Jbl 4349

[davidpou]

did i miss the post on them ?

[grumpy]

[opinion]
Appears to be a more home-friendly and JBL-geek-aesthetic "bookshelf" lil-bro M2 with passive crossover.
Not sure who would review or what they would compare them to...
[/opinion]

[Mr. Widget]

did i miss the post on them ?

I think there was a brief mention about them on a thread relating to new JBL introductions in Japan. Otherwise I don’t believe anyone has brought them up. To me they look like a product that was designed to look like a professional monitor, but is aimed at the home market.

I have lost interest in JBL’s consumer offerings in recent years so I haven’t paid any attention to what has been released. That doesn’t mean that these suck, they may be fine speakers, but just because they are made by JBL is no guarantee of quality either. Also in recent years JBL here in the US has not been a great company if you have warranty issues.


Widget

[BMWCCA]

To me they look like a product that was designed to look like a professional monitor, but is aimed at the home market.

I would hope they might rate more than that if only because the cost seems to be nearly $10,000 USD.

[davidpou]

that s what i thought: lost of interest....

there was a time youguys would have dissected it at six hands...sad...this is the end of an era...
they are coming to europe apparently so why not to the states ?

I was trying to understand the need after the 4367 and the 4429 for this 4349.... even the number is not obvious to me ... why back and forth with the 43 and 44 ? marketing ?
they are more baby 4367 for being two way, and having the D2415K.... and this woofer JW300PG-8 .... going down to 32Hz ? not bad.

i know i am not even teasing you

[Mr. Widget]

that s what i thought: lost of interest...

Back when GT was still at Harman designing really amazing speakers like the Array Series, the S-9900s, the Everests etc., there were really good reasons to get excited by new speaker introductions. Today, yeah, maybe... or maybe not.


Widget

[macaroonie]

https://www.hembioconsult.se/hogtala...synthesis-4349

[Odd]

https://www.hembioconsult.se/hogtala...synthesis-4349

Shown price is in Swedish kroner.

[DK11706]

The 4349 arrived as planned last Friday, they have been playing ever since for at least 8 hours a day. How the sound signature has changed during the burn-in is insane, they went from a very sloppy bass and compressed top, to a very punchy and dynamic bass with a very wide and open top without any trace of sibilance. Right now they are screaming at me, begging me to go even louder although I'm already half deaf from listening to Neil Young's "Like A Hurricane" at insane volume.

The finish compared to the JBL 4429 and especially the 4367, is immaculate, all lines match up perfectly and the black paint/oil treatment (don't know the English word for that) is also perfect including the sharp edges.

My initially thoughts about the 4349 was that horn/woofer ratio was wrong and that it looked funny, but that is not the case in real life, I have attached a few pictures for you to judge. The one with the flat screen TV is to give you an idea of the size, the TV is 65" and the speakers are 2,5 meters apart.




It's a whole new world for me, I can't think of anything bad about these speakers at the moment , normally I have at least 2 or 3 things I don't like and fool around with placement for weeks. The 4349 I placed for "best look in the room", and have absolutely no plans about moving them.

I know WE don't believe in "new classics", that the vintage JBL is better than all the new stuff, and JBL is not the same without GT, but I'm telling you, the 4349 will prove us all wrong....a star is born

[Robh3606]

They look great! See you got the stands to! Glad you are happy with them. So how do they image with the new waveguide?? I really enjoy my M2 waveguides if they are anything like them must be impressive!

Rob

[rusty jefferson]

...I know WE don't believe in "new classics", that the vintage JBL is better than all the new stuff, and JBL is not the same without GT, but I'm telling you, the 4349 will prove us all wrong....a star is born

Time marches on. I don't think the vintage speakers are better than the newer models. The M2, Array, Synthesis, Everest speakers outperform the vintage stuff by pretty much any measurable and most subjective methods.

I imagine the trickle down from the M2 to these speakers offers excellent results. Way better than a pair of 4311s! Congratulations on the purchase.

[davidpou]

My initially thoughts about the 4349 was that horn/woofer ratio was wrong and that it looked funny, but that is not the case in real life, I have attached a few pictures for you to judge. The one with the flat screen TV is to give you an idea of the size, the TV is 65" and the speakers are 2,5 meters apart
I know WE don't believe in "new classics", that the vintage JBL is better than all the new stuff, and JBL is not the same without GT, but I'm telling you, the 4349 will prove us all wrong....a star is born

Thanks for the post ! they haven't reached France as yet !
Do you measure for placement or is it just the length of your cables that decides ?
cause from measurements , like the other JBL, a good 80 cm off from the wall couldn't harm....

[jusbe]

The 4349 arrived as planned last Friday, they have been playing ever since for at least 8 hours a day. How the sound signature has changed during the burn-in is insane, they went from a very sloppy bass and compressed top, to a very punchy and dynamic bass with a very wide and open top without any trace of sibilance. Right now they are screaming at me, begging me to go even louder although I'm already half deaf from listening to Neil Young's "Like A Hurricane" at insane volume.

The finish compared to the JBL 4429 and especially the 4367, is immaculate, all lines match up perfectly and the black paint/oil treatment (don't know the English word for that) is also perfect including the sharp edges.

My initially thoughts about the 4349 was that horn/woofer ratio was wrong and that it looked funny, but that is not the case in real life, I have attached a few pictures for you to judge. The one with the flat screen TV is to give you an idea of the size, the TV is 65" and the speakers are 2,5 meters apart.




It's a whole new world for me, I can't think of anything bad about these speakers at the moment , normally I have at least 2 or 3 things I don't like and fool around with placement for weeks. The 4349 I placed for "best look in the room", and have absolutely no plans about moving them.

I know WE don't believe in "new classics", that the vintage JBL is better than all the new stuff, and JBL is not the same without GT, but I'm telling you, the 4349 will prove us all wrong....a star is born

Was already keen to try these speakers even before your experience! Think they might do just the trick on the end of a bridged integrated amp we just bought. Usually head for the walnut finish but the black finish looks unexpectedly handsome in your room. Is the baffle also black or is it blue?

[davidpou]

Back when GT was still at Harman designing really amazing speakers like the Array Series, the S-9900s, the Everests etc., there were really good reasons to get excited by new speaker introductions. Today, yeah, maybe... or maybe not.


Widget

so that s a may be yes ?

[Mr. Widget]

so that s a may be yes ?

Do you mean loss of interest?

For me personally, I guess so... not completely, but as JBL has evolved from a company that supported almost every product they ever produced to one that barely supports current products and really sucks about supporting their legacy products, I have lost most of my interest in the brand. I still have a soft spot for the vintage systems and respect the designs of GT.


Widget