JBL L300 (4345)

[Ian G]

Hello Everybody:

Recently I had an eye opening experience. Despite years of experience with JBL, The L300 is a speaker I never heard and can't stop thinking about. I am a tube guy and heard them with an FPB Krell which is one of the few solid state amps I dig. Every type of music played through it gave life to the recording that I have only heard with less than a dozen other speakers. I have a good friend and guru who has always said the 4345 is better. My concern is that I am not a huge bass person. I like speed and accuracy, not deafening sound at the expense of midrange and treble quality. Can you compare? 4345 is impossible to find. Although if someone reading does have a pair and lives in the northeast, it would be a huge favor to be given the opportunity to listen. Do I give up the clarity with the 4345 because of the woofer? I can, ambivalently, use an eq, yet I need to know if the drivers are better.

Best wishes:

IMG
ctaudio.org

 

[toddalin]

The 4345 will be superior in most every way. The L300/4333 really needs that mid-woofer present in the 4345.

The woofer in the 4345 is crossed over at ~300 Hz while that in the 4333 is at ~800 Hz and it suffers up in that range.

 

[GordonW]

Also consider the 4341 and 4343. Similar to the 4345, just with a 15" woofer instead of 18".

Regards,
Gordon.

 

[SaturationPt]

The L300A is in my opinion an outstanding speaker system, when in proper original condition and driven hard.

I don’t feel that it is as detailed at low listening levels, seems to give up something.

Just my experience.

 

[BMWCCA]

I lusted after L300s ever since they first came out. I still have an original product brochure and decades later swore I would get a pair as a housewarming present to myself when we finally built our new home. As the selling price climbed I started looking at 4333 which is the same system in a more plain monitor cabinet. The I started looking at the 43xx 4-way systems finally happening upon a pair or 4345 clones with cabinets built by the US cabinet maker for Kenrick Sound of Japan and populated with new or restored original JBL drivers with a custom charge-coupled crossovers setup for bi-amp-only from a design by the 4345's original designer. The price was too good to pass up. They really are fantastic.

But to be quite honest, I generally spend more time in front of my 250ti in my workshop or L5s in my TV room. Given the cost of a good 4345 or L300, there are really better choices in JBL out there for a fraction of that price. The biggest difference in comparing the 4-ways to the 3-ways seems to be the mid-bass woofer. It's value is under-appreciated in the 250ti but I have the 240ti to compare, and the mid-bass makes all the difference. Even the JBL L7 does a fantastic job as a true 4-way as well as the smaller L5 which is arguably a 4-way, too, for often well-less than one-tenth the price of either the L300 or the 4345. A lot depends on what your budget allows. I'm lucky to still own all of them.

 

[damacman]

I must say @BMWCCA, I do marvel at your collection - especially the 4345s. I don't believe I've ever seen a photo of them in the room though . . .

 

[tarior]

I lusted after L300s ever since they first came out. I still have an original product brochure and decades later swore I would get a pair as a housewarming present to myself when we finally built our new home. As the selling price climbed I started looking at 4333 which is the same system in a more plain monitor cabinet. The I started looking at the 43xx 4-way systems finally happening upon a pair or 4345 clones with cabinets built by the US cabinet maker for Kenrick Sound of Japan and populated with new or restored original JBL drivers with a custom charge-coupled crossovers setup for bi-amp-only from a design by the 4345's original designer. The price was too good to pass up. They really are fantastic.

But to be quite honest, I generally spend more time in front of my 250ti in my workshop or L5s in my TV room. Given the cost of a good 4345 or L300, there are really better choices in JBL out there for a fraction of that price. The biggest difference in comparing the 4-ways to the 3-ways seems to be the mid-bass woofer. It's value is under-appreciated in the 250ti but I have the 240ti to compare, and the mid-bass makes all the difference. Even the JBL L7 does a fantastic job as a true 4-way as well as the smaller L5 which is arguably a 4-way, too, for often well-less than one-tenth the price of either the L300 or the 4345. A lot depends on what your budget allows. I'm lucky to still own all of them.

View attachment 3400166

View attachment 3400167

I just recently missed a pair of B stock 4367s for $7500. That's less than what 4343, 4345, and 4350 are going for. I would love to listen to a pair just to see what, if anything, I might be gaining over my L300s. I've also seen B stock M2 going for less than the old four way monitors as well.

 

[BMWCCA]

I must say @BMWCCA, I do marvel at your collection - especially the 4345s. I don't believe I've ever seen a photo of them in the room though . . .

