old JBL studio monitors

I have JBL 4333AWX's (basically the studio version of an L300). With Quicksilver KT88 monoblocks I find them smooth and very relaxing.

I did the same as foxtrot. There was an article in speaker builder about two years ago regarding rebuilding L300's.

Studio Monitor was a promotional term used in the seventies
to suggest that the speakers making that claim were designed to be utilized as monitor speakers in the recording studio. If the engineers used these speakers to record the sound, surely you would be wise to use them for retrieval. I always thought it was a lot of crap but it certainly sold a lot of product.

JBL construction quality is unsurpassed but the sound is definitely a matter of taste.

I have 2 pair of JBL monitors. 4311's and L-100's. The 4311's came from a co-worker who bought them new and took very good care of them. The L-100's came from the Salvation Army for $40.00. They have had some cabinet work, but sonically were in great shape.

Both of these pairs have held up really well. The only problem I have is that one of the attenuators has a dead spot in it. Deoxit has helped but not completely. No caps in the crossovers to fail.

I have several vintage receivers and one thing I have noticed is that these speakers need more power than most people think. It's true that they can be driven nicely with 50WPC, but give them 100 or more and they change dramatically. It's like a completely different sound.

I can't see paying the dollars that people are getting on ebay, but if you are looking to put together a vintage system and like 70's rock and or jazz, you might find them very pleasing.

Studio monitors.... The ones I used to listen to in my recording days were the ones like Dynaudio's, old B&W 801's and some active stuff like ATC's and Genelec. They had in common that they sounded very analytical, a bit harsh, could go incredebly loud and didn't do much imaging, although I have to be honest: placing wasn't always optimal. So one day I decided to buy a couple of Yamaha NS10's from the studio (small two way monitor) and use it at home. It was dreadfull!! I traded them for some small Mission's, which were less 'hifi' but more 'fun'...... So, in my experience, real studio monitors are not necessarily good in home situations. But it does make, as said before, a nice marketing statement.