I can't find much information on these speakers. I happened to buy a home in 2015 that had an estate sale before going on the market. I found that the only thing that wasn't sold were these speakers hiding in a custom made console with the console grills screwed shut. No one bothered to open it up to see what was inside! The guy who bought these speakers passed away in 1985 and they were probably not used much afterwards. The home was built in 1971 with one owner and the widow moved into a nursing home in 2007 and passed in 2012. The estate sat empty but was maintained until it hit the market.
I see the S8 components were first listed in the 1974 JBL catalog but not every year catalog is listed in the library on this site? Couldn't find the C45 enclosure, so not sure what year these speaker were purchased new.
The speakers look in great shape and they sound incredible. I saw only one pair of these speakers being auctioned in 2016 for $4700 but not sure what it sold for. I see currently many of the S8 components being sold on eBay for a lot of money. The 375 driver/HL93 horn lens now asking for more than $4000/pr! If all S8 components sell at asking, it would sell for over $6000.
Speaker grills are missing.
My questions:
Anybody have an idea what year these went on sale?
What do you think these speakers are really worth on the market? I think more than $3000 but much more than that?
If you had these and didn't need to sell, you think they will continue to appreciate?
Speaking of appreciation, I'd rather listen to these with my Denon AVS 3100X than my high end Klipsch 7.2 setup with my Denon AVS4100X - at least in stereo.Attachment 80495Attachment 80496Attachment 80497Attachment 80498Attachment 80495Attachment 80496Attachment 80497Attachment 80498