I hope you can consider this as "proof-of-life".
I don't go around snapping photos of my living environment, but here's a picture taken the first Christmas we spent in the new house. I don't think I have any pictures of them in my old (small) house. Everything in the new house is a work-in-progress. We are lucky to have been able to build it at all on property we purchased for that specific purpose over 35-years ago, just two-houses down and across the street from where we lived for nearly 40-years. I specifically designed the house with these alcoves to approximate the soffit-mounts in which these speakers were generally mounted in studios when they were new. I'm not one for the "stereo shrine" placed in the center of the room, so I tried to blend this system into a living room as best as I could. There is a 15-foot cathedral ceiling in the room which is open to both the dining, kitchen, and front-hall areas. Lots of hard surfaces and reflections we continue to deal with. When folks say the 4345 is "too big" for their space, I have to say they never sounded better than when I first got them and had them in my tiny living room with over-stuffed furniture and drapes in the old house.



To put everything in context, here's Google Earth shot of our home under construction (foreground) and in it's surroundings.

 

[SaturationPt]

I just recently missed a pair of B stock 4367s for $7500. That's less than what 4343, 4345, and 4350 are going for. I would love to listen to a pair just to see what, if anything, I might be gaining over my L300s. I've also seen B stock M2 going for less than the old four way monitors as well.

A lot IME. Led me to selling all of my other large speakers.

If I saw a deal like that I'd probably have a second pair.

 

[Mr Boochie]

My 50-year-old L300s woofers are on their fourth surrounds and the second crossover check and restore. I would never part with them.

BTW... I've had Orange County Speakers and Speaker Repair Pros check all the speaker components, the crossovers, and re-magnetizing — over the years. Super satisfied with their workmanship.

I love the sound of Alnico magnet speakers.

 

[Mr Boochie]

To put everything in context, here's Google Earth shot of our home under construction (foreground) and in it's surroundings.

That's a BIG backyard!

 

[BMWCCA]

That's a BIG backyard!

We like our privacy. Quarter-mile-long driveway helps.

 

[RollyMngwald]

Hello Everybody:

Recently I had an eye opening experience. Despite years of experience with JBL, The L300 is a speaker I never heard and can't stop thinking about. I am a tube guy and heard them with an FPB Krell which is one of the few solid state amps I dig. Every type of music played through it gave life to the recording that I have only heard with less than a dozen other speakers. I have a good friend and guru who has always said the 4345 is better. My concern is that I am not a huge bass person. I like speed and accuracy, not deafening sound at the expense of midrange and treble quality. Can you compare? 4345 is impossible to find. Although if someone reading does have a pair and lives in the northeast, it would be a huge favor to be given the opportunity to listen. Do I give up the clarity with the 4345 because of the woofer? I can, ambivalently, use an eq, yet I need to know if the drivers are better.

Best wishes:

IMG
ctaudio.org

I know this post is 10 months old, but hopefully this will be helpful in some way...

I've been into audio stuff for about three years, and discovered vintage JBL about 2 years ago with a pair of L112's I landed for $250 off FBMP on a random Tuesday morning at 8am. Fast forward a couple years and now I have/had many sets of JBLs including L26, L80t, L112, L150a, and a pair of 4345's I've recently acquired. I'm also recently divorced. Does correlation equal causation? Who knows.

The point of all of that is to say that I have at least a reasonable understanding of how the different bass drivers and setups work in the JBL family. And I can tell you without a doubt the 2245H 18" is not sloppy or "wompy" in any way whatsoever. It is fast and accurate and completely minds it's manners in all types of listening. I have run it flat and with EQ. You can make it do whatever you like. Push it, and it will deliver. Or don't and it will do a very fine job like that as well. Bear in mind this driver has a 20lb alnico V magnet on it, as well as a 4" edge wound voice coil. This is not a Kicker car woofer. It is a highly regarded, well designed piece of studio equipment, and it performs as such. Couple that together with the 2122H mid-woofer and the bass experience is about as pleasing as you could imagine. The 2245H can dig deep, and do it effortlessly. And with the support of the 2122H at the top, you gain everything and lose nothing.

I mostly listen to dance music so I love the woofers in this system. And @95db effecient they can drive to skull smashing levels on 20 watts... So tubes are totally in the discussion, if you're into that sort of thing. I also listen to Big Band, Jazz, Blues, R&B, and Classic Rock. All of which sound phenominal on the 4345s.

I'll close with this. It is an incredible speaker system to listen to. I drive them currently with a Yamaha M-2, and long term I will bi-amp them with the 5234a crossover network with my M-4 on the top and the M-2 on the bottom. But unless you like it loud overall (I'll admit, I do like it loud), or have a huge space to listen to them in, there are other speaker systems that fill up an average sized room very well at 1/5th or less, the cost. I enjoyed the L150a very much, and it would rock my fairly large space easily. Especially if you like low level listening, there is almost no reason to spend the money. At least not to my ears.

I live in OKC, if folks in my area want to come hear them, I'd love to have anyone come hear them.

I've also heard/had several ADS models including a recently acquired pair of L1530's.