S3900 is better than S4700???

[macaroonie]

I may well be wrong in this but I recall hearing / reading that JBL Hi Fi development work is done with ML amps.
Since ML is Harman's in house high end line this would make sense. Having said that I have partnered ML / JBL on many occasions ( hi fi sales ) in the past and it would be my go to combination. I say this I might add as a long time Accuphase owner.
If it came to it I would be hard pressed to choose between either as both brands follow the same principles of wide band , linear response with practically no voicing.
If I had to choose it would hinge on the phono pre amp and in that ML have it by a squeek. I would have a pair of ML6 and be utterly happy.

In short Dave , you just gotta hear both. Neither will disappoint

Oh of course Pass is not to be ignored in all this either. Great product , great bloke and knows his stuff.

You are really going to have to find yourself a good dealer to get this nailed. A footnote relating to this top end decision making , don't judge any of this kind of gear till its been on for a day or so. Plug it in switch on and forget it for a good 24 hrs. Call it burn in or whatever the character changes significantly , particularly pre amps. Any dealer who knows his stuff will tell you this.

M

[Dave_72]

I may well be wrong in this but I recall hearing / reading that JBL Hi Fi development work is done with ML amps.
Since ML is Harman's in house high end line this would make sense. Having said that I have partnered ML / JBL on many occasions ( hi fi sales ) in the past and it would be my go to combination. I say this I might add as a long time Accuphase owner.
If it came to it I would be hard pressed to choose between either as both brands follow the same principles of wide band , linear response with practically no voicing.
If I had to choose it would hinge on the phono pre amp and in that ML have it by a squeek. I would have a pair of ML6 and be utterly happy.

In short Dave , you just gotta hear both. Neither will disappoint

Oh of course Pass is not to be ignored in all this either. Great product , great bloke and knows his stuff.

You are really going to have to find yourself a good dealer to get this nailed. A footnote relating to this top end decision making , don't judge any of this kind of gear till its been on for a day or so. Plug it in switch on and forget it for a good 24 hrs. Call it burn in or whatever the character changes significantly , particularly pre amps. Any dealer who knows his stuff will tell you this.

M

Ok, thank you for the suggestions. Much appreciated. I have in fact heard both Levinson and Accuphase. Matter of fact, I used to own Levinson back in the late 80s. I didn't like the stuff. It sounded dull, dead, and lifeless. Exactly the opposite of the gushing reviews at the time. I sold it to my brother. Anyway, I have heard the new stuff with JBL. It's not bad at all. As far as Accuphase is concerned, I really like what I hear, but I've never heard it with JBL...the same with Pass Labs, I've heard it, and it's good, but not with JBL. I don't believe there is a dealer here in the US that carries Pass Labs, Accuphase, Levinson, and JBL under the same roof! Correct me if I'm wrong!

[martin_wu99]

I'm under the impression that the 2216Nd type of driver is the future and the fifty pound AlNiCo drivers are not (providing neo stabilizes in price).

And I think I prefer the 1501AL-1 as opposed to the 1501AL-2. The -1 is remarkably similar to the old 136/2231 with the very low Qts and Fs, coupled with the high compliance. It would be nice to see an 8 ohm version of the 1501AL-1 coupled with the cloth surround of the 1501AL-2. I don't ask for much do I.

What type of JBL use 1501AL-1?K2S9800SE or K2S9900?i have graet interesting.i trust you

[martin_wu99]

Even if I connect one Crown MAi5000, it will still sound as a S4700, it's all about the right amount of power. It will not work like a PA box or sound like a PA box because I connect it to a Crown MAi5000. You are missing the point here. Still, room acoustics play's a major role here if a loudspeaker sounds good or not.

I don't think so and the major question is that is Crown MAi5000 a HIFI machine?

[martin_wu99]

Right now I am looking at the Japanese Accuphase brand.

