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[MikeBrewster77]

I'm looking for advice

It's becoming painfully obvious to me that my hobby is going to need to be moved to another room in order to maintain some semblance of cohabitaional bliss.

[Personal background information] My other half loves TV - the damned thing could be on 24X7 and that would be A-OK. I, on the other hand could go weeks without ever turning it on. Different strokes, as they say. Since I made the mistake of buying a 46" flat screen about a year ago, it sits prominently in our living room now, and it (even to me) doesn't really make sense to move it into another room. To avoid an ongoing "struggle" over room time, I've made the decision to set up audio camp in a far smaller room in the house.

[The situation] Over the weekend, I bought some furnishings for my office to turn it into a hybrid that will also accommodate functioning as a listening room. It's hardly acoustically ideal, but I installed some wall treatments, dampening window treatments et al., to try to help out. I'm happy to invest in bass traps, diffusers, etc., but I'm also looking to move soon as well, so I don't want to spend too much on outfitting this particular space.

[The current state] The room is small (12' X 10', standard sheetrock walls) and I have the L46's in it. I have some pretty decent amplification equipment (Luxman pre-amp, McIntosh amp) in my main system, but found that the best pairing for the L46's is a Yamaha RX-797 receiver I had laying around; it seems to tame the tweeters which can be a bit harsh to me.

[The conundrum] I like the L46's alot and they make for a great secondary system, but if this area's going to be my primary listening space, I'd like something a bit more. I know there are several threads here that talk about best JBL's for a small space, but they're primarily focused on vintage and I'm leaning away from that direction, though I could likely be talked down. I'm looking at a few possibilities:

1.) Couple the higher-end amplification I have with a pair of Ti2K's, rationale being that they're readily available, are the right size, and are within my budget.
2.) Ditch the amplification I have, and go with active monitors (specifically the LSR 6325's coupled with a sub) rationale being that given the space I'm working with I'll be in a nearfield listening position anyway and wouldn't have to have racks of equipment.
3.) Look at other vintage speakers that deliver "more" than the L46's but are still suitable for a small space (e.g., L112's) rationale being that I'm familiar with the "sound", enjoy it, and figure it could only get better as I moved up the ladder.

[The advice part] Now that I've likely bored the ever living sh%t out of you, I'm hoping to get real world advice from members with experience with the newer set ups I've mentioned who can compare them to vintage counterparts. In other words, if you own the Ti2K's and also have heard vintage JBL 2-ways, what are your thoughts? Not so much looking for state the obvious replies (e.g., the Ti2K's only a 6.5 woofer - yeah, I know - kinda already looked into it ) but would really value opinions derived from actual experience.

And of course, other suggestions outside of what I'm looking at are very welcome ... bearing in mind that I just recently spent several thousands on upgrading my system, and will likely have to tell several white lies about the cost of this endeavor. Budget = going internet retailer cost of LSR 4328's .

Thanks for reading this long-ass post, and thank you in advance for any advice you can offer.

P.S., this would all be redundant if there was any place one could actually go to audition JBL speakers, but we don't want to re-open that who discussion do we?

[Robh3606]

Why don't you get a pair of the 4328 from one of the on line chains or a local music store that offers a 30 day money back guarantee?? You know like Best Buy does. You can bring them home and play with them. See how well the boundary compensation and software work for you and compare them to the present set-up

http://www.zzounds.com/item--JBLLSR4328P

I have no experience with the TI2K.

Rob

[SEAWOLF97]

We are empty nesters in a 3 br home ....my solution was somewhat unconventional , but works great for us.

we moved the master bedroom into the family room (14x24 and further from the street) ....the old master bedroom is now the TV room (where my SO can also watch 24/7) ..... there is no TV in the living room.

The LR is now mine and loaded with 6 speakers and 4 amps. (all tastefully hidden)

summary:
she got a big TV room with attached bath
we got a big bedroom (with room for 2 desks , PC and 12 speakers ( HT and PC )
I got a dedicated listening room with comfy lounger ..etc.

