Vintage JBL L300 stereo system better than modern system? Tony's Killer System Room Tour.
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 13 сен 2024
- #audiophile system #stereo system review #stereo speakers review #JBL #JBL L300
Introducing Tony's stereo system. Very revealing and it has incredible bass.
Upgraded JBL L300
Thorens TD 125 LB custom ebony TT
ORACLE acrylic mat
Pro-Ject record clamp
Alphason HR-100MCS reference tonearm
Dynavector 20x2 Low output MC cartridge
Audio Technica AT-605 Isolation feet
Pro-Ject Tube Box DS Tungsram tubes
SWAGMAN Labs linear PSU upgraded
Laptop with foobar2000
MicroMega Mydac
USB Disrupter cable
Cary Audio SLP-03 preamplifier
MARCHAND XM44 3way active crossover
McIntosh Mc2200 amp for subs
Mcintosh Mc2200 amp for mid horns
Mcintosh Mc2120 amp for tweeters
Dedicated 20amp power line with 10awg wires and 10awg power bars/plugs hospital grade
Cables by Wireworld, MIT, Antares, Van den hul, Monster
*I've been using my JBL 4341 for years. And I'm happy*
🤗 THOMAS, HIS STORY PROVES THAT IT IS THE BEST TIME TO BE AN AUDIOPHILE 🤩🤩
With UTUBE and you we can go over to everyone’s house…and hear 👂 their story and hear their system 🤗😎 and experience it as never before,THANK TONY FOR SHARING HIS STORY 🤗😁💚💚💚
Been running actives for three decades, love how it works!
Very unique set up. Tony really knows his stuff.
What a video Thomas! Great video and great system! Keep up the good work JBL ROCKS
Wow! This is by far my favorite setup video you have done Mr. Thomas! Tony’s system sounds like a dream, and that active crossover is really unique, you don’t see that too often! But what I can relate too is the sound of a true horn speaker. Recently I brought in the JBL studio 530’s into my system and I was floored by the dynamics and effortless portrayal of all the music I heard. Paired to my Luxman amp it’s an almost supernatural experience, nothing like it! Best $300 I have spent 😁👍
Congrats on getting the JBLs!
What amp? Am a Lux fan...
@@Xx-xd3zo it’s a Luxman M-7 paired with the matching C-7 preamp. Cheers!
@@zoinkz8188 - Thanks! Anytime someone gets a good synergy? That's gold. And the M-7 is a beautiful amp. Cheers.
Things always sound better at night because the noise floor has dropped, everyone is asleep and the world is quiet. It is a 10db dynamic range improvement for free.
Man that turntable is majestic! Ditto those speakers.. Ditto your listening space!
Yeah, I never talked about how it sounds but the bass is so 'refine'
my system was magical around 12 midnight, noise floor drops significantly when the neighbors are all in bed and not using electricity, lights, appliances, etc...i agree I don't care for powers conditioners., one of them I purchased being an expensive (ChangLitespeed), they do as advertised but rob all your dynamics in the process... your an electrician so I'm sure you are familiar with isolation transformers... they do a good job lowering the noise floor and increasing blackness, putting instruments in their own space with greater decay....very nice system you have put together, I really enjoy my JBL, 4343s,
The conditioners can decrease dynamics from my experience
Always wanted to hear a JBL 4343, congrats. Isolation transformers? Yeah my vintage friend has a few of those. I almost got one myself.
That Thorens plinth is gorgeoussssssss
That might be the most beautiful turntable I've ever seen, and I don't usually favor glossy finishes.
Turntables are just freaking gorgeous! Especially this one!
Sweeeeeet Jesus!
@@Mrch33ky New turntables of today just look cheap. Tons of plastic and never will youll never find suspension. They make them futuristic but I find, a turn table should always look a little vintage and not like a spaceship
Beautiful setup. I like the fact that you tailored it just for you. The turntable is beautiful.
Thank you I always had a hard time with those Oracle futuristic turntables. For me it has to look a little old since well vinyle is old!
Your friend knew how to match that's the main thing can outplayed much more expensive system I believe it 👍👏
Thanks again for an interesting video. I love the simplicity and authenticity of what you do. Very inspiring.
What a treat Thomas. What a absolute treat. Gosh I really dig the vintage sound. A neighbor up the street has vintage gear and speakers and it's just.....lovely. He said he'll take me over his friends house, who owns a pair of JBL Synthesis Everest speakers. That would be really neat to hear. I grew up listening to JBL and Techniques. Thank you again Thomas.
