I’ve been lusting for some fitting bookshelves to mate with my Marantz 2270 in the man-cave for a while now. The Wharfedale 40’s can’t take the juice and the L-55s are too big. Both are temporarily retired for the time being, plus one of the 55s needs a new surround. I’ve been using a pair of Sound Dynamics RTS-3s. Now, these are quite nice and do a remarkable job on all types of music. They provide a well-balanced, polite, accurate rendition and, as Martha Stewart would say “That’s a good thing.”
Being a child of the 60’s, and remembering what those days were like, something primal was missing on rock music. And, I simply wanted something that “fit” the Marantz. Maybe it’s middle age crazy, mid life crisis or simply “wanting” something I couldn’t have back then or whatever. I didn’t care. I just wanted something. I didn’t know exactly what, but I wanted it.
I kept this idea on the back burner for some time now and I stumbled across a pair of JBL L-26 Decades for sale. I remembered these from when they first came out and was quite impressed but at that time, finances were dedicated to more basic needs, like food, rent, car, etc… Now, thirty some odd years later I find these for sale and at a doable price. Eureka! These were just what I’ve been (inactively) searching for.
So, I pay my money and anxiously wait for these things to show up at the door. When they finally arrived I was like a little kid at Christmas. I tore open those boxes open as quickly as I could. They were packed in what wound up filling 7 large garbage bags of peanuts and another of bubble wrap. When the wife came home I was knee-deep in peanuts.
When I finally hook ‘em up the difference in sound is striking. I was tuned to a classical station (my tastes have expanded in the passing of time) and I was initially disappointed. They had that west coast mid range peak that didn’t sound “right”. I was wondering if I hadn’t been too lost in recreating the past to keep a realistic mind about these things. I flipped the FM dial and was getting used to the sound. Still, initially, I was not overly impressed.
But, when I dropped in SRV’s Texas Flood, it all came to life. Now THIS is what these were made for. After a few days I acclimated myself to their sound on other types of music I listen to and I no longer find them objectionable. Actually, I find I prefer this type of sound in the man-cave.
So, I guess you CAN go home again
