Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)The JBL L880 floorstanding towers are EXTRAORDINARY value for money compared with other manufacturer's and internet only dealers products. Many will claim to have very neutral response and dynamic potential, but JBL has been in the business of making speakers since before many of those companies were glimmers in the eyes of their founders.
You can find excellent measurements of the L880's response curves online (Stereophile has an excellent review with such measurements) and the measurements don't lie. Flat response on axis from 40KHz down to about 30 Hz (with some leeway for room reinforcement). What that means in terms of listening is that everything sounds exactly as the mixer, engineers, and musicians (or movie makers if that's your bag) intended it to; nothing is being unduly influenced by characteristics of the speakers themselves, hence the description as neutral.
I've been using these paired with an Onkyo TX-SR606, a JBL LC2 center, and some surrounds that used to be the fronts in an Onkyo package (SKS-HT540) for home theater, but what's been most pleasantly surprising is how much these have gotten me back into stereo music listening.
These are excellent speakers for both music and movies, but their musicality is amazing. They produce rich, full bass, mids, and highs with great ease. If you push them, they don't sweat, they just go louder and louder until your AVR gets to its limits. These speakers have made me reconsider my stance on getting a pre-pro and separate amps in the future. Now I want them worse than ever, just to see what these are capable of with 200 Watts RMS vs. the ~90 I'm giving them now.
I've rediscovered my love of classical music thanks to these speakers. I can't wait to get some pipe organ CDs to really put them through their paces.
Pros
-Very nice looking in cherry finish (I'll post a photo)
-Astonishing sound reproduction
-Great stereo imaging
-Great punch and dynamics (esp. for movies, but even with driving rock and roll at extreme volumes these loudspeakers don't crack a sweat)
-Huge headroom for further amplification (as funds become available)
-Nice interconnects and relatively undetectable crossovers (that's a good thing)
-Excellent full range response
Cons
-Size may be an issue for some (I believe in bigger is better when speakers are on the table; see photo for size reference)
-Bi-wire connectivity is more gimmick than reality
-Plastic feet are a weak point but don't look bad
-Resistance ratings are optimistic at 8 ohms nominal (see Stereophile's review among others, these have a wide patch of 3-4 ohm response that may tax some receivers not rated for those low resistances)
In sum these speakers are AMAZING value for money, even at Amazon's prices (though sometimes Harman refurbished ones can be had for less elsewhere on the internet making them even greater value). They are great for home theater applications, but I think even better for music listening in 2 channel or multi-channel. To be completely honest I wish I could buy 3 more L880s for multichannel applications but I know my wife would kill me.
I'm not an audiophile, but I do like classical and jazz music at reference volumes (and play both nonprofessionally) and I can tell you from my own experience with other far more expensive brands at boutique audio stores, these will give speakers at 4 times the price a run for their money with the right amplification (at least 75 W RMS in real life, not manufacturers specs) and have blown everything I've heard at twice the price away solidly.
p.s. There's another reviewer who has suggested that these speakers are the same as the LC2 center channel speaker in the same line. As an owner of both, I can tell you they are not. Cabinet resonance and porting creates a very different speaker (even my Onkyo agrees as the Audyssey 2EQ calibration program crosses the LC2 over at 60 Hz, but leaves the L880s at "Full Range"). The bass and midbass are far fuller and more robust from the L880s.
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JBL L880 4-Way, High Performance 6-inch Dual Floorstanding Loudspeaker (Black)The Studio L880 4-Way, Dual 6" Floorstanding Loudspeaker is designed to give you outstanding high-frequency response as well as excellent bass. These speakers are designed to bring the feeling of a live performance into your living room. They are sold individually so you need to order two in order to get a pair.
Click here for more information about JBL L880 4-Way, High Performance 6-inch Dual Floorstanding Loudspeaker (Black)
