JBL 4367 = Sleep Denervation

Phusis,

thanks for the insightful comments. I believe you are correct on all aspects. 

Roxy54,

Lol, Shows how little sleep I have gotten! As a long-term member it should be clear typing on my phone is not my best skill.
 

Thanks I have heard other similar types of  horns that did not impress me much but these JBLs are better than I could have imagined. 

Jonwolfpell,

Yes, I think you are correct. This is my first horn experience in my own system so I can’t say if it is horns in general or if JBL has some magic sauce on these drivers. Either way I am hooked. I realize I am in the honeymoon period but I don’t see myself going back to standard box speakers anytime soon. Anything that could bring these type of dynamics would be well out of my price range. Some of the largest wilson’s I have heard had the same impact and quality to their bass but would come up way short on the mids/highs compared to these.

the lowest octave is a little light on the 4367 so I am filling that in with subs (40hz and down) for a nice full range sound. 40hz seems to be low enough not to diminish the detail retrieval the 4367 has in the bass.

I think what is making these sound great to me is they still follow the Harman design philosophy of a slight downward sloping tuning and even off axis sound. They are very much tuned like the Revels but bring so much more in detail and dynamics with texture I have not had in my system before.

My room is also heavily treated with 7” “bass taps” at first reflection points (side and back walls) and my entire ceiling is treated with 6” of mineral wool covered with an acoustic tile. In college I started out in the headphone world and think I have a favor toward damped rooms. It seems to add a bit of clarity vs a live room. I have A/B my room with and without the treatment and much prefer it with treatment.

McIntosh MC462 (4 ohm tap). I am also high passing from a pair of JL subs right around 45hz.

I have the HF trim at -0.5db and the UHF trim at -1.0db. I find these trim settings greatly effect the sound from warm to bright if you want it. I believe the HF from is from 1.5k to 6k and the UHF trim is 5k up.

Markd51,

I have not tried the 8 ohm tap yet but maybe I should. On my other speakers if chose a tap above the lower ohm limit it tends to make them brighter. Using the lower tap does reduce power but power is not an issue. I will have to look at the measurements again but I think the 4367 is around 6 ohm minimum. 

Mijostin,

I am using two JL E112 highpassed. I have not settled on a crossover point. It seems fine anywhere between 40hz and 80hz. Normally I use about 60hz for most speakers but I am finding the 4367 has more texture and tone between 40-60hz than the subs, so I am not sure what I will do.

Might be time for better subs. I have been looking at some subs. But subs are hard to research as I am not interested in output just want more texture than some of these highly damped home theater subs. JBL makes a matching sub for the M2 but I am not sure it is still in production. Not sure subs from say perlisten or something like JTR captivators would be better or not. Perlisten would need to wait as the big boys are very expensive.

not sure I would know what the Doppler shift sounds like in speakers but I will give 80hz a try now. 

I am still really enjoying the JBL 4367. If anything my opinion over the last month has only improved.

I think there are two standout sound qualities that are special. #1 they just play so effortlessly. I listen louder than I should, often volumes in the upper 80s/low 90s (peaks at 100ish). No matter the volume there is a sense of ease, zero compression which I think comes off as sounding hard or grating on other speakers I have owned (minus the Revel 228be which also played silly loud).

The other standout sound quality is the dynamics. Hard to explain but instruments just sound more real. More snap, with better leading edge impact. Really impressive. You often here the word “live” thrown out and I think that “live” sound is dynamics.

Combine those things with an amazing amount of detail too top to bottom and these are a pretty special speaker. I am struggling to come up with anything I don’t like other than they are physically short and I had to make my own stand. At $16k they should have stands available.

Roxy,

the interesting thing is I don’t feel like I have given up anything compared to a tradition box speaker to get the added benefits. I have almost no horn experience before this (PA systems and Klispch speakers). I never thought I would end up with a large two way horn but… these are going to be long term speakers for me. As my fun money/finances recover I think I will build out my home theater around them (I am 99% two channel). 

Mijostyn,

I have looked at the miniDSP SHD. It is much cheaper than other options. Do you feel there is any resolution loss with it? Think the output stage is good enough? It complicates my home theater pass through as I would have to use the analog input. 
 

I am currently highpassing at 60hz. 24db slope on both sides. 

Jheppe815,

thanks for the input. I will buy something this year (still saving for now). I agree that the JBL SUB18 or equivalent would probably be the best option and I may go that rout. They are pretty huge but I have the room (anything goes in the basement). It gets pricier needing external amps. Not to mention a bit more clutter. 
 

there is almost no information comparing these very large subs other than home theater applications and I don’t trust those opinions as their wants are far different from mine. It is hard to say how something like the SUB18 compare to the JTR captivators which also measures well. 

Phusis,

thank you for the well written comment. My thoughts align with yours. I am not too worried about home theater (it is a duel room, but I am a 99% music 1% movies based on time spent doing each). Honestly I am am a little worried about infrasonics of those JTRs in the house. My wife says she already opens the basement and closet doors when I watch movies so they don’t rattle lol ?!?  Faux atmos no extra charge lol. 
 

I have to have subs to enjoy music on my home system. I have had subs for 15 years now and there really is no going back, typically I highpass around 60hz depending on room/speaker.  Based on comments here and some reading I will lean toward the JBL SUB18s when I am ready (maybe later this year).  I need an external crossover and amps so things get pricy quick.
 

I assume the SUB18 is still in production. Looks like B&H will order it. I have no JBL dealer around me and JBL’s website could not be any worse. It is hard to tell what they even make these days. 

Troybn,

Post your opinion once you get them. I thought they sounded good out of the box but feel like the bass improved with a bit of time on them. The highs above 10k seem to sound better on tweeter axis rather than above it so you might need small stands depending on your seat. If you get too high or low the highs roll off a bit. Similar to toeing out the speaker.

As for subs, I don’t think this speaker needs subs, but subs do improve the sound. I have my speakers about 5’ off the wall and highpass to subs at 60hz-ish. Without subs I find the bass below 40hz a little light in my room. For an absolutely seamless sub integration I used a 24db slope on both sides at 37hz. This is a very “audiophile” sub setup. But I enjoy 60hz+ more as I like the slam the sub system brings. Without the active crossover I could not get the subs to blend well (measured/listening). With the active crossover on the subs more or less dropped right in.

if you place them closer to the front wall you can probably bring up the 30hz range but will make a dip in the 150hz range. Just have to play with it.

almost a year of ownership of the 4367 and my day one opinion of them has not changed. I will probably keep them until they wear out. Maybe I will add new speakers down the road but plan to just keep these regardless. I will be upgrading my sub system this spring if I can swing the cash.