A-7 Or L-65???

[Mr. Widget]

Originally posted by D1784
So it looks like the L 65,s will beat out the A-7's for what I'm looking for. Any other suggestions using JBL's

Why not look at the 4430s? They tend to go for just a bit more that L-65s and they are a hell of a lot better speakers. They are not too much bigger than the L-65 and considerably smaller than a pair of A-7s.

[D1784]

okay so how many of you just happen to have an extra pair or two of these lying around???

[Don McRitchie]

4430's show up quite frequently on Ebay and it's not to hard to find a pair in the $1,000/pr range. I echo the previous sentiments. Of all of the speakers mentioned in this thread, that is what I would go for.

[4313B]

I agree with Don. The price 4430's go for these days puts them in a "best bang for the buck" category. Of course I might be considered biased, as my current 4430 avatar might indicate I've been considering picking up a second pair for rears.

[John B]

I haven't heard the 4430s, maybe someday (if you guys quit driving the price up by recommending them) I can pick up a pair. But I always considered the "best bang for the buck" to be the 240Ti for the under $500 they usually go for.

[4313B]

Yeah, I have 240Ti's too.

I did notice that a few pairs of them recently went for prices bordering on the ludicrously cheap

I can actually overdrive the 4430's before I can overdrive the 240Ti's. Those itsy-bitsy 1" throat CD's bust up under heavy use.
The 240Ti's are watt sponges

[D1784]

For what seem like very reasonable prices, what about L112's

[Alex Lancaster]

Giskard:

Have You tried Ti 2425 diaphragms?, the early 4430's had Al, don´t know about the late ones.

D1784:

I think We want more than the 112's can provide.

Alex.

[4313B]

Originally posted by Alex Lancaster
Giskard:

Have You tried Ti 2425 diaphragms?, the early 4430's had Al, don´t know about the late ones.

Yes, the original 4430/4435 used the 2421A with the D8R2421 aluminum/diamond pattern surround diaphragm. It was shortly replaced by the 2425H running the D8R2425 titanium/diamond pattern surround diaphragm. Final versions used the 2426H with the D8R2425. I'm currently running D8R2421 diaphragms in my 2425H cores. The D8R2425 diaphragms are packed away for the day I finally shatter the D8R2421's I was merely poking fun at the 1" CD's No biggie.

[jkc]

Hi John

I assume you want to copy the 4355's
Here are reasons why I would not bother

The 4355 is really big and complicated to build as it has cut outs for moving the drivers from side to side and rotating them.
It would cost so much to copy them it would be cheaper to buy second hand ones.
They weigh over 300 pounds.

What are they worth as a copy?

The sound field is really diffuse as the drivers are so spread out, if I had all the drivers lying around I would put them in a vertical column as it would most likley sound better.

A lot of the value in this old stuff is the mystic surrounding them.
I know of a person around here who has a pair and they cut the protuding cabinate edge off and painted them black.
what are they worth now, most likley not even the cost of the drivers.

[D1784]

If L112's might not give us what we want, what about 4312's ??

[Mr. Widget]

John,

I would agree with jkc on the subject of building exact copies of 4355s. That said, I have "improved" 4355 clones that I have been very surprised at just how good they sound. They are most assuredly not diffuse sounding. They image with holographic precision and yet maintain the remarkable dynamics of the original 4355. As jkc suggested the drivers are in a vertical alignment, additionally by getting away from the exponential horn, the speakers have a very smooth sound free from the harshness that can make the 43XX series tiring to some. Of course if you want exact copies of 4355s, I would try to find originals first, failing that expect a pretty big project. Others have already gone there, you might start a thread asking for help.

Here is more info if you want to read about my project:

http://audioheritage.csdco.com/vbull...=&threadid=774



D1784,

The L112 or 4312 are both fine speakers, but you need to find some speakers and audition them. You can't expect the opinions of this very opinionated group to lead you to audio nirvana.

[4313B]

Originally posted by Mr. Widget
The L112 or 4312 are both fine speakers, but you need to find some speakers and audition them. You can't expect the opinions of this very opinionated group to lead you to audio nirvana.

That's a fact!

I personally think L112's/L150A's are pretty cool (though not as cool as L96's ) others definitely have issues with them.