Help with JBL c60 Soveregin s8r speakers???

I have a pair of JBL L200's that when first hooked up after a long period of not being used sounded awful. I let them play for a few hours and the caps started to do there job and the sound was much better. Two things I would recomend is having the caps replaiced in the existing x-overs or better yet build better new ones(do NOT damage the existing ones as they will be needed for future resale) Second I have never heard horn speakers sound as good with transitors as with tubes. I know someone some where will disagree with that but pretty much that is the generally excepted path to go. Every time I have used transistors on horns(many times/many speakers)they sounded harsh and fatiguing.

Hey thanks for the repley. I have read of others saying the same thing. I do not have the skills to custom build a set of crossovers. And your right i dont want to mess with the original crossover.. What i was thing of is getting an active crossover and bi anping.. Would i need one ss amp for the woofers an adcom gfa-555 that i have for now and and one tube amp for the tweeters and horns. Or do i need two tube amps one for tweeters and other for the mid horns. Someone i know has a mcintoch 240 he wants to let go of, do you think it can drive the 2 075's and the two 375's with just 40 watts per channel. I am new to tube amps and juct can not understand how a 40 watt tupe amp can compare to a 150 watt or so ss amp.

Thanks for your help.

The Mac would be very good. I would look to the internet perhaps the JBL site with the vintage information for a x-over schematic. You could have someone you know build a new one with better parts or even try a company like Madisound that builds x-overs. I would also try the MAC your friend has NOW (as is) so that you can get a taste of the tube sound to see if this is possably your cup of tea. Beleve it or not the Mac is more that powerfull enought for your speakers. Going multi way is expensive and frustrating for a beginner.

You could try the active crossover- Adcom on the bass and the McIntosh on the highs should sound very good. Have you eliminated floor reflections? If you have hard floors placing a rug in front of the speakers can tame some of this.
I'd try the active crossover- it effectively eliminates the potential bad components in the original crossover while retaining originality. I'd bi-amp instead of tri-amping. If that ends up working you could then have new crossovers made if you wanted to. Make sure to look up at what frequency the original crossovers kick in. Crossing the midranges in at too low a frequency can roast them pretty quickly. This information should be available at the Lansing Heritage site. Good luck!

Hey guys, thanks fo the great info.. They do sit on carpet, so that is a plus.. I do not have the jbl lens's on them. they were damaged. I just picked up a set on the bay. I think that will also help..

Yes i think the way to go is the bi-amping. I listen to mostly 70's and 80' rock and i like it loud.. All on vinyl.

I did get the Mcintosh gear, he told me to take it and play with it. It has been sitting in his attic boxed up for over 26 years. His stuff is from around 1968 it had some service info dated 1969. He has a mc 240 amp, a c 22 preamp, and a mr67 tunner, no wooden cases..

I made up a home made power supply from a box with a dimmer switch to a box with a receptacle to slowley bring the gear up to power. I took off all the covers and looked for anything that did not look right. Then powered it up ..

WOW what a difference the 240 made with the sound. The highs and mids are sweet. The bass is lacking when the volume is pushed, the reason to bi amp. But i can get a feal for what they have to offer, They are definitely NOT getting parted out..

I know the mc gear needs a full tune up by someone. I was thinking classic audio in NY i know nothing about them but have seen others talk about them. Do you guys have any sugestions. The amp worked great the pre amp powers up and all looks good but when i hook it to the amp i get a real lound hum no music. The amp sounded great with a low level adcom pre. Cant wait to hear it with a good pre. I have no clue what is wrong with the c22 pre. And the tunner powers up but has a cracked tube so i did not want to run it. All are a one owner set, and rate around high 7 to low 8 on a scale of 10 in looks. He wants $4,000.00 for all. I dont know with the c-22 not working right. Any thoughts??

Keep those S8's. they should have killer bass with the MC240
One of the great vintage tube amps with awesome Bass
If the mids and highs sound good. The Le15 Woofers
Will need the stiff foam surrounds changed
I would not change the Crossover. Bi-Amping is an option
But not for beginners.
Just turn the horns down till they sound good
I have all My JBLs fixed by the Master
Bill. At Millersound. In PA

Good luck
JBL Bob