Excellent review. Enjoyed it very much. Seems like a great deal for $2k plus stands. Pair them with a good turntable (like Pro-Ject Debut Pro - see Darko review), streamer & CD Player, and a powerful integrated and one could call it quits on hi fi obsession and just enjoyed the music.
2 things worth mentioning! First, completely forgot to show the spectral decay - it’s clean as a whistle! Second, I did try to get inside this speaker to check the parts. They have this thing buttoned up! The crossover looks to be tucked inside, behind the horn. I couldn’t see a way to get to it without damaging the speaker. Anyway! Thought I’d mention those two things.
I really enjoyed listening to these while I had them. I really appreciated their presence and articulate treble. Mids, especially vocals, were solid and really clean. My living room being wide and shallow really caused the bass to fall off a lot earlier than I expected. Adding the subs really helped in that imbalance. For soundstage in my room, I found that facing them directly into the room gave the best presentation and overall sense of scale. Crossing the streams created a more clean center image, but also collapsed the width of the soundstage in the process.. Having first heard them in a more narrow/deep room, they are definitely able to give some solid bass, especially down low, so it definitely seems to be a bit of a room dependency. Great review, Ron, looking forward to the next one! 👏
If your room is wide and shallow you may be both sitting and positioning the speakers in a null. In a shallow room this can be a huge issue due to the bass waves size and the waves bouncing back and forth and canceling many times over in close time proximity to the original wave. Have you explored the math or used any of the online room mode calculators? They may help you get things in order. Or maybe you can't do much about it if other aspects of the room are fixed.
@@gregorymorrill7558 yeah I can't change much sadly. Different speakers have performed better in my room, and moving around the room doesnt seems to change the level of bass. I would reorient the system 90°, but the left side of the room is the front door, and the other is the kitchen/hallways so I'm kinda stuck. Best I can probably manage will be room treatment later this year..
I am a big fan of jbl horns. Their studio 500 series are awesome for the money. I have the 530’s and 570’s and have had the 580’s. While I really appreciate all of those the 570’s to me really steals the show. I know your a fan of the 530’s you must try the 570’s. I thought the 570’s would be just about identical to the 530’s but I was wrong. Way better in every way. It must have a better tweeter and the bass seems to be more agile and correct than the 580’s, they are the best balanced speakers I have had. Give them a try.
These speakers are truly amazing for the money. I answered my question which was made a year ago down below. Best amplifier matching is Musical Fidelity M5SI along with Yamaha AS1200. It is a matter of fact speaker so it’ll completely change based on what you connect to it and those two sound glorious with the 4309.
Long time listener, first time caller. I enjoy your review style quite a bit; thanks for that. Question, though... any thoughts about reviewing an Ascend Acoustics offerings (Sierra 2EX in particular). Given your reviews of other internet-direct offerings (SVS) I was curious.
Back in the 70's, JBL had a very prominent forward sounding midrange. This was known as the West Coast Sound. Acoustic Research and similar speakers were known as the Polite New England Sound.
As always, your reviews are excellent. Seems like the $2k range has some competition: KLH Model 5 (stands included), Buchardt S400 MK2 (+stands). I almost considered the 4309, need to add stands and well that was a no, no. But 4309 with those solid steel stands ($600) would look amazing. But $600!!! I hope to see that comparison to model 5 when you get to them. I got my model 5 yesterday!! I’m having trouble letting go of the Heresy 4 sound. I liked it a lot.
Nice job Ron . I am very impressed with me new Triangle 40th Anneversary Comete in Santos rosewood veener geez Ron Their all that espically on a 60 pound tube amp Doge thats full of clarity Caps pop the hood video coming soon as I get a day off work !!! 5 weeks str8 nodaysoff 😥
If you like these, get the pro department to send you the M2's with some Crown 2|1250N amps (they're really quiet out of the pro amp range) and you'll never want any other horn speaker. I have a set with a pair of B460 subs that house the 2269 sub driver (same as the Sub1 unit) instead of the usual 2245 driver. I know I personally don't want any other speakers after having these for 3 years now.
Forward sounding horns .... provided it's not too much.....can add a bit of excitement to exciting music. It's different than others types of drivers but If you like that up close and a more "in your face" sound when done well.a horn system is fun especially on rock but with dynamic classical pieces they can be engaging. Many horn based systems units are very efficient . These speakers are not all that efficient at 87. My guess this is because they are extending the bass response on the smallish woofers. I like the really big horn systems in a large room. Here their dynamic contrast with good not too compressed recordings can be very enjoyable. Not so great in a small room and my rooms for sound are rather small. My old school JbL 4412 control room monitors with a dome tweeter give me a bit of that joy.
Every review of these is so different - ‘easy to drive/no, hard to drive’, ‘fire them forward/point at your head’. However, all reviews say they’re dynamic which interests me. Might have to order a pair to hear for myself.
I recently watched your video on 5 reasons why my audio sucks, and took notes and made good changes to how I listen. But I have one question. I currently use 6.5 inch bookshelf speakers on my computer desk pointed directly at me equidistant. My subwoofer is next to the desk. The last tip you mentioned was getting the speakers away from the wall, my question is "Does that matter for near-field listening?"
horn speaker were developed 60-70 years ago at a time when amplifiers were not very powerful so it made sense to develop a super sensitive speaker. They create a big sound but in terms of linearity, distortion and overall musicality, I don't think they compare to the current state of the art drivers.
