I have been a JBL collector off and on over the years. I had the L150A, and they were pretty darn good. They will handle as much amp as you can throw at them, and then some. These had the aluminum dome tweeters in them that were a step up from the L150's, but they were still not all that great. The next generation of titanium tweeters were much better. As I remember, some of the JBL's that were bought overseas did have black as an option.Up to $500 would be worth it. I have heard L112's, and was not impressed. They need the other half of the cabinet that the 150's have-the woofer is just too big for the cabinet. I still love JBL, and own several pair including a mint pair of 4412 monitors, L220's and L5'. The newer speakers these days are much more sophisticated, and can sound better (I also own NOLA Boxers, which I love). But bang for the buck, JBL still rocks.