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Thread: JBL speakers ain't no good for classical music?

  1. #31
    Senior Member timc's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by johnhere View Post
    What they said is Wilson and Magico do better than JBL in the case of classical music, but I ain't get no money to buy those Wilson. Only one of them told me JBL is good for classics, but he thinks PMC is certainly a better choice.
    This translates rougly into:

    I am afraid of the high dynamics in classical music and needs a speaker that won't reproduce them fully. However i want the illusion of dynamics so the PMC is fines since they exagerate the high frequencies (they really do. Check measurements).


    My advice. Try to audition a pair of Arrays. Preferrable the 1400's. They are very nice speakers for any music.
    2213 + 2435HPL w/aquaplas + H9800 (Matsj edition)

  2. #32
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    I think there are a few reasons why JBL doesn’t have an excellent reputation for playing back classical music.

    1. Classical music listeners usually listen to the live music in a concert hall, where the hall reflection blurs the direct sound from the instruments. Most of the classical recording is recorded in this way, and the engineers add digital reverb even on chamber music. Classical music listeners don't really need to hear the sharp transient and they prefer soft transient speakers. ( ie. Tannoy, vibrating cone=waveguide blurs the high freq transient) JBL speakers tend to project the sound of the instrument in your face, which is considered to be unreal.

    2. Most classical music are recored with only 2 microphones (+ additional solo mics), and the quality of the phase response is very important to reproduce the atmosphere. Historically, the phase response had been a weak point of JBL, because of of the horn depth. Also, some monitors (4343 series) had too many units on the large plane. Properly phase aligned JBL is a different story.

    3. Classical listeners loves violins, and they prefer soft dome or something extremely hard like diamond that doesn't sound metallic. It is not untrue that most high frequency horn drivers tend to sound somewhat metallic, except Be diaphragm sounds less metallic.

    4. Most of the time, classical music are played back quieter than the other music genre. JBL really shines when the music plays louder. So Stravinsky actually sounds great with large JBL, but classical fans listen to them rather quietly, sadly.


    5. People see JBL logo at rock concert, and they think JBL is for rock music. This is actually how JBL has been marketed.

  3. #33
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dave M View Post
    I think there are a few reasons why JBL doesn’t have an excellent reputation for playing back classical music.

    1. Classical music listeners usually listen to the live music in a concert hall, where the hall reflection blurs the direct sound from the instruments. Most of the classical recording is recorded in this way, and the engineers add digital reverb even on chamber music. Classical music listeners don't really need to hear the sharp transient and they prefer soft transient speakers. ( ie. Tannoy, vibrating cone=waveguide blurs the high freq transient) JBL speakers tend to project the sound of the instrument in your face, which is considered to be unreal.

    2. Most classical music are recored with only 2 microphones (+ additional solo mics), and the quality of the phase response is very important to reproduce the atmosphere. Historically, the phase response had been a weak point of JBL, because of of the horn depth. Also, some monitors (4343 series) had too many units on the large plane. Properly phase aligned JBL is a different story.

    3. Classical listeners loves violins, and they prefer soft dome or something extremely hard like diamond that doesn't sound metallic. It is not untrue that most high frequency horn drivers tend to sound somewhat metallic, except Be diaphragm sounds less metallic.

    4. Most of the time, classical music are played back quieter than the other music genre. JBL really shines when the music plays louder. So Stravinsky actually sounds great with large JBL, but classical fans listen to them rather quietly, sadly.


    5. People see JBL logo at rock concert, and they think JBL is for rock music. This is actually how JBL has been marketed.

    Allow me to agree and to disagree:
    1 True. However it depends on the hall, and where you are sitting. There was a story about AR's Roy Allison: he sat in a spot in Bostons Symphony Hall that had a null spot for the highs, and he designed his speakers to sound that way. According to my source it drove the other engineers nuts. in Seattle we have a great concert hall ( Benaroya ) that does not nullify the highs.

    2. Not always, even though the best perspective is from the minimalist methods. Case in point, the Seattle Symphony is now being recorded using multiple mic's and on some recordings you can hear the signals go out of phase, and generally doesn't sound nearly as good as when the late John Eargle was recording them. It should be noted that all the recordings i have of the SSO Eargle used the 4410 and 4412 monitors.

    3. Indeed. but the soft dome doesn't give the wave front the push it needs to give an SFZ the zap it needs for accurate reproduction. And while there is a possibility that metallic drivers to sound that way, I don't think that they always do. If they are adequetly damped anyway.

    4. Not in my house, or any practicing classical musicians house whom I know, and I know quite a few. It was again John Eargle who said that classical music should be played back at realistic levels. That doesn't that people do though. And I agree that many don't. After all Beethoven can't be relaxing at fff. But then Beethoven isn't supposed to be relaxing.

    5. Very true I think.

    Well we're all different aren't we. My wife thinks that I listen to loud, but on a well recorded piece or really any piece it should be played at a realistic level.

    Ed
    Last edited by Ed Kreamer; 06-25-2016 at 02:45 PM. Reason: clarity
    KEEP ON LISTENING!

  4. #34
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    I think the original perception comes from the uninformed who perhaps have only every heard one JBL or never heard a live classical performance.

    The division of east versus west coast sound needs to be considered.

    My own view is the east coast sound was largely the AR era where it was discovered that a small box with verylow sensitivity could bee made to produce extended bass with a heavy high compliance woofer (85 db. )

    Nice HIFI sounding book shelf loudspeakers with cute scoft domes and Sensitivity in the Mid 80s fail to convey a realistic presentation when compared to a JBL studio monitor.

    Anyone who thinks otherwise is wanking themselves or just does not know any better.

  5. #35
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ed Kreamer View Post
    Allow me to agree and to disagree:
    1 True. However it depends on the hall, and where you are sitting. There was a story about AR's Roy Allison: he sat in a spot in Bostons Symphony Hall that had a null spot for the highs, and he designed his speakers to sound that way. According to my source it drove the other engineers nuts. in Seattle we have a great concert hall ( Benaroya ) that does not nullify the highs.

    2. Not always, even though the best perspective is from the minimalist methods. Case in point, the Seattle Symphony is now being recorded using multiple mic's and on some recordings you can hear the signals go out of phase, and generally doesn't sound nearly as good as when the late John Eargle was recording them. It should be noted that all the recordings i have of the SSO Eargle used the 4410 and 4412 monitors.

    3. Indeed. but the soft dome doesn't give the wave front the push it needs to give an SFZ the zap it needs for accurate reproduction. And while there is a possibility that metallic drivers to sound that way, I don't think that they always do. If they are adequetly damped anyway.

    4. Not in my house, or any practicing classical musicians house whom I know, and I know quite a few. It was again John Eargle who said that classical music should be played back at realistic levels. That doesn't that people do though. And I agree that many don't. After all Beethoven can't be relaxing at fff. But then Beethoven isn't supposed to be relaxing.

    5. Very true I think.

    Well we're all different aren't we. My wife thinks that I listen to loud, but on a well recorded piece or really any piece it should be played at a realistic level.

    Ed
    Thank you for reading my long post. I agree with you. I was just guessing why JBL is considered not to be good for classical music "in general", so I understand my points would not apply to everyone, and of course, not all JBL products. Many new and vintage JBL are great for classical music.

    I actually love to listen to classical music with my JBLs, and yes, I also play them louder than most people, I mean "at realistic levels".

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