S4600 - anyone heard them?

[Andyoz]

There has been mention of the wee S4600 a few times here. Has anyone actually heard them yet.

I will be moving the 250Ti's into a new big, reveberant room in a few weeks and I suspect I may be disappointed. My listening distance is 4-5m away so the direct to reverberant ratio will not be good

Trying to plan my next move. S9800 prices have softended in Japan since the S9900 was released. Still alot of money though and I have kids so don't want them wrecked.

The S4600 keeps catching my eye.

http://www.audiounion.jp/bin/detail/used/29165/

[4313B]

Don McRitchie has. Steve Schell may have as well.

The S9900 is considered a substantial upgrade to the S9800.

[Andyoz]

The S9900 is considered a substantial upgrade to the S9800.

I'd hope so judging by the price...does it go lower than the S9800 as the potential lack of bottom end kick is what keeps me away from them (and the money as well). If I had something that big in my living room, I'd want it to flap my trousers without a sub

[4313B]

I'd hope so judging by the price...does it go lower than the S9800 as the potential lack of bottom end kick is what keeps me away from them (and the money as well). If I had something that big in my living room, I'd want it to flap my trousers without a sub

S4600

LE14H-4
2.8 cu ft tuned to 38 Hz
-3 dB at 50 Hz
-6 dB at 35 Hz

K2-S9800

1500AL
4.0 cu ft tuned to 30 Hz
-3 dB at 60 Hz (Anechoic)
-6 dB at 50 Hz (Anechoic)

K2-S9900

1500AL-1
3.4 cu ft tuned to 34 Hz
-3 dB at 60 Hz (Anechoic), at 50 Hz (2 Pi)
-6 dB at 50 Hz (Anechoic), at 34 Hz (2Pi)

"Old" discontinued LE14H-3 in 1400 Array

3.2 cu ft tuned to 31 Hz
-3 dB at 35 Hz
-6 dB at 32 Hz (Anechoic)

[Andyoz]

Interesting that the -6dB point for the S4600 is 15Hz less than the S9800...that's over half an octave lower ...that's noticeable.

I really like the idea of sticking with the LE14H family but matching them with horns. I like my 250Ti's anyway.

Apart from the Array 1400 (no way will they get past the wife/toddler test), I can't think of any other LE14H horn systems. They must be floor stadners...no placing 4338's on stands, etc.

[pos]

Thanks for sharing these data with us 4313B !

To illustrate 4313B's figures, here are the curves using WinISD.

Caveats: I do not have the T/S for the 1501AL, so I simulated a 1500AL in the S9900 enclosure. I hope they are close enough.

I think WinISB is meant to simulate 2Pi steradian loading, with an infinite baffle.

[Steve Schell]

You know 4313B, I'm not sure. Don and I attended CES together one year, and we heard two different systems in the JBL room on the main floor of the Lost Wages Convention Center. One system was the S9800 and the other, similar, smaller system might have been this one. Don probably took pictures, and he remembers everything, so if he chimes in we'll find out. The smaller systems sounded similar to the 9800s with a bit higher bass rolloff. One repressed memory is that the JBL rep made a point of demonstrating how the S9800s are clean when driven to 120dB peaks. I had my fingers in my ears and just wanted out at that point.

[jomina]

...no placing 4338's on stands, etc.

Ha, it would take a couple of guys like this



to knock over a pair of 4338s on low stands.

The 4600s look interesting and a lot less like sarcophagi than the 9800s.
Horn is wider, though.
I suspect your 250s may well work in the room. Play around with turn-in to minimize first reflections (and leave the 4600s to me :-))

Joel

[Ian Mackenzie]

I'd hope so judging by the price...does it go lower than the S9800 as the potential lack of bottom end kick is what keeps me away from them (and the money as well). If I had something that big in my living room, I'd want it to flap my trousers without a sub

I heard them in Tokyo.

They are a different approach to the Blue series monitors and are more of a Hifi style. Typcially the Blue monitors exhibit a hump in the mid bass. The 4600 is design for a flat in room response. To my ear they were clean, transparent and open. I put that down to the ligher cone.

[Ralph856]

I will be moving the 250Ti's into a new big, reveberant room in a few weeks and I suspect I may be disappointed. My listening distance is 4-5m away so the direct to reverberant ratio will not be good

Andy, is there anything to stop you carrying out basic treatment of the room- even just a couple of bass traps and absortive panels at first reflection points? But I guess there's a reason why you can't?

[4313B]

One repressed memory is that the JBL rep made a point of demonstrating how the S9800s are clean when driven to 120dB peaks. I had my fingers in my ears and just wanted out at that point.

I hate when they do that...

[Andyoz]

Andy, is there anything to stop you carrying out basic treatment of the room- even just a couple of bass traps and absortive panels at first reflection points? But I guess there's a reason why you can't?

It's an unusual room with very little symmetry. It's L-shaped for a start and the rear wall is actually a massive German sliding door that's 4.4m wide. The speakers will be firing down the room towards the glass that's 7.5m away. My seating position will be 4.5m from the speakers (near the stone column in photo). I can put some heavy drapes in front of that glass provided I can get something long enough

I will be doing some analysis on the room but I'm constrained with regards to acoustic treatments as there is very little free surfaces to actually place them.

One of the side walls has a massive sandstone fireplace, which will be nice for diffusion at least . I need to keep the lateral dispersion controlled with horns I think to have any hope of getting it right in the sweet spot.

[Ralph856]

That's a lovely-looking room regardless of the acoustics. If it were mine (which it isn't ), I'd definitely opt for large speakers that were at least part horn- not just to control dispersion but because I like what horns do and a room that size would suitable.

My seating position will be 4.5m from the speakers (near the stone column in photo).

I can just visualise you there, dude, listening to S9500's with a big grin .

[Andyoz]

That's a lovely-looking room regardless of the acoustics. If it were mine (which it isn't )

Ha, ha, that room isn't mine...it belongs to the bank.

Anyway, now you can see what I mean about the 250's maybe struggling in there to reach the savagely high levels I sometimes run to give me my music fix. I need those horns to shoot the mid-high's at me like a dart. We work with some high-end PA gear and I was listening to a demo of some L-Acoustics "Kiva" (wee line arrays) with a guy playing acoustic guitar through them. It was ridiculous how well a single array of those fill a relatively large room. And that's a horn desinged to to be bulletproof so I need to get up to speed on what the more delicate modern domestic stuff can do.

If I wasn't married with kids, I'd be looking seriously at some big format double 15's with horns.

[Andyoz]

I can just visualise you there, dude, listening to S9500's with a big grin .

Hang on, did you mean S9800? If you didn't well you read my mind as I noticed Audiounion has a few pairs of S9500's. Those things still look like something from the space-age and from what I can tell, were designed in the late 80's, early 90's?

http://www.audiounion.jp/bin/detail/used/27906/