TBH that's my own choice now, I use and love my 4313Bs (4313Ti...) for they are no 4311s which were not bad but not what I want. Tight and light-speed bass impact, no boomy, clear, neutral, dynamic. I want the same but faster and clearer. And that way leads me to ATC's SCM50... crazy prices even used. I guess I will enjoy my 4313B for years ;)
If you have a diy orientation you might be able to roll your own for considerably less.
In the uk 🇬🇧 the Volt brand makes a range of suitable drivers including a 2 inch and a 3 inch Dome midrange with high sensitivity and power ratings. They also make excellent woofers used in the top PCM studio monitors.
If it were me l would still want the Jbl bass so put a Jbl 2234 or better still a 2216 Nd woofer in a 140 litre Bass reflex enclosure with the 3 inch Volt dome mid and a Scan Revalator dome tweeter. Tri amp it up and enjoy. I have tested the 2216 Nd at home and it has many desired qualities you refer to.
The reason for the 15 inch woofer is there is only so much a 10 inch woofer driver can do before distortion becomes an issue and they invariably suffer from power compression. In other works a 90 dB spl loudspeaker will always sound like a bookshelf loudspeaker. Speed and transients can only co exist if the loudspeaker has sufficient sensitivity and low power compression. Increasing sensitivity mean less power is converted to heat which causes power compression. The 2216 Nd in addition to impressive dual voice call differential motor design has negative temperature co efficient voice coil wire. So the driver kicks hard which is what you want.
If your not going to play it really loud the 3 inch dome mid range maybe what you are looking for. The horns are generally regarded as cleaner and less harsh at high spls as used by many studio engineers for recording pop music. Given your in domestic situation a dome mid is an option.
OOT but I have no way to wood work and if I ask a carpenter here it will cost me the price of an ATC! BTW, I have no plan (read no money) to change right now. And some TOTL Troel Gravesen are very tempting... but again, wood work. My room is too small but I was in open baffle before, well done it's jaw-dropping. http://www.troelsgravesen.dk/OBL-15.htm maybe back to that later...
Back to the harshness of the 4430, we will change the diaphragm and avoid the foam for some felt. Will cover the whole cup, but how thick the felt should be? We have plenty of 3mm thick one or 5mm.
Side note Ian, that DIY is bugging me now (damn you! ;)), and it seems this British kit does the job! https://www.wilmslowaudio.co.uk/k50-monitor-1619-p.asp
hi, did someone made a comparison between JBL D8R2425 and Radian 1225-8 ?
Is there anybody out there ?
Read Zonker's review for that diaghragm on the Parts Express site.
Turnitdown, thank you.
I report here zonker92's review :
If you have speakers that use JBL 2425 or 2426 horn drivers, you probably know that the diaphragms are titanium, and that the earlier 2421 Alnico drivers had aluminum diaphragms. The AL diaphragms are sought-after, and widely considered to sound smoother, with less distortion, than the Tis. But unfortunately, their surrounds are also AL and over time they fatigue and can fracture. They also handle less power, which is why JBL switched to Ti, following a very embarrassing public fiasco where a bunch of their PS systems failed at the Academy Awards (R), or so I have read.This situation would leave one with a choice of smoother, but weaker and more expensive (AL), or harsher, but more robust (Ti). Miraculously, though, Radian has stepped in with an AL diaphragm that has a robust Mylar (R) surround, combinging the best of both worlds. I just installed them in my JBL 4430s, with 2425 drivers, and the installation was a basic drop in. (word of warning: Control all ferrous metal fasteners and wires to prevent damage to the diaphragm from magnetic attraction, and replace the gooey foam in the back cap with felt. Also pay careful attention to the order in which the fasteners and terminals are stacked in terms of rubber and metal parts, and maintain the OEM polarity, with green or red indicating positive on the diaphragm).The DC resistance of the diaphragms is about 3.1 ohms (stock Tis was 4.1) but based on what I;m hearing and the graphs published by Radian, the output seems to be very equivalent. As compared to the Tis, though sound seems smoother and less compressed at high output levels; it really opens up these speakers and smooths them out. And if you call up Radian, as I did, you may be able to speak directly to the engineer who builds these things; he gave me tons of interesting details regarding their construction, and I gather that their team includes ex-JBL and Altec engingeers who continue to build drivers in Orange County, CA, and Radian claims that it it the only remaining US-based driver manufacturer in the world (!).In sum, I say, there are a remarkable value.
So, it seems to be a good alternative.
Yes, that's the one I referred to. They seem like a viable replacement and I'll be getting a pair of those to replace my aged/aging ones in the not too distant future.
Please, let us know if you replace them and what you think of the result.