Harman-Japan-A visit to Japan
This is a short informal thread on my recent visit to Japan where in my travel’s I came across some shops that stocked and sold the current JBL range as distributed by Harman-Japan.
Perhaps a little background.
For a while now I have wanted to experience the more contemporary JBL series, the new Project Everest DD66000, the Project K2 S9600SE series and the S4600.
The common theme of all these systems is a 2 or 2 ½ way design using a large woofer and compression driver - horn assemblies featuring JBL’s most recent technologies.
As we all know its one thing to read and view a brochure but to actual experience such systems is far more fulfilling. I am also preparing to build a diy Tad based two way system so it made sense to get some idea of what a proper two way system is about.
A copy of the new Harman - Japan catalogue 2008/Vol.1 has been sent to 4313B.
But as I found out there is so much more to JBL in Japan.
They also have the LS series, the Blue baffle Studio series including 4348, 4338, 4428, 4338, 4312D, 4388, 4312D 4307, 4305, 4304, 4312M, 4308 4305 and the new TS series featuring magnesium based drivers.
The A series and Studio L series are also sold in Japan.
I will try and scan the brochure and attached it (text is Japanese except for model numbers)
So what happened.
Well on my first day (Monday 6th October 2008) after some initial sightseeing I went to an area called Akihabara otherwise known as Electric City or Gadget town and explored some shops looking for JBL’s.
This place is just buzzing with electronics , PC’s, games, visual imaging and large department stores with sometimes 7 stories covering every category. The speciality hifi shops appeared to be in more or less one precinct like Dynamic Audio.
But what got me was these speciality stores are narrow fronted buildings with like 7 floors in categories of AV, pure audio, American audio, European audio, Laboratory components ect.
After a bit of window shopping I went into one store (I will find the card later) and a sales lady offered to demonstrate the Everest DD6600 system in their hi end room on the top floor.
I was fairly open about my visit and the pitch was I could not audition them locally (a fact) which shocked the sales rep because as she explained all the Hifi shops in Akihabara carry the DD6600!!
In a word they are big loudspeakers. They sounded great and the finish is really beautiful.
I don’t want to make a song and dance about the why’s and where for’s of how they sounded because in a shop floor covered with like ½ dozen other large systems you cannot make a critical appraisal where positioning is often not ideal, woofers mutually couple like passive radiators and the tunes - cds they play as much as the associated equipment are unknown.
But in this shop they were using Accuphase amps and I liked what I heard.
I went around the corner to another shop called Analogue Audio and heard the blue baffle 4338s and they did not fail to impress in this set-up.
At the time I felt for the lesser yen compared to the DD6600 they were my pick. With the large wide baffle they not only look great but sound impressive.
My comments about right or wrong impressions in some retail shops held water because on my last day (Tuesday 14th October2008) I heard the 4338s back in the first shop I went to on a different floor and they sounded bass heavy and chesty.
Steve Kim and I also heard the 4338s (on Monday evening 13th October 2008) and a bunch of other blue baffle systems in a large department store with all the boxes stacked against a wall and it was obviously not performing at its best.
On my last day I went back to the first shop (the sales lady was married..Lol) and heard a range of systems.So to see people jump on the forums and say hey this was wrong or that tells me they are a little short sighted and in some ways inexperienced.
I dont mean to offend those who want to make comments about impressions of particular systems but my point is based on several auditions in different retail environments each time my impressions were quite different. If it sounds not right then something is obviously wrong. Even with another system in proximity of the same room the woofers will react and muddy the sound of the system under audition. Shorting the rear terminals helps but the woofers will still react.
The 4338s again, the TS 8000 series and the 4600.
Again I imagine with placement issues (floor / wall boundary) the 4338 was the lesser favourite to the 4600.
The 4600 sounds better than it has any right to as I think Greg Timbers was quoted as saying. The LE14-4 based woofer is brilliant and the horn has an open airy quality.
The T8000 was also very nice and would score highly with classical music buffs.
We had a laugh about the falling dollar and how I would place my order next time.
Next I went back to Dynamic audio and heard the K2 S9800SE running on a pair of Pass Labs 1000.5 mono blocks.
The rep allowed me to play one of my own cd’s on my last day (Cassandra Wilson). This was a real treat and being at least familiar with the cd it was a bit more informative.
This system was absolutely brilliant.
Monday evening Steve Kim and I went into Japans largest electronics shop and heard most of the smaller systems including a new model called the 4308.
It was a hard call and again the larger 4338 sounded bass heavy due to placement and we like the 4600. The taller 4600 has the woofer raised some distance from the floor and in this case the box well out from the wall. The smaller systems like the 4305H were respectable but obviously budget & box size was a bigger consideration over performance.
We went and looked at some other display areas with European brands like Focal, Proac and some other exotic stuff. I was quite amazed at the space given to cables and other small items. They had rows of large glass cases just for cables and power cord.
My impression is that HiFi and JBL in particular is big business in Japan.
Sorry for the pose..that was Steve's idea. many thanks to Steve for being my guide on Japans busy subway system.
As it turned I became a familiar face for some of the Japanese ladies while touring
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Originally Posted by Ian Mackenzie