Great review Ron. Like you I have always felt ambivalent about horns. Sounds like we have very similar tastes in music. You are just as likely to hear me play ABBA as you are AC/DC. Throw in some Pavarotti and anything in between.
2 questions what did you use to power them and thoughts on good integrated amps to pair with them. I tried a Marantz 40n and in my opinion it wasn't a good match. Considering Yamaha AS1200/2200, Denon PMA110, Arcam SA30 open to thoughts on this topic. Excellent speakers and excellent review.
My audio shop had a pair jbl l200 studio master brand new crossovers and new woofers i loved the way the horns sounded by the way I have pair cerwin vega sl-15 and they are not horns love safe and sound I bought my parasound 2250v2 from them
Not too bad at all for a jbl bookshelf, and looks sharp, but i have to say, for the same price and a 10 year warranty and very nice stands, id definitely go with the KLH model 5.
@@Newrecordday2013 I think you need to, but im sorry on this one jbl, i love my old jbls...but also love the old model 6, 5, 23 etc, and the new model 5 is just a better bang for the buck, and their new ones are a true 3 way, 10 inch driver, actual veneer, good looking grills and stands, and old school adjustments on back, whats not to love, gotta hand it to klh on those.
@NewRecordDay Hi Ron, I’m considering buying a pair of HDI-1600’s and that brought me here due to your HDI-3600 review. Enjoying the channel immensely, especially the sound clips. I’ve subscribed. Now considering the 4309’s as well. There aren’t that many horn loaded loudspeakers in the market below $2k so saying these *might* be your favourite *horn-loaded* loudspeaker below $2k isn’t really saying very much, almost damning with faint praise. I really appreciate your opinion and I appreciate it’s all down to personal preference but what would be one or two examples of your favourite loudspeakers below $2k without the qualification of horn-loaded or not?
Good midrange production offers us crispier highs and better-defined, less mushy bass crossover, than bad squawkers. Too many people ignore this, even though the human ear is terrible in the upper midrange and lower treble. My challenge is in designer horns. I can't come up with an enclosure that looks like a dog. Especially a bulldog. But I do like those compact, amplified, batter-powered, hand-held devices. I guess that makes me a bull-headed horndog.
Hi Ron, Love your channel buddy. I watched your video on LOTS recently. Great video, my question I wanted to ask I have owned numerous speakers over the years and all of them needed to be placed as you suggested away from the back wall, and in general according to your placement views. However I have purchased recently a pair of Larsen Audio speakers and these are made and meant to be placed right up against the back wall, they are not equally level a in terms of front aligned. They sound amazing, so would you agree that certain speakers are meant to be placed up against the back wall. Just interested in your thoughts on this.
For some reason I can't stand a decent amount of Klipsch speakers presentation, but I think I'd be totally fine with the higher end JBLs. Not that I could afford a pair of M2 or K2 though...phew! Maybe a used pair of M2 if the price was right, that would be incredible :)
Have you had an opportunity to listen to a pair of vintage JBL Olympus or Sovereign’s? I have owned a pair for 40 years and couple of them with high end audio components. The lens on the mid range horn does a tremendous amount to curtail or eliminate that horn sound to which you refer. The high compression driver utilizes a phenolic lens which performs the same purpose. I enjoy your or channel BTW.
@@themastroiannis I was using them with two PB2000 SVS subs in the living room. Sounded great. Now they are in the bedroom because my 4430's are back in use after a refoam. I think they are a steal for 1400. I haven't heard anything good about KEF's basically ever. I'm a JBL fan or life. If you get a pair you will keep them.
Hi Ron. Enjoyed your video. I see that spike at the top end of the tweeter and wonder if the dogs in your house respond to it. I am an animal lover and know that you are too. so ya serious question. When I play my stereo I start off low, wait for the cat to get annoyed enough to go outside then turn it up.
Would be interesting to review the bigger brother 4349 with the 12” woofer. Seems like it would be a tougher integration to go from that size woofer however without the woofer beaming before it transitions to the tweeter.
Hi.. This very thorough review from Russia explains why the 4349 actually has less of a problem with integration. Turn the English Subs on: ruclips.net/video/gAmxl3Xk5R4/видео.html Ron won’t be happy with ‘em Bennic caps and white coffin R’s though lol..
Depth isn’t its strong suit as you probably guessed. Width is decent but isn’t crazy wide either. This is a more direct and focused performance IMO. Layering in depth ain’t anything to write home about either. It’s more 3D sounding but it doesn’t have those layers upon layers.
Great review and good looking speakers. I like the blue face and just like my Studio 530s, I'm liking that JBL is giving their speakers some character to go along with the amazing sound not just boring rectangles.
Hello! If you don't mind me asking, what are the speakers on the oldest video on this channel? The ones that have sectioned speakers and a circular sideways subwoofer towards the bottom.
