JBL 4425 cone color, surround seperation?

[RosewoodAsh]

Hello Forum,

I'm on the hunt for a pair of 4425 monitors and have come across a pair in my area priced pretty well, but the color of the cone is a little darker / shinier than photos of others I have seen. There also seