Ok, I tried to hold off for a day or so to temper my enthusiasm, but couldn't. I just replaced the origonal mylar caps (bypassed with .01 sidereals) with SA series Claritycaps in my mint 4301B's. Night and day is an understatement. I have done cap mods in tube and SS electronics and JBL's, Dynaudio's for decades. But never went beyond Solen's or the older Wondercaps on the speaker end. One of the members tipped me toward a Claritycap review (humblehomemadehifi.com/Cap.html) Read this, and then go to DIYcable.com or E-speakers.com for ordering info and prices.
The mod was a bit of a challenge, because of the huge size of the caps. I don't like to booger things up too much, with classic speakers. However, I ended up moving the two inductors to opposite ends of the board, and putting the three Claritycaps in the center (Heat the old glue with a hairdryer, and peel off the parts with a dull blade...). One 6.8 (for the 7uf origonal tweeter series cap) and two 8.2 (for the 16.5uf origonal parallel woofer cap). I spray cleaned the origonal L-pads, and kept the origonal tiny inductors...because frankly, there wasn't room for anything else, and no room for a bigger board, without a hell of a lot of work...
Absolutely stunning. The speakers completely transformed....never know you were litening to a paper tweeter that drops like a rock at around 16K ( I still turn the tweeter pad to -1 db, even after the mod)...and with good recordings, it is like listening through the wall. I can't recommend this upgrade enough. Not even a hint of anything bright, edgy or irritating...or "louder" (Hovlands gave me that in other projects..)... I can only imagine the difference in some 4313's, 4315's, or, some of the 4400 series, 4406-4412.... Even some L50's would no doubt surprise you. These old tweeters sound suprisingly good, and even with the tiny origonal inductors, the dynamics were like adding a subwoofer and a more powerful amp to the system...no kidding...the old mylar caps squished everything when you put a little power to them....and the 4301's are well known for their excellent bass reproduction, regardless...
I know this cap thing has been discussed at length on here....but these claritycaps are incredible, and nobody I have seen has reported on them or tried them... Deep, clear, natural, smooth, rich, transparent, dynamic as hell.....like a different set of speakers or a new amp...and with good analog, no speakers at all in the sweet spot. The vocalist is right through the wall behind the speakers. Before, the music kind of clung to the speakers in this regard, even though it was smooth. I have some Dynaudio 3 ways, with a 2245H sub/BX63A (siderealKap upgrade, years ago), in another system. The Dyna's are still more extended (D260, compared to a L26, no surprise...and a 2245H, well...)....but the 4301's with these caps, compared to the Dyna's with Solens....well, I am listening to all of my records again, and hearing the guitars right in my music room...on the old JBL's. All of the tone, feeling, detail..... And I am not missing a thing, even with 25+ year old drivers. And the Dyna's, 4406's, and 4208's, don't suck, for sure
Try doing this with whatever JBL system you have. I suspect the horned systems would be stunning....I have modest electronics compared to some of you guys (several different systems with vintage 1990's Adcom...either stock, or modified by Musical concepts....I like them a lot), and the little 4301's rule right now. Not because it is something new, but because they just sound killer for what they are. I wish I had some of my old JBL/Tad 2344 horn stuff from years ago, now. These caps would reveal a lot more of their strengths, for sure.
I reworked some L36's years ago for a friend, upgraded them to an L50 schematic (similar drivers, much flatter), and used Solens. It was an improvement, but still retained some "zing" and haziness. It was better, but not jaw dropping, as this was.
The amazing thing about all of this, is the modest cost of these caps. Auricaps, Mundorf's, etc, are great, I am sure, but the cost can be staggering, to say the least. My total cost for these 6 caps was $48.00 including shipping. Amazing cost to performance ratio, indeed. However, look at the size...they are huge, 630 volt caps...with stranded copper 14 guage leads (!) A seperate masonite board would be neccesary on bigger systems, for sure. With the cost of the Claritycaps, I wouldn't even think about using Solen's, or Dayton's.
I hope this helps you all out on a reasonable upgrade, for what my opinion is worth as a life-long musician/sound guy/JBL nut. I think it will blow you away.....and my caps haven't even broke in yet, and my old 545II Adcom has been off for two days....cheers
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