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Thread: The last pair of speakers I'm gonna buy (really!)...

  1. #1
    Regis
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    Thumbs up The last pair of speakers I'm gonna buy (really!)...

    After tossing and turning all night Saturday, I got up and made the three hour trip to San Diego from Palmdale to pick up the L-300's I was purchasing. I pulled up at a triplex near the beach in San Diego, not sure if this was the place or not, but it was. The young man who's a musician, opened the ancient garage and there they were, side by side, the big beasts silently waited in their dusty tomb. The cabs are perfect and even the original dark brown grills were in great shape, though pretty dusty and dirty. Even the backsides were free of scratches, though the bases were starting to go (but this is typical of L-300's from what I understand).

    Loaded them and drove the three hours home, wondering how they'd sound. Would I be disappointed? Would the memory of listening to them back in 1978 be just an enhanced nostalgia? I wouldn't know until I hooked them up. My neighbor helped me unload these guys and then it was me and the L-300's. Hooked speaker wire from the 160 wpc Sansui G-9000 reciever, flicked it on, put the DAC on the right channel and put in a recently mastered smooth jazz CD, I wanted to hear something with serious dynamic range and see just how these sound.

    The experience was OMG, unbelievable. The 15" ferrite 136H's cleanly pumped out a couch thumping bass. The LE85 midrange horns sounded incredibly full and rich. And the 077's were sweet. I could here wooden drumsticks clearly tapping on the metal drum rims, the cymbals crashed and faded away and I just had the biggest grin on my face. Threw CD after CD on and I was nearly stunned at times. Even techno music from 2005 sounded unbelievable on these 25 year old speakers. I understood immediately why people pay $2,000+ for these and I got them for considerably less than that. I can't figure out who'd want to sell a pair of these as I'd never get rid of them. The surrounds on the woofers are starting to crack, so it's gonna be time to talk to Rick and order a kit. I'm happy and now I know why a lot of the members here have 'super-sized' their JBL choice.

  2. #2
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    Nice Review Regis !

    Welcome to the World of "SuperSizing"

    regards <. Earl K

  3. #3
    Senior Member pmakres1's Avatar
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    Nice!

    Regis did you see how much that pair of L300's went for on eBay last night?

    Get ready....$3,815.00.

    Congratulations on your acquisition!

    Peter

  4. #4
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    What'd I tell ya Regis?

    Ready to impress the guests?

    Congratulations!

    ***

    The 15" ferrite 136H's cleanly pumped out a couch thumping bass.

    Ah!

  5. #5
    Senior Seņor boputnam's Avatar
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    Well done, dood! Great review, too.

    No, get them refurbished, and don't limit yourself to the LF surrounds. Think about the wear-and-tear on those 20-yr old LE85 diaphrams...
    bo

    "Indeed, not!!"

  6. #6
    Senior Member spkrman57's Avatar
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    Great catch!

    Not too much JBL action here in Ohio that is worth a sh*t!!!!

    I keep hoping for that great score for a cheap price

    Ron

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by spkrman57
    Not too much JBL action here in Ohio
    That's for sure...

  8. #8
    Regis
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    Talking Thanks all!

    For da' kind words, because only fellow JBL junkies would understand what owning a pair of these is like and I'm grateful that I just get to share the news. Didnt' realize the $3,800 sale on that last pair on Ebay (pretty impressive!). Thanks to Giskard for the encouragement and technical advice about the 136 and the LE85. Sir Bo, I am looking at replacing the diaphragms, tho' I detect no harshness or ugliness whatsoever on what I've got now (maybe I just don't know any better, but I'm going to do it anyway, based on the research I did here on this site).

    Heck, I could only imagine what a pair of 4343's (?) sound like! But I've got to stop here. These speakers easily meet my every expectation and then some. The reason I purchased them, was because I was wanting more and I reached the end of the line with what I had (not that they were bad or anything, but... 'better, faster, louder or something like that...).

  9. #9
    Senior Member 57BELAIRE's Avatar
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    sweet!



