I hope this guy knows what he's doing

[rgrjit8]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=14993&item=3012680050&rd=1

Over 900 USD for a pair of JBL L-300s from Australia with the reserve unmet.

I want to sell my XPL 200s but I checked the shipping and was quoted almost 400 smackers EACH to send them to the US.

The winner of the above auction is looking at an easy 1000 dollars worth of packing and shipping.

If someone has a lead on a cheaper way to go, let me know.

 

[Don McR]

One thing I've always been curious about is the seeming lack of demand for the 70's era JBL's from Asia. Is this a misconception on my part? The reason I ask is that L200's and L300s virtually never show up in the classifieds of Stereo Sound Japan, and when they do, the asking price is usually less than 60's era two way systems.

BTW, if you want to see another strange JBL auction, check this out:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3011758709&category=14993

 

[rgrjit8]

I saw that! I guess there's something to be said for a good sales pitch.

I see L-300s here fairly often. (Fairly often means that I have seen a pair while prowling at least half the time) The price is usually 1600 - 1850 US, more or less. L-65s go for about 1000. I occasionally see a pair of L-166 Horizons but haven't priced them recently.
Those are about it. I don't recall ever seeing an L-100 , and only once an L-200 but I've only recently begun keeping an eye out for the former.

I really have to get a camera so I can show you guys how the shops are packed here. You can't even get in the door of some places, much less get a proper audition.

I havent' seen a Metregon or Paragon for sale in a long time, but I bet with the way the economy is I could find one for a fair price if I advertised.
I just missed a freshly reconed pair of 4345s for 1750 US. They usually go for over 2600.

 

[Don McR]

I have an idea of how the shops are packed. One of our contacts is the senior editor of Stereo Sound Japan and he has been kind enough to provide a free subsrciption along with a number of back issues. The ads for stereo shops are priceless. It starts with store names like "Ear Harmony" to pictures of 4344's sitting on top of Paragons next to Altec A5's. There is usually one listening chair no more than 4" away from this wall of monster speakers.

From the reviews, it would appear that many audiophiles homes are set up no differently. Many have numerous speaker systems (and I mean massive systems) crammed into a relatively small room. It is obvious that there is an aspect of collecting for the sake of collecting in Japan. In many cases, the speakers are positioned to best show them off visually, which would result in very questionable accoustics.

It is also not uncommon for an owner to arrange his audio equipment as part of an overall display of collectables. I remember one profile of a Japansese audiophile where the coffee table was covered with vintage cameras, the end table diplayed vintage watches and the space between the huge speakers was taken up by a wall mounted motorcycle, that looked relatively new, but was obviously never driven.

It's a very different culture.