[MikeBrewster77]

Why don't you get a pair of the 4328

That's good advice Rob, and actually was my first inclination when I looked into what JBL Pro has to offer these days. The only real concern I have is that as I read through the Google hits, there were recurring reports of issues with the channel imbalance, as well as an extreme sensitivity to fluctuating power levels which would cause the units to power down.

I also read at one post here that indicated that the driver quality was, well, lets just say "middle of the road."

The nice thing about the LSR 6325's is they have a nifty high-pass filter built in and accept input from unbalanced RCA connections; I could use them with just a pre-amp and the sub that I have today until I (maybe) spring for the sub from the same line. In short, they seem more compatible with consumer equipment which is what I have.

But they are in the running, thus them being the benchmark of my budget

Thanks for the reply! Greatly appreciated

Best,
- Mike

[MikeBrewster77]

....my solution was somewhat unconventional , but works great for us.

Beats the one that I was contemplating that involved knocking down walls, drawing big lines on the floor with chalk, and yelling "that's your side - you can't come over here."

[boputnam]

[The current state] The room is small (12' X 10', standard sheetrock walls)...

[The conundrum] I know there are several threads here that talk about best JBL's for a small space, but they're primarily focused on vintage and I'm leaning away from that direction, though I could likely be talked down.

OK, I'll bite.

Two of my favorite considerations for that space are the 4313B's and of course the 4301B's. The latter will simply blow your mind - you'll never stop reflecting on their wonder; the 4313B's are a gift from JBL engineers. Both can be found on eBay and both will almost certainly require some refurbishing - that is a good thing 'cause many are here to help...

[robertbartsch]

The cimema stuff offers great sound at reasonable prices. The SR 3678 would be great for your 12x12 office.


http://www.jblpro.com/catalog/Genera...x?FId=31&MId=1

[MikeBrewster77]

OK, I'll bite.

See, now you've gone off and confused me again . Truthfully, though, excellent suggestions and I appreciate the input.

many are here to help...

A more true statement could not be made! There is a wealth of knowledge here and among the membership that I feel very priveleged to have access to.

The cimema stuff offers great sound at reasonable prices. The SR 3678 would be great for your 12x12 office.

Interesting thought - it's the one end of JBL's product line with which I have no familiarity and I hadn't even considered that angle. I'll have to look into them if for nothing else than out of curiousity. Thanks!

[Doc Mark]

Evening, Mike,

I think that many others here at LH will have a more educated opinion than will I, but nevertheless, I'll toss in my own two cents, for whatever they are worth...

A while back, I scored a very nice pair of 4411's, and after having the woofers refoamed by our own Edgewound, hooked them up to our system at home, to see how we would like them. Now, please note that we'd already been enjoying our wonderful and long wished for L300's, and so the 4411's, good as they sounded, really never stood a chance against the L300's! BUT, I've said right here at LH, that the 4411's sounded good enough that, had we gotten them before we found our L300's, we'd very probably have been more than satisfied with their performance!! If we had added a good subwoofer to them, they would have been even better. In truth, I really do like the way they sound, and think that, with a nice subwoofer, they could do just about anything you asked of them. Again, just my opinion, and worth exactly what you paid to read it! Have fun setting up your new listening room, and hearty congratulations on getting the chance to do so. Both Sweet Bride and I feel the same as do you: we are NOT TV watchers, for the most part, and ours is never on, unless we have chosen to watch a particular event, or show. Otherwise, it's music, PERIOD, and no TV, which, to us, is a complete waste of our time, and little more than noise......!! Take care, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc

[MikeBrewster77]

Thanks for sharing your impressions of the 4411, Doc. I can understand that they couldn't hold a candle to your prized L300's, but the fact that they compare favorably speaks volumes. I've always liked the styling on them as well.

I'm with you on the television - I'll take listening to good music on my JBL's over watching that thing an day of the week (and usually do .)

A while back, I scored a very nice pair of 4411's, and after having the woofers refoamed by our own Edgewound, hooked them up to our system at home, to see how we would like them...

