JBL LX300 - Can I do better?

Hi folks,

Just wanted to say that this is a great forum! I stumbled across it about a month from a link on an Ebay ad. I have visited often since then and have gotten a lot of great information. Thanks!

Everyone on here has a JBL story. Here's mine. I got into the mid-fi hobby about 5 years ago and currently have a decent Rotel system. I have a high current RSX 1065 AV receiver, an RB 1070 power amp and Rotel RCD 971 cd player along with a Musical Fidelity output tube buffer. Good quality interconnects.

I have tried many, many different speaker combinations over the last 5 years but have never been completely satifisfied with the sound. I have used B&W, Magnepan, JM Lab, Athena, and Advent just to name a few. My most recent set of speakers were a set of JM Lab Electra 906 bookshelfs. Very good speakers in their own right but just didn't give me that wow factor with my setup. On a whim (more like desperation), I decided to hook up on old set of JBL LX 300 (027ti titanium tweeter circa 1997) bookshelf speakers in my system. I listened and thought to myself, hmmmm, these sound pretty good. I listened some more. No listener fatigue after hours and hours of playing. No ringing ears when I go to bed. Exceptional voice reproduction and decent sound stage. So I asked myself: how could this be that an old set JBL's sound better than anything I have ever heard in my system? AND how could it be that a speaker that was 1/10th of the cost of the JM Lab Electra's sound better? I never gave JBL serious consideration because of the cheapie speakers I always saw at the big box stores but now I am starting to reconsider.

So here is my question. I really like the sound of the LX300 speakers but I know JBL has made far superior products. Do I try to get something better to completely blow me away? If I do, do I stick with the circa 90's speakers when I believe the build quality was better or go with a newer speaker? Since I don't have a JBL dealer close by I am going to rely on input from this forum for my decision. I'm basically looking for a JBL speaker recommendation with these parameters in mind:
bookshelf or floorstanding size (just not huge)
price point: up to $600 or so for mains
would like to build a complete surround system eventually

If you have the time I look forward to your input! Thanks again for all of the great information on this forum. Happy Holidays!

You are on the right track. You should have plenty of good suggestions in short order...................

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kjt0001

...[an] old set of JBL LX 300 (027ti titanium tweeter circa 1997)...

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Old? 1997?
Grasshopper, you have much to learn! :applaud:

I set my parents up with LX300s and LX600s a while back, I've always liked the way they sound. That said, you can find many better JBLs around...I find the L110s to be my favorite lately as far as high quality/low fatigue. You might like newer units with the Ti tweets better, though. You'll get plenty of recommendations soon, I think.

Good luck,

je

Among my dozens and dozens of JBLs I still have a pair of LX300s and find them very pleasing. Of course the lower octaves are missing; the 6.5" woofer just cannot go down there. When coupled with a decent sub, in my case a 12" LE120H-1, they make very fine music. I cross over at 120Hz to the sub. The 300s are very capable above that point.

Others here will suggest you can do better, and you can--if you want to spend the money. However, your best return on investment will be to add a sub to the LX300s and don't ask them to go down below their optimum range.

Welcome!