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Thread: JBL 4312A v.s. the audiophile

  1. #16
    Administrator Mr. Widget's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by cosmos View Post
    Was I an audiophile then? Hell no and I hope I am not one now, even though I know much more about musical reproduction...
    I really dislike statements like that... to me it is a confusion between snobbishness and enthusiasm.

    Quote Originally Posted by 4313B View Post
    It's kind of creepy if you ask me...
    See above.

    Quote Originally Posted by Robh3606 View Post
    All it means is loves audio. I certainly do.
    Exactly!

    I became interested in the reproduction of music and an early audiophile when at at age 11, I heard for the first time the sound of shimmering cymbals while listening to my dad's even then old entry level Sony reel to reel through some ten dollar headphones. Thinking back on it, it was exactly the premise of that filmed discussion. Up until then, I had only heard music on my mono transistor radio or through the crappy lid speakers that came with the Sony, or through the 3" speaker in the TV. I already liked music... that was a natural. I enjoyed listening to my transistor radio, but once I heard a glimpse of what I had been missing I was hooked. I sought out my dad's friends who had Ampex decks and AR or KLH or JBL speakers. I was hooked. I wanted more! I began reading hand me down High Fidelity magazines and lusting after my own system.... by high school I was able to get my dad to buy a Fisher receiver and some less than excellent Fisher XP something or other speakers... this led me to Speakerlab in Seattle where I read every free technical gazette and every publication I could get my hands on and eventually built my first speakers... now decades and hundreds of pairs of speakers I have built and sold later, I still love this stuff. I still love music and I still love audio reproduction.... therefore I must still be an audiophile.

    Unfortunately within the audiophile community there is a sizable group, on line at least, who view discriminating listeners who have made the financial sacrifice to own quality and sometimes exotic gear as somehow merely a bunch of snobs. Of course some audiophiles are snobs, so are some beer drinkers, so are some golfers... but being an enthusiast does not make a person a snob.

    Then there is that other label... geek. Yep, we must all where that one with pride as well.



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  2. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mr. Widget View Post
    therefore I must still be an audiophile.
    Whoa! Ca-reepy! I had no idea...

    Quote Originally Posted by Mr. Widget
    Then there is that other label... geek. Yep, we must all where (sic) that one with pride as well.
    Would that be a technophile?

  3. #18
    Senior Member Doc Mark's Avatar
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    Hi, Widget,

    I really appreciate what you have written above! You smacked the old nail square on the head, me thinks, and I see that I have trod a similar path to yours, at least in some small ways. My Dad had some old "Hi-Fi" stuff, back in the late '50's, early '60's, and I have no idea exactly what it was. But, it sounded really good to me at the time! I remember playing his "Slaughter on 10th Avenue" LP, over and over again, at what I thought was a fairly high volume, and LOVING it!!! At the time, I had an old .45 RPM changer in my room, and Dad's system, whatever it was, SMOKED my little changer with it's built-in speaker, and it's tone-arm stacked with a couple of nickels to insure better "tracking"!!

    Later, when I began to play music for a living, I began to build speaker cabinets, with varying success. I soon stumbled onto Speaker Lab, and like you, ordered every "white paper" they offered! Using their ideas and formulas, I finally began to build speaker systems that sounded good to my ears, and with lots of different kinds of music! I still have the first good sub/sat system that I built, using their info, and it still sounds pretty darned good, to. (woofer in sub finally died, but may be replaced, someday, just for fun!)

    But, I lusted after a pair of the JBL L300's, or something similar, for reasons that I've detailed here before. That eventually brought me to where I am today, which is in Audio Heaven, as far as I'm concerned! Yes, I know that there are certainly different tiers in Audio Heaven, and that I still have more wonderful experiences ahead of me. But, as I get older, I have found that, sometimes, it pretty wonderful to just enjoy the satisfaction of the tier you have finally attained, and there is something comforting about having come to that point in my life, at almost 60!! Life is good, music is good, and a nice system, on which to enjoy music, is truly and wonderfully good, too!! Thanks for your very well-stated comments, Widget! Your thoughts certainly took me on a trip down memory lane: from my old 45 changer, to Dad's old system, to early speaker building, to Speaker Lab, and finally to where I am today! It's been a great and fantastic journey, and I've loved it, every step of the way!! Take care, and God Bless!

    Every Good Wish,
    Doc
    The only thing that can never be taken away from you, is your honor. Cherish it, in yourself, and in others.

  4. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by BMWCCA View Post
    I agree. And, despite the intrinsic innocuous intention, "philatelist" sounds even worse!

    It's all Greek to me!
    Or should that be Geek?

    "Creepies Porgy, I didn't know you masterb....."

  5. #20
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    What's in a word?

    As a young kid, I always thought "oenophile" was a particularly creepy word, and that "pedophile" wasn't so bad (I thought it was foot lover) until I realized that "pediphile" was a foot fetishist and pedophile was something much, much worse.
    Out.

  6. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by Titanium Dome View Post
    pedophile was something much, much worse.
    BTW - Is a Pedephile someone who loves pedestrians?

