John
Classic? Walnut veneered cabinets fronted by Quadrex foam grille are the two key ingredients found in JBL’s retro-reinvention of their L100 and L82 loudspeaker models. The reworked models’ ‘Classic’ appendage spoke only to their outward appearance for both reincarnations gave us completely new drivers, crossovers and cabinet structures.
JBL’s classic exterior / reworked interior approach continues this week with the introduction of a third model in the Classic series: the L52 Classic lands with a walnut-veneered cabinet, your choice of orange, blue or black Quadrex grilles and 21st Century everything else.
According to the press release, the L52 Classic is a scaled-down version of the L82 Classic. That means a two-way bass-reflex design that sports a 5.25-inch cast-frame mid/bass diver and a 0.75-inch titanium dome tweeter, surrounded by JBL’s ‘acoustic lens’ waveguide and augmented by a front-panel HF level attenuator. The reflex port fires forward to accommodate closer front-wall proximity. And it doesn’t get much closer than wall-mounting, made possible here via a pair of threaded inserts that sit above the binding posts.
Another interesting twist is that whilst the L100 Classic and L82 Classic’s sizing made JBL’s bespoke loudspeaker stands all but mandatory, the L52 Classic’s more diminutive measurements (330.2mm x 196.6mm x 216.2mm) means a broader range of stands can apply.
Nominal impedance on the new model comes in at 4 Ohms with a sensitivity of 85dB. JBL also specifies the L52 Classic as 6dB down at 47Hz.
Pricing? £1000/pair. Shipping begins Q4 2021.
Further information: JBL Synthesis