Can't hear above 16khz here! I like to electronically remove anything above 17.5k anyways. However, good speakers with amazing tweeters that can sing to 35khz are not totally useless. They can go all the way upto 35, so they actually sound "fuller" at 13k-15k. Makes female voices less shrill.
Most males can't hear 17k period. Majority stop around 16 or less By 40 men are actually lucky to hear above 8k. If you do it's only pockets of sound and will be distorted or just noises higher up, as your brain knows it is getting sound pressure but ears cannot orocess.
@4:00 but thats what 98% of the Hifi Manufacrures did. They boost some frequencies so that customers in the store are excited and have the ,,wow,, factor. And Studiogear like Neumann, ATC sounds at the first listening very flat and for some boring but after a couple of days they absolutely grow on you and you dont miss these extra 5% of treble (my experiences as Klipsch Ex-Owner)
That intro is exactly how i feel when people with their tiny little dome tweeters ask me to listen. Yeah, no. Just not for me. Large horns. Fully horn loaded. Active crossover and EQ'd. Yeah, no, i dont want to hear your little open baffle speaker or your 4" full range driver. Cute but not for me. Well done omni directional are the only thing that makes me go hmm, strange at first but feels right after a while and make me consider leaving horns.
@@Newrecordday2013 I had bookshelves on 24" stands about 24" from side walls. I couldn't figure out why I was seeing a dip in the 100-200Hz region. When I lifted the bookshelves to 32" stands, it filled out that region nicely. Speaker placement makes a huge different at these frequencies, but without seeing measurements in-room, it's hard to have any idea what's going on.
That’s got to be a killer set up. I had the AS1200 with it and it was excellent moved off of it and the Musical Fidelity M5SI is what I’m using now. Absolutely exceptional. Out of the 8 integrated amps I’ve tried on these speakers these are the best pairings I’ve hear with them.
I like the design and I bet that they really sound awesome, but JBL should think about re-branding itself (logo) JBL is not really known as a hifi/high-end company
@@jstoli996c4s Well if you look on the speaker itself it says it's a monitor speaker, meaning it's meant for making music. And what audiosnobs? Hope you're not calling names here... I'm just saying I don't like the logo because it doesn't scream at me that it's all about awesome music reproduction.
Huh? JBL is deff known as a High end company. Yah they have the Bluetooth line-up and $20 headphones covered but they have ALWAYS made super high end speakers. Check out the Everest line and of course the more affordable L series and other 4xxx sereis speakers. Not mention their pro audio stuff which is superb. Try a pair of the 708p's or the world renown M2's. JBL/Harman has some of the most advanced technological resources in the world. Not sure why that doesn't warrant a JBL logo to be proud of. And yes I am a fan now. I have just heard to many good speakers from the Harman group. Really good. The JBL Synthesis Home Theater stuff is pretty much SOTA.
JBL probably has a bigger research and development campus bigger than all of the “high end” brands combined. Not to mention some of the best engineers in the business. I’ve found JBL’s blow a lot of those boutique speakers out of the water.
I have heard quite a few smooth ones. Don't blame the horn, blame the designers. Really I think JBL would say this horn is waveguide. It more about directivity control and dispersion then SPL. This guide helps match the tweeters dispersion with the woofer at the crossover and helps direct the sound into the room in a way the JBL has determined sounds good and considers all the various wall bouncing/reflections. I built the Joseph Crowe 1159 DIY speaker this summer as fun time with my GF. Super smooth AND dynamic. What a sound. Wish you could hear them.
I was surprised when you said this speaker is 85 dB efficient. I normally associate a horn speaker with greater efficiency. They might be doing something with the crossover to adjust the horn efficiency down, to match the cone mid bass speaker. As par for the course, another excellent review.
Hard to bet the 5 series at sale prices. I am running 590s x3 fronts and 580sx4 surround and 530s heights with a 520c as center voice of god all powered by qsc amps... its epic... of course there is better... but for what I paided... I just don't know...
@@chrisj9008 I paid $900 for my PAIR of 590's ~18 mos. ago. They're being replaced by Ohm Walsh SSC's (beta). Much as I love the 590s, they are a bit too "clinical" for my tastes. BTW: I had what my friends called my "insane home theatre" (rack of Crown amps w/5000+ watts and JBL SRX818S subwoofer). Now that I've been there -- done that -- back to relatively straightforward 2.2 system.
@@michaelsparrow4798 ha yup. I will say, the 590s do cdrtain things very well. I do agree with the clinical statement. In my specific room with my set up that services it well with the accoustic treatments. I do prefer prefer for theater, that lower horn transition point really makes vocal and effects cut through which us the way I prefer the sound. I actually have several jbl pro 18's in the garage. While loud, they are for music and somewhat fail for me when leveraged for really low lfe duty. Extreme is always a relative term isn't it. A sliding scale for sure. Lord knows there are some friends I know who's theaters make mine look like the 'poors' attempt at it... Enjoy the ohms!!! And funny you say a 2.2 system. My living room is better that way. Trying to load a room with alot of sound power can really mess things up... not just acoustically, but wife approval factor as well :-)
I'm actually surprised these horn loaded speakers are so inefficient. I wonder why... What other horn loaded speakers are like this? Maybe there's a connection to you liking this horn loaded speaker and the fact that it's different than most horn loaded speakers? Just spitballing...
