Speaker Asylum

General speaker questions for audio and home theater.

Return to Speaker Asylum


Message Sort: Post Order or Asylum Reverse Threaded

"old-style" JBL monitors...pros and cons?

209.52.51.9

Posted on March 30, 1999 at 23:19:19
glue


 
This style of speaker seems to have largely disappeared from the NA home market. But they are still available in Europe and Japan in I beleive updated form.I am speaking of models such as the 4425mkII and the 4312mkII. Has any one heard these or similar models lately? Do they mate well with tubes etc... In a way I am interested in opening a discussion on they various styles of dynamic speakers. It seems that now narrow baffles are all the rage....is there anything to be said for big woofers and wide baffles?

Thank you

glue

 

Hide full thread outline!
    ...
Re: "old-style" JBL monitors...pros and cons?, posted on March 31, 1999 at 03:08:22
abc


 
The 4430's make the B&W 801's sound colored.With 10 watts into the JBLs you need over 100 on the B&Ws(because they are already into power compression).Because the JBLs are two way there is frequency modulation distortion on some music(pipe organ with orchestra).This bothered me so I built a 'super' 4425 using a 2204 woofer(98dB above 100hz)and bi-amped with a pair of 2245 as woofers.Near field the 2204 measures +/- 1dB from 100~1200hz and the 2417 tweeter was +/-2dB from 1.2k~20khz.The 2245 is an honest 90dB/watt below 100hz and flat to ~20hz with the usual room mode peaks.Dispersion is 100* from ~800hz to 16khz.I think this uniformity in the off-axis response is where the neutral character comes from.With discounts the drivers and horns ran ~$2000.The high pass network was the 4435 design with a custom low pass design on the 2204.A 24dB/oct electronic crossover was used at 100hz.A 6th order design was used on the 2245 with room gain making up the required eq below 30hz.Highly recommended for tiny triode types with a ss amp for the low end(your 60 watt 6550/KT88/4xEL34 would work here too).

 

The L-100 (4311) woofers were run full-range/no inductor! (nt), posted on March 31, 1999 at 09:18:07


 

My Little Story of JBL Monitors, posted on April 1, 1999 at 18:48:09
Vinylly


 
I've lived long enough to know the JBL, Altec, and Klipsh were the speakers to have, during the hayday of tubes, but disappeared with big powerfull transistor amps and air suspension speakers fostered by AR.
However, I recently read a very fine review of the JBL L-90 in "Hi-Fi Choice", with their 91 dB's sensitivity, so I thought I would audition a pair. I went to a local dealer and asked if they handled JBL, or if they new anybody who did. I could see the salesmans upper lip curl as he retorted that "they sell only quality audiophile gear here, and that I might try Curcut City", as he disappeared behind his "Grand Slam Wham Alla Kuzzams" and I disappeared out the front door.
You will note that "The Absolute Sound" gave the JBL LSR-32 a fine review in their April issue, with a sensitivity of 90 dB's they should do very well with low wattage tube amps, just as they did in their hayday of the 60's and 70's.

 

Page processed in 0.015 seconds.