I regularly use JapanesePod101, and it's certainly worthwhile. The audio blogs themselves are free, and that's all I need. The beginner lessons are a good introduction to the spoken language even for absolute beginners. I've followed them through to 120 or so, just for listening practice and picking up vocabulary. Lately I've stopped doing them because I'm not picking up much new stuff anymore, so now I mainly drop by for the intermediate lessons. The intermediate lessons definitely use some more complex sentences at a normal speed, I'd say they are good practice for JLPT level 3.
Downside of JPod101 is that they focus more on the beginner side. Intermediate lessons only come out once a week, and recently they started another category of lower-intermediate blogs. There's not much there for people who are a bit more advanced, but what they have, is excellent.
Downside of JPod101 is that they focus more on the beginner side. Intermediate lessons only come out once a week, and recently they started another category of lower-intermediate blogs. There's not much there for people who are a bit more advanced, but what they have, is excellent.