Difference between l150A & l300, which should I choose and why?

[funlvr1965]

I have a chance to pickup a pair of l150a in mint condition for $1000.00 and a pair of mint condition l300's for $2700.00. Both have been refoamed and in very good condition. I know that these two are in different classes but is the l300 worth the extra money? I am familiar with the sound of the l150 but not the l300 but everyone including the seller says that they sound fantastic and both sellers welcome an audition, trouble is that the l300 is 2.5 hours away roughly and the l150a's are almost 8 hours away. Since I cannot audition these side by side I am looking for advice from those of you here that have heard both. Oh when do I need to make a decision? lol, like yesterday... thanks in advance

[funlvr1965]

Ok, well I made a decision

[hjames]

Ok, well I made a decision

Now that looks like a great start!

[4313B]

Ok, well I made a decision

Perfect!

[Doc Mark]

Greetings,

I totally agree: Outstanding choice!!! I'd have voted for the L300's, as we LOVE ours, but to get both systems is a perfect solution!! Well done, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc

[Aaron]

Has anyone ever been tempted to put L300s on stands of some sort? I'm thinking like three or four inches higher...

[BMWCCA]

Has anyone ever been tempted to put L300s on stands of some sort? I'm thinking like three or four inches higher...

Or maybe low listening chairs?

I want to hear what the OP thinks about the L150As compared to the L300s assuming that he's had a chance heard them both. Should be at least half as good, right? (300/2=150)

[funlvr1965]

The L150's sound wonderful, just as I remembered them when I bought a pair used from a fellow Marine when I was stationed in Okinawa Japan in 1984. I would spend endless hours listening to them in my room along with my Onkyo M-500R 2 channel amp and Teac X200R reel to reel. It's hard to believe the amazing conditions these are in. Recapped and refoamed they sound better than I remember them and they can take a lot of power and image nicely.




Although I love the sound of the L-150, it's outclassed by the L-300 as it should be given the L-300's studio origins. The A/B test was not scientific and the speakers really weren't even well placed since I was not ready to move the large 230 lb each VMPS RM-40's in the background. The L300's are amazing in their detail and separation of instruments and Diana krall sounded wonderful smooth and realistic. I see now that acquiring both speakers was the right choice, and in retrospect the only choice. The condition of the L-300 is amazing for a speaker of this age and one can argue that the cabinet is furniture grade. Given the beautiful condition of this speaker and the sound along with the negotiated price of $2700.00, I just couldn't pass it up. While I don't consider this an investment to be resold, it seems to be holding its value from what I'm seeing.


Some would say that they wouldn't pay $1000.00 for a pair of L150's but given the fact that these have been restored to their former glory including new caps and foam, the 9 out of 10 condition of the cabinet and speakers plus the fact that I lived with the sound of this speaker when I was a 19 yr old Marine ( now 50 )serving my country overseas, well..... The price was justifiable.




I will say that these speakers will end up costing me more money in the future as I attempt to pair them with other electronics. Make no mistake, my Marantz 8801 preamp sounds wonderful to my ears however it is still a multichannel preamp and devoid of tone controls like the a Mcintosh preamps that I listened to when I auditioned these speakers in the sellers homes. The Mcintosh C28 was used on the L-150's and the Mcintosh C34V was used with the L-300. These speakers were born at time when separate tone controls were used and that's how I remembered extracting the wonderful bass and higher frequency response from the L-150. I would be curious as to what others are using for preamps with these speakers. The amp is a 7 channel Gemstone blue diamond amplifier, It's at least 200 watts per channel if memory serves. The Oppo 105D Bluray/cd/sacd player will stay in the chain. From what I am seeing here, many are using Mcintosh for amplifiers and preamps. The C34V seems popular, any other recommendations?

[hjames]

Has anyone ever been tempted to put L300s on stands of some sort?
I'm thinking like three or four inches higher...

I built some plinths on furniture castors for my 3-way L200s, so its easier to move them around to clean and such.
I am not a woodworker, so they are not the prettiest things, but they are black and disappear under the cabinet,
and it does get the slots closer to ear level. They are not permanently attached -
they simply straddle the existing plinths for about a 3 inch lift overall.

