2021 marks JBL’s 75th birthday year, but instead of (or perhaps as well as) kicking back with a vintage wine and penning a memoir, the US audio brand is celebrating the anniversary by launching a limited-edition version of its legendary L100 Classic speakers.
The new L100 Classic 75 are based on the 2018-released L100 Classic (which in turn were updates on the original 1970 L100 model). In our five-star review last spring, we called the retro-designed floorstanders a “viable alternative to the very best of their modern rivals”.
Each of the 75 pairs of the new limited-edition L100 Classic lean heavily on the iconic 1970s-style design of the lineage, but acoustic and aesthetic tweaks have been made to highlight the occasion and move the speakers' performance along.
While the driver cones themselves remain the same, there’s now an improved woofer suspension design and a revised network to include bi-wire capabilities, with dual sets of gold-plated binding posts.
The teak wood veneer gracing all sides of the cabinet is paired with a black Quadrex foam grille that’s now complete with a gold and black JBL logo. Special edition badges are found on the front and rear, too, including a commemorative plaque that includes the signature of the principal system engineer, Chris Hagen, and the individual pair number of the production run. Even the wooden crate that the L100 Classic 75 and matching JS-120 floor stands are supplied in is decorated with limited-edition artwork.
Announced as one of several new JBL products at the company's CES 2021 event today, the L100 Classic 75 will be available from May and costs $5500 (AU$8999) a pair. Fancy going all out on JBL's 75th anniversary range? There's a new SA750 integrated streaming amplifier, too.
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