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Thread: jbl haters

  1. #211
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    Quote Originally Posted by kingjames View Post
    Who has the oppurtunity to listen to $60,000 speakers? Who has the oppurtunity to buy them?
    Interesting to note that the likes of Dynamic Audio and Audio Union in Japan sell the higher end JBL's on extended terms - almost like lease agreements. Hey maybe they drive around in Daewoo Matiz instead of a Camry - but at least they get into it every morning with a big grin on their faces.

    I've been lucky enough to have lived with a lot of top audiophool loudspeakers over the years from B&W, Proac, Logan and others. I've owned speakers that image better than any JBL, that have more extended treble response, and that have more profound bottom ends. But I've yet to own a loudspeaker that captures the essence of most of my music collection as well as most 43** series JBL's do. I am writing to the Queen to ask that Mr G Timbers gets an honorary knighthood in the New Years Honours List.

  2. #212
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    I'll second that nomination.
    A Peerage for Mr. Timbers. "Sir Gregory"......
    Amazed I'm still alive!
    Tim

  3. #213
    JBL 4645
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  4. #214
    Senior Member Tweak48's Avatar
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    I remember when years ago I ordered a brand new pair of 4425's having never heard them before. The abuse I took over on the Audio Review forum was amazing. Not for ordering before hearing them, but for considering JBLs at all. They all said it was a tragic mistake; that I could have done much better for my $1700.

    A delightful speaker by the way.

  5. #215
    Senior Member briang's Avatar
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    This in an interesting thread:

    If ever confronted with the anti-JBL crowd, I think I'll ask the question of them, "Is JBL capable of making a good or great loudspeaker at all?" I think the typical answer from an "audiophile" would be "No" or "It is impossible for anything JBL to sound good". Which clearly elucidates their illogical bias against JBL, not on merit, but on name alone.

    At this point one can choose to discontiune the arguement on the basis of futility.

    I think Harmon realized this long ago, so now Revel carries the flag forward in many respects (the new Everest 6600 excepted).

    "A rose by any other name..."
    Paying debt to Karma...

  6. #216
    Senior Member spwal's Avatar
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    Dont hate the player, hate the game AND the player.

    im sure its been mentioned in this thread, but i think jbl is considered bad because people are used to seeing them in a club environment. its natural to draw that conclusion.

    as far as bose goes, well, thats great advertising. dont lose sight of reality $2500 bucks for a 5.1 HT in a box from bose is nothing to sneeze at. thats a huge purchase to most people and they love it.

    Lets turn this thread towards the true enemy: b&o lmao




  7. #217
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    It's quite interesting. The latest issue of HiFi News here in the UK carries a scathing review of the Array 1400 where it effectively compares it with a PA speaker and criticises it heavily for horn colouration.

    I can't help but think the reviewer simply took too much baggage into that review.

  8. #218
    Administrator Robh3606's Avatar
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    I can't help but think the reviewer simply took too much baggage into that review.
    Do they have a website where you can read a review???

    Rob

  9. #219
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    Unfortunately not. HiFi News is pretty much the UK Stereophile and highly respected.

    Their editorial has been going down hill recently but this review was somewhat surprising as a 4338 owner who is familiar with similar horns. Maybe someone can scan it. I wasn't going to waste my money on such rubbish.

  10. #220
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    I was reading an interesting book by the UK studio and speaker designer Philip Newell.

    He makes an interesting point about horns that I had never considered. Because horn loaded designs are (generally) so efficient, he suggests that much of the "horn colouration" often talked about is actually high levels of crossover distortion present in many amplifiers when producing only milliwatts (enough power to produce decent SPL's for normal domestic listening). I guess class A amps would have advantage here. I expect this has been discussed on here before though.

  11. #221
    Senior Member LowPhreak's Avatar
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    You don't think any audiophile rag can say anything good about a horn, do ya? Excepting maybe something like the AvantGarde's...

    http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/287/


  12. #222
    Administrator Robh3606's Avatar
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    Hello Merlin

    Thanks. I was curious as they reviewed the 9800 very favorably and as you say, the same family horn. I guess it all boils down to who gets the review sample and what their preferences are.