[midlife]

[quote=MikeBrewster77;254848]I'm looking for advice

It's becoming painfully obvious to me that my hobby is going to need to be moved to another room in order to maintain some semblance of cohabitaional bliss.
Buy her some jewelry (and I don't mean a nude shibata stylus) and cohabitational bliss should flourish.

[BMWCCA]

Two of my favorite considerations for that space are the 4313B's and of course the 4301B's. The latter will simply blow your mind - you'll never stop reflecting on their wonder; the 4313B's are a gift from JBL engineers.

How different are the 4301b and the L19b?

No affiliation: http://ebayitem.com/390057836324

On the 4411s, etc; my short experience with the L96 has been pleasant, but for the tiny amount of additional space the 4411/L112/4412/A's take over the 10" boxes, I think I'd go with the 12". I realize many here praise the same-box-size 4410 over the 4412,but I have no personal experience with making that side-by-side comparison. I can run the L96 v. the 4412A as A-B and maybe I'll do that at some time. Of course I've done the GordonW modded L80T v. the L96 and (other than bass) I prefer the L96. Maybe the T3 crossover could help level that pair. Someday. But then I think the L5 bests all the 10-inchers I've tried, doesn't need stands, and has a small footprint.

[hjames]

I'm looking for advice

It's becoming painfully obvious to me that my hobby is going to need to be moved to another room in order to maintain some semblance of cohabitaional bliss.
Buy her some jewelry (and I don't mean a nude shibata stylus) and cohabitational bliss should flourish.

For us, when I drive somewhere to aquire a new item of audio-lust, I bring her along for the ride, make sure she approves, and there is always a great meal involved.

For instance, when I got the 4341 monitors, we got to see a real working recording studio, meet the engineer/musician that worked there, and afterwards had a great meal at Prudhommes Lost Cajun restaurant - Wonderful cajun food just a bit outside York PA, run by Paul P's cousin David ...

http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/s...67&postcount=1

jewelry helps too, but - be attentive and thoughtful ... Emma's got a Mac and has fooled around with "Garage Band" mac's music making software somewhat like Cakewalk .. Well, 2 weeks ago WOOT had a midi keyboard on sale for half price, so I got it for her, and when it arrived Tuesday, I surprised her with it ... no real event, "Call it an early birthday present" (her b-day is august). And surprise flowers for no particular reason is a nice way to let her know you care ... (not just when you buy something - be subtle!)

She's been learning garage band and having a lot of fun with it ...
and so far has kind of ignored the Ducklip speakers that arrived a day later ...

[Ralph856]

Mike

My living room is similar to yours at around 14 x 12 (but with additional kitchen area 14 X 5.5 at one end) and a very low 7.5 foot ceiling.

I've recently gone on an 'orgy' of buying JBL, from having none at all to aquiring a pair or L20T's, L19s, LSR6328P's with LSR6312SP sub and L96s.

I'm still trying to work out which I like best, and driven by what equipment.

[MikeBrewster77]

For instance, when I got the 4341 monitors, we got to see a real working recording studio, meet the engineer/musician that worked there, and afterwards had a great meal at Prudhommes Lost Cajun restaurant - Wonderful cajun food just a bit outside York PA, run by Paul P's cousin David ...

Your field trips sound like fun!!! The last one we did together was up in mid-west PA and was really nice. We hit some places of mutual interest, stopped for a bite to eat, and just enjoyed the drive. There's some nice scenery in those parts.

Buy ... some jewelry

That doesn't quite work for my application, but the general intent does . And Heather, has a great point about being subtle in timing - it's pretty transparent if things aren't spaced out properly. Kinda like going out and buying a brand new car and grabbing your kid a matchbox so they feel like they got something too - there's just something not quite balanced about that equation...

Truth be told, the other half's quite the good sport about the whole "hobby." I occassionally hear a "are we done for a while?" after a buying spree (and it does seem to go in "sprees") but that's about the extent of it. Guess I'm a pretty lucky guy