain. Both very nice though.
They sound clean open like the usual Jamo in a way to my ears...
Neither is really like live music. One is cool because of the drivers used (KEF) and the other (JBL) is warmer but rather like a better guitar speaker that has a mix of different drivers. Because JBL is known for guitar speakers it sounds like one. Of the two, the JBL is less nerve-racking because it is probably closer to what a person who does not hear live music very often might think is normal. It kind of reminds me of home, without a sofa or a bed!
Why do I say that? Speakers at more than $5000 plus price point should not fail at producing the initial transients or the fading away of the transients. This is not easy but for 5 thousand plus, it would be expected that music sounds like the instruments being played. Both sound like versions of instruments and neither gets the tone of the instruments right.
They are both honorable companies and surely if there is no other alternative then well worth the money if money has little meaning.If Buchard ever brings out a stand speaker it will smoke both of these in the shade. Wilson and several others are interesting. I even imagine that if KLH brings out the model 7 or 9, they will likely be highly competitive against these speakers at a lower price point.
Can you suggest any amplifier on budget? Currently have R11 and have plan to get R2C in future. Currently powering them using marantz 6015. Thanks in advance
May be Yamaha As-801 would be nice pairing.
Jbl sounds classic kef sounds modern but both good speakers.
I think the JBL supposed to be placed a bit to the front away from the wall. it's a no-no for that kind of box to be as near to the wall like that
There is no rules in placement, every room is different.
Huh? @var, Actually due to the wide baffle and front porting, close wall placement will be very possible if not optimal. The wide baffle supports lower frequencies before the transition from 2pi to 4pi.
@@gregorymorrill7558 check the frequency response measurement. thanks
@@Tharbamar what I mean is the JBL is too close to the wall compared to the KEF for the comparison. that's all. keep up your good work! thanks for the videos. appreciate it
Do you still need a subwoofer if you're using L100? Isn't the L100 12" driver won't hit deeper bass?
You say you have them 18-20 inches from the wall, how far do you have them apart? Is that measured from the middle of the speaker or the edge? Thanks.
Speaker distance is measured in tweeter to tweeter which is about 8ft apart, thanks
Kef sound better on my headphones. Bass has better texture on kef. Pumping more power to kef may make them sound even better. Off axis JBL may win.
What’s the difference between JBL L100 75th Anniversary and the L100 brand new on sale? Found 2 pairs of 75th but not feasible to get it to me. Both the KLH Model 5 and the Polk R700 are not available in Singapore.
The difference is woofers, crossover and cabinet design with same DNA,
L100 Classic should sound great paring with R26.
Any chance in reviewing the S.M.S.L M500 MKII Audio DAC & Headphone Amplifier? I heard it is on par with the Denafrips Ares II R2R DAC.
I would just get a Musician Draco which is better than Denafrips Ares II.
Yeah, but the "in room response graph" is measured in your distinct room, so it is not really relative to others with totally different rooms. The R11s were tested to be extremizing flat in an anechoic chamber. Individual room problems can be mitigated with room treatment if the speaker is inherently flat. I think you have a good ear and are very accurate in your assessments, but I don't think your own room response warrants a comparison in a flatter frequency response between any two speakers. People will get the wrong idea. You do have very good sound quality in your demos, so people listening will appropriate means will be able to hear the differences and judge for themselves.
Non c'è storia, JBL N°1. La voce è naturale e la chitarra acustica ha una timbrica da purista.
I like both
Me too, I think the Kef is cleaner though.
I like your program very much. Please tell me that I have JBL4367 and L100c speakers, and I want to match the Mclntosh amplifier. How should I match it? thank you
KEF R11’s distortion sounds smaller🙂
Can you please let me know the singer of Heart of Gold ?
Additionally, I am thinking of adding the JBL to my current setup. I have a McIntosh MA900 and a pair of Sonus Faber Olympica III. What do you think ?
The song is cover by Wies Kavelaar.
JBL will work great with your amplifier.
@@Tharbamar are yo sure that Wies Kavelaar covered Neil Young heart of gold ? I cannot find it ....
There seems to be quite a lot of sibilance on the JBL tweeter. I was looking at another recording on a you tube demo for this speaker and encountered the same thing. Disappointing as I much prefer the JBL sound to the KEF R11
RUclips sound demo is not reliable source to judge actual sound quality.
Hello!
Please advise me of good bookshelf acoustics to listen to in the evening at a low amplifier volume. jazz, vocals, classical. Budget from 1000 to 2000$
Hi, I would advise you to try JBL L82 Classic, thank you.
JBL L100 Classic 75th superior
Hello Mr. Tharbamar. I am really interested to get the L100. Do you think it will be too much for a 11ft x 17ft room?
Not at all if you don't play extreme loudness, they are one of the easiest one for room placement.
@@Tharbamar Thank you very much Sir!
Is Rel the best subwoofers for JBL do you think?
S510 would be better paring but T9X x 2 sounded great together than with Matin Logan 12” subwoofers, thanks
@@Tharbamar thanks!
Listening to this comparison with JBL studio 580 ☺️ probably not good
I like the look of the kef but i am biased to jbl. The sound is very close in this song over my speakers. I feel like the JBL hurt my ears a little more but it's fine I'll go jbl because JBL is my brand. 😊
Il serait intéressant de pouvoir comparer avec les pioneer tad s-1EX qui me paraissent bien plus fidèle et donnent l'impression d'écouter la chanson en direct.
headphones is all time the best is No1 (clearanceness perspicuity clarity)
2, JBL need more space
I like to KEFs better, they sound Fuller on the opening guitar notes, and I hear a shrill in her voice on the JBLs.. I'm wondering how you could say off axis is bad with the r11 which are known for their off axis response, when your sidewalls are only 4 ft away from the speakers, so how off axis could you possibly get, and I'm sure at higher spl's the KEFs have a much tighter base response which you did not mention..I'm sure the 100s bass starts getting muddy at higher spl's
This room has big opening to over 20ft room on the left for off-axis, high SPL How loud can you listen? I don’t hear any muddy bass response even at 100db range and KEF off-axis is overrated.
@@Tharbamar your tastes in music must change often because when you first got these R11s you said they were 75% of the sound of the reference 5.. and I'm sure you made a lot of people run out and buy them
hi, do you EQ them for correct the in room response?
ty
I do not use EQ, just room treatments.
hi tharbama do you try to replace the synergistic purple fuse on the main ac you amp and listen the earth drum on the jbl l100
I haven’t tried them yet, may be one day, thanks
@@Tharbamar Very diplomatic answer to a stupid question.