JBL L50A (1979–1981)

The JBL L50A is a 3-way, 3-driver bass reflex bookshelf speaker produced from roughly 1979 to 1981. It's a compact sibling to the L100 and shares engineering with the L212 and L110. It has the "West Coast" sound of the era: forward, dynamic and lively. For a smaller JBL, it has plenty of punch.

The drivers are a 25 cm (10″) 127H cone woofer, a 13 cm LE5-10 cone midrange and a 3.6 cm LE26 cone tweeter. The woofer has a 10 cm center dome and a 5 cm voice coil, with a glass wool shell at the rear to improve low-frequency impedance behavior. The midrange sits in a fully sealed back cavity with an aluminum center dome. The tweeter's magnetic circuit uses a 1.6 cm voice coil and a 15,000 Gauss magnet, with a resin surround intended to improve high-frequency energy and dispersion. Crossover points are 800 Hz and 3000 Hz, with level controls for mid and high frequencies on the network. Impedance is 8 ohms, sensitivity is 88 dB/W/m, and maximum recommended amplifier power is 35 watts per channel. Dimensions are 622 x 362 x 314 mm, and each speaker weighs 21 kg packed.

Surviving documentation on the L50A is thin, and the model name is a bit of a puzzle. Most period references simply call it the L50 or L-50. It was often described as the "little brother" to the L100, and it was built to a high standard. A French restoration thread documents a typical pair bought from a seller in Belgium. The owner notes that undamaged LE-26 tweeter dust caps are "rather rare." The original grille cloth was brown and glued on, which surprised the owner, and the corrugated side made replacement difficult. The same thread documents a full woofer refoam, with the old glue on the aluminum frames taking five hours to remove for both woofers. A separate listing mentions recapped crossovers, which suggests that's a known service item.

Pricing from the period is inconsistent. One source lists ¥99,000 per unit around 1981, another ¥135,000 per unit around 1980, and an Italian listing cites 300,000 lire in 1980. No US price has surfaced. No frequency response or THD figures are documented anywhere in the available record.