Could be - The 530s aren’t very efficient as well but also offer a balanced response. Both have a lot in common in their voicing but yeah - I hear ya man.
A horn loaded tweeter doesn't actually improve efficiency that much-the tweeter doesn't use that much power anyway. It's just that Klipsch constantly lies about their sensitivity which perpetuates this myth. As the other poster said, a small speaker that wants to make deeper bass will always be less sensitive.
Power is pretty cheap these days. The 85db allows the speaker to play extended bass and still have plenty of baffle step built into the design. 6.5" woofers with beefy magnets and construction are typically not very sensitive. And again who cares? If the speaker handle the juice with low distortion power is very cheap these days.
I don't know how it sounds. Maybe fantastic. But for sure this is an ugly speaker. Sorry for the feelings i might hurt. Don't bite me all you audio freaks. I'm one of you. But this thing is not good looking.
I can see why you might feel that way. I personally think they look exceptional. Truly a fun and good looking piece. I ordered mine a few months ago in black as I prefer it a slight bit to the walnut. I don't have them yet though. Hopefully ASR gets around to testing them soon and giving them back to me. I am very excited to hear my pair after this review.
@@gregorymorrill7558 Really happy for your new speakers. Hope they sound fantastic. Sorry for my comment. It's only for the look. Don't have to do with the sound. JBLs play great anyway. Hope you really enjoy them. Take care.
I am quite dissatisfied with your insinuation that being horny is bad. I quite get that it’s a play on words, sort of tongue in cheek, however the message it sends is clear. As a result I fear that many young audiophiles , who are mostly men, will think that by listening to their favorite speaker and exciting them in a certain way that perhaps entices them to copulate and fornicate with their partners will by a title such as the one used ultimately lead to a reduction in said copulation. Of course looking at it from strictly a heterosexual viewpoint one can understand that your titles implications, however misgiven, will unfortunately lead to an untimely demise of the aforementioned audiophile. Through the mechanisms of unfortunate attrition we (audiophiles) will cease to be and that cannot be. So I say unto you Go listen to your speaker, go listen and feel the urge, because I certainly do every time I crank up Foghat
Excellent review. Enjoyed it very much. Seems like a great deal for $2k plus stands. Pair them with a good turntable (like Pro-Ject Debut Pro - see Darko review), streamer & CD Player, and a powerful integrated and one could call it quits on hi fi obsession and just enjoyed the music.
Thanks man! Appreciate it!
Mostly agree with this sentiment. I too would call it quits; but only for awhile.
@@jaydee6268 Yes, very true.
2 things worth mentioning! First, completely forgot to show the spectral decay - it’s clean as a whistle! Second, I did try to get inside this speaker to check the parts. They have this thing buttoned up! The crossover looks to be tucked inside, behind the horn. I couldn’t see a way to get to it without damaging the speaker. Anyway! Thought I’d mention those two things.
THX for the review. You missed the Klipsch PR-150M or its "downgrade", but still good new version, the RP-500M!
Hmm, is there really a bad kind of horny? ;-)
I really enjoyed listening to these while I had them. I really appreciated their presence and articulate treble. Mids, especially vocals, were solid and really clean.
My living room being wide and shallow really caused the bass to fall off a lot earlier than I expected. Adding the subs really helped in that imbalance.
For soundstage in my room, I found that facing them directly into the room gave the best presentation and overall sense of scale. Crossing the streams created a more clean center image, but also collapsed the width of the soundstage in the process..
Having first heard them in a more narrow/deep room, they are definitely able to give some solid bass, especially down low, so it definitely seems to be a bit of a room dependency.
Great review, Ron, looking forward to the next one! 👏
If your room is wide and shallow you may be both sitting and positioning the speakers in a null. In a shallow room this can be a huge issue due to the bass waves size and the waves bouncing back and forth and canceling many times over in close time proximity to the original wave. Have you explored the math or used any of the online room mode calculators? They may help you get things in order. Or maybe you can't do much about it if other aspects of the room are fixed.
@@gregorymorrill7558 yeah I can't change much sadly. Different speakers have performed better in my room, and moving around the room doesnt seems to change the level of bass.
I would reorient the system 90°, but the left side of the room is the front door, and the other is the kitchen/hallways so I'm kinda stuck. Best I can probably manage will be room treatment later this year..
I am a big fan of jbl horns. Their studio 500 series are awesome for the money. I have the 530’s and 570’s and have had the 580’s. While I really appreciate all of those the 570’s to me really steals the show. I know your a fan of the 530’s you must try the 570’s. I thought the 570’s would be just about identical to the 530’s but I was wrong. Way better in every way. It must have a better tweeter and the bass seems to be more agile and correct than the 580’s, they are the best balanced speakers I have had. Give them a try.
These speakers are truly amazing for the money. I answered my question which was made a year ago down below. Best amplifier matching is Musical Fidelity M5SI along with Yamaha AS1200. It is a matter of fact speaker so it’ll completely change based on what you connect to it and those two sound glorious with the 4309.
