Mark Henninger

Bookshelf Speaker ReviewsTower Speaker Reviews
JBL L100 Classic MkII Speakers Review: Blown Away
Mark Henninger  |  Jan 09, 2025

Performance
Build Quality
Value
PRICE $4800/pair

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Powerful yet refined sound
Classic design
Adjustable midrange and treble

Minus
Need stands
Take up more floor space than tower speakers

THE VERDICT
The JBL L100 Classic MkII delivers a seamless blend of vintage aesthetics and modern acoustic performance, offering punchy, refined sound whether in stereo or home theater setups.

It’s hard to dispute the legendary status of the original JBL L100 when it comes to iconic speaker designs. Those retro Quadrex foam grilles have become as much a calling card for JBL as the crisp, punchy sound signature itself. After all, they are the descendants of the L100 Century speakers featured in the famous "Blown Away Guy" Maxell cassette tape ad.

With the L100 Classic MkII, JBL has updated the beloved 12-inch three-way design with modern acoustic engineering, resulting in a speaker that seamlessly blends vintage aesthetics with contemporary fidelity. I recently paired a set of L100 Classic MkIIs with a Denon AVR-A1H receiver in both 2.0 (stereo) and 4.1 configurations to see if the new L100s lived up to their near-mythical predecessors. Spoiler alert: They do—spectacularly.

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CES 2025
LG Touts “Affectionate Intelligence” AI Vision at CES 2025
Mark Henninger  |  Jan 07, 2025
At a press event on the eve of CES 2025, LG Electronics rolled out what it describes as “Affectionate Intelligence”—its take on artificial intelligence woven throughout daily life. Company representatives say this new AI will impact everything from home appliances to automobiles and commercial systems. Whether it lives up to those promises remains to be seen, but the rhetoric onstage was big.
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CES 2025
TCL’s Steady Climb Continues at CES: New QM6K TVs Roll Out with Incremental Upgrades
Mark Henninger  |  Jan 06, 2025
TCL’s push to challenge the top TV brands appears to be gathering momentum. The company, which cites data placing it among the world’s second best-selling TV makers for the past six years, now says it’s doubling down on premium technologies to hold onto that spot—and perhaps narrow the gap with Samsung. TCL’s rise, in fierce competition with fellow Chinese manufacturer Hisense, has made it a contender in the U.S. market once dominated by a select group of established brands.
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CES 2025
Hisense Bets Big on RGB Local Dimming with 116-Inch TriChroma TV
Mark Henninger  |  Jan 06, 2025
Hisense is showcasing what it calls the first consumer TV with RGB Local Dimming Technology, unveiling a 116-inch TriChroma LED model (116UX) at CES 2025. According to the company, its proprietary design uses individual red, green, and blue LEDs—not filtered white or blue backlights—to deliver what it characterizes as more direct, vibrant color and up to 97% of the BT.2020 color space.
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CES 2025
Hisense Dives into MicroLED with the 136MX
Mark Henninger  |  Jan 06, 2025
Hisense is introducing its first consumer-ready MicroLED display, dubbed the 136MX. According to the company, this 136-inch screen is designed to deliver the benefits of self-emissive technology—where each pixel handles its own light—to sidestep the pitfalls of traditional backlights. Hisense says that approach yields near-infinite contrast and color performance intended to stay consistent over time.
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CES 2025
LG Debuts 2025 OLED evo Lineup: Brighter Panels and AI-Powered Customization
Mark Henninger  |  Jan 06, 2025
LG has announced its 2025 OLED evo series at CES, including what the company describes as the world’s first “true wireless” OLED evo M5, alongside new G5 models. According to LG, these televisions incorporate the latest Alpha 11 AI Processor Gen2 (featured on the G5 and M5 lines) and boast up to three times the brightness of the brand’s previous OLED sets.
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CES 2025
Samsung Showcases “Vision AI” and Expanded TV Lineup at CES First Look 2025
Mark Henninger  |  Jan 05, 2025  |  Published: Jan 06, 2025
Samsung Electronics has introduced what it calls “Vision AI,” along with several new displays, at its CES First Look 2025 event. According to Samsung, this AI-powered technology is meant to move TVs beyond passive viewing devices and into the realm of “interactive, intelligent partners.”
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New Products
Samsung to Introduce Eclipsa Audio in 2025 TVs and Soundbars
Mark Henninger  |  Jan 05, 2025
Samsung Electronics America has announced that its 2025 TV and soundbar lineup will include Eclipsa Audio, a 3D audio format developed in partnership with Google. The company claims Eclipsa Audio allows content creators to direct sounds with more precise location and intensity, aiming to offer viewers a more enveloping audio experience.
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New Products
Hisense Bets on High-Brightness Laser TV: The L9Q Launches at CES 2025
Mark Henninger  |  Jan 03, 2025
Hisense is introducing its new L9Q UST projector in the Laser TV category at CES 2025. According to the company, this latest model aims to boost versatility, brightness, and contrast while offering a fresh and innovative design. It’s set to arrive in five screen sizes ranging from 100 to 150 inches—big enough to outfit even ambitious living room and home theater setups.
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Wide Angle
Best TV of 2024 for Picture Quality Purists? Quantum Dot OLED
Mark Henninger  |  Dec 26, 2024
When shopping for a top-tier TV, picture quality is the big deal. You want enough brightness to make HDR content pop, plus deep blacks and accurate colors—otherwise, it’s just not going to feel like the cinematic experience you’re paying for. Right now, Quantum Dot OLED (QD-OLED) technology leads the pack on those fronts. Let’s talk about what makes QD-OLED so compelling.
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