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Thread: JBL 4425 sounds dry & hash at mid-high range?

  1. #1
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    JBL 4425 sounds dry & hash at mid-high range?

    My JBL 4425 pair sounds pretty good. Except the problem above.
    My setup is:

    Amp: Audio Research CA50 valve
    CDP: Marantz CD 16 w Benchmarkmedia DAC1
    Inter cable: VDH The First Ultimate
    Spk cable: VDH CS 122

    Is that the nature of JBL monitor speakers?
    I listen to vocal a lot. How to make them sounds lucid and sweet? (I mean by changing amplifier or source.)

  2. #2
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    Your symptoms sound very much like my first impressions of my 4430's. It turns out I had oxidized switch contacts. Is there a switch for biamping the 4425? I am not sure.

    I would also clean the L-pads, if possible. If still no success, maybe the HF drivers need looking at.

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    RIP 2011 Zilch's Avatar
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    JBL Studio Monitors are designed to produce flat frequency response, which some might charaterize as "dry."

    There is no way to know what your system is reproducing until you measure it.

    If you don't have access to an RTA, buy a Radio Shack SPL meter and a test tone disk and measure it manually, one speaker at a time.

    [You should have one of these, anyway....]

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    Senior Member Akira's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Zilch
    JBL Studio Monitors are designed to produce flat frequency response, which some might charaterize as "dry."
    DRY???
    anything but! i've heard, colored, bright, articulate, dynamic, voice forward, present, full, smooth, edgy, directional, personality boxes, and a host of other descriptions, but never DRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    p.s. i've owned a pair of 4430's which sounded wonderfully smooth.......i would imagine the 4425 was intended to have similar characteristics.

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    Senior Member Don C's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lancer
    Nope. Actually the 4430 and 4435 were "voiced all wrong". The 4425 was "voiced correctly."
    Who are you quoting here?

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    RIP 2011 Zilch's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Akira
    DRY???
    anything but! i've heard, colored, bright, articulate, dynamic, voice forward, present, full, smooth, edgy, directional, personality boxes, and a host of other descriptions, but never DRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    I'm trying to be objective in this admittedly subjective territory.

    It's a fundamental distinction between JBL Control (with L100, "West Coast" lineage) and Studio Monitors.

    http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/s...ead.php?t=4408

    For many, the initial reaction to first listening to true studio monitors is that they sound "dry" in comparision to the highly colored voicing of everything they've heard before. It's a major transition, actually. True studio monitors are different from "regular" speakers, and take some getting used to in the home listening environment. Once accomplished, tho, there's no going back.

    You want to hear "Dry?" Compare 4412 to L100 in an A/B test. Or, 4412 to just about anything, for that matter....

    [4425 don't have a switch....]

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    Quote Originally Posted by Chas
    Your symptoms sound very much like my first impressions of my 4430's. It turns out I had oxidized switch contacts. Is there a switch for biamping the 4425? I am not sure.

    I would also clean the L-pads, if possible. If still no success, maybe the HF drivers need looking at.
    I'll try this suggestion first, thank you.
    Since the speakers are rather old, I think doing this should improve the sound.
    My speaker does not have any switch, but I'll clean the speaker binding post and the frequency level adjust.

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    Senior Member Akira's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lancer
    Nope. Actually the 4430 and 4435 were "voiced all wrong". The 4425 was "voiced correctly."
    Quote Originally Posted by Don C
    Who are you quoting here?
    lancer loves to talk with authority but he never defends a position. however, he may be right. i only kept the 4430's for 4 months because, although they sounded full and smooth, for studio work i never agreed with the voicing. apparently, other engineers had similar reactions, so i replaced them with Tannoy DMT12's and never received a complaint.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Akira
    DRY???
    anything but! i've heard, colored, bright, articulate, dynamic, voice forward, present, full, smooth, edgy, directional, personality boxes, and a host of other descriptions, but never DRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    p.s. i've owned a pair of 4430's which sounded wonderfully smooth.......i would imagine the 4425 was intended to have similar characteristics.
    Yes, I think DRY means too uncoloured sound. About harsh, in my speakers I mean the notable appearance of the 's' sound in vocal voice. Any word related to 's' would sound a bit un-natural and uncomfortable (on some records)

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    Administrator Robh3606's Avatar
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    Hello tcs

    So you have a issue with sibilance then. How are the midrange and HF controls set??? What about FFFFFF???

    Rob

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    RIP 2011 Zilch's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by tcs
    Any word related to 's' would sound a bit un-natural and uncomfortable (on some records)
    Yes. It's called "sibilance." In the old days, it was more an artifact of the the cartridge on vinyl, often. Also, characteristic of poor pressings when played on good equipment.

    In that case, the only answer is to turn down the HF....

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    Senior Member edgewound's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by tcs
    I'll try this suggestion first, thank you.
    Since the speakers are rather old, I think doing this should improve the sound.
    My speaker does not have any switch, but I'll clean the speaker binding post and the frequency level adjust.
    Maybe it's time to freshen-up with new diaphragms D8R2416H-1. Also....one of the problems many home listeners discover with professional studio monitors is discovering no-so-good recordings.
    Edgewound...JBL Pro Authorized...since 1988
    Upland Loudspeaker Service, Upland, CA

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    Senior Member DavidF's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lancer
    Yeah, it's nice not having to defend anything. I just spew out whatever comes to mind.
    I thought it was just your "dry" wit.

    DavidF

  14. #14
    Senior Member DavidF's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by tcs
    My JBL 4425 pair sounds pretty good. Except the problem above.
    This does not sound "normal" to me. It sounds as though you may not have bought these new. If not, any reason to think someone made some modifications to the circuits (like bypassing the horn passive crossover for one thing)? Does this problem seem to be equally effecting both speakers? What type of tweeter or high driver did your system prior to this one use (are your ears accustomed to the horn sound delivery)?

    DavidF

  15. #15
    Senior Member Michael Smith's Avatar
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    Harsh 4425

    Hi
    I have a couple of questions for you
    Are you in fact residing in Vietnam?
    What are the speaker taps on the CA 50 set at? 4 or 8 ohm
    Is your gear going to the one AC outlet?

    How far away physically is the DAC from the CA 50?
    Are you playing western music or indigenous music?
    These are not meant to be trick questions but I believe if you can answer them then we may have an idea of what to suggest to make your listening a better deal
    Regards
    Michael

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