Long time listener, first time caller. I enjoy your review style quite a bit; thanks for that. Question, though... any thoughts about reviewing an Ascend Acoustics offerings (Sierra 2EX in particular). Given your reviews of other internet-direct offerings (SVS) I was curious.
Back in the 70's, JBL had a very prominent forward sounding midrange. This was known as the West Coast Sound. Acoustic Research and similar speakers were known as the Polite New England Sound.
As always, your reviews are excellent. Seems like the $2k range has some competition: KLH Model 5 (stands included), Buchardt S400 MK2 (+stands). I almost considered the 4309, need to add stands and well that was a no, no. But 4309 with those solid steel stands ($600) would look amazing. But $600!!! I hope to see that comparison to model 5 when you get to them. I got my model 5 yesterday!! I’m having trouble letting go of the Heresy 4 sound. I liked it a lot.
Your local furniture carpenter could make you a good pair of dedicated stands for much less and in furniture quality and finish
You were very kind to Klipsch. I’d of just said, Klipsch blows the big horn…Nice review.
Nice job Ron .
I am very impressed with me new
Triangle 40th Anneversary Comete in Santos rosewood veener geez Ron
Their all that espically on a 60 pound tube amp Doge thats full of clarity Caps pop the hood video coming soon as I get a day off work !!! 5 weeks str8 nodaysoff 😥
If you like these, get the pro department to send you the M2's with some Crown 2|1250N amps (they're really quiet out of the pro amp range) and you'll never want any other horn speaker. I have a set with a pair of B460 subs that house the 2269 sub driver (same as the Sub1 unit) instead of the usual 2245 driver. I know I personally don't want any other speakers after having these for 3 years now.
Happy birthday, Ron!
My prayers for your little boy, I hope and pray 🙏 he will be better soon
Thanks so much Ron!!!! Signed horn loving knucklehead …. And former soundboard guy … I appreciate your review on these
Forward sounding horns .... provided it's not too much.....can add a bit of excitement to exciting music. It's different than others types of drivers but If you like that up close and a more "in your face" sound when done well.a horn system is fun especially on rock but with dynamic classical pieces they can be engaging. Many horn based systems units are very efficient . These speakers are not all that efficient at 87. My guess this is because they are extending the bass response on the smallish woofers. I like the really big horn systems in a large room. Here their dynamic contrast with good not too compressed recordings can be very enjoyable. Not so great in a small room and my rooms for sound are rather small. My old school JbL 4412 control room monitors with a dome tweeter give me a bit of that joy.
Every review of these is so different - ‘easy to drive/no, hard to drive’, ‘fire them forward/point at your head’. However, all reviews say they’re dynamic which interests me. Might have to order a pair to hear for myself.
I recently watched your video on 5 reasons why my audio sucks, and took notes and made good changes to how I listen. But I have one question. I currently use 6.5 inch bookshelf speakers on my computer desk pointed directly at me equidistant. My subwoofer is next to the desk. The last tip you mentioned was getting the speakers away from the wall, my question is "Does that matter for near-field listening?"
About time the review bro,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,good review.
horn speaker were developed 60-70 years ago at a time when amplifiers were not very powerful so it made sense to develop a super sensitive speaker. They create a big sound but in terms of linearity, distortion and overall musicality, I don't think they compare to the current state of the art drivers.
Hope you had a good birthday, keep up good work
Not an insincere question: Do you think that huge boost past 20kHz would bother dogs?
Great review Ron. Like you I have always felt ambivalent about horns. Sounds like we have very similar tastes in music. You are just as likely to hear me play ABBA as you are AC/DC. Throw in some Pavarotti and anything in between.
2 questions what did you use to power them and thoughts on good integrated amps to pair with them. I tried a Marantz 40n and in my opinion it wasn't a good match. Considering Yamaha AS1200/2200, Denon PMA110, Arcam SA30 open to thoughts on this topic. Excellent speakers and excellent review.
My audio shop had a pair jbl l200 studio master brand new crossovers and new woofers i loved the way the horns sounded by the way I have pair cerwin vega sl-15 and they are not horns love safe and sound I bought my parasound 2250v2 from them
Not too bad at all for a jbl bookshelf, and looks sharp, but i have to say, for the same price and a 10 year warranty and very nice stands, id definitely go with the KLH model 5.
I was thinking about that comparison. I’ll be able to do that very soon.
@@Newrecordday2013 I think you need to, but im sorry on this one jbl, i love my old jbls...but also love the old model 6, 5, 23 etc, and the new model 5 is just a better bang for the buck, and their new ones are a true 3 way, 10 inch driver, actual veneer, good looking grills and stands, and old school adjustments on back, whats not to love, gotta hand it to klh on those.
@NewRecordDay Hi Ron, I’m considering buying a pair of HDI-1600’s and that brought me here due to your HDI-3600 review. Enjoying the channel immensely, especially the sound clips. I’ve subscribed.
Now considering the 4309’s as well. There aren’t that many horn loaded loudspeakers in the market below $2k so saying these *might* be your favourite *horn-loaded* loudspeaker below $2k isn’t really saying very much, almost damning with faint praise. I really appreciate your opinion and I appreciate it’s all down to personal preference but what would be one or two examples of your favourite loudspeakers below $2k without the qualification of horn-loaded or not?
