JBL 4312A v.s. the audiophile

[Mr. Widget]

The big monitors like the 4345 or 4350 will definitely win the LOUD war...

To clarify my post above, virtually every JBL will as their literature used to state, (I'm paraphrasing here) play extremely loudly before destruction, however as many of you know, the sound quality changes as you turn them up. If you listen to a pair of typical JBLs at 95dB and then blast them with power up into the >110dB range, they will do it. They will almost all get damned loud, but they don't all do it as well. The big 43XX systems will change the least... but as I alluded to and Dome reiterated, they do need to be properly installed and typically EQ'd.


Widget

[Krunchy]

Then there is that other label... geek. Yep, we must all where that one with pride as well.
Widget

The Geek Shall Inherit the Earth!

(It would probably be for the best too)

[Robh3606]

They will almost all get damned loud, but they don't all do it as well. The big 43XX systems will change the least... but as I alluded to and Dome reiterated, they do need to be properly installed and typically EQ'd.

I agree. I have had a couple of 4 way run offs against the XPL200A clones and the 4344 win when things get loud. The XPL'S can't keep up with the lower half of the combo the 2235 and 2122. At normal levels they sound very similar on axis with edge going to the XPL'S for the highend and imaging. The EQ depends on your room. I can get by without any on mine with careful driver adjustment. Here they are at 2 meters.

Rob

[4313B]

Yeah, as cute as the 115H-1 is, it is no match for an older 2122H.

I remember back when I took the then brand new XPL Series out of their boxes how disappointed I was that the XPL200 wasn't running the LE14H and 112H ( I was really looking forward to a 250Ti killer at the time ) and that the XPL160 wasn't running the LE10H. Too expensive to meet the price points I guess. The XPL90 ended up being my favorite of the Series. They worked real nice with the then ten-year-old B460's.

[plasticempire]

My recommendation would be 4345... the other large 43XXs will also play loudly, but the rest of them have a more colored sound and need EQ to sound right... even the 4345 can use some EQ, but it is probably the most accurate of the big boys... In many ways the 4430/35 are more accurate than the 43XX series, but to my ears they also get harsh when pushed. If you are up for EQ and really want to blast the music, you might consider the 4350... overall, not a favorite of mine, but for live rock and roll in your house, it is a tough one to beat.

The big monitors like the 4345 or 4350 will definitely win the LOUD war, but they're big and need some work as Widget wrote. Some folks like to muck around with buying extra equipment and tweak, tweak, tweak. If you're like that, then they might be just right. My biggest pair of monitors is 4430, and they can rock out, but they required a sub (B380) to really fill them out and they can become tiresome, as IMO the 4345 or 4350 will without obsessive tweaking.

Wow! Quite a step up from the 4312A! Just to be clear:

A) They won't live in a huge room
B) I ain't a rich man
C) I won't be blasting them all the time

The 4345s look amazing but seem massive, expensive, and hard to find. Since my tube preamp only has volume and balance controls, tweaking isn't an option and I don't really want to introduce an EQ. I'm trying to keep it simple.

For the rockers out there (you know who you are), I'll add that the 250TI plays loud quite well, especially if you use tube amps to keep the high end mellow. I'm sure the horn-loaded JBLs would play louder and with better dynamics, but I find the 250TI to be more than enough for "live" listening sessions in a normal living room.

This might be my ticket to ride although I'm concerned about moving up to a 4-way. Do these pyramid-like structures image well?

One of the reasons I bought the 4312As (and also ended up on this forum) was because I searched 'best speakers for rock music' and eventually found responses like these:

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr...openfrom&2&4#2

http://www.audioreview.com/cat/speak...5_1594crx.aspx

Btw, I want to thank you all for taking the time to respond!

[Guns]

As 4312A were used in studios, wanted to know how the latest LSR 6332 fare when compared to the models described here.

[Mr. Widget]

As 4312A were used in studios, wanted to know how the latest LSR 6332 fare when compared to the models described here.

Do you mean how does the LSR compare with the 4345 or do you mean how does it compare with the 4312A?


Widget

[Guns]

Do you mean how does the LSR compare with the 4345 or do you mean how does it compare with the 4312A?


Widget

Wanted to know how does it compare with 4312A, but now would also like to know how it compares with 43xx models.

[Mr. Widget]

The LSR is much more accurate, i.e. flatter frequency response. It also has more frequency extension at each end of the spectrum. It is superior in these same areas over most of the other 43XX systems as well... that said, if higher SPL playback is desired, the bigger systems handle that task much better.


Widget

[plasticempire]

That's no surprise... they are meant for mid to near field monitoring and don't really play music at realistic rock and roll levels...

Yep don't get me wrong I'm keeping my 4312As. I just need to have them set up for a closer and more personal listening experience. Who needs friends when The Beatles almost appear in your living room!

I'm gonna go out on a limb here (and may get kicked off this forum by asking this) but does anyone out there also enjoy Klipsch speakers like the Cornwalls for big listening? I'm curious. Comparing JBL and Klipsch seems similar to comparing BMW and Mercedes. Both deliver solid performance. It's just a matter of taste and fair to assume one could enjoy both.

Hope I'm not offending anyone. I enjoy this forum.

[Mr. Widget]

Hope I'm not offending anyone. I enjoy this forum.

I am sure you will offend some by bringing up Klipsch... but not me. I have owned the Cornwall, La Scala, and Klipschorn.

Comparing JBL and Klipsch seems similar to comparing BMW and Mercedes.

I'd suggest the classic Klipsch designs are more like Packards. Well built and ahead of their time, but that was a long, long, time ago.


Widget

[BMWCCA]

Comparing JBL and Klipsch seems similar to comparing BMW and Mercedes. Both deliver solid performance. It's just a matter of taste and fair to assume one could enjoy both.

No it's not.
One obviously out-performs the other. One makes stick-shifts in nearly every car model. One makes garbage trucks. Of course that's my opinion. Then some of my best friends have owned Klipsch for years, but they now drive BMWs!

[jblnut]

I'm gonna go out on a limb here (and may get kicked off this forum by asking this) but does anyone out there also enjoy Klipsch speakers like the Cornwalls for big listening? I'm curious. .

.

I have spent a lot of time over the past 20 years listening to a good friend's system (as he has done the same with me) using the Klipsch Forte. He's got all top-shelf components (like an Audio Research SP11 Preamp, a modified Dynaco ST70 and a Linn LP12 table) and it sounds really, really nice. It is incredibly detailed and dynamic and very faithfully recreates the feel of "being there" at a live performance. It does have that "horn" sound though and the speakers can seem to "shout" at you at times. We compare and contrast the Fortes to my 250Ti's all the time and we both agree that each speaker does many things well. The 250Ti owns the frequency extremes (lows and highs) and has a smoother midrange to boot. But it has a "studio" sound where the Klipsch has a "live" sound if that means anything to you.


There are lots of other great speakers out there. No harm in talking about them....

jblnut