JBL 4408 your thoughts please

[warhorse]

Hi All
I have recently been offered a pair of JBL 4408...they are in pretty good condition but have not heard them yet.

Any opinions on them?

 

[SoundOfSound]

Snag them. They have a great tweeter. Hopefully they are not asking too much $$$

http://www.jblproservice.com/pdf/Studio Monitor Series/4408.pdf

http://www.jblpro.com/pub/obsolete/4408.pdf

 

[BMWCCA]

For some reason, I never thought they sounded as nice as the L1 or L20T which had smaller LF drivers. Same problem with the L60T which has nearly the same LF driver, they just don't seem to live up the the expectation of their components. Seems the JBL two-ways work great in little boxes with 6.5" woofers but the 8-inch two-ways are so inferior to the 10-inch 3-ways that they just never get a great following.

Certainly at the right price they're worth having, and it goes without saying that if you can buy them for less than what the 035TiAs are worth, that's a bargain! It all depends on your frame of reference.

Are they 4408 or 4408A's?

 

[oblomov]

I love my 4408s! Using them with old h/k A-402. Very detailed

Don't be looking for a "crankin' the jams" kind of speaker, though -- these are best at lower/moderate volume, near field, as they were designed. I use them in a ~10X10 room.

BMWCCA, I'd like to hear some of the models that you mention, if you think they sound better. I've always wanted to check out the big 4412s!

 

[hifitommy]

i have always wanted a JBL speaker with the Ti dome but never had an op for that. i have always made other choices like the spendor s3/5s or my maggie MMGs. i once owned a pair of rogers LS3/5As and bemoan the day i ever sold them.

who knows what the future holds as i still have the spendors and maggies.

 

[rcaman]

i have a pair of l36 and a pair of l166 horizons good speakers you bet they are i love em. i don't think you can go wrong with jbl products.

 

[Reynolds531]

Hi All
I have recently been offered a pair of JBL 4408...they are in pretty good condition but have not heard them yet.

Any opinions on them?

the 035TIA tweeters have a damping foam under the diaphram. With age the foam degrades, crumbles, turns too goo, and /or gets stiff causing the tweeters to be very harsh. Run a frequncy sweep from 8 K hz up and see if the tweeters sound ok. Expect that they will not sound good. compare to a good refernce speaker if you can.

There are replacement "clones" of the 035TIA tweeter availble from Midwest speaker that sound great but they are $90 each.

also consider that the crossover caps are ancient and electrolytic.

 

[Valveglow]

The first three letters of that product has me somewhat prejudiced...

 

[BMWCCA]

I'd like to hear some of the models that you mention, if you think they sound better. I've always wanted to check out the big 4412s!

Some think the sweet-spot is the 10-inch 3-way JBLs, even over the 12-inch 3-ways. I like them both. I have the L96 and L80T/3 in addition to the L112 and 4412A. The 12's seem more prone to placement issues, boundary reinforcement, etc. They need to be off the floor even though they are rather large "bookshelf" speakers. The 10-inch models aren't really much smaller, if any, in cabinet size. They are all designed to be up. Tweeters at ear-level works best. The 4412 is designed for horizontal placement and the 4410/L96 for vertical. The ten-inchers perform better than you have any right to expect and the twelves never fail to disappoint, IMHO. I've often said if space was at a premium and I could only keep one pair to use for all circumstances and all types of music, I might lean toward the L96 over all others. :thmbsp:

 

[warhorse]

thanks for all the input....I will hold off and keep searching for a 3 way or more? Say a 4345?

 

[icenine]

I have some JBL 4406....the 4408 must be the next step up I would grab them.


And if you ever see Yamaha NS-10t's grab them....they might be very inexpensive but to me are in the same league as the 4406s.

 

[BMWCCA]

thanks for all the input....I will hold off and keep searching for a 3 way or more? Say a 4345?

Hah! Good luck with that one! Hopefully you were only joking.

We can't discuss price in this forum but suffice it to say if you find a pair of 4345 (4-ways, BTW) for twenty-times the 4408, you've done well. What is your budget?

Don't skip the 4408 because they aren't the best JBL ever. Often a mid-range JBL is more pleasing than high-line model from other name-brands. You'll never know until you try. That's how I ended up with a dozen or more JBLs. Haven't found any I'd kick out of the house yet.

 

[warhorse]

the 4345's are my dream pair...oh yes I am well aware of their cost. As for budget ...let's just say I would spend some if I could get a pair. Kenrick has pretty awesome examples of them but their prices are way up there, but well worth what they've done to them.