Best rated vintage JBL speakers?
- Thread starter jbjsr
- Start date
The trouble is going to be picking up a pair of JBL's top dogs for under $1500.
Keeping it strictly vintage, keep a lookout for:
L300 Summit
4333
4333A
4333B
L250
250Ti
L200T3
4425
4430
4435
I came up with that list off the top of my head, and while researching more, I turned up this relevant thread:
JBL Vintage Speaker Pecking Order?
Keeping it strictly vintage, keep a lookout for:
L300 Summit
4333
4333A
4333B
L250
250Ti
L200T3
4425
4430
4435
I came up with that list off the top of my head, and while researching more, I turned up this relevant thread:
JBL Vintage Speaker Pecking Order?
ferninando
Lunatic Member
Olympus S8R(70s) new under $1500 each
It would be good to state your amp and power output. There is a list above but some of them I wouldn't get just because of amp power.
Lets take the L250s, they don't shine IMO until the get fed 400+ watts. Will they work and make sound with a 75w power amp yes. However you will be disapointed in the output of volume and lack of bass.
I agree with this
To the OP, if you are using the MA5100 at 45 wpc, some of those on the list may be too much speaker. But let yur ears be the judge:yes:
ferninando
Lunatic Member
not today thats for sure
Brad Muller
Super Member
just missed a pair of 4430's for $800 this weekend.:yes:
My usual recommendation within your budget is a pair of L7s and two Crown PS-400 amps. If you want to use the vintage Mac, then you should stick to the more efficient older L-series such as the L150A or L222/220, but the L150A leaves you money left over without sacrificing much, if anything, to the L222. Even a pair of L5s would be quite nice with your system in your room . . . but I don't know what you'd do with the extra $900!
Real JBL studio monitors like the 4430s are another possibility that will likely stretch the budget but might be worth it since you'll never get into the 4333, 4343, or 4344s for that money.
If you have more power available then you might find a pair of XPL-200A within your budget if you're patient, or even some 250ti with cabinets in need of assistance.
:scratch2:
Real JBL studio monitors like the 4430s are another possibility that will likely stretch the budget but might be worth it since you'll never get into the 4333, 4343, or 4344s for that money.
If you have more power available then you might find a pair of XPL-200A within your budget if you're patient, or even some 250ti with cabinets in need of assistance.
:scratch2:
Obankenobi
Hypnotoaded
Speaking from my own experience
I'd say a nice pair of 240Ti's and a recap
I'd say a nice pair of 240Ti's and a recap
The S8R load in a C50 Olympus or Sovereign is a nicer speaker but because of the design, isn't for everyone, and is sometimes more expensive, and a bit more "older, vintage" looking than an L300.
The 4333 is the same L300 design in a much more conventional but nice walnut box (unless you get the utility gray), but lacks some WAF.
All of the later 4 way speakers are better in many respects but hard to find and usually more costly, as is the L300 (pushing >$2000 easily due to demand).
I would agree with the 4430 recommendation as that is probably the best for lower power and getting under the $1500 budget. Otherwise, the issue is how much room does he have and space requirements.
4333 and L300 are the same, save cosmetics. S8R is an older system and many don't like how the older passive-radiator systems performed. And then some do. Any and all of these lists are personal opinions not to be relied on. In my case, they are the result of a snapshot from my memory and should not be considered the ultimate authoritative opinion.
Working within a budget is subject to subjectivism as well. You might hear about a 1400 Array for $3000 and then you might have to pay $8000 when you go about trying to buy one. The L300 used to run around $800 when I first got serious about looking for one and now you see them at asking prices three-to-four-times that, or more.
Given the parameters in this thread, there is no correct answer. Unless I'm missing something we still don't know what the OP uses for amplification. If I snoop around in the OP's 28 posts and 8 threads he's started, I'm guessing we should assume a Mac MA5100. Back when I first became interested in hi-fi and attended Mac Clinics with my stuff, the MA5100 was brand-new and considered rather bottom-of-the-line with only the MAC 1700 gaining less respect. At 45wpc, it will drive anything but not really allow many speakers to realize their full potential.
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Zonker92
All shiny and chrome
Quoted for truth; I've heard hardly any of the JBL professional speakers and only some of the homne models, and I will probably never have the opportunity to hear them all, so instead I spend a lot of time searching teh Google for "JBL [MODEL X] versus [MODEL Y]" threads, for example comparing the 250Ti to the L300 to the 4430, etc.
The results are anything but consistent. You can find posters preferring, or criticizing, virtually any of the large format JBL studio monitors or floorstanding speakers. Which ones you might actually prefer yourself is anyone's guess.
But on a more objective note, if you want to run a 45-watt amp, I would strongly advise selecting speakers that are fairly sensitive. For example, the 4430s are 93 dBs, so they would be a decent choice. The 4435s are huge and very heavy (ask me how I know) but they are 96 dB, so they could really put out some quads with 45 watts. (But most 4435s will be out of your budget.)
Anyhoo, if I were you, I might take the various models listed in this thread, and whatever others you might consider, and rank them by sensitivity. This may take a little work, because some of the models have that rating on different scales, but it might be worth it, because then you could focus on the more sensitive ones. (Or just get a more powerful amp.
)
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Jeffery
High Powered Mutant
Zonker92
All shiny and chrome
Is that quads per channel?
Well, only if you get the TK-421 modification.