Maybe you are right,Japanese always think Accuphase is a great match with JBL and Tannoy
but Accuphase is by no means cheap

[martin_wu99]

FYI

[Goophy]

Right now I am looking at the Japanese Accuphase brand.

I had the Accuphase A-60 with my JBL 4365s for about a year.
Didn't really like the sound, lacked a bit of punch. Sounded boring on most music.

Replaced it with a Firstwatt J2 which I like a lot more.

[4313B]

What type of JBL use 1501AL-1?K2S9800SE or K2S9900?i have graet interesting.i trust you

The DD65000 uses the 1501AL-1 but I was told just yesterday that that the recone kits had been discontinued. What that means is that the DD65000 is no longer servicable via a recone nor can anyone with a DD66000, 1500AL, 1500AL-1 or 1501AL update to the newer driver specification via a recone.

[Mr. Widget]

You are really going to have to find yourself a good dealer to get this nailed. A footnote relating to this top end decision making , don't judge any of this kind of gear till its been on for a day or so. Plug it in switch on and forget it for a good 24 hrs. Call it burn in or whatever the character changes significantly , particularly pre amps. Any dealer who knows his stuff will tell you this.

I recently bought a ML preamp and it discusses this in some detail in the manual. (FWIW: I positively love it with my JBLs.)

For the most part I wouldn't recommend components brand by brand. I do have friends who are brand loyalists and have all ML or all Audio Research etc... and their systems sound great, but I am usually able to drag gear home to try out. I have found that company A may make a great Model XX, but their Model YY may not float my boat as much or may not be the answer for my system.

If possible find a good dealer who will let you audition over a weekend. This type of dealer isn't bargain basement Joe, but in the long run, you will appreciate knowing what you are buying before getting that "great deal" on something you don't love or doesn't work with your system. This can be rather difficult with large loudspeakers, but for electronics most good dealers will work with you.


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[Mr. Widget]

The DD65000 uses the 1501AL-1 but I was told just yesterday that that the recone kits had been discontinued. What that means is that the DD65000 is no longer servicable nor can anyone with a DD66000, 1500AL, 1500AL-1 or 1501AL update to the newer driver specification via a recone.

That simply isn't true.

It means you can't repair a blown or damaged driver, but the systems are serviceable as Harman/JBL will ship replacement drivers to the dealer to install in your system for you. I've done it, they are fast and offer good service. This may be a bad way to go for the environment and it may be a bad way to go for the JBL authorized reconers, but it does not make the speakers "unserviceable". How long will the replacement parts be available? Probably not the 40-50 years that some of the vintage drivers have enjoyed and yes, that does indeed suck, but to say they are unserviceable is simply not true.

Do I wish JBL/Harman would withdraw their virtual heads from their backsides, you bet... but my respected friend doth protest too much.


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[4313B]

That simply isn't true.

It means you can't repair a blown or damaged driver

Yes, that was my point. I should have been more precise in my post.

Everything is a throw away now, even fifty pound slags of AlNiCo assemblies.

but you doth protest too much.

I just need to reset my expectations lower.

And my protest resulted in your post that detailed how the process works now, so it wasn't in vain.

But yes, I do indeed need to give it up.

[pos]

Everything is a throw away now, even fifty pound slags of AlNiCo assemblies.

Are they not reused in the factory when send back by the dealer?
Or do the dealers have to dispose of the damaged assemblies themselves?

[4313B]

Are they not reused in the factory when send back by the dealer?
Or do the dealers have to dispose of the damaged assemblies themselves?

Mr. Widget?

[hjames]

Are they not reused in the factory when send back by the dealer?
Or do the dealers have to dispose of the damaged assemblies themselves?

How many of those unobtainium drivers are people expecting to fail??

Are we talking hundreds of thousands ... or much less?

[Mr. Widget]

Mr. Widget?

We are responsible for handling their disposal. You would be amazed at what we send to the e-waste folks.


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