Soon to acquire a nice pair of 4312

[thevinoman]

This will be my first pair of any JBL after many years of Klipsch., much of which I still own.... They are in nice shape, and original. Advice, tips and recommendations for crossover refresh, etc, is very welcome. Looking forward to getting them in May.

[grumpy]

Advice? :)

Don't A/B them with the Klipsch. Leave them in your system for at least several days before making judgements.

[Ed Kreamer]

I agree with Grumpy, except I would opt if possible, with an even longer period of critical listening. Use a variety of material and play them at the level you normally listen at. I personally am very enthused with the 44xx series of speakers for their neutral sound. I have 4408's and 4410's for my main/front speakers. Oops, you said 4312, not 4412. Even so,it takes a while to get used to a more neutral sound quality, especially with a bright, or forward sound that most Klipsch have. You didn't specify what kind of music you predominantly listen too, which also makes a difference.

Have fun

Ed

[thevinoman]

I agree with Grumpy, except I would opt if possible, with an even longer period of critical listening. Use a variety of material and play them at the level you normally listen at. I personally am very enthused with the 44xx series of speakers for their neutral sound. I have 4408's and 4410's for my main/front speakers. Oops, you said 4312, not 4412. Even so,it takes a while to get used to a more neutral sound quality, especially with a bright, or forward sound that most Klipsch have. You didn't specify what kind of music you predominantly listen too, which also makes a difference.

Have fun

Ed

Thanks for your responses. I certainly don't plan on A/B with any of my Klipsch or making qualitative judgments. I realized they will be quite different, and that's just fine.....I have the ability to attach either vintage tube (MC 240, or MC30) or vintage SS (MC250) Mcintosh gear to them, via either tube or SS Mcintosh preamps. My music choices are fairly broad, blues (SRV, etc), funk (Tower of Power, AWB), blues rock (Bonamassa), classic rock (Zeppelin), but also jazz (Yellowjackets, Richard Eliot), acoustic guitar, female and male vocals, and even occasional Pavarotti.

I have been advised in the last day or so that the crossovers many not need any update because of the high quality of the original build, but that the pots will need to be at least cleaned.

Again, any advice or thoughts are very much appreciated.

[grumpy]

signs of pots needing cleaning that I can think of (not always necessary):

can feel rough spots when rotating,
sound drops out when between extremes of rotation (sound may cease at or near minimum setting)
change in volume is not monotonic vs position of rotation
static or noise while rotating control (may not be a big deal if minor)

I'd use whatever equipment you enjoy using and sounds best to you.
Maybe listen to something with well recorded acoustic bass and well mic'd
female singer and piano while figuring out the electronics and speaker placement.