    Congrats on your L300's...as an original owner of a pair, I would recommend perhaps installing pleated cloth surrounds instead of foam on your 136H'S.

    I'm sure this suggestion will probably rankle a few "purists" on this forum but after replacing the foam surrounds twice in 20 years ...no more foam for me!

    Actually, I think the "Achilles' heel" in speaker mfg. is the foam surrounds that literally melt away after a few years.

    How about this....various JBL alnico compression drivers were fitted with foam damping material on the inside backing plate that over time turns to dust . When you remove the back in some instances you can literally pour it out!


  10. #10
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    I would recommend perhaps installing pleated cloth surrounds instead of foam on your 136H'S.

    I'm sure this suggestion will probably rankle a few "purists" on this forum

    Ick! Yeah! Consider me rankled.

    How about this....various JBL alnico compression drivers were fitted with foam damping material on the inside backing plate that over time turns to dust . When you remove the back in some instances you can literally pour it out!

    They get really nasty. I guess I've always caught them at the in between stage when they are worse than chewing gum.

    Quote Originally Posted by Regis
    Heck, I could only imagine what a pair of 4343's (?) sound like! But I've got to stop here.
    YES! STOP and smell the roses for a bit!
    Quote Originally Posted by Regis
    The reason I purchased them, was because I was wanting more and I reached the end of the line with what I had (not that they were bad or anything, but... 'better, faster, louder or something like that...).
    Totally understood.

    That reminds me... back in the day of the L212 it was said that nothing larger than a 12" was required in a home environment. Obviously the guys who wrote the L212 propaganda didn't read the concurrently published L300 propaganda.

  11. #11
    Senior Member spkrman57's Avatar
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    I agree about replacing foam with pleated cloth.....

    I would not do that to a vintage orignal worth a darn.


    But when i look for new drivers to use in a system, I stay away from drivers with foam surround.

    Example: Many used 2245's for LF response while I waited and lusted after 2242's for mostly that reason and I prefer a lighter cone with stiffer surrounds.

    I look at not needing maintenence on the 2242's for decades to come barring unforeseen circumstances.

    Also with stiffer suspensions there is less of the dreaded "cone sag" in the larger drivers!

    Ron

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by spkrman57
    But when i look for new drivers to use in a system, I stay away from drivers with foam surround.
    Understood. The LE14H-3 and 1500AL look like good candidates.

  13. #13
    Regis
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    I like the foam!

    Thanks 57Belaire, but I'll stick with the foam. Giving some more thought to what Giskard says here

    "...That reminds me... back in the day of the L212 it was said that nothing larger than a 12" was required in a home environment. Obviously the guys who wrote the L212 propaganda didn't read the concurrently published L300 propaganda..."

    To get my highly modified L-150's to even come close (if they ever could get there), they had to work really, really hard. The L-300's produce the same amount of sound just idling at the stop light, much less putting any power to them. Once the 10 wpc line is crossed, the Summits just open up like a Holley Dominator and haul! The 15" does very, very well, producing effortless bass and have now achieved speaker nirvana. Can you say "Ohmmmm?

  14. #14
    Senior Member spkrman57's Avatar
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    Is there a website where I can find JBL products?

    What are the different ways to shop for modern current (raw) JBL drivers? I see references to "consumer" and "pro" divisions of JBL. Do they have websites where I can scan the products and see prices in case I get some extra cash and want to shop a little???

    Ron

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Regis
    To get my highly modified L-150's to even come close (if they ever could get there), they had to work really, really hard. The L-300's produce the same amount of sound just idling at the stop light, much less putting any power to them.?
    Yep, welcome to the realm of moving lots of air with minimum effort. Gotta love it!
    Quote Originally Posted by spkrman57
    What are the different ways to shop for modern current (raw) JBL drivers? I see references to "consumer" and "pro" divisions of JBL. Do they have websites where I can scan the products and see prices in case I get some extra cash and want to shop a little???

    Ron
    JBL Consumer stopped offering components officially with the demise of the LCS (Loudspeaker Component Series) - easily my favorite memory of JBL. Pro has their new catalog out here.

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