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JBL 4311 b

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yates

New Member
I have a Marantz 2270 and I am currently using JBL 4311b and Dynaco a25. Does anybody have any suggestions on what I could use instead of JBL? I was thinking maybe Large Advents or Klipsch Heresy, but I haven't ever listened to them. We mostly listen to Dylan, Pink Floyd, Rock and Country. I never posted on here, but I do read alot. Thanks anyone!
 
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Welcome to Ak yates :) What do you not like about the JBL's? The Large Advents are a very nice sounding loudspeaker. Compared to the Klipsch, which also is a very nice sounding speaker in itself, the Advents will have more low end sound in them. Folks on AK who run the Heresy tend to use a sub..Not always but alot do.
 
Thanks for the reply I don't think the JBL's sound bad, just wondering if Advents or something else might compliment the Dynacos. With the jbls on I, can't hear the a25s.
 
yates said:
I have a Marantz 2270 and I am currently using JBL 4311b and Dynaco a25. Does anybody have any suggestions on what I could use instead of JBL? I was thinking maybe Large Advents or Klipsch Heresy, but I haven't ever listened to them. We mostly listen to Dylan, Pink Floyd, Rock and Country. I never posted on here, but I do read alot. Thanks anyone!
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Two distinct sounding speakers. I think depending on the music type, one may sound better than the other.

JBL's are the "West Coast" sound. Brighter in the mids & highs, a more forward sound. I think the Advents along with KLH's and AR's 's are more of a warm, deep, less in your face "East Coast" sound.

I have 4301b's, AR's and KLH's, love the sound of both for different reasons.

I have not heard the Dynaco's though I would like to.
 
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Welcome to AK,

The way I read your last post, you are in act using 2 different pairs of speakers at the same time.
If you are doing that, it will be almost impossible to hear both set at the same time. Most likely, one pair will always take precedence over the other.

Since the Dynaco have a more subdued sound, somewhat similar as AR or KLH, I'm talking about the mid and high, you could possibly hear both pairs, but with the AR or KLH having more deep end than the Dynaco.
 
Don't discount some of the "newer" JBLs (newer than the 4311b) either. The move from paper-cone tweeters (in speakers such as the 4311b) to dome tweeters was significant IMO, and you might be pleasantly surprised.
 
Chris Brown said:
Don't discount some of the "newer" JBLs (newer than the 4311b) either. The move from paper-cone tweeters (in speakers such as the 4311b) to dome tweeters was significant IMO, and you might be pleasantly surprised.
Click to expand...

That poor tweeter gets a bum rap. The LE-5 midrange resonance was apparently what really caused the "West Coast sound" problem. Improvements in its application derived more from better crossover designs, as JBL engineers like Greg Timbers learned to tame that peak with later JBLs using LE-5 series drivers. At least, that's my impression. Here is the midrange driver's stock performance, showing how peaky it can be:

allLE5-2.jpg


This article shows how well that much-maligned tweeter can perform:

http://www.troelsgravesen.dk/JBL_L100_08.htm

And see this article on improving the stock L100, with the same tweeter, with a crossover upgrade:

http://www.troelsgravesen.dk/JBL_L100.htm

And this one on a much upgraded L26, again, using the same basic tweeter:

http://www.troelsgravesen.dk/JBL-L26-3way.htm

And this article on the virtues of those tweeters in general:

http://www.troelsgravesen.dk/JBL_LE26.htm
 
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Some speakers are louder than others. Some amps have a fader to deal with this.
You can connect 2 amps together each with set of speakers and then each has separate volume control.
 
I feel it is my duty to point out that the LE5-10 in the 4311B is a very different speaker than the LE5-2 in the L100.

This chart has the details:

http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?5706-The-LE5-Matrix&highlight=le5 matrix

But not only are they designed differently, they sound very different as well. The LE5-2 is much harsher. I was A/Bing a set of 4310s and 4311Bs and was very surprised how different they sound. In every way, the 4311b, for all its flaws, is a much better speaker. The tweeter and mid drivers are huge improvements, and the porting on the 4311B is better designed to tighten up the low end just a bit while keeping the characteristic L100ish sound.

Getting the 4310s made me realize how much I like my 4311Bs. The 4310s are pretty horrible, while the 4311Bs are a bit abrasive. I did a econo-econowave treatment to my 4311Bs and now can't get enough of them. There's something about the bass response of that speaker that I just love.

To the OP - I don't believe in running two sets of speakers at the same time. There are all sorts of phase anomalies and other weirdness that can come of that. However, if you like it, that's fine with me. That said, I think the best way to combine different speakers would be find a pre amp that allows for two separate speaker sets to be run simultaneously, then buy a power amp (or class d chip amp) for each set of speakers. Balance the volume between the sets of speakers with your power amp volume controls, and use your pre to control master volume. As I think about it, if there is a preamp out from your Marantz, you could split that signal and send it out to two power amps and keep the dark Marantz character you (probly) love.
 
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Interesting question. One that I've faced not so long ago. I had paired my Dynaco A-25's with a pair of 4410's as I had done with the Marantz Imperial 7's and the 4410's previously. I wasn't very happy with the matchup.

I added an amp to drive the 4410's separately, thereby giving me the ability to fade between the two pair - still wasn't happy. I swapped out the 4410's with other speakers (see my sig for a partial list) before it dawned on me what the issue was. The main problem I had was that my ears simply preferred the sound of the Dynaco A-25's on their own. Once I got that in my head the issue went away. The solution? Listen to the Dynaco's on their own. They can stand alone and be very very pleasant to listen to with any kind of music.

I now have a love/hate relationship with my A-25's. I love them. But I hate them because all the other speakers are gathering dust. Damn-it!
 
The Klipsch Forte doesn't take up much floor space, nor does it need a sub. A lot of the time the price on these can be a bit high, but there are some deals to be had, too. PM me if you think you might be interested.
 
I very much like my 4311bs. When I first got them, I re-capped them and left them for my step dad to use. I didn't take them too seriously because of the paper tweeter and they've been said to be the studio version of the L100s.
I finally hooked them up to some decent gear and was pleasantly surprised at , once "dialed in", with diligent use of it's pots,how they really didn't seem to do any thing wrong, as described by L100 opponents.
On quality 16 inch stands, because of the drivers close proximity too each other ,they're also surprisingly coherent as well.
 
Can someone tell me if all the variants of LE5 midrange speakers have the same peak at 6.5 KHz?

I am wonder if some other LE5 version would sound OK as a replacement for an LE5-2 in a Nova L-88 Plus upgrade.
 
You should ask that question over at audioheritage.org.

I'd say the 5-10 or 5-12 would be markedly better. They are slightly less efficient than the 5-2, but I personally end up turning the mid down almost all the way anyhow.

I'm no expert, but if I were going to play with my 4311Bs, I would mod the crossover. I'd add a 0.3mH inductor to the mid. That would act as a low pass filter with a 6db/oct slope starting at 3kHz. You'd see a 6db drop at 6kHz, which should just about counteract that nasty bump. In fact, this post makes me want to try it out.
 
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