JBL L-200 Studio Masters

[Yggdrasill]

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/ele/1683008039.html

I've read about these, and the L-300s. Wondering if this is a good price given their condition.

Not mine, no affiliation, etc.etc.

 

[Wornears]

Price is at the upper end, and probably the most someone would pay; those cabinets look nice, and the poster has plenty of marketing text. Saying that the accordian-edged woofer is more desirable than the foam edge one is a marketing stretch by the poster IMO.

Yes, you don't need to refoam the L200 woofers (LE15B), but they are generally thought to be sonically inferior to the later L200B which used the foam-edged woofer (136A) and a modified crossover. JBL engineers got the upper hand on the marketing folks with the L200B and went more for sonic accuracy.

From Lansing-Heritage website:

"The original L200 was developed in 1971 as a result of pressure from JBL's marketing division to have a large speaker for the burgeoning rock market. They dictated that it have an accentuated midbass response that they felt would appeal to rock listeners. JBL's engineers addressed this by modifying the LE15A with an underdamped suspension, lighter cone and corrugated surround that resulted in an ill defined but boomy response."

To borrow the fundamental Zilchism on the sonics of the JBL L100: "Fake but fun." The L200 (not the later L200B) can be thought of as a L100 on steroids (which IIRC, Zilch has also posted).

This is from a L200 owner -- I like them for what they are, but don't expect them to be the sonic end-all and be-all.

 

[babeba67]

That's way too much IMHO. I bought a pair last year for $50 that are sitting in the basement in similar condition. Those are not the original grills either.

I contemplated swapping them out for my Cornwalls but they can't touch my Klipsch.

This whole thing about the "engineers addressed this by modifying the LE15A with an underdamped suspension, lighter cone and corrugated surround that resulted in an ill defined but boomy response" I've heard/read before and maybe it's true, but they do still sound very good...just not $1000 worth of good.

If it were me I'd pass.

 

[Wornears]

If you bought a pair of L200 in similar condition to the CL post for $50, then you Scored with a capital S and should put that in the AK Score Hall of Fame. Congrats! That is not a representative value for them, though. The driver set can sell for $300--$600 on eBay.

$1000 is too much in the current market for a local CL sale. But it only takes one buyer.

 

[Nikko75]

Way too much for what it is.

 

[babeba67]

If you bought a pair of L200 in similar condition to the CL post for $50, then you Scored with a capital S and should put that in the AK Score Hall of Fame. Congrats! That is not a representative value for them, though. The driver set can sell for $300--$600 on eBay.

$1000 is too much in the current market for a local CL sale. But it only takes one buyer.

I agree, one buyer is all it takes. When I bought mine the add on CL just said "stereo speakers" I called immediately and when he said "they're the big JBL's" I already had the truck started

I realize it was a score, but even in "mint" condition these are not worth $1000.

 

[Yggdrasill]

Thanks for all the replies. I perused some threads here on AK and elsewhere. The L200s are not the L300s; that seems certain. And if they were designed as a "rock" speaker, they're not what I'm looking for. They are cool looking though, and I would like to hear them. Not for $1k though.

 

[packrat]

If I was local they'd be in my house right now - IMHO $1000 is more than a fair price. They're not L300s, but they're not selling for $3000 either. :thmbsp:

 

[mycity_33]

They sure look to be in great condition. I did look for L200 for a while however it is difficult to find nice ones most are beaten up and often L200 in questionable condition sell for far more on Ebay and Audiogon. Many speakers were marketed as rock speakers those days but to get better defined bass just block one of the two ports. To save money look for the non foam woofer, refoam is expensive on those drivers and why spend 200 bucks for EBay foam grille- foam will fall apart just like the original. The greatest thing about Altec/JBL speakers is that they keep increasing in value now that fewer are available.

 

[xoaphexox]

Flagged for removal?! I presume internet vandalism? It looked like a legit ad to me.

 

[cmattson]

Flagged for removal?! I presume internet vandalism? It looked like a legit ad to me.

Yes, the ad was legit. Not sure why it was flagged, but seller reposted again. Seems like the consensus here is that they are over priced for what they are. After figuring shipping involved costs, I felt that the asking price was fair enough to buy them. Especially with local pickup. They are in very nice condition, and with some Howards feed and wax, they should perk up nicely. These are the 1st big JBL I have owned, so wasnt sure what to expect. All I can say is that they dominate my listening room, dont need much to get them purring. So far, no buyers remorse on these.

 

[Sir.Byrd]

You bought them???

 

[cmattson]

You bought them???

Yes, picked them up this afternoon. Very happy so far.

 

[babeba67]

Congrats! Glad you enjoy them, makes me want to hook mine up this weekned and have another listen.

I'd like to see pics to see the replaced grills a bit closer. The grills on my L200's were "home made" by the previous seller and they look decent but not close to original.

What kind of power are you running with them in this initial set-up?

 

[Sir.Byrd]

:worthless

 

[cmattson]

:worthless

Ask and you shall receive

 

[cmattson]

Congrats! Glad you enjoy them, makes me want to hook mine up this weekned and have another listen.

I'd like to see pics to see the replaced grills a bit closer. The grills on my L200's were "home made" by the previous seller and they look decent but not close to original.

What kind of power are you running with them in this initial set-up?

Right now powering with a Sansui G-8000.

here are pics of grills front and back. Pretty basic. 1 1/2 inch wide frames, with the grill cloth stapled on.

 

[babeba67]

The grills look pretty nice considering they are not originals. Mine don't look as nice and have more of a "dress sock" type material. I like those :yes:

 

[cmattson]

The grills look pretty nice considering they are not originals. Mine don't look as nice and have more of a "dress sock" type material. I like those :yes:

They do look nice, and fit in nicely. I have the original frames, look like a screen door, just missing the grill material.

 

[majick47]

JBL L200 Studio Masters

The cabinets look like they were well cared for and I'm sure you will enjoy the classic sound of your L200. If you have the screen grill frames for the L200 and really want to dress them up you can purchase reproduction foam. If I remember correctly they came in four colors for the L200. I have burgundy and blue foam for my L200b, not cheap around $150 but they dress up those walnut cabinets like nothing else.