    Rob

  13. #223
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    Hi Rob,

    It was Paul Messenger who favourably reviewed the K2 9800 as well as the 5800 and Array 1400. Paul's a really nice guy and an extremely experienced loudspeaker reviewer. Another UK magazine favourably reviewed the S4800, which of course uses 435al and 045ti.

    None of these reviews mentioned any horn colouration - indeed they made a point of mentioning it's absence. It makes this latest "review" all the less credible.

  14. #224
    Senior Member LowPhreak's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by merlin View Post
    Hi Rob,

    It was Paul Messenger who favourably reviewed the K2 9800 as well as the 5800 and Array 1400. Paul's a really nice guy and an extremely experienced loudspeaker reviewer. Another UK magazine favourably reviewed the S4800, which of course uses 435al and 045ti.

    None of these reviews mentioned any horn colouration - indeed they made a point of mentioning it's absence. It makes this latest "review" all the less credible.
    Well, I can't complain much about Mr. Messenger, b/c it was he (among others) who gave the Mesa Baron amp a thumbs-up some years ago, and I tend to agree with his findings on that unit.

  15. #225
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    Well I auditioned a bunch more of AUD $5000+ UK HiFi loudspeakers (up the pom's...not bad cricket players after all!) yesterday, the Kantu Legend, a 3 way PCM and 3 way Monitor Audio system with magnesium/aluminium alloy cones.

    No doubt they would be owned or at least admired by JBL bashers.

    All three systems were tall slender cabinets with hi quality drivers, construction and finish.

    We played the PMC first up with some familiar program material. I would describe the presentation is fruity and fleshed out not unlike a Vifa dome in the mids (yes it had soft 3 inch mid and 1 inch tweeter domes) and a nice oomp in the bass. A nice engaging system, but perhaps overplays the mids and misses on what might be considered true accuracy and precision.

    Next up was the Monitor Audio. I loved this system finished in polished piano black.

    This system had nice integration, better timing than the PMC and it was nice on some classical program material in that certain instruments really came across in manner that filled the room. While it was more accurate in the top end and had a nice tight bass end this system also overplayed across the midrange as female vocals were way too forward.

    Then we played the Legend Kantu. A two way system with 7 inch Scan treated fibre woofers and a Visation cermic tweeter in quasi MTM configuration.

    The Kantu was ruthlessly accurate in the upper midrange / top end and had some of the best imaging I have ever heard. The bass however was over damped and lacked balls. The Kantu had a clinical quality about the midrange which in the end bothered me. It was as thought the mids were greyed out as they were a long way behind the texture and snap of the tweeter. The bass was lightning fast but lacked weight.

    Compared to my own system (4345) and allowing for different rooms and amps ect the JBL is without any doubt far more even handed right across the spectrum in terms of clarity ,dynamics and smoothness and I think this is its greatest strength.

    The systems discussed above are relatively uneven in their approach in that while they may appear accurate they do not cover all the bases evenly or with the same emphasis. There was also a tendency for the PMC and the Monitor Audio to cast a particular tonal flavour over everthing we played. The Legend also did something in a way that cannot be fully explained. Perhaps it because it was a 2 way. I would say it lacks life in the midrange. A fatal flaw.

    Tweaked up in biamp mode the JBL is very revealing and while it may not have the ultimate resolve and precision of the Legend Kantu in the upper registers it cheerfully plays everything well on a grand scale. The 2122H as far as midrange is concerned in my book is almost untouchable

    If your an audiophile nut cake I suppose its easy to pick the bone about this and that not being not quite right but the point is its quite a listenable system. As evidenced above I have picked at and critiqued three very good audiophile Hifi speakers because I can. What was that about being able to appreciate the differences?.Oh well whatever.

    Ian

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