Excellent midrange and high detail. Crisp and clean sound, good stereo imaging. Cant be beat for the price. Problems with shrill output at high levels is probably due to cheesy amplification :-)

Construction quality (cheap veneers) and cheesy spring loaded speaker connectors. Cannot fault output.

I rescued these from a friend who was going to sell them at a garage sale!! I had just received an Amp I bought on eBay so I hooked it up to these JBL's to test the Amp (Rotel Rb-991 200wpc THX) and it sounded amazing. I thought it was the Amp that sounded incredible but when I hooked the Amp up to my B&W 601's (S3) half the detail disappeared. It cant be so! (I thought), everyone knows that B&W are WAY better sounding than these cheap JBL's. I switched back and forth to make sure my ears were not deceiving me, I even had some friends listen. Sold the B&W's shortly afterwards on eBay. The LX-500's have great midrange and highs, but lack deep punchy bass. I have a Sunfire True Sub MKII so it makes no difference to me! This combination is the best I've heard in a long time and I'd recommend the LX-500's to anyone not wanting to spend Thousands on a pair of speakers. Sound rivals that of speakers costing 2,3, or 4 times the price and what these go for used is ridiculous, grab a pair if you can find them. I would give these 5/5 if they had more bass, but what can you expect from a speaker this size?

Similar Products Used:

B&W 601 S3, Bose 901 Series 6, Bose Acoustimass IV

For the $, its hard to criticize these loudspeakers. I bought these in early 1994 and have used them consistantly ever since. The imaging and dynamics are excellent. They are also pretty transparant. I have upgraded my system on a few occasions and have noticed that any limitations that I thought the speakers possesed were actually due to the related to the source equipment. Every time I have upgraded, the LX500's have risen to the occasion. Good recordings sound good, and bad ones are exposed for what they are. This is a mark of a transparant speaker. Excellent build quality.

The treble frequencies can sound a bit harsh at times. However, this is very dependant on the quality of the recording. The treble is usually quite smooth and realistic, especially with well engeneered recordings. For whatever reason, JBL used spring clips instead of binding posts. They do grip banana plug connectors well, though.

Again, these are excellent speakers for the money. I've read some recent reviews of current JBL speakers in the same price range as the LX500's and they are quite positive. The reviewers sound like they are describing the same strengths and weaknesses as the LX500. These speakers are D/C'd so if you can find a used pair, snap them up!

Tonal balance and clarity. Good at moderate sound levels.

Congested bass at high levels. Titanium tweeters can break if pushed too high power levels. Very poor final assembly quality. Speaker terminals are very cheap.

JBL are good speakers for the average listener. This model line suffers from poor assembly. Both the Port tube and the speaker terminals were poorly mounted with what appears to be a glue-gun.

After a reasonable break-in period, these speakers can sound very nice with most Solid State and Push-Pull Tube amplifiers with power ratings of 20 watts RMS or more.

The quality of the woofer and midrange units are questionable, but the Titanium Tweeter is a very sophisticated design with extended frequency response.

If one is looking for a decent pair of Main Loudspeakers for medium sized rooms, consider the LX-500's. If not then go for the LX-600's that have a 10" Woofer driver for a bit better bass presentation.

Be aware that original replacement parts for these speakers are very expensive and only available through a parts outfit in Kansas.

I rate these an average buy for the casual listener. These are not Audiophile speakers, but are rather for those who prefer to listen to their music without paying too much attention to the soundstage, imaging and focus.

On older models the Woofers might need re-foaming which will change the sound of the bass, depending on whether one can acquire the exact replacement surrounds.

Similar Products Used:

Bose 501 Series II, Linn Helix, Technics SB-30

Clear highs, nice midrange

Bass can sound a overworked at times

Have had these speakers over 5 years and have been very happy w/their overall performance. I would buy two more if I could find them!!!!

overall good accurate sound, good construction

good, not great bass

discontinued, but good sound at a good price if you can still find them. bettter than the JBL line that replaced the LX series.

Similar Products Used:

none

Well-constructed-heavy-cabinet, awesome bang-for-the-buck speaker system (....people forget that these are actually bookshelf speakers)

I've yet to uncover any.....at least for the $$'s I paid for 'em..

The JBL's hold a very special place in my heart (seriously). Humble beginning = Onkyo 2 channel receiver w/ 50 watts per channel (high current w/ some nice bass enhancements built-in). They rocked w/ this amp!! My 1st purchase of speakers for this amp was the L1's (sounded good in the store), but not w/ only 50 watts drivin' 'em (power hungry). The LX500's replaced them in '94 and have been my main speakers since. Some inexpensive 8" stands...just for a little tilt-action have been underneath them since the beginning. I had an opportunity to use a BEAST of an amp (ONKYO M504......weighs as much as I do)...165 watts per channel....peaks at 500..... but Did NOT sound as good as the 50 watt Onkyo because the matching pre-amp had no bass enhancements built-in....which equalled no bottem end..... I now have a 2nd-hand-THX certified Pioneer Elite w/ all the "stuff"...matched w/ Jbl's in the rear (j520's), a CS400 center & a Velodyne sub....and the JBL's are still goin' (and not workin' near-as-hard as in previous years....before sub-age). I believe that the negative responses to this speaker are because of a lack-o-power or bass management (just a thought)...but it's really nice to see all these guys and gals w/ the LX500's still goin!! Long live the JBL's! 5 stars all-the-way.....
ps...I've finally figured out that I'm NOT an audiophile...my pocket-book won't let me!

Similar Products Used:

Polk RT's, Infinity Crescendo, Kappa, and RS series, Bose, (the list goes on....I work at a retailer...)

I have owned the older version of these speakers (LX-44) for about 8 years. At the time there was nothing on the market in their price class that had as much to offer. I still get blown away by how much imaging they have. My only complaint is that they are too bright at times, lack upper midrange and bottom out at high volume. If anyone is interested in these speakers I can tell you how to get a brand new pair with a 5 year warranty shipped to your door for only $260
They retail for over $600 !!!

I look for a stereo that best sutes me. It got to be the best sounding to me the clearest lowest and in between. It got to have clear midrange. I have a very powerful system and was looking for something with all these featurs and also something my stereo could handle. So I went shoping around to all different places and herd alot of different speakers POLK, DIFINITIVE, ENFINITY, BOSE, PIONERE, YAMAHA,. I found one place shoping that had nothing but JBL so i gave it a listen. They all sound good but nothing to talk about then i herd the LX 500. They had to be the best sounding speaker I ever herd in all my life Every thing sounded in frunt of you up close and had everything that I wanted. IT sounded like a concert in your living room. I think they blow everything out of the water. I just wish they still made the LX series. I,m looking for a rear chanel I,ve herd the newer JBL but the cant even compare to the LX 500.

I have had the JBL LX-500's for about five years. They sound better now than when I first bought them. They are accurate, but can get a little bright. For a relatively inexpensive speaker they have a more refined sound than their competitors. The sound at low levels is fair, they really sing at mid volume levels, but get harsh at loud volumes. These are a good buy for the less than $500 range and much less used. Jazz, accoustical and vocals these speakers shine. Forget rap or heavy metal, not what they are for. Really should be a three and a half rating.

Does anybody out there have info 0n the lx600 I bought a pair used but I have no documentation.I went to the jbl web site but there was no info on the lx 600.I would love to get the specs on these great sounding speakers thanks anybody who may know !!!!!