[SEAWOLF97]

Some would say that they wouldn't pay $1000.00 for a pair of L150's but given the fact that these have been restored to their former glory including new caps and foam, the 9 out of 10 condition of the cabinet and speakers plus the fact that I lived with the sound of this speaker when I was a 19 yr old Marine ( now 50 )serving my country overseas, well..... The price was justifiable.

beautiful pair vintage JBL L150 speakers - $550 (Kalama)

http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/ele/4714844943.html

[Doc Mark]

Morning, funlvr1965,

Well done, Marine, and a perfect solution!! I think that you did very well, and spent your money wisely. You will also thank yourself, a thousand times over, as you enjoy both of these stellar systems in the future!! Your buy on the L300's was excellent, and you got them for a very good price. Though you may have paid a bit more for the L150's that you might have, I think you did the right thing to strike whilst the iron was hot, as the comfort of knowing your L150's were refurbished in the proper manner, makes your deal much sweeter!! I see the lesser priced pair that SeaWolf shared here, and still think you did the right thing in getting yours, even at the higher cost!

By the way, thank you, very much, Sir, for your service to our Country!! Much appreciated and Semper Fi! My Uncle Bill, who is now 93, was a young Marine 2LT on Iwo Jima, and retired as a Major, many years later. He was a huge influence in my life, and remains so to this very day!

Thanks for sharing your good JBL fortune with us, and enjoy those wonderful speakers!! Take care, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc

[funlvr1965]

Morning, funlvr1965,

Well done, Marine, and a perfect solution!! I think that you did very well, and spent your money wisely. You will also thank yourself, a thousand times over, as you enjoy both of these stellar systems in the future!! Your buy on the L300's was excellent, and you got them for a very good price. Though you may have paid a bit more for the L150's that you might have, I think you did the right thing to strike whilst the iron was hot, as the comfort of knowing your L150's were refurbished in the proper manner, makes your deal much sweeter!! I see the lesser priced pair that SeaWolf shared here, and still think you did the right thing in getting yours, even at the higher cost!

By the way, thank you, very much, Sir, for your service to our Country!! Much appreciated and Semper Fi! My Uncle Bill, who is now 93, was a young Marine 2LT on Iwo Jima, and retired as a Major, many years later. He was a huge influence in my life, and remains so to this very day!

Thanks for sharing your good JBL fortune with us, and enjoy those wonderful speakers!! Take care, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc

Thank you Doc. I have no regrets in purchasing these, once these originals are gone they are gone forever and they are a testament to a time of well made and great sounding speakers. And like vinyl they seem to have a sound and soul all of their own. I did come across a few L150 sets however if I was going for nostalgia I would have to replace what I had and the 150's were close but not what I lived with. I'm sure they sound great. I was lucky enough to come across two sellers that took pride in what they owned and it was reflected in the condition of these timeless giants. As for what sellers are getting for L300's in this condition these days, I with these ( as much as you can run with 260 lbs of speakers ) but decided to enjoy the experience since I had come all that way . As for my time in the Marine Corps, it was memorable with travel ( 8 countries) and friends that were accountable to one another and when we deployed we had each others back. Just like that old chevy might remind someone of a date they had with their sweetheart way back when, so does the L150A call to me and remind me of a time when a young 17 yr old made a commitment to country and self. They kept me company for two of my 4 year tour. Can't put a price on memories like that.

[SEAWOLF97]

I think you got a fine/great deal on the L300's. Rarely see them under
3k a pair, often near 4K

The audio gear that I had in VN wasn't worth shipping home and I'd certainly
not want any of it now.

[BMWCCA]

beautiful pair vintage JBL L150 speakers - $550 (Kalama)


http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/ele/4714844943.html

Ahh, L150 not L150A. Obviously a $450 difference!

It's only money, and a small amount at that. Soon forgotten in the pleasure of listening to music . . . and playing with new amps.