L88 Nova

About the L88 Nova

The JBL L88 Nova is a vintage 2-way, 2-speaker bass reflex bookshelf type loudspeaker system first released in 1967. It features a 30 cm cone type woofer (model 123A) with a long travel cone assembly, an 8 cm diameter edgewise rolled copper ribbon voice coil, and a 2.7 kg magnet for the low-frequency range. For high frequencies, early models use a 5 cm cone type tweeter (LE20), while later models use a 3.6 cm cone type tweeter (LE25-1). The enclosure is designed with wood grain and black Saran geometric patterns. It has an impedance of 8 ohms and can handle 50 watts continuous program power. Dimensions vary slightly by catalog year, approximately 360 mm width, 570-600 mm height, and 300-340 mm depth, with a weight of about 21 kg. The crossover frequency is around 2000 Hz, and the sensitivity is about 76 dB. This speaker is noted for its vintage appeal and high efficiency, delivering tight bass down to about 45 Hz when used with appropriate subwoofer support.