E5Ti Towers vs. JBL L5's

[iblong]

Do not know yet if they sound better than the JBL L5's, more to come if my wife doesn't convince me to ship them back first thing Monday!
Here are my JBL specs, have I screwed up? What does anyone think?

First Manufactured 1992
Last Manufactured 1996
General
Recommended Power Amplifier Range 35 - 350 watts, per speaker
Nominal Impedance 6 ohms
Woofer 8" composite
Mid-Bass Driver 6.5" composite
Midrange Driver 5" mineral filled polypropylene
Tweeter 1" pure titanium dome
Frequency Response 35Hz - 27kHz
Crossover Frequency(ies) 170Hz, 900Hz, 4kHz
Sensitivity 90dB (1 watt/1 meter)

E5Ti
First Manufactured 2009
• Dual 6½ " (165mm) Poly-matrix Woofers
• 5¼" (133mm) Aluminized Poly-matrix Woofer
• 1" (25mm) Fabric Dome Tweeter
• Recommended Power 50-150 Watts
• Impedance 6 Ohms
• Frequency Response 50Hz-20kHz ±3dB
• Crossover Frequency 120 Hz/ 3,000 Hz
• Sensitivity 87dB (2.83V@1m)
• Dimensions 8½" W x 35½" H x 12¼" D
(216mm W x 902mm H x 311mm D)
• Weight 35 lbs. (15.88 kg.)

 

[gene]

You should try to A/B them level matched (JBLs are at least 3dB more efficient) to see if you prefer the EMPs over your JBLs. The L series was one of the last good lines from JBL so you may find they perform better than the EMPs. Just b/c something is new, doesn't mean its better.

I suspect the L series will be brighter and more revealing, but the EMPs will be smoother and more laid back on the top end. I also suspect you will prefer the more articulate midrage of the EMPs but the bottom end on the L series may be tighter though less punchy. It all depends on what you hear in your room though.

I miss the old days of JBL I used to own a pair of L100t3s and LX-44s. Nice stuff for its time and still very listenable today.

If you prefer the JBLs, send the EMPs back!