I'm the L7 "pusher" from the Mega Comparo at Fred's. I had read about the L-series for a couple of years and was intrigued enough to drive 500-miles to buy a pair of L5's for $200. When a pair of L7s wound up on Craig's list four-houses down the street from me, I had to take a look. The asking price was reasonable at $400 but I didn't need them. The owner was a medical resident leaving the area and the moving van was on the way. He had gotten them from a previous resident who couldn't take them with him, either. The seller tossed out a $200 price and I took them home.
All that being said, I have never heard a better speaker for anything approaching a true-market value of $2000 of better. Considering that the JBL L300s often bring $3000, or better, I'd say the L7 is easily "worth" $2000. The truth is they just don't bring that much today, and probably never will. Particularly when the 250ti prices seem to have settled around $1500. I have seen L7s sell on Ebay within the past year for over $600, and I've seen them bring $300. I've also seen them parted-out on Ebay within the past month with just the pair of 12-inchers and crossovers bringing $500! The complete system is heavy and a bitch to pack and ship. This obviously impacts selling prices or range folks will consider traveling when shopping for these speakers.
I have personally compared the L7s to a $14,000 pair of Theils and, in my estimation, the L7s blow them away. I like the L7s so much I bought another pair off Audiogon where the seller was asking $300 a hundred miles away. I just couldn't let them go, and the owner was very accommodating and great to deal with. I'd buy another pair if I found them close-by and as inexpensive. I plan on passing them along to friends to spread the joy.
The downside is they will need plenty of power to reach their peak performance. In the Mega Comparo they sounded fine with the Adcom amps. We did not use the two Crown PS-400s I'd brought along so I still feel they were underpowered compared to how I use them at home and would have sounded better with additional power. I normally run them with one PS-400, or around 200-wpc, in normal stereo one-amp mode. I've yet to try them in the JBL-suggested bi-wire mode or their quasi-bi-amp mode using the built-in split passive crossovers the L7 provides. I think they'd work out fine with 100wpc, and I've tried them with a Crown PS-200 and D150A-II. They just sound better with either my PS-400 or Soundcraftsmen Pro-Control-Four.
I'm confident enough to say you'll never find another speaker that normally sells in the same price range as what your seller is asking for the L7s that sounds better. Far from it. The L7 will compare favorably with most speakers selling used for $2000 and new for much more. Remember, these sold new for $2000/pair fourteen years ago. They weren't cheap. They weren't cheaply made. And we know from the designer, Chris Hagen, there were few compromises made in the L7 with the possible exception being the finish and details in construction of the cabinets. Those are of minor consequence and have no impact on the sound.
I've been a JBL owner for over fifty years and currently own ten pairs, including the popular L112, 4412A, and L150As. The L7s are my favorites. I have no problem with them in less-than-ideal placement situations, or small rooms, as long as I don't play them at louder-than-concert level. They perform well in a small room and really shine in a bigger room. I bought my L5s because I feared my living situation would make the L7 less practical. Some even insist the L5 is a better choice where placement and room size are issues. I don't find this to be the case and can play my L5s right next to the L7s using duplicate amps and, while I love the L5s, turning on the L7s after a prolonged experience with the L5s still brings a huge smile to my face.
I can't recommend the L7s strongly enough. I have no vested interest in increasing their value because in fifty-years of JBL ownership, I've never sold a single component, much less a system. If anything, I'd love for the price to stay down on these so others like me can enjoy that great JBL sound without having to pay $2000. or more, to do so. I will eventually have a pair of 250ti's, 4333's, or L300's in my home so I can make those comparisons for myself over a long period of time, in an environment and with amplification I'm used to. I am confident the L7s will still hold their own even among these icons of the JBL heritage. Regardless, I enjoy my budget-priced L7s every day and the low-cost of entry is simply one of the many L7 features that make them such a joy. Give 'em enough power and let 'em sing.
I'm looking forward to your report!
PS: You might want to take a look at the foam surrounds on the side-firing LE120H-1 12" woofers. Take along a paperclip where you've bent the last 5mm or so at a 90º angle. Slip this behind the side grille at either the 12-o'clock, 3, 6, or 9 position and carefully pull to release the grille post from the plug. I haven't seen any yet with deteriorating foam but, given JBL's history, it's getting close to the age where it may be a concern, depending on the environment where they have been used or stored. Good Luck.