  7. #22
    Senior Member BMWCCA's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by 4313B View Post
    BTW - Is a Pedephile someone who loves pedestrians?
    Nope!


  8. #23
    Moderator hjames's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BMWCCA View Post
    Nope!

    You HEEL!
    2ch: WiiM Pro; Topping E30 II DAC; Oppo, Acurus RL-11, Acurus A200, JBL Dynamics Project - Offline: L212-TwinStack, VonSchweikert VR-4
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  9. #24
    Senior Member BMWCCA's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by hjames View Post
    You HEEL!
    Don't be so callus!

  10. #25
    Administrator Robh3606's Avatar
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    You two are so corny

    Rob
    "I could be arguing in my spare time"

  11. #26
    Junior Member plasticempire's Avatar
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    I'm an agoraphobiaphile - meaning I purposefully fear leaving the house by listening to too much vinyl. That being said, I'm going to reach out to you folks for a recommendation.

    My friend came over today to hear my newly acquired 4312A's. I hadn't had a chance to really open them up. They sound great and accurate at lower volume levels, which is how I usually listen, but kind of harsh when turned up. I not only want to be able to feel the sound a bit more on occasion, I might also be craving a slightly warmer JBL speaker.

    If I were to move up to something beefier from the 4312A's, what would you suggest? As I've stated before in my initial post that started this crazy thread - I love rock music. I therefore see myself needing bigger sound down the road. I'm running a tube preamp into 200 watts per channel solid state so I have plenty of warmth and power. Thoughts? Thanks!

  12. #27
    Administrator Mr. Widget's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by plasticempire View Post
    My friend came over today to hear my newly acquired 4312A's. I hadn't had a chance to really open them up. They sound great and accurate at lower volume levels, which is how I usually listen, but kind of harsh when turned up.
    That's no surprise... they are meant for mid to near field monitoring and don't really play music at realistic rock and roll levels... neither will the venerable L100 or any vintage JBL that doesn't involve compression drivers and horns... actually the newer LSR 6332 really won't do it either... none of these systems can get super loud without some distortion and dynamic compression... simply the physics of it all.

    My recommendation would be 4345... the other large 43XXs will also play loudly, but the rest of them have a more colored sound and need EQ to sound right... even the 4345 can use some EQ, but it is probably the most accurate of the big boys... In many ways the 4430/35 are more accurate than the 43XX series, but to my ears they also get harsh when pushed. If you are up for EQ and really want to blast the music, you might consider the 4350... overall, not a favorite of mine, but for live rock and roll in your house, it is a tough one to beat.


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  13. #28
    Super Moderator jblnut's Avatar
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    For the rockers out there (you know who you are), I'll add that the 250TI plays loud quite well, especially if you use tube amps to keep the high end mellow. I'm sure the horn-loaded JBLs would play louder and with better dynamics, but I find the 250TI to be more than enough for "live" listening sessions in a normal living room.

    My avatar isn't just for show....



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    Quote Originally Posted by Mr. Widget View Post
    That's no surprise... they are meant for mid to near field monitoring and don't really play music at realistic rock and roll levels... neither will the venerable L100 or any vintage JBL that doesn't involve compression drivers and horns... actually the newer LSR 6332 really won't do it either... none of these systems can get super loud without some distortion and dynamic compression... simply the physics of it all.

    My recommendation would be 4345... the other large 43XXs will also play loudly, but the rest of them have a more colored sound and need EQ to sound right... even the 4345 can use some EQ, but it is probably the most accurate of the big boys... In many ways the 4430/35 are more accurate than the 43XX series, but to my ears they also get harsh when pushed. If you are up for EQ and really want to blast the music, you might consider the 4350... overall, not a favorite of mine, but for live rock and roll in your house, it is a tough one to beat.


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  14. #29
    Senior Member BMWCCA's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jblnut View Post
    For the rockers out there (you know who you are), I'll add that the 250TI plays loud quite well, especially if you use tube amps to keep the high end mellow. I'm sure the horn-loaded JBLs would play louder and with better dynamics, but I find the 250TI to be more than enough for "live" listening sessions in a normal living room.
    Similar bang, for a lot fewer bucks: L7, bi-wired with two 200wpc amps. A lot depends on the targeted acquisition cost.

    FWIW, my family thinks all JBLs play TOOOO loud.

  15. #30
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    Most of the better consumer four-ways will get you there: XPL200, L250, 250Ti, L7, etc., even a Performance Series stack (PT800/PS1400).

    The big monitors like the 4345 or 4350 will definitely win the LOUD war, but they're big and need some work as Widget wrote. Some folks like to muck around with buying extra equipment and tweak, tweak, tweak. If you're like that, then they might be just right. My biggest pair of monitors is 4430, and they can rock out, but they required a sub (B380) to really fill them out and they can become tiresome, as IMO the 4345 or 4350 will without obsessive tweaking.

    Often overlooked, the SVA2100 or SVA1800 will rock your 'nads and rock 'em hard. They're a good overall speaker, and a great rock speaker. That's your bang for the buck answer right there.
    Out.

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