Jbl s4600

[JBeL]

Hello everybody,
New to the forum..
Was thinking of replacing my current JBL's and went and Listened to a pair of S4600 recently and found them to be a very nice speaker, genuine veneer timber, compression drivers for both the upper treble range and high frequencies.

A 14" woofer (LE14H-4)
Extended high frequency 3/4" titanium diaphragm (138Nd)
High frequency 1- 3/4" tweeter (175Nd-3)
These drivers are made/sourced in the US for the S4600's l think?

Got the looks and sound great.
Had a look around the back of them and on the label it states that they're made in Mexico.

l currently own a pair of JBL S312 in beech finish and l feel as though they were on a par with the S4600's, sound wise.
l think the drivers are from Audex in my S312's?

The S4600's are expensive and sound great but not $000's better than the S312's (and they're made in the US).
For the time being l'll keep my S312's which l've had since new...but l got the JBeL bug and am always looking out.

Also had a listen to some old L200's in a local used HI FI shop the other day. They did sound very nice, but didn't buy them.
Bit sore on myself now for not purchasing them but l felt they are getting a bit old now and although rare, newer materials and production methods in the new products is really the way to go???

Thanks for reading, all the best...

[Titanium Dome]

Welcome to the forum. :)

With extended listening side-by-side, I bet you'd hear a quite a difference. Whether you'd want to spend the $$$ to get the new ones would still be an open question.

Since you like your current JBLs, you're safe for now. The L200s are a definite change of pace and not to everyone's long-term liking. Nonetheless, that bug you've got is going to keep itself busy until you finally scratch that itch.:p

[JBLAddict]

I heard the 4600 alongside the 4338 and was extremely impressed by both, considering them quite similar, though both were hooked to electronics worth 10x the boxes.

the 312 is well respected here as a value. 000's better? as we all know this is highly subjective, but certainly the 4600 is on a whole different level than the 312 :)

[JBeL]

Welcome to the forum. :)

With extended listening side-by-side, I bet you'd hear a quite a difference. Whether you'd want to spend the $$$ to get the new ones would still be an open question.

Since you like your current JBLs, you're safe for now. The L200s are a definite change of pace and not to everyone's long-term liking. Nonetheless, that bug you've got is going to keep itself busy until you finally scratch that itch.:p

With out spending huge $ l have also listened to Klipsch RF82 against new Jbl 590's.....had full intentions of buying the 590's untill l heard the Klipsch's up against them, Klipsch's sound was more open with direct A-B comparison.
Klipsch Heresy is also an affordable option but haven't listened to any.

Was reading an older post about Harman selling out and making everything off shore..Mexico and China, any comments on that?

[Dave_72]

These are similar to the S4700s, true? Or was this the model before the S4700s?

[pos]

Yes it is the model just before your S4700, with a LE14-4 woofer (a LE14H-3 with a lighter cone).
I think 4313B reported that it was deemed "better than it has any right to" by GT.
The S4700 is supposed to be better still, with a more modern woofer.

[JuniorJBL]

Was reading an older post about Harman selling out and making everything off shore..Mexico and China, any comments on that?

No need to polute your thread with that info, plenty of info on that subject to be found with a search.

[pos]

Back in the day when it mattered, JBL was known for spending rediculous sums of money on SOTA transducer design while everyone else in the Consumer industry laughed. "Their drivers are way overbuilt and way too expensive."

Now the tendency is completely reversed: JBL buys a design from BMS (4540nd), put its stamp on it (2407H), then claim is is overengineered and simpify it for a lower price point (2408H), then simplify it again to the point of not being a ring radiator anymore (2414H (http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?27551-2414h)) with a ***** phasing plug (that would not even belong in a decent piezo tweeter) and put it in the same systems without special notice (PRX535), and then decide it is still too much and remove some more magnet material (2414H-1) to end up with what Zilch called "the tiniest neo magnet I have ever seen in a driver". What an engineering achievement...
Same goes for the 2450SL/2451 to 2452 transition (and probably 2453...)

That said, the fact that two new 1500AL just came out is a good sign that exceptional engineering is still valued.
Do not get me wrong: the 2216nd looks to be really good engineering, designed for the best performance at a price point, but compare the EDS from the 2216nd to the 1501AL-1 or 1501AL-2 and reality stands out (especially when looking at the klippel curves...).
http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?59-Transducer-Information

[Dave_72]

Yes it is the model just before your S4700, with a LE14-4 woofer (a LE14H-3 with a lighter cone).
I think 4313B reported that it was deemed "better than it has any right to" by GT.
The S4700 is supposed to be better still, with a more modern woofer.

Thanks for the info. Much appreciated! :)

[JBeL]

These are similar to the S4700s, true? Or was this the model before the S4700s?

S4600 was just before the S4700, nice speakers but with 15" woofer? S4600 had 14".

[Dave_72]

S4600 was just before the S4700, nice speakers but with 15" woofer? S4600 had 14".

Yes, the S4700 has the 15" woofers.

[martin_wu99]

Happy snake year!
I like s4600/s4700,anybody here have tried them and can tell the deference? :applaud:

[caladois]

It must be extremly rare to find those two set up in the same room.