JBL 4311b Studio Monitors

[derek92994]

Just acquired these yesterday, over 300kms of travel was well worth it. Have never heard sound quality like this coming from my Pioneer 9500s amp. They have been refinished in white and the crossovers upgraded with clarity capacitors. Tweeters and mids have been replaced, I still have 1 of the original mids as a spare which has been repaired. Rear connectors have also been upgraded. The seller was kind enough to provide me with some plugs to attach to the speaker wires. New territory for me, just need a Phase linear power amp and decent pre amp to complete the setup, all in good time. Overall I am very impressed with these speakers, am hearing detail in tracks that I have never heard before, a nice surprise. Will be spinning some direct to disc vinyl pressings for a good test run. Shpongle's "Star Shpongled Banner" sounded totally different, the bass was very defined and not "blubbery" like my previous speakers almost sounded like a different instrument. Mid and high range was stunning. You don't have to push these speakers to get a satisfying sound, moderate listening levels are a pleasure, another big difference from the previous speakers.

A big thanks to George (bobbysdad) for drawing my attention to these speakers. Without his help this would not have been possible

 

[NavLinear]

Those are beautiful looking speaks Derek. George pointed you in a good direction.

I've listened to JBLs a lot in the 70s and those produced a very nice sound and could go loud when pushed. The Century 100s and their monitor series - can't remember the models - were on my short list but I went in a different direction when I saved enough for my first set of speaker. 300 clicks round trip - a bit of a haul but it does seem worth it.

 

[laatsch55]

NICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[laatsch55]

Nav, O've traveled a lot further for a lpot less. Ya did good D2.

 

[derek92994]

Candy for my ears, spinning lots of Mannheim Steamroller on the thorens. I'm going to be listening all day. Will have to force myself out of the house later on to do a few things. Just a question, the woofers shake slightly due to the rumble of the record player, will this hurt the drivers?

 

[derek92994]

Nav, O've traveled a lot further for a lpot less. Ya did good D2.

Thanks Lee, the hardest part was coming home with them just after midnight and having to go to bed, I was exhausted, I was surely onto them first thing after breakfast this morning =).

 

[Fast Forward]

Massive,,,I love them

 

[pennysdad]

.... and I like 'em too!
No D2, the rumble won't hurt unless you turn 'em up too loud.
Short of applying a subsonic filter, which u don't have, it may pay you to experiment now with how and where your t/t is placed/mounted.
This has been the plague of ALL vinyl players. Alternatively, try more experimentation with your speakers, and try to get them away from the wall a bit more to break the coupling effect, to stop the rear waves off the back of the boxes from turning into standing waves when reflected off the wall which eventually get picked up by your t/t.
Little changes can have quite dramatic results.

Your journey starts here now, so enjoy your trip.

ps: .... and yes Nav, these are the equivalent to the L100's (as are the JBL 4310, 11, & 12.)

 

[derek92994]

.... and I like 'em too!
No D2, the rumble won't hurt unless you turn 'em up too loud.
Short of applying a subsonic filter, which u don't have, it may pay you to experiment now with how and where your t/t is placed/mounted.
This has been the plague of ALL vinyl players. Alternatively, try more experimentation with your speakers, and try to get them away from the wall a bit more to break the coupling effect, to stop the rear waves off the back of the boxes from turning into standing waves when reflected off the wall which eventually get picked up by your t/t.
Little changes can have quite dramatic results.

Your journey starts here now, so enjoy your trip.

Even after I transfer the vinyl to PC at a very low volume level then play it back, the rumble is still there, it cant be heard but is seen by the movement of the woofer, its like the Thorens is producing the rumble regardless of feedback. I can apply a low frequency filter digitally and this stops the rumble completely. This is what I do if I want to turn it up a bit, but its not analog unfortunately. I can get enough volume out of the Turntable without the speakers moving too much so its not a major issue, just a little annoying. The bearing in the turntable could be worn, it has had a lot of use over the last 10 years, the cartridge could also be an issue as its only entry level. All in good time I guess. I will try moving the speakers forward but there is only so far I can move them due to my bed being down here as well, and if that gets moved too far back its going to be a pain to get into the kitchen. A subsonic filter should be on the cards for the future. Cheers George.

 

[pennysdad]

it all takes time......
..... and there's no hurry.

with the speaks, just moving them a couple o' inches can make all the difference. I'm not suggesting they be moved too much as to be impractical for your conditions.

 

[derek92994]

it all takes time......
..... and there's no hurry.

with the speaks, just moving them a couple o' inches can make all the difference. I'm not suggesting they be moved too much as to be impractical for your conditions.

Cool, I'll give that a go once I have had my 1970's Genesis Fix (Flac).

 

[pennysdad]

wot may help also is a piece of foam blu tacked to the wall directly behind each box.
.... or even a towel draped down the back of the box can have a helpful effect.
it's all about experimenting without spending heaps.

 

[NavLinear]

I did not realize these were similar to the Century speakers - I'm glad to hear that you snagged them Derek.

I agree that an inch or two can mean the world - in audio that is.

 

[derek92994]

I did not realize these were similar to the Century speakers - I'm glad to hear that you snagged them Derek.

I agree that an inch or two can mean the world - in audio that is.

Thank you Nav, as always, delivered in style

 

[Elite-ist]

Derek: I don't have any JBLs, but I appreciate their sound from the few I have heard at Innovative Audio. Were these speakers George had? If so, it was certainly good of him to release a pair from his speaker collection for the anticipated arrival of your Phase Linear amplifier from Lee.

I almost bought a pair of JBL L 300s, but I hesitated too long.

Nando.

 

[laatsch55]

And I will build his PL to the highest standards I'm capable of cause it's a long way to send for warranty work. Pllus there will be some features that will make it easy to send just the boards. The power supplies will be bullet proof so no sending them back,EVER, the boards don't weigh squat.

 

[laatsch55]

May have to suspend it from the ceiling. Had to do that in college. Don't know what the dorms were made of, but it wasn't that stable....

 

[Elite-ist]

Lee: I am impressed with what you've done with the PL amps, so far. And best of all, you aren't content with keeping it the same as the past. You like to push the boundaries - a true pioneer. Once you have some slack time, I might take you up on that Spec 2 rebuild. I have to put all my hard-worked overtime hours into something for my own enjoyment, after all.

Nando.

 

[laatsch55]

Thank You Nando for the shot of confidence. Spec 2 or PL 700??

 

[Elite-ist]

Thank You Nando for the shot of confidence. Spec 2 or PL 700??

I have experienced Doug's Laart WOPL 1000, and it would be hard for me to go Pioneer when you have told me that a redone Spec 2 wouldn't compare to Doug's amplifier. The PL 700 has the good looks I like. You tell me which way to go, Lee.

Nando.