Good midrange production offers us crispier highs and better-defined, less mushy bass crossover, than bad squawkers. Too many people ignore this, even though the human ear is terrible in the upper midrange and lower treble. My challenge is in designer horns. I can't come up with an enclosure that looks like a dog. Especially a bulldog. But I do like those compact, amplified, batter-powered, hand-held devices. I guess that makes me a bull-headed horndog.
Hi Ron,
Love your channel buddy. I watched your video on LOTS recently.
Great video, my question I wanted to ask I have owned numerous speakers over the years and all of them needed to be placed as you suggested away from the back wall, and in general according to your placement views.
However I have purchased recently a pair of Larsen Audio speakers and these are made and meant to be placed right up against the back wall, they are not equally level a in terms of front aligned. They sound amazing, so would you agree that certain speakers are meant to be placed up against the back wall. Just interested in your thoughts on this.
Great review! Thanks.
For some reason I can't stand a decent amount of Klipsch speakers presentation, but I think I'd be totally fine with the higher end JBLs. Not that I could afford a pair of M2 or K2 though...phew! Maybe a used pair of M2 if the price was right, that would be incredible :)
The 4367 is basically the consumer version of the M2, though still quite pricey at $15k US per pair.
Because Klipsch has radically headed down hill with the quality of their speakers, IMO!!
Wonder how these compare to the JBL LSR-305 studio monitors? They are also powered.
Have you had an opportunity to listen to a pair of vintage JBL Olympus or Sovereign’s? I have owned a pair for 40 years and couple of them with high end audio components. The lens on the mid range horn does a tremendous amount to curtail or eliminate that horn sound to which you refer. The high compression driver utilizes a phenolic lens which performs the same purpose. I enjoy your or channel BTW.
Just ordered a pair from Safe and Sound. Price went down to 1400
how do you like them? very curious about your impressions... considering the jbls or the kef ls50 metas for an upgrade
@@themastroiannis I was using them with two PB2000 SVS subs in the living room. Sounded great. Now they are in the bedroom because my 4430's are back in use after a refoam. I think they are a steal for 1400. I haven't heard anything good about KEF's basically ever. I'm a JBL fan or life. If you get a pair you will keep them.
I have just be listening to a album called African Spirit by the Soweto gospel choir I think it would sound amazing through a good system.
Hi, what's the difference with the Klipsch Rp160M bass? Thank you
Question can you recommend a good center speaker stand for the Polk Audio LSIM 706c speaker
Hi Ron. Enjoyed your video. I see that spike at the top end of the tweeter and wonder if the dogs in your house respond to it. I am an animal lover and know that you are too. so ya serious question. When I play my stereo I start off low, wait for the cat to get annoyed enough to go outside then turn it up.
Would be interesting to review the bigger brother 4349 with the 12” woofer. Seems like it would be a tougher integration to go from that size woofer however without the woofer beaming before it transitions to the tweeter.
I agree, I’ve been thinking about exactly that.
Hi.. This very thorough review from Russia explains why the 4349 actually has less of a problem with integration. Turn the English Subs on:
ruclips.net/video/gAmxl3Xk5R4/видео.html
Ron won’t be happy with ‘em Bennic caps and white coffin R’s though lol..
Would like you to review of the 4305P
Hey Ron, how is the soundstage width/size and imaging? You mentioned depth/layering, but not much else.
Depth isn’t its strong suit as you probably guessed. Width is decent but isn’t crazy wide either. This is a more direct and focused performance IMO. Layering in depth ain’t anything to write home about either. It’s more 3D sounding but it doesn’t have those layers upon layers.
Glad you found a horn... I mean waveguide speaker that you like. Done correctly, their presence is unmatched.
Great review and good looking speakers. I like the blue face and just like my Studio 530s, I'm liking that JBL is giving their speakers some character to go along with the amazing sound not just boring rectangles.
How come the Uni-Fi Reference loudspeakers aren't in your recommended list in your description?
Hello!
If you don't mind me asking, what are the speakers on the oldest video on this channel? The ones that have sectioned speakers and a circular sideways subwoofer towards the bottom.
Anthony Gallo 3.1.
Can be quite nice though it could be best when used with separate amplifier for the woofer.
Cool looking design too
how well would this work in nearfield?
Thank you for being honest with us, right off the bat of the video.
Absolutely
Can I use those monitors with my SANSUI AU717 ?
I would love to hear your comparison to the similarly priced Arendal 1723 monitors
I guess you know that's been done by Terry's channel "Pursuit Perfect System", right?
I'm curious how these compare to the css criton 2tdx. Similar pricing.
My vintage Jbl 4343 does not have any mouth covering sound and I will not trade them with anything else.
I ignore anything over 17.5KHz most anyone over the age of 17 cant hear anything above that. Me personally I cant hear above 12.5KHz.
Thanks man! I “hear” you.
Can't hear above 16khz here! I like to electronically remove anything above 17.5k anyways. However, good speakers with amazing tweeters that can sing to 35khz are not totally useless. They can go all the way upto 35, so they actually sound "fuller" at 13k-15k. Makes female voices less shrill.
