JBL L71 Verona L45 Flair C61 Sovereign II speaker PAIR For Sale

*** I have updated the listing to show in more detail the cabinet differences and changed the shipping. Please take a look at the new photos to show the depth difference, and that the height and width are the same. The grills are not interchangeable because of this. I have listened to them for months now and cannot tell the difference between the cabinets - bottom end would be the thing. Also, I have changed the listing to include the shipping. This will require a freight service, around $500. I increased the purchase price by $250 and then changed it to \"free\" shipping. In essence I am splitting the freight cost with you.I will mount on a plywood reinforced pallet, build a plywood shell around the speakers, and strap them in place so they can\'t move. If you have ever seen a Cisco Nexus 7000 package that\'s where I got the idea. Only lower 48, no Global Shipping Program due to weight. I can still ship international but you are not going to like the price. Very, very expensive. Original text

A pair of unusual vintage JBL speakers for sale. The components are the 135A woofer, LE5-5 midrange, and LE25 high frequency driver. This component combocould befound for a short time (early/mid 1970\'s) in the L71 Verona base assembly and the L45 Flair base assembly. The crossover is the LX18, which was used in the L45A/B and the L71B. (Earlier L71 (A) used the LX17A which is slightly different). The cabinets appear to be C61 Sovereign II cabinets, but there are no markings on the cabinets to indicate the actual cabinet designation. The cabinets themselves are slightly different; one cabinet is deeper (about 1\") and the front baffle is tapered for a forward approach. The other cabinet is straight - perpendicular - to the base and 1\" more shallow. Both have the removal grill and mounting that is very characteristic to this cabinet design, but the grills are not the same and not interchangeable. I have over 100 pictures of these speakers but can only load 12 per . So, if you need additional detail to understand the minor differences I can provide. In extensive A/B listening comparisons I cannot tell the difference between the cabinets, and if you don\'t point it out no one notices. Only by looking at the depth of the grill assembly sides can you tell without a tape measure.

Some history:

With the runaway success of the L100 Century, JBL decided to experiment on a similar speaker but with a larger woofer and larger cabinet (the super 100 project). There is lots written on this (see JBL Heritage website), but the net result was the 135A 15\" woofer replacing the 12\" woofer of the Century and a larger cabinet to accommodate for better bass response. The Flair and the Verona are very different looking, but both had as a base component set ofthe 135A woofer, LE5-5 midrange* (some early Verona\'s had a LE5-3) and the LE25 high frequency driver. The Verona could be ordered with different packages, as could the Flair. The Verona was not popular due to its very specific Mediterranean cabinet design and was dropped after a few years. The Flair lived longer and blended into living rooms a bit better. The C61 cabinet was a versatile cabinet that could be ordered and then loaded with a variety of \"systems\" from JBL. However I can\'t find any documentation that states a C61 Sovereign II could be ordered with the 135A/LE5/LE25 component set (although back then JBL would do lots of things for customers so I\'m sure it is possible). There can\'t be a lot of speakers out there like these.

Now the urban legend ...

The person I bought these from was told by the previous owner that these were custom made for a (the?)president at JBL and were prototypes for the L71/L45 design effort. This is at least third hand for me, but it makes a great story. There is some credibility to this as the cabinets are slightly different, there is a name plate on each speaker but no name or serial number, and no cabinet designation on the back like C61\'s normally have. The cutout for the LX5is there but blocked and normal speaker terminals in its place. I did not load the picture but one cabinet has the cutout for the \"solid state energizer\" and the front of that cabinet has the little JBL symbol for the light to shine through. Nothing is installed there. Internally the cabinets are slightly different due to the cutout for the energizer piece, but both solid and well built.

What\'s been done ...

The previous owner re-foamed the 135a from the white/yellow surround to the new black foam surrounds. They look good and sound good, and he mounted them in the back so they look correct. I removed the speakers and inspected/tested them (also have pictures of that) and they are solid and in very good shape. I added the black gaskets to complete the job as the original cork ones were shot from the repair. I cleaned and tested each driver from both cabinets, and photographed them. All drivers test properly. I removed the crossovers and cleaned the pots and connections with DeOxit. The cabinets were worn so I used Howards\'s refinishing treatment with 0000 steel wool and it worked wonders. I was going to strip and completely refinish but Howard\'s did the trick. There are some minor flaws but overall they look really good. I waxed the cabinets with Howards wax and clean stuff and they really look nice. The grills were broken and the cloth was trash so I repaired the grills and replaced the fabric with what you see in the picture. Sort of a semi-see through for the white 135a but a nice modern look. I really like the color combo of the wood and the fabric color (and hope you do as well).

I\'ve been running these forseveral months now on a Phase Linear 400 Amp and they sound really nice. These speakers are very efficient and don\'t need a lot of power. The Phase Linear can get them cranking with little effort. Good solid bass and smooth transitions to the upper end.

These speakers are really heavy - probably 140 pounds perhaps more. I have discussed this with a couple of freight companies, and the best option is to palletize the speakers together on a 48\" x 48\" x 36\"H arrangement of both speakers on one pallet. I will custom build this enclosure to ensure safe arrival. I\'ll pay for the packaging andfreight cost at full purchase price. Of course local pickup is still an option.