lissenup
Super Member
Have similar 4311’s and from the vintage integrateds I have, a Sansui AU-888, a Pioneer SA-9100, and a Luxman L-530, the Luxman by far makes the JBL’s deliver their best. Good choice on the Luxman.
Amplification for JBL L100 Century Speakers
WaynerN
Addicted Member
Yeah, they sounded powerful, nice top end.
They were replaced by the Polk SDA-SRS 2.3 Signature.....that is when I got the Soundcraftsmen amp and pre.
Old school 120w/per. should be plenty. IMO
Best-
Boozehound
Best-
Boozehound
Spackler
Member
Yeah, man, no regrets with this purchase whatsoever. I actually didn't realize just how warmly colored the Marantz was until I took it out of there and I also didn't realize quite clouded and muddy the bass and mids were with it until I put the Luxman into the chain. Like I said above, this one's a keeper!
That being said, the Marantz matched very well with my Boston HD7s, both of which I will be giving to my daughter who should be quite happy. : )
Spackler
Member
Oh, that's interesting. I was always led to believe the opposite. Regardless, they sound a hell of a lot better with some extra juice.
I played around with my 4312's with both a super low distortion 40 watts/channel power amp and a big Crown PSA-2 at about 300 watts/side. I found the 4312's to sound best in MY ROOM 12 " off the back wall, 8 " off the floor and 90 degrees (no toe-in or toe-out). Smaller amp was wonderful at lower levels but not for listening to The Avengers on the TV. Big Crown made the 4312's sing but I had to toe them in a little. Go figure.
R Swerdlow
Active Member
I've had L100As since 1973. Over the years, I've heard them driven by amps ranging from as low as 15 wpc to as high as 200 wpc. All of them could drive these speakers well.
When I first bought them, I also bought a modest sized Marantz 2230 stereo receiver, 30 wpc. It drove those speakers well. At that time, Marantz 22xx series receivers were sold in 15, 30, 45, and 70 wpc sizes. I can remember hearing all those sizes driving L100s, without a major difference.
At a later time, I replaced that Marantz 2230 with a Denon AVR that delivered 70 wpc. And later than that, I used that same Denon as a preamp with an external B&K EX4420 amp that delivered 200 wpc. The high powered amp did make the bass a bit less sloppy sounding, and it could drive the speakers at loud levels without noticeable noise. But I wouldn't say these speakers require high power. If anything, they do well with low power.
When I first bought them, I also bought a modest sized Marantz 2230 stereo receiver, 30 wpc. It drove those speakers well. At that time, Marantz 22xx series receivers were sold in 15, 30, 45, and 70 wpc sizes. I can remember hearing all those sizes driving L100s, without a major difference.
At a later time, I replaced that Marantz 2230 with a Denon AVR that delivered 70 wpc. And later than that, I used that same Denon as a preamp with an external B&K EX4420 amp that delivered 200 wpc. The high powered amp did make the bass a bit less sloppy sounding, and it could drive the speakers at loud levels without noticeable noise. But I wouldn't say these speakers require high power. If anything, they do well with low power.
lrb1951
JBL L110 Nut
The manual states that an amplifier with a little as 10 rms watts per channel may be used for reproduction of clean sound at a comfortable listening level. But for reproduction of the full dynamic range of contemporary recordings at high volume a quality amplifier delivering up to 150 rms watts per channel will provide optimum performance.
Larry
Larry
It's been said many times, you will more likely damage your speakers by too little power than too much. Many threads and posts. If you want to pair them with a 20wpc amplifier, be very sure that you're not clipping.
When the L100s were new, we drove them on everything from a Pioneer SA-7100 to a McIntosh MC2205. Sounded great on pretty much everything, a very forgiving speaker in that way, but certainly had more gusto for those kick-drums and screaming saxophones with a good high-power amp.
When the L100s were new, we drove them on everything from a Pioneer SA-7100 to a McIntosh MC2205. Sounded great on pretty much everything, a very forgiving speaker in that way, but certainly had more gusto for those kick-drums and screaming saxophones with a good high-power amp.
L-82
Super Member
HahaAgree. Back in the day, the typical L100s i SAW were powered by a solid-state Sansui, Technics, Pioneer, etc., receiver with around 60-90 WPC. I heard plenty powered that way and they sounded great, or at least as great as L100s will ever sound. (As a proud L100 owner, I'm allowed to say that.)
dshoaf
That high voltage buzz
What's missing in this discussion is the size of the living room our OP will be using them in. The amount of power is a factor of the room size, efficiency of the speakers and how loud he typically will drive them.
Frankly, big amps are nice (I run up to 300 WPC) but typically find that it is the first few watts that are doing the duty most of the time.
L100s, from the installations I did, will work well with most any 50 wpc+ amp. They will, however, also reveal how well the electronics sounds due to their resolving capability. This means that you can hear changes when you swap out the amp and are, essentially listening back into the signal chain.
Cheers,
David
Frankly, big amps are nice (I run up to 300 WPC) but typically find that it is the first few watts that are doing the duty most of the time.
L100s, from the installations I did, will work well with most any 50 wpc+ amp. They will, however, also reveal how well the electronics sounds due to their resolving capability. This means that you can hear changes when you swap out the amp and are, essentially listening back into the signal chain.
Cheers,
David
You can find some suggestions here : https://amthanhnghenhac.com/tin-tuc/ghep-loa-jbl-l100-century-voi-ampli-chuan-audiophile-39.html
I had a pair of original L100 Century's back in 1972, while I was married to my first wife. First used with a lower powered Pioneer receiver (can't remember the model), then got a Marantz 240 power amp (a 250 w/o the power meters) hooked up to a Marantz 7T pre to power them. Loved that combination, but lost the system to a very messy divorce shortly after that. Tried to duplicate the system over the ensuing years but there was always something more important to do.
Fast forward almost fifty years. I'm now listening to a pair of JBL 4312G's, that are VERY similar to the original Century L100's, powered by a Rogue Cronus magnum integrated (100wpc using T120 power tubes). Love the sound a whole bunch, and so does my second wife of almost forty years.
What I'm trying to relate to you is my opinion that while the L100's will sound just fine in a small to medium sized room when driven by a medium power receiver you'll need at least 100wpc to make them perform at their best, especially if you like it kinda loud. And why covet the L100's if you don't?
Fast forward almost fifty years. I'm now listening to a pair of JBL 4312G's, that are VERY similar to the original Century L100's, powered by a Rogue Cronus magnum integrated (100wpc using T120 power tubes). Love the sound a whole bunch, and so does my second wife of almost forty years.
What I'm trying to relate to you is my opinion that while the L100's will sound just fine in a small to medium sized room when driven by a medium power receiver you'll need at least 100wpc to make them perform at their best, especially if you like it kinda loud. And why covet the L100's if you don't?