I did a test and the most I could make out was just under 14k. I'm 42
@@Newrecordday2013 - I see what you did there....
Most males can't hear 17k period. Majority stop around 16 or less By 40 men are actually lucky to hear above 8k. If you do it's only pockets of sound and will be distorted or just noises higher up, as your brain knows it is getting sound pressure but ears cannot orocess.
@4:00 but thats what 98% of the Hifi Manufacrures did. They boost some frequencies so that customers in the store are excited and have the ,,wow,, factor. And Studiogear like Neumann, ATC sounds at the first listening very flat and for some boring but after a couple of days they absolutely grow on you and you dont miss these extra 5% of treble (my experiences as Klipsch Ex-Owner)
That intro is exactly how i feel when people with their tiny little dome tweeters ask me to listen. Yeah, no. Just not for me. Large horns. Fully horn loaded. Active crossover and EQ'd. Yeah, no, i dont want to hear your little open baffle speaker or your 4" full range driver. Cute but not for me. Well done omni directional are the only thing that makes me go hmm, strange at first but feels right after a while and make me consider leaving horns.
I wonder if the front port just played better with your room/placement acoustics.
It’s possible. I really liked those speakers quite a bit.
@@Newrecordday2013 I had bookshelves on 24" stands about 24" from side walls. I couldn't figure out why I was seeing a dip in the 100-200Hz region. When I lifted the bookshelves to 32" stands, it filled out that region nicely. Speaker placement makes a huge different at these frequencies, but without seeing measurements in-room, it's hard to have any idea what's going on.
@@brandonandrews4009 that’s true. What you were seeing was most likely floor bounce.
@@Newrecordday2013 I think the equidistant side wall doubled it.
Could be as well.
My jbl4343 vintage does not have any of hand holding sound at all.
How do horns do in a long rectangular room? My basement could use some nice speakers
Just fine! Controlled directivity will save the day!
@@Newrecordday2013 Nice! Thank you!!! 😁
Just curious, will you be reviewing the M6 Sapphire?
Yup! And the m4.
@@Newrecordday2013 Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on those two speakers.
Just got a pair of 4309 from music direct. Half off…anyways JBL 4309 + Yamaha A-S2200 🔥🔥🔥 👨🏽🍳 😘
That’s got to be a killer set up. I had the AS1200 with it and it was excellent moved off of it and the Musical Fidelity M5SI is what I’m using now. Absolutely exceptional. Out of the 8 integrated amps I’ve tried on these speakers these are the best pairings I’ve hear with them.
@@joaquinbarreto9398 ты уже надоел со своим MF. На каждом обзоре высказываешь своё никому не нужное мнение.
Looks like a front ported klipsch to 600 m
I like the design and I bet that they really sound awesome, but JBL should think about re-branding itself (logo)
JBL is not really known as a hifi/high-end company
Why?? JBL has a legendary heritage. Plus, only audiosnobs are care about the "high end" label.
@@jstoli996c4s Well if you look on the speaker itself it says it's a monitor speaker, meaning it's meant for making music.
And what audiosnobs? Hope you're not calling names here...
I'm just saying I don't like the logo because it doesn't scream at me that it's all about awesome music reproduction.
@@SergeySedlovsky not directed at you sir.
Huh? JBL is deff known as a High end company. Yah they have the Bluetooth line-up and $20 headphones covered but they have ALWAYS made super high end speakers. Check out the Everest line and of course the more affordable L series and other 4xxx sereis speakers. Not mention their pro audio stuff which is superb. Try a pair of the 708p's or the world renown M2's. JBL/Harman has some of the most advanced technological resources in the world. Not sure why that doesn't warrant a JBL logo to be proud of. And yes I am a fan now. I have just heard to many good speakers from the Harman group. Really good. The JBL Synthesis Home Theater stuff is pretty much SOTA.
JBL probably has a bigger research and development campus bigger than all of the “high end” brands combined. Not to mention some of the best engineers in the business. I’ve found JBL’s blow a lot of those boutique speakers out of the water.
Yet to hear a horn speaker that isn’t fatiguing.
I have heard quite a few smooth ones. Don't blame the horn, blame the designers. Really I think JBL would say this horn is waveguide. It more about directivity control and dispersion then SPL. This guide helps match the tweeters dispersion with the woofer at the crossover and helps direct the sound into the room in a way the JBL has determined sounds good and considers all the various wall bouncing/reflections. I built the Joseph Crowe 1159 DIY speaker this summer as fun time with my GF. Super smooth AND dynamic. What a sound. Wish you could hear them.
Just like my wife.
NRD what would you pick Buchart or this JBL
Which Buchardt?
@@Newrecordday2013 S400
Man they are both really good and sound difference in a lot of ways. I would personally take the JBLs but it’s close.
I was surprised when you said this speaker is 85 dB efficient. I normally associate a horn speaker with greater efficiency. They might be doing something with the crossover to adjust the horn efficiency down, to match the cone mid bass speaker.
As par for the course, another excellent review.
Thanks Michael!
I think it's more like 87.
I couldn't hear that 20k peak if I tried.
Better than JBL Studio 530? It better be -- at 5-6 times the price.
