JBL comparison

[Brian28]

Having never heard a pair of JBL 4344 monitors I was wondering if anyone else had any comparison with Tannoys, something like Berkeleys.. And would it really be worthwhile building a pair of 4344’s..Thanks Brian

[Ian Mackenzie]

Having never heard a pair of JBL 4344 monitors I was wondering if anyone else had any comparison with Tannoys, something like Berkeleys.. And would it really be worthwhile building a pair of 4344’s..Thanks Brian

See if you can contact member George Brooks.

I have heard both. The 4344 wins in my book. The Tannoy is a more forgiving loudspeaker. But that means it can seem a bit coloured to some ears.

They are markedly different philosophies as loudspeakers go.
As monitors go they were both popular. The 15 inch Tannoys more so. The JBL 4320 and 4325 were very popular in the UK in the 60’s and 70’s in the recording scene.

The Altec 605/604 as a dual concentric driver was popular in the USA.
But you couldn’t find two more different loudspeakers in the Tannoys and the Altec 605/604. I personally find the original Altec’s hideous to listen to.

The 4344 found it’s market in Japan. Over 5000 pairs were sold.

As a hifi loudspeaker the JBL and the 15” Tannoys are chalk and cheese.
The Tannoys are more coherent but they are not so good at the frequency extremes.

The bass is arguably better with the 4344. The Tannoy is a curvilinear cone with a slow break up. On the other hand the 4344 uses a smaller 10 inch curvilinear cone of lower mass over a narrower range. It may seem crisper to some ears in bi amp mode.

The 2405 has superior definition up top but you have 3 more crossover points to deal with overall.

As a diy project the 4344 has more tweaks.

It really depends on what you value?

[Brian28]

See if you can contact member George Brooks.I have heard both. The 4344 wins in my book. The Tannoy is a more forgiving loudspeaker. But that means it can seem a bit coloured to some ears.They are markedly different philosophies as loudspeakers go.As monitors go they were both popular. The 15 inch Tannoys more so. The JBL 4320 and 4325 were very popular in the UK in the 60’s and 70’s in the recording scene. The Altec 605/604 as a dual concentric driver was popular in the USA. But you couldn’t find two more different loudspeakers in the Tannoys and the Altec 605/604. I personally find the original Altec’s hideous to listen to. The 4344 found it’s market in Japan. Over 5000 pairs were sold. As a hifi loudspeaker the JBL and the 15” Tannoys are chalk and cheese. The Tannoys are more coherent but they are not so good at the frequency extremes. The bass is arguably better with the 4344. The Tannoy is a curvilinear cone with a slow break up. On the other hand the 4344 uses a smaller 10 inch curvilinear cone of lower mass over a narrower range. It may seem crisper to some ears in bi amp mode. The 2405 has superior definition up top but you have 3 more crossover points to deal with overall.As a diy project the 4344 has more tweaks. It really depends on what you value?

Thank you Ian for the detailed response.. Food for thought ...cheers....