Maybe it's not a good thing to hear the Everest...the name says it all.
Mark D Beg to hear that system!!! If it is set up right that speaker can change your life. I have never heard a more lifelike sound.
@@mikeables but then you'll spend your life trying to get that sound!!!! I would pay to hear them!
Thanks Mark for the great comment, appreciate it.
@@Montreal_Audio_Systems I went through a journey like all stereo buffs. My local audio shop buys used gear. I first heard the Paragon. I was stunned at the perfection of the crossover and smoothness. A year later he got an Everest pair and all I could compare them to were Klipsch horns. They blow those away on every metric. If my neighbor had a Bugatti or a Picasso, I would go see it. I would still appreciate the art on my fridge
I have 4 sets of vintage JBL speakers and 3 sets of modern Harbeths. In my system, JBLs are on another level.
In comparison to my Harbeth Compact 7-ES3 and P3-ESR 40th speakers that cost $3000, the vintage JBLs that I bought on eBay for $150-500 deliver a punchier sound, dynamic sound, and deeper soundstage when used with Tidal/ the Mytek Brooklyn DAC.
JBL's alnico drivers designed in the 70s are way better than the Harbeth's radial 2 drivers in my listening environment. Give them a listen and you won't be disappointed.
Nice, incredible value for $500 then.
🤗👍😎ALWAYS LOOK 👀 FORWARD TO YOUR STORIES THOMAS 👏👏👏
That system is something special to wake up to every morning! :)
AWESOME SETUP. THOUGHT, DEDICATION, TIME AND MONEY, OF COURSE. Don’t forget though people, the record buying public from generations gone by would have a had a basic set up of a record player, amp, cassette deck and speakers. That’s how you listened to music and not forgotten the radio either. So, even if your system DOES NOT MATCH THE QUALITY OF THIS SYSTEM, nothing should not stop you listening to the music you like, IN ANY FORMAT. Technology has moved on and bands, musicians know this. So, don’t feel embarrassed by what you have, no harm in dreaming, JUST PUT ON YOUR RECORD, TAPE , CD in your system AND PLAY. None of my units, separates are modified. Just as they left the shop. TECHNICS, ROTEL, KENWOOD, SONY, YAMAHA, B&W, WHARFEDALE, LINN, MARANTZ, PANASONIC, NAD. THATS ALL I HAVE. DO I ENJOY LISTENING TO MY MUSIC? YES I DO. I did not buy everything in one go. I bought what I wanted, when I could afford it. Family comes first. SO. Put on your CUSTER OF THE WEST SOUNDTRACK RECORD ON, AND ENJOY. That’s me, then I’ll play, CELTIC FROST: TO MEGATHERION. I personally have no idea, how many records I have have but my kids did a basic bit of math. They measured the space of twenty records and and proceeded to count that space taken by twenty records. They came out with the figure of, 3,840 records. I don’t count the records. I listen to them in my spare time. Cassettes number about two thousand, but a lot of them are bootleg tapes of shows gone by. METALLICA LIVE IN SWEDEN 1984 and so on. ENJOY MUSIC PEOPLE.
Nice! Enjoy the music and thanks for the comment.
Fucking amazing... All the human effort, knowledge, experience, vision & passion that went into this system.
Thanks, lots of love he put into this system.
What a great setup Tony has going, the best of yesteryear. I've always believed things don't necessarily get better with new materials. I mean come on, tubes, horns, paper cones, fantastique mon ami!
After hearing his system, I am even more convince gear from yesteryear can compete with today's system.
@@ThomasAndStereo yeah me too, i have many older pieces and a few modern, nothing really high end. What I enjoy the most is my 10 year old Primaluna tube pre and poweramp into my 40plus yr.old Heresy I's!! I really would love to hear that Musical Paradise DAC in my old gear too.
@@jimminychristmas8100 Thanks for sharing! Because my friends are into vintage system, I really respect and am amazed what they can do. I would argue in some aspects, they are better than today's gear.
I recently picked up a pair of mint JBL l96's for my bedroom. They sound so much better than my Wharfedale Lintons or Kef R300s. I know apples and oranges but I can only imagine what l300s must sound like! My L96s I got for a fraction of the price JBL is selling their much smaller new two ways. But then those are mainly fashion statements but for me its about the sound and while old JBLs may not have the fit and finish they sure to have it over many newer speakers in sound that is so amazingly clear and powerful I couldn't believe it. Goes to show you don't need fancy materials or special speaker connectors to get the best sound. Certainly no sub needed for older JBL'a...this is sound I was after. Mids and highs are also clearest and coherent I've heard. My Forte IVs are better but only after taming the horns with a special hybrid class A amp and lots of tubes. JBLs kill the Forte's with my AS2200 (mids and highs overbearing on Forte)
Thanks Tony for showing us your system. I really like your thinking with the setup. That turntable is gorgeous. I didn't see any room treatments around which was surprising.
Yeah, we talked about room treatment, I guess I will cover it when I make a video on my own room.
Great vid! Man I'd love to hear that system.
Wow, I'm drooling over those JBLs . Just The Best Loudspeakers, oh...and those MCs!!!
Thomas, I really really enjoyed this video it was awesome! Love your channels content and the hard work you put into it!
Aces, Tony. Great work building this. I love everything about it and agree with your choices, wish I could hear it...
It would depend where your from!!
JBL L200's, L300's and 4367's are today's reigning World Heavyweight Champion Speakers. Perhaps why the 200's and 300's fetch 5 times their original cost in excellent condition. Still cheaper than $15,000 for today's 4367's.
I love these system videos you do. So interesting to see other peoples hifi gear. Thanks.
I agree it's nice to see what people listen too. I find it more interesting then speaker reviews since I won't be buying any for a while now
Thomas: "What?!", that's exactly how I feel. Very envious.
I know! $1k! What the ....
@@ThomasAndStereo I can appreciate his attention to detail. Every item is well researched and carefully chosen. The bonus is this - if he needs to make a change then it's not difficult to pull an item and replace it.
@@ThomasAndStereo 1K for the Plinth doesn`t wonder me. It`s a masterpiece, especially the surface! This Palisander/Makassar Wood is very hard to cover with Laquer due to the chemical reactions this wood makes when touched with Laquer. Some of these veneers need a lot of preparation, and this costs them money.
Back in the early 80ies/ending 70ies, we made the Office Furniture of our Boss`s Son, who joined our company after his master-education, out of this wood, and I swear you, the surface of the palisander wood was our biggest concern when we made it.
@@bernhardmichaelfux308 thanks for explaining. Definitely appreciate more the work out into it with your explanation.
A faithful client of the 33 tours
Awesome system!
Thanks for showing this system Thomas ,,, takes me back to my 80s system here in Tasmania, which if you guys heard today would probably astound you , thats one lovely turntable, my system included Thorens td125, With Grace 714 teak tonearm with Supex sd900 mc, Also Luxman PD 444 a long SME, and a Stax carbon fibre arm, With Koetsu rosewood mc. Luxman C12 preamp, a pair of B12 mono amps, a custom made electronic crossover, a Bose 1801 power amp , driving Acoustic Research AR 9 speakers (1801 for the 4 12inch bass drivers the luxman handling the top end, all in a custom designed room) one often could easily pickup thinks like trains and underground back ground noises in those British recordings, we also had Stax Sigma, and Lamda Earspeakers.
Thanks, I have to say I really enjoy listening to vintage systems. It feels more like a "V8" muscle car compared to today's wimpy turbocharged cars. Btw, omg, that was one killer system you had.
@@ThomasAndStereo Thanks Thomas , Always enjoy your videos,, you have a great take on what makes for great sounding gear. One has to be a little obsessed to be good at something, you have some wonderful gear. I was fortunate enough to be around some great musical instruments that crossed my work bench, in my guitar making days during 80s, sound has always been my first love, Good Classical guitars are especially great for testing a system's ability, I have some of the best sounding recordings ever done, Iam contactable thru facebook and instagram, let me know , I would be happy to send you a selection, .. I f ever you are in Aus. Check out TAS. Were a good friendly bunch here🐧👍
A friend of mine had some L300s and Carver separates (tuner, preamp and power amp). He put on the Doors' "L.A. Woman" and I was floored. I've heard the song countless times and I have heard very high end systems before, but that was the first time it sounded like the band was right in front of me playing live. I have a pair of L100t's and a pair of L36's myself.
Nice System.I love vintage Audio! The truth is.......... Audio has not really progressed in the Loudspeaker, Amplifier, Turntable Arena. Everytime I Modify/ Upgrade some Klipsch,Jbl's Electrovoice,etc....I hunt down the vintage Alnico ,Cast Frame Drivers. Tube Amps,I always hunt Down New Old Stock Tubes Exclusively!
That L300 is a consumer version of my 4320. I use 4 of them. I too have been on them for a few years with nothing felt wrong in any way.
The L300 is the consumer version of the 4333. The 4320 is an earlier version with the bullet tweeter.
Alright!!! You bought the lapel mic!! Excellent!! I just subscribed. Thank you.
A test employed by the old IMF company for its transmission line bass speakers was the Kingsway Hall Undergound Test EMIdid little to reduce the same
Tony knews his stuff
A most enjoyable video
Thankyou
Thanks Edward, this is great information!
If you want big sound have multiple front speakers (I like a floorstanding and bookshelf on adjustable stand) and have the tweeters at different heights. I.e. have tweeters one above the other, pointed at purposedly different dedicated points (not at anyone or any place but at a wall or corner) and the highs become less directionary because high frequencies are very direct sounding, that's why horns are better to disperse higher frequency.. Have speakers all across your front wall. Include two woofers firing at front wall in front of your front wall speakers. Big axx soundstage. Big pressurized bass, cymbals clap as wide as a drum kit and vocals as full as a coliseum. A little distortion will not kill you, even concerts have distortion at high volumes during moments of complete silence. Do not become obsessed as some have. Know when good is good. Moderation is key to life, extremes of any direction is not good and cause discontent.
I've tried multiple speakers when I was young man I took every speaker I could find and hooked it up it was probably really hard on the amp and we'll let me tell you man it sounded bad it was loud but waves comeing at you from everywhere rebounding at you was just awful.
I was under the impression that you were going to play the Ruggiero Ricci album on your friends music system so that we could hear that particular train rumble you mentioned.?.?.?
Nice video of a sweet system. A point about bass response. Speakers shouldn't add bass. Bass should only be reproduced if it's present in the source. That said, few recordings have bass below 30Hz, in fact what most folks think of as "deep bass" is really in the 40 to 60Hz range. Also, how deep do you need to go?? Record warp is in the single digit frequencies. My subsonic filter is 18dB/oct@15Hz. My favorite speakers are Ohm model H systems that are -3dB @ 32Hz. I've listened to EV Interface D systems that are capable of SUSTAINED output of 28Hz at over 100dB's.
What you hear/feel at frequencies below, say, 25Hz are more sound effects; train rumble (as you mention), thunder or cannon (1812 Overture and Wellington's Victory). If your hifi system can reproduce this information, swell. Most of us can live "happily ever after" with speakers that have useful bass to 40Hz. You are an astute man Thomas and I really enjoy you various subjects of hifi. Well done and happy holidays.
That makes a lot of sense. 40hz is pretty good already and to get more, adding a good sub can also be one solution. Thanks for commenting.
It's a lot of work to get the sound you want. But it's worth it!
I really enjoyed this video, left me with wanting to hear more of the process and thoughts.
You should read up on active crossovers. There's so much to learn. Tony's system crosses over at -24 db octave. Passive speakers usually cross at -12 which means drivers mixing together more cause all sorts of problems distortion and linear phasing and cancellation! You can make a -24db passive but then the circuit will be doubled and complicated which will then cause other problems oviously
I don't know how I missed this review, but this is great! I like plenty of modern gear, but love the higher end vintage equipment and sound. Similar to what was experienced here, I find the same thing to be true, in that there is detail reveal on certain tracks that come through excellently on vintage, horn driver based speakers. I have a pair of Altec A7 and Valencias which always I go back to regardless of anything that has come out in the past ten years (or at least anything in that time that I've come across, even at audio shows). The large bass driver with large cabinet coupled with horn top section does something magical. Particularly rewarding with classical, movie scores, quartets and your typical Phile music. Good stuff man!
Nice, thaks for sharing. Always wanted to listen to Altec speakers.
@@ThomasAndStereo I think you would love the Altec Valencia 846B. I have the older 846A, which are 16 ohm and even though the cabinet is fancier than the 846B, it is not port tuned as well as the B and the B has more powerful, 8ohm woofer. Maybe the horns in both are similar. I gutted the insulation on mine and lined them wall to wall with no-rez prograde acoustic foam and added a few pounds of acoustic fiber. This made a significant improvement on the bass output. I absolutely love these. Either the A or B model is something I'm sure you would enjoy. If you still have the McIntosh amps, those would pair perfectly. The DACs. And all that other nuanced stuff is just not a big factor in running these high efficiency, high output speakers. Sound stage is enormous. The A-7's are quite a bit larger and I had to do some modifications on mine for home use. I.e. I redid the cabinet dampening, custom built a front ported baffle and built a custom crossover with L-pad. It dropped the bass output by an octave at a slight expense of efficiency, but is still around 100 db/ 1W/M. The linearity was also improved. Now they are "Phile" speakers made for home use and mind blowing to listen to. Let's face it, as far back as the 1960's, they knew how to build excellent HiFi gear, big and bold, but the WAF torpedoed those systems and we ended up with mostly weeny junk for a couple decades. Now people are realizing how phenomenal those old designs were and big as speakers are making a comeback with the Phile crowd. BTW, congrats on launching your amp. I'll bet that would pair sweetly with some vintage Altecs!
I remember hearing the Altec Model 19 in stereo stores back in the day. Awesome transparent, powerful sound coming from those behemoths.
Wow, amazing system and presentation, thank you! I didnt know about this crossover thing. It probably sounds amazingly good.
Ohhh, and the Thorens turntable looks amazing
Big speakers are the best. My 3-way Marantz SP1515 have 15" woofers and are around 3' x 2' x 1'. Feel the bass.
Incredible system, thanks for sharing Thomas and congratulation on your friend for this unique system
Best reviews on you tube!
Beautiful system The finish on the plinth is sublime
Great video but wish it was longer. I too have all vintage gear and pleased with it as well. I wonder often if I need new gear for better sound but so far I am not convinced new is superior to vintage. Proves that with the right pieces in the puzzle you can reach wonderful performance. I find I'm looking at older components to add to my system before I look at new. This system in this video has style,charisma, and history. Plus the performance. I'm sticking with vintage gear
Thanks! The original video was longer but I shorten it cause I was worried people would get bored! Newer does not mean better. There are some stuff new system does better, such as refinement, but the reverse is true too.
what a great system, so lovingly put together 😱😱😱😍😍😍 it's very exciting when you listen to a true "discrete" active system (as to an all-in-one budget active speaker) the seamlessness, speed, and control is phenomenal. Hopefully, someday this kind of performance can trickle down to the all-in-one active speakers. 🤞🏻 Tony, thank you for letting us into your home and showing us your system👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Thanks Simon for acknowledging Tony. He will surely appreciate it.
@@ThomasAndStereo It is really amazing how much time and work he put into refining his system, great effort, a true old-school audiophile in the very best way!
Where you from Simon?
@@Montreal_Audio_Systems I'm in Hong Kong now, but I used to live in Toronto, and sold Hifi years ago.
Great stuff 👍 more than just a hobby - it’s a passion. Really love looking systems simple or extensive.
HOW COOL IS THAT. AND THAT THORENS IS THE BEST TURNTABLE.IVE LAID EYES ON!
It's hard to use the word "perfect" without exaggerating, but I think Tony's system may well be worthy of that label. With subjective matters like HiFi there is no single definition of perfect, but for the average audiophile there is a tinker factor, looks factor, backstory and customization in addition to the sound "quality" and "accuracy." Assuming his system sounds pretty good, and I can't believe it wouldn't, he seems to have struck the perfect balance of beauty, component matching and just plain audiophile fascination factor in a system that has every reason to sound absolutely amazing. As I firmly believe that audiophilia is a condition that is most often just as focused on equipment as it is on the sound coming out of the equipment, I believe Tony has put together a system that is the "perfect" combination of quality listening capability and hardware allure for the majority of audiophiles. It's inspiring.
You'll never fall into the perfect system by just spending a ton of cash. The hobbiest who tinkers and tests and who has passion for finding his perfect sound eventually will get there. It helps having a lot of friends to guide you and lend out equipment of course
It would be a dream to hear this system. You'll need a lot of cash to beat a systen like so🔥🔥👍👌
That would be a fun challenge: Who can equal or best this or any system for the least amount of money.
@@hifiman4562 you'll have to go active to even start to compete if you ask me and it will have to be a little big as well. Active = a lot of clean detail and a big speaker will give you a big clean sound!
Stay aways from 1980's speakers those big ones where usually made to look cool and for parties.
That turntable is a work of art! Great video!
Of course a vintage system can be amazing and yes they can compete. How else would modern manufacturers exist unless they made people think otherwise?
It's reminds me to finish my Thorens TD125.
Going to get myself a copy of this bad boy rumble checker!
Love to know more about the crossover, 24db per octave ? Frequency? Are they alterable ?
Yep you can alter them to 12 ,24 and I beleive 6?? 24 is great for least amount of distrortion. When multiple drivers play same frequencies they cause so many problems and so with a steep 24 slope it cuts that in half!
Thank you, Thomas! That was enjoyable, interesting, and also educating!
I think the point I came away with the most is how important it is to have good synergy in your gear in every point. This takes a good knowledge of just what sound you are looking for, as well as a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of each piece of gear and how they compliment each other.
I like that he knew each piece of gear well enough to know just how to mod it for better results. This takes a lot of time and research.
It is also an incredibly beautiful system to look at.
I wish I could hear it!
Yes it takes a lot of time everytime you change even a cable you have to relisten to your favorite songs and see what you gained and what you may have lost!
Thanks Dennis, yeah lot of time and sweat was put into it.
Very well presented. Great story
The all new Stratton Acoustics Elypsis 1512 Loudspeakers are the New Holy Grail of Speakers ?!
Nelson Pass has and loves the JBL L300
Burt Lancatti !! Was the Andrew Jones of his time, from JBL L-series to Pioneer HPM series ! Love my overhauled HPM 100s still unbeatable to my ear opion on my front end setup very nice system by the way !!! Thank you for sharing !
Thanks Tee-Jay for dropping by!
@@ThomasAndStereo thank you Thomas, Thomas i been working to much lately, and this past morning i did my review of the STACK and it was so awful i deleted it ! Really bummed out with that . So for the nexted couple of days going to rest alot and retry the review again This coming saturday . Heres my Email Karta.boy.1974@gmail.com
Bart Locanthi, CalTech grad. Got TAD up and running for Pioneer and TAD was the first to use Beryllium for compression drivers.
@@JEG6919 thank you for the info , huge Fan of Burt L ! Have you tried the Pioneer HPM-150s ? Thomas is a great a very good reviewer , watching Thomas's utube videos, truely matured my way of thinking in Audio terms reminds me of my late O'sensei 😆
Tee-Jay The Stereo-Bargin-File l've tried other brands, but I've always come back to JBL. TAD pioneer stuff is excellent as well. Rey Audio makes monitors using TAD pro components. They too are top notch. Augspurger monitor used to as well.
JBL's from that era are still the best.
I have just bought a pair of JBL 4411 Wonderful! indeed.
Nah, I’ve purchased JBL 4333 and 4345 from Kenrick Sound. They were muddy and sucked. Good thing there’s a huge Vietnamese JBL community near me to buy them for around the same price I purchased them for.
Hi from Wales. Beautiful equipment. Bet it sounds amazing. I understand you say it’s vintage but how much of it is actually vintage as it’s been upgraded so much.
Well, semi-vintage then!
Great video as always, Thomas!
I was expecting to hear some kind of sound difference between a older / newer system. what we got here is modern components coupled with older speakers & highly upgraded turntable- WoW !!!! You Could have at least give a sound demo for featured system,, I think others would agree.
Great Job Thomas !
Great video. Thanks.
I mixed my vintage B&W matrix 805 H with a NAD C658 + C268 and it sounds awesome. Ordered a REL T9i to support the low better. Mix it up when you can. I love my icon 805 baby's.
Beautiful turntable and a great video!
"nothing bothers me" We all say that , for awhile lol
I know this is old, but man I would love a more indepth conversation on the modifications he made to those JBL L300 and the X-over he is using.
British vintage speakers are the best and mid range vintage system can compete with todays high end ones!Back in the day everything was on higher standart level.
In one year, he found his sound. I'm guessing that's what Thomas is the most envious about :D
yup, I responded to that in the video originally but edited it out to shorten the video.
@@ThomasAndStereo But it`s no shame to say something like that! In this case, I think it honors the Guy we are jealous of.. lol
Hey Thomas I finally found a ok match for that bright old adcom I put a pair of McIntosh LS350 and it sounded pretty good they seemed to smooth that top end out ! Just sharing some of my journey ! Nice video....INJOY THE MUSIC
Thanks Andrew and congrates!
Thanks Thomas this is very interesting to me as i own upgraded JBL 300 as recommended by Nelson Pass -unfortunately they were destroyed by couriors on rebuild so they are just shadows of themselves -same bass driver etc sad -fabulous musical speakers
The active crossover crosses at the same frequency as the updated Nelson pass crossover. Nelson still owns a pair of l300!
@@rctony710 $7k spent on mine black walnut pro veneer $2k crossovers ability to also use my DEQX crossover drivers perfect -crushed by scumbags ! your system is magic
My stock Thorens TD 125 is sooo jealous!
Its very good stock! They are very good low noise but need maintenance every now and then. Nowadays they don't make them suspended anymore because people are lazy and couldn't be bothered and just won't have the patience or knowledge.
By my humble opinion dear Thomas vintage but of course good vintage is still the best :
Nice set of 300s I just recently built a set of crossover networks for a set for a buddy.
Yes. I'll take two thorens with some tone arms
Nice looking deck .
Beautiful room and setup. Wow!
Most of my setup is 80s gear and I have to agree that you can get as good of performance out of vintage as modern gear.
Great video Thomas - thanks for sharing! Thanks Tony!
I always think, just enjoy, no need to compare.
Always had a soft spot for upper tier JBLs and the old studio monitors (of which I own a home version that I run on tubes-listening to it even as I write this). Very nice system.
Turntable is over the top, but hey, if that's your main source, and you have the Benjamins, why not? I'd love to hear this system. Enjoy!
Thanks! I never knew how good JBLs are until I heard these.
I really want to own an updated vintage jbl system some day...
Me too!
Very cool Thomas! Thanks for sharing.
Amazing as always
Wanted to hear it
Older speakers have never impressed me. Many years ago I gave into the hype and purchased a pair of JBL 4333s, 4345s, and 4355s from Kenrick Sound. The bass was muddy and flabby, the midrange was boxy, and the horn resonated with piano keys. When I A&B’d them with a modern pair of loudspeakers, it was night and day. I spent $10,000 on the JBL 4333s and $16,000 on the JBL 4345s, and $15,000 on the JBL 4355s. Good thing there’s a huge Vietnamese JBL community near me to buy them for around the same price I purchased them for. To me, JBL cultists and their “holy grail” sound is a bunch of bs.
That is why I always say, different solutions for different people. Some people prefer the modern ultra detail sound and I can completely get that. In your case, perhaps Focals are your cup of tea. However, for people who love JBL, I get it too.
Thomas & Stereo I’ve had Pioneer HPM-1500s, Altec 620 cabinets built by a former Altec engineer with the latest 604-8H III duplex-driver from Great Plains Audio, JBL 4333s (15” woofer Studio Monitor version of the L300), JBL 4345s (the 18” woofer), JBL 4355s (duel 15” woofer), and many other vintage loudspeakers that we’re claimed to be “holy grail”. Yes, speaker taste is sometimes different for each individual, but when they agree with my views after a blind ABX tests, I tend to think I’m not as crazy as others. None of those models were worth remembering. Yes I get it, people want to experience nostalgia and hype. In case you ask, I have pictures to prove my various systems. And before anyone accuses me of losing my ass financially, no I’m not poor. I sold them because they were awful compared to modern examples. In my opinion, older loudspeakers were great back in their day, but decades of improvement have rendered them obsolete. I heard the Legacy Audio Signature SEs recently. Have you heard them? It had a ribbon tweeter. I was immediately WOW’d!
Wish there was a short sound demo so we could hear it :)
What song you wanna hear?
@@Montreal_Audio_Systems Ooh I dunno something that sounds good :) Depends what you have, if you have streaming like Tidal maybe you can find this one, Hanne Boel - After Midnight ruclips.net/video/7z9VrpuXRo8/видео.html
Or this one from Steely Dan ruclips.net/video/dWFo1CA_9yk/видео.html
But don't you know you'd only be hearing your headphones? 🤣
Nah man I'm with you. Even if you can't hear perfectly you can hear some things that might bother you. It's always good to hear sounds demos regardless of what trolls say.
@@kohnfutner9637 - Hear-hear! (No pun.) As if you can't tell about systems through video...
Sure.
Play a video of a top notch system, then a crappy-assed one. Tell me you don't hear a different even through the crappiest earbuds.
@@Xx-xd3zo yeah i would hear a difference. I hear differences in 2 good systems also.
The tonearm in the thorens td125, is an Alphason HR100!
There is a Angel records recording of Vaughn Williams Mass in G Minor, recorded in Oxford cathedral (I believe), that about 6-7 minutes in, you can hear a diesel truck accelerating, and shifting gears. I was auditioning preamps at the time, with my partner / now spouse, and the Audible Illusions Modulus 2C made me think that someone was driving around my house. Needless to say, I still have that amazing piece of kit today.
Did the crossovers get removed from the speakers, I assume? They are tri-wired by definition.
Also, the Mass in G Minor is a sublime piece of music!
@@NeilBlanchard yes of course they are t in the signal but the original crossovers are left inside to keep them as original as possible. Under the speakers you can see capacitors which are only used in the signal for protection of the drivers/ in case amps give out bad frequencies to tweeter or mid horn. Opening and closing of amps can cause thumps and you don't what a bass frequency to reach a tweeter!
what a beautiful TT
I see a Musical Paradise DAC that wasn't mentioned. I absolutely love the Thorens TD-125.
Fantastic video!
Thats's one well crafted system,its more like a recording studio system, as he's gone active.
Be interesting to hear that tack on cd, played on a Rega Isis cdp.
Thomas thanks for your interesting vids
Definitely better than the over rated l100 century.
Technical Details
These Summits were built between 1975-1982 which were arguably JBL’s most innovative and prolific period. These were designed by Greg Timbers, who worked at JBL for over 35 years and is one of the worlds most respected speaker designers.
This is an extremely pure and clean design - a 3-way speaker with extremely high-end components include a massive 15" 136A woofer with 4 inch edge wound voice coil and an optimized alnico motor structure for ultra low distortion. The authoritative bass performance of this classic woofer still rivals the best modern designs. The LE85 midrange features a 1.75 diameter edge wound aluminum voice coil and an alnico motor structure. It fires through a cast aluminum exponential horn and wide dispersion lens assembly. The 077 tweeter features a very efficient ring radiator design with an aluminum diaphragm which has been shown to be one of the most effective ways to achieve flat, extended frequency response beyond 20 kHz. The design of the high frequency driver matches the directivity of midrange horn beautifully which leads to a near-perfect transition between them.
The performance specs are readily available from JBL or the JBL Heritage site. Basic info:
Size = 31.5” x 23” x 23.5”
Unpacked Weight = 145 lbs apiece
Yeah now a days a speaker of that weight will cost incredible amounts! My mentor always said if one guy can bring each speaker into the house it will never sound good you need at least 2 guys to bring in a serious speaker!
Seems like you are a fan of JBL, thanks fir sharing.
@@ThomasAndStereo To a degree, yes. it annoys me that JBL makes the new century l-100 in Mexico, with Asian made parts and charges thousands (for nostalgic types) when they probably have $200 in parts per side. This is insulting that a non-USA made product can get marked up as much as something made domestically at a higher cost, with better parts.
Hi, i have a JBL L300 and would lime to try the X over and the specs, do you have the info for the X over specs pls.
Message me at tonymontana168@gmail.com I have everything for your needs
You'll never go back to passive at least get the sub active and the highs keep it passive
If your crossover is original it is out of spec and it's done it's time. Besides there's new technology in capacitors now.
Like this interview style video much like Steve Gutenberg. Keep them coming!
I don't miss it but the ride was grand. Being an old engineer may I suggest. Get your self a pair of vintage l-222 disco's and be sure the lf drivers are le-14H and not the A's. Find a pair of McIntosh MC-2100's. Replace all the caps and all of the output devices with some Japanese NEC's or equivalent. Sense the 2100's run in class (B) there is no bias settings so one will have to purchase a load and match the gamma. Should get a sweet solid 500WPC RMS @ 8hms. I believe the tap will be 16 because one would be bi-amp per mono block. Replace the caps in the l-222 crossovers with Janson or a good foil cap., wonder etc. For a preamp sense the amplifiers are transformer balance and not DC coupled. Go with a decent tube preamp. I think the one I used on my last system was a Counterpoint. Here is the key... You see back in the 50s, 60s, 70, into the 80,s They already had transducers figured out, AND along with Power Amplifiers. Problem is that the medium sucked. A Dragon deck in the 70's was lucky to do 70Db SNL 1W@1M 2vdc. Today one can get a cd player for 3$ at a thrift store that does over 100Db SNL. BUT. Look around and find the very best A to D D to A converter with a good transport. As far as your power if your power company sucks. I have always run DC battery into a pure sine wave inverter. It,s what is in the operating room in a hospital when they have your heart open out of your chess., LOL! Room eq is very, very important and just because your time line is flat does not mean it,s going to sound good at all. It,s simply a reference point for standing waves. OH and one more thing. Do not worry about a little distortion. I have used plenty of British gear that has some of the worst specifications ever but sounded like... HOLY COW WOW. This is most likely the biggest bang for the buck and if one does it right, one can do it these days for less that 7 grand. A system like I just described will in deed, tear the back side out of just about anything they have now days... And the 077's in your friends JBL's were classified and used in submarines as HF transducers. Same as the 076 and of course the 075s. Get a real time analyzer and some help. Good luck and look forward to a flurry of denials. May I say that your friend is on the right track and a job well done and you sir have a great utub channel. Wishes... P.S. Chances are the lp's you spin may have come off of some of the master 2 inch to 1/2inch tape in the studio. Take care. de n7uwq Dave.
Thanks Dave for the long comment. Appreciate it. I have a MC2100 myself.