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JBL L7's

BMWCCA said:
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.
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BMWCCA,can you compare L7's with JBL XPL200 ?
 
richka said:
BMWCCA,can you compare L7's with JBL XPL200 ?
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I can't, but T-dome does in the LH-list thread linked in my post above. He posted this comparison back in 2006:

Someone else; not me said:
Comparing and contrasting the four-ways I have in the dungeon/shop/garage illustrates why I like so many different speakers. None is perfect because there is no perfect sound, except perhaps the original performance...maybe.

L250: It's a beautiful, smooth, balanced speaker with prodigious output. It's weak in the highs by my standards, and the midrange is a bit "tight" and breathless compared to the others. The midbass and woofer are just about perfectly matched, and they are powerful performers.

XPL200: Due to personal preference, the Ti tweeter and midrange sound the best to me. They're open, spacious, articulate, and alive. Their clarity is unparalleled in this group (but the Performance Series will beat them.) Sadly, the midbass is an underachiever and disappoints, while the 12" woofer is an agile performer whose output is quite adequate if not outstanding.

L7: The tweeter is very nice of course, and the midrange is full and front, though the XPL's combo is better. The midbass is just as nice sounding as the L250's and the woofer is every bit as strong as the L250's with the added benefit of covering a narrower frequency band. It is articulate, sharp, and controlled; yet it can really kick out the bass when called upon.

In most rooms, the XPL200 will be a good performer, easily sounding better than the other two in many installations.

The L250 will win in any larger environment. By its very physical appearance it will command the space, and the sound will live up to the appearance. It can create an awesome presence, even today. It will gag in a small environment, strangled to death by the room's choke hold.

The L7 in the right room and set up correctly will knock either of these two out of the house. However, it will take more time and effort to achieve this, and if you're just going to compromise and make them go where they look the best to keep the peace, then don't bother. They will suck, and you'll say they are shitty and shrill, and you'll call me a dumb ass who doesn't know what he's talking about.

These are a rare and unique departure in JBL speaker design. I think the reality check for JBL was that the average person was not going to (be able to) set them up correctly, and then the dumbasses were going to whine and complain and rate them poorly. So why bother?
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I have 2 pairs of L-7s and paid $300(one woofer needed to be repair and marks on cabinet) for one and $625(very nice) for the other and am a very happy camper. Anytime someone A/B's 15" Woofers against 12" woofers, that tells you they think a lot of the 12"ers:thmbsp: or not much of the 15"ers:no:. Anyway a few years ago I had a rare chance to trade a pair of JBL L300s for a pair of S3100s, I love the looks of my L300s, but after a quick A/B musically, the S3100 was the clear winner. I think Fred Standford has it right " A good investment for personal enjoyment, a break-even or better investment for money- but not a guarantee of profit after all is said & done." If you are looking for profit save your money and invest in L300's or any vintage JBL, if you want the best sound for your buck, buy the L7's, I can only think of one JBL 12" model that might top the L7's (IMHO) that would be the JBL S2600(very rare) but I have never A/B them so maybe the L7s will kick butt again.:scratch2: L7s ROCK!!!!!:banana:
 
I picked up the L7"s. A very polite young man told me the history. His father bought the L7's for him 12 years ago, he was the original owner and took very good care of the speakers. They're beautiful and NM.

Soon as we brought them in we connected them.
We Played:
After The Fire - Der Kommissar
Men At Work - Land Down Under
Eddy Grant - Electric Avenue
Murray Head - One Night In Bangkok
Colin Hay - Overkill
Taco - Puttin' on the Ritz *Sounded choice on the JBL's*:thmbsp:
Men Without Hats- Safety dance
The Cars - Shake it up
Fine Young Cannibals - She Drives Me Crazy
Sheena Easton - Strut
Kajagoogoo - Too Shy
Janet Jackson- What Have You Done For Me lately
Billy Idol - White Wedding

The wife and the dogs started looking at me kinda funny and not "haha" funny. So we shut it down until morning when everyone will be gone.

I found the L7's very clear mids not real sure about the highs because I have moderate hearing loss in the upper frequencies but whatI did hear I liked very much. My wife chose the Infinity 150's over the L7's, maybe she likes the punch. IMO the L7's have something the 150's do not and the vice versa. Together there're very impressive. My first thought was to get rid of the 150's but I think I'll keep them for the rear channel. The 150's need less power than the L7's so it may work out really well. I'll try in tomorrow. Tonight I was using the front channels and switching from one set then the other and then to both pair.
To be honest I like the sound of all four over a single pair but L7's would be my pick if I could only keep one pair.
My receiver specifications may be lacking what the L7's need so I may not be getting everything they have to offer.
Here's a link to my receiver specifications. Maybe someone will share their thoughts?

Another thing. The room were in is about 28' square, 12' pyramid shape ceiling, carpet and a little soft furniture and heavy drapes.
 
Congrats on the great deal. As far as your receiver goes it's not going to do you justice with these speakers. I would have to say at minimum you need 200 wpc and not from a receiver a seperate amp that has not only watts but can deliver high current.Does your receiver have pre outs ? If not then you will need a preamp that does.



REGARDS JIM
 
jim3860 said:
Congrats on the great deal. As far as your receiver goes it's not going to do you justice with these speakers. I would have to say at minimum you need 200 wpc and not from a receiver a seperate amp that has not only watts but can deliver high current.Does your receiver have pre outs ? If not then you will need a preamp that does.



REGARDS JIM
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Thanks Jim.
As far as pre outs I really dont know. I don't think but I'll check tomorrow.
 
Leadfoot said:
My receiver specifications may be lacking what the L7's need so I may not be getting everything they have to offer.
Here's a link to my receiver specifications. Maybe someone will share their thoughts?
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The minimum power I've run mine with is about twice the power of your receiver, except when we compared them to the 4333s on the Adcoms. You're certainly OK with what you've got; it'll just get better with more. The amp I use now is about four-times the power of yours and I'm thinking of trying two of them. Also, we don't know the damping factor of your amp section, from what I can see, and that's important for producing good tight bottom-end regardless of the power output. Try not to overdrive your receiver pushing the L7s or you may find yourself shopping for new 035TiA's. If it starts sounding distorted, back it down. You can often find a nice Crown PS-200 or PS-400 for around $200 if you're patient. But, according to your receiver's manual, you don't have pre-outs.

Keep listening and tell us what you hear. :D
 
I'll keep an eye out for my next purchase, an amp.

I pulled the side covers with some considerable effort, they've never been removed. The owner didn't know how *wink* The surrounds are perfect. :thmbsp:

On another note, I want to thank everyone here for all the help and direction.
With your help, my cash and my wife's patience maybe one day I'll have some high quality sound. :music:
 
Leadfoot
If you want the JBLs to sparkle more than your Infinity SM150's you will need more watts. Your Infinity's have a Sensitivity rated @ 102db(1watt/1meter) which means the JBLs need a lot more watts to get to the same level as your Infinitys,

JBL.......................Infinity

91db=1watt...........90db=.0625watt

94db=2watt...........93db=.125watt

97db=4watt...........96db=.25watt

100db=8watt.........99db=.5watt

103=16watt..........102db=1watt

106=32watt..........105db=2watt

109=64watt..........108db=4watt

112=128watt.........111db=8watt

115=256watt.........114db=16watt

118=512watt.........117db=32watt

As said above your receiver will work but will not do justice for the L7s. You will want to turn the volume up(keep volume knob below 12:00) which will lead to blown tweeter as said above. The Infinitys have a Frequency Response: 44hz-25khz, the JBLs are 30hz-27khz, so the JBLs WILL go way lower in LF, BUT you will need a amp that has lots of headroom(more watts) and Crown is the best bang for the buck. With a good amp the JBLs WILL out shine the Infinitys:yes:
 
That's some good information and put in a fashion that a novice can understand. Thanks again :)

I know this is getting into another area and this should probably go in another section of the forums. I have never ran a pre amp or stand alone amp.
I have 2 other units that have pre outs. I'm really not that dumb but I'm
having a little trouble grasping the concept. See if this is correct.
I pull the jumper from the main amp to the pre. Feed the amp from the pre out because it's low output?

Why do I fear I'll be standing in a soup line before long? :D
 
Leadfoot said:
I have 2 other units that have pre outs. I'm really not that dumb but I'm having a little trouble grasping the concept. See if this is correct.
I pull the jumper from the main amp to the pre. Feed the amp from the pre out because it's low output?

Why do I fear I'll be standing in a soup line before long? :D
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:thmbsp:
Yes, you're just separating the pre-amp section of your receiver from the amp. You'll be using all the tone, volume, loundness, and balance controls on your receiver but the power will come from the new power amp. You could even split the output with Y-connectors and use your internal amp for one pair of speakers and a stand-alone power-amp for the JBLs.

It doesn't need to be expensive. Even some fine pre-amps are available for often $100 or less. If it doesn't have a remote control on it these days it goes for cheap! As long as it doesn't say "McIntosh" on the front. What this world needs is a good, affordable, HT-pre-amp so everyone with fine old amps can still use those old amps and speakers with the remote and theater capabilities of modern electronics. I know they exist, they're just expensive, so I plug along with older front-end control units that complement my old amps and speakers just fine. With your $350 speakers, a $200 200wpc Crown amp, and a $100 pre-amp you'd have a nice system equivalent to something you'd pay $4000 or better for in a shop today. The difference is yours is already fully depreciated and has nowhere to go but up.

For my money, I don't think you can do much better than this pre-amp EQ, especially if you still use a turntable; a Soundcraftsmen DX4200 currently sitting at $100 with eight-hours left. http://ebayitem.com/160308597321 I have two of them. Just my opinion, and the price will go higher, but I have six Soundcraftsmen pre-amps, some for decades now, and several since new. There are some real bargains out there that make this a pretty inexpensive hobby.
 
Found a set of L7's on Craigslist for 75.00 today and went and bought them, almost perfect shape....gonna give them to my daughter as a wedding present as they bought a new house and have a new TV and entertainment center, they now have some old AR pieces of crap I gave her in college to use .
 
Congrats on the major find. FYI, based on past discussions about the L7's, they require lots of power to truly enjoy them.
 
Great score!

hobie1dog said:
Found a set of L7's on Craigslist for 75.00 today and went and bought them, almost perfect shape.....
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I saw those but I figured they were probably gone almost as soon as they were listed!

Congrats on the score, glad an AKer got them! :thmbsp:
 
Delivered them to my daughter an hour ago and they love them. We are going to start looking for an outboard amp now or at least a new high powered receiver...has great potential from what I heard tonite.:banana:
 
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