If your 4311s are working fine, don't need the woofer surrounds replaced and you're enjoying them, I'd say don't spend money you don't have to spend. If you wish to try something else, I'd say stick with high sensitivity speakers like you already have: pick up a pair of JBL L300s, a nice pair of Tannoys (System 15 DMT, for e.g.) or a pair of Altec 604-8G.
If you like the overall sound of your JBLs, I don't think the other speakers you mention will offer the dynamics and excitement that you're used to.
Happy listening,
Joel. |
I would check instead a pair of JBL L-96's which actually many studios preferred over the professional monitors...i find them satisfying on any music, CD or vinyl....Also, if you are considering getting tube monos in the future, I would say that anything that is dynamic, efficient and timbrally accurate is a good match,,,if you go for something that is a little thicker ot mellower, when you add the tubes, you may find yourself with too much midrange emphasis....
I think that that era JBL's with tubes is a good match,,,my L-96's are 89dB/w...and i know plenty of people who are using tubes with them... |
The JBL's are genuine studio-monitors, and designed to reveal every detail a recording has in it. There was not much focus on soundstage and depth etc. If you change your JBL's for the Quad's..... well, it's hard to come up with more different-sounding speakers. In my view, if you already know that you are going to buy monoblock tube-amps, try to listen to them in combination with the speakers you fancy. I really like B&W's N802, who'll need a lot of power, so maybe tubes aren't right for them.
What I'm trying to say is that you should trust your own ears. If you want detail, go for some Revels, if you want low-end and incredible drive, go for the B&W's, and if you want all of the above, go for Wilson (and pay the price....). If you want perfect soundstaging.... well, there are worse things then Quad ESL 63 powered by some tube monoblocks. Find a friendly dealer and listen to 2 or 3 combinations, preferably with your own pre-amp and VPI. See what you prefer, buy and enjoy!! |
I have two pairs of 70's JBL's I use just for fun: L-166 Horizons, and a pair of huge L-200's. Why not keep the JBL's for when you want to crank up some rock and roll and also look into a pair of very revealing timbre-correct huge soundstage minimonitors like Ensembles, Chario, ect.
I would recommend putting high end jacks on the jbls, replacing the internal wiring. |
arent timbrally accurate? I find most JBL's of that era very accurate and true to the sound....Now, In my opinion, what would be a better window to how hardware swapping affects sound than to have these JBL's...
Dynamic speakers should also do well with classical and jazz...you just loose some imaging...I think its like a concert, but you are just in the back rows...in a hall, if yoru in the back, you will loose also some of the staging and imaging (besides seeing where is each player).. |
Hey, I gave those to my brother 20 years ago. (I had bought the 4312's). I still "hang" in that era and I Highly recommend the older Dahlquist line. I have DQ-28's all the way around in my living room (home theater set-up) and I have DQ-10's in my family room. (The kids have figured out that it's really the listening room but my wife hasn't). |
I have completely upgraded my system including my speakers. I still own my JBL L112s that I purchased new in 1981. I refinished the speaker cabinets, and rebuilt all the drivers while rewiring the internals. I now have them stored. I cannot bring myself to selling them. To this day, I have not heard a speaker that was as dynamic, and as "profound" as the L112s.
The only reason for replacing them was sheer physical size. They do have a habit of letting themselves be known when in a room.
Don't let yourself be impressed by the "latest and greatest". Your 4311s are a classic loudspeaker that sounded great then, and still do now. |
did you rewire them yourself, or a tech...what was used? and how much? I have a super mint condition L-96's and am not sure I wanna mess with them,,,what do you think was the improvement? |
Jsujo, I used LATs Silverfuse Hook up wire. I rewired all point to point wiring. I also replaced the binding posts with a pair of LATs binding posts. The stock binding posts on the JBLs are basically useless. When completed, I noticed much better driver control on the woofer, and the speakers tend to sound much more open and airy.
All soldering was done with high purity silver solder, although I'm not sure of how "pure" the silver solder actually is. I can tell you, it's not 5 nines purity like the LAT wire.
Personally, I have always felt that the L96s 10" woofer yielded a much tighter, more controlled bass response. But, needless to say, did not bark with the bass authority of the L112s. I am sure if you were to modify your L96s as outlined, you would be quite amazed at the results.
You would be making a classic loudspeaker even better. |
I found them (still have a pair but only becuase they'd be tough to get rid of) to be very very dependant on amp and position. Got mine after hearing them on a McIntosh tube system. On my Crown DC300A they were not nearly the same.
To me the tweeters are tizzy compared to what you can get now. I also suspect the pots in the controls get futzed over time, but can't prove.
It's a colored sound, IMHO, but one many like.
Best regards,
Bob |
thanks for all the suggestions...the speaker connections on the back are pitiful...especially for a pro speaker...the foam around the tweaters is starting to disintegrate and re-wiring the innards sounds like a good idea...I think I will put some effort into "fixing up" what I've got before I shell out any more dough... |
I recently partially rebuilt L150's. I changed the binding post filled the innards with a newer filler and rebuilt the woofer surrounds. They are a little tizzy on top but they aren't bad at all. I think dynamat on the inside walls and cleaning of the potentiometers will find you a new and improved speaker for little money. |
I've just bought JBL 4315, it sounds much much better than my current modern Quad 22L in all aspect.
Anyone heard 4315? |
You also mentioned wanting to purchase some kind of tube amplification in the future? That being the case, why not see if you can arrange to bring your JBLs along when you begin to audition the amps you have singled out for audition? This will not only allow you to hear the results of that sort of combination, but it will also allow you to talk to various dealers about the sort of speakers they might suggest & hear the speakers they are using. |
Man, don't give up your 4311's. Many feel those were the best loudspeakers ever made. There is no better way to get bang for your buck than to use JBL studio monitors. Comparatively inexpensive, but almost all the major (and minor) recording studios used those speakers when recording the albums you listen to. What better speaker to have than ones which will give you the same sounds the artist was mixing on?!! I have a pair of 4311's as well as classic 4412's (with freq. adjustments). The 4412's (which are still sold w/o frequency adjustments) are the only thing I'd recommend, and it's a close call as to whether they sound better than the 4311's. Even though the 4412's have a titanium tweeter, the cone tweeter on the 4311's has an amazing high frequency sound. People are clammering to buy 4311's on eBay so don't think for a minute that you're missing out. My 4311's and 4412's whip the heck out of $10,000.00 Vandersteen speakers my friend has (in my opinion). Moreover, I have a high-end, modern system with various Sunfire signature components, and my JBL's sound just find with them. |
I managed to get a pair of 4311b's in exchange for some computer work - they have now replaced my Klipsch floor standing speakers. Yes they are very revealing but, my music and home theater haven't sound better in 7 years. These little babies rank with the best that I've heard (I've owned VMPS,INFINITY,POLK SDS SRS SERIES, KLIPSCH, DEF TECH, AND PARADIGM). The JBL's are by far my favorite and they mate with my custom subs better than any other speaker I've owned. Stay with the classics! |
I love the JBL 43xx series.
The 4315 are an extraordinary design. The performance is outstanding. They are probably the most modern sounding speaker in the 43xx family. Very analytical and extreemely rewarding from a dynamic point of view. They can gobble up lots of power. I would couple them with a 300 watt contemporaty McIntosh power amp.
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This is an 18-year old thread; they've likely got their question answered by now! 😁
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