Hard to bet the 5 series at sale prices. I am running 590s x3 fronts and 580sx4 surround and 530s heights with a 520c as center voice of god all powered by qsc amps... its epic... of course there is better... but for what I paided... I just don't know...
@@chrisj9008 I paid $900 for my PAIR of 590's ~18 mos. ago. They're being replaced by Ohm Walsh SSC's (beta). Much as I love the 590s, they are a bit too "clinical" for my tastes. BTW: I had what my friends called my "insane home theatre" (rack of Crown amps w/5000+ watts and JBL SRX818S subwoofer). Now that I've been there -- done that -- back to relatively straightforward 2.2 system.
@@michaelsparrow4798 ha yup. I will say, the 590s do cdrtain things very well. I do agree with the clinical statement. In my specific room with my set up that services it well with the accoustic treatments. I do prefer prefer for theater, that lower horn transition point really makes vocal and effects cut through which us the way I prefer the sound.
I actually have several jbl pro 18's in the garage. While loud, they are for music and somewhat fail for me when leveraged for really low lfe duty. Extreme is always a relative term isn't it. A sliding scale for sure. Lord knows there are some friends I know who's theaters make mine look like the 'poors' attempt at it...
Enjoy the ohms!!! And funny you say a 2.2 system. My living room is better that way. Trying to load a room with alot of sound power can really mess things up... not just acoustically, but wife approval factor as well :-)
2000 bucks pair,, huh... what about klipsch ..,,, or martin logan esl 2500 per pair
Happy birthday to you happy birthday to you happy birthday gentlemen happy birthday to you
the blue looks bad. wonder how hard it would be to paint
Looks the business? That speaker is so ugly I felt sorry for it.
Ron;
"Flavor the time domain" ?
... via the UHF trim pot
What the hell you goin' on about?
Signed, Knuckle-Head
Oh you know, just making up a bunch of words over here. The usual!
I'm actually surprised these horn loaded speakers are so inefficient. I wonder why... What other horn loaded speakers are like this?
Maybe there's a connection to you liking this horn loaded speaker and the fact that it's different than most horn loaded speakers? Just spitballing...
Could be - The 530s aren’t very efficient as well but also offer a balanced response. Both have a lot in common in their voicing but yeah - I hear ya man.
Its probably a tade off for bass extension in the woofer. Tweeter is likely heavily padded to match the woofer.
@Chris This is probably true
A horn loaded tweeter doesn't actually improve efficiency that much-the tweeter doesn't use that much power anyway. It's just that Klipsch constantly lies about their sensitivity which perpetuates this myth. As the other poster said, a small speaker that wants to make deeper bass will always be less sensitive.
Used your link. Smoking deal
*THERES A BAD KIND?*
Nurds (NRDs) .... Unite!!!!!
Чувак где звучание акустики!!!???
*all that you did not even let us hear it.*
HAHAHAHA good one!
85 db and 4ohms...ouch!.
She needs juice!
Power is pretty cheap these days. The 85db allows the speaker to play extended bass and still have plenty of baffle step built into the design. 6.5" woofers with beefy magnets and construction are typically not very sensitive. And again who cares? If the speaker handle the juice with low distortion power is very cheap these days.
$2000.00 😲
Not for most....
2K for speakers without a bass driver.
By bass driver, I assume you mean subwoofer?
@David Watson haha!
Thinking he means it should be a 3-way for this price. Obviously lots of 2-ways in this price range and above, so not sure why the comment.
@@rlowes I do not understand how real men can pay 2K for 6,5 inch speaker.
@@kristianhansen5057 Buy a couple subs to go with it? Buy 10 subs? You can add as much bass as you'd like. Or buy the 4349's.
I don't know how it sounds. Maybe fantastic. But for sure this is an ugly speaker. Sorry for the feelings i might hurt. Don't bite me all you audio freaks. I'm one of you. But this thing is not good looking.
I can see why you might feel that way. I personally think they look exceptional. Truly a fun and good looking piece. I ordered mine a few months ago in black as I prefer it a slight bit to the walnut. I don't have them yet though. Hopefully ASR gets around to testing them soon and giving them back to me. I am very excited to hear my pair after this review.
@@gregorymorrill7558 Really happy for your new speakers. Hope they sound fantastic. Sorry for my comment. It's only for the look. Don't have to do with the sound. JBLs play great anyway. Hope you really enjoy them. Take care.
I am quite dissatisfied with your insinuation that being horny is bad. I quite get that it’s a play on words, sort of tongue in cheek, however the message it sends is clear. As a result I fear that many young audiophiles , who are mostly men, will think that by listening to their favorite speaker and exciting them in a certain way that perhaps entices them to copulate and fornicate with their partners will by a title such as the one used ultimately lead to a reduction in said copulation. Of course looking at it from strictly a heterosexual viewpoint one can understand that your titles implications, however misgiven, will unfortunately lead to an untimely demise of the aforementioned audiophile. Through the mechanisms of unfortunate attrition we (audiophiles) will cease to be and that cannot be. So I say unto you Go listen to your speaker, go listen and feel the urge, because I certainly do every time I crank up Foghat