OT: man I'd like to listen to these

[Alien_Shore]

JBL L100 Century Loudspeakers Super Clean Original Walnut Finish Excellent | eBay

A bit too pricey on this, but I'd like to find a pair on a lucky yardsale or something...

[bowtie427ss]

L100's were my introduction to consumer audio for serious listeners circa 1975, around the peak of quadraphonic. It was my older brother's system, four L100's on a Marantz 4400. The Marantz was just pure eye candy for an enthusiast in training, and the L100's were simply the best sound i'd ever heard in a home. That would last about a year until that system was replaced by Accuphase C-200/P-300 and Infinity QLS-1's. Actually, there was a pair of Klipsch Cornholes, and some big Duntechs in there too, neither of which lasted here for more than a couple weeks. The Infinities raised the bar to a point where they remained king until December of '79 when the first pair of Altecs came home, model Seventeens. The Altecs changed the game so much that to this day i have no interest whatsoever in revisiting any of their predecessors in my listening environment, save maybe for the QLS-1's, those were, and are even by today's standards, very good.

L100's have a spot reserved in my heart. But, i honestly couldn't throw more than a couple hundred bucks at a pair and feel good about it. In terms of all things loudspeakers, they're just not "all that".

That's a nice time capsule pair of 100's, certainly you'd be hard pressed to find a cleaner pair.

But, for 1400 + 125 shipping, a fella could build substantially better Altec loaded system AND a Firstwatt F5 or Aleph to power them.

[Altec Best]

I never liked the L100's.. They sounded kind of muddy to me..And obviously too small for me. And asking $1400 for a pair of L100's is ridiculous !!!


I like the story Bowtie ! Yup you always have a place in your heart for those first speakers... My first pair I still have (Harvards) don't have the heart to throw them away as I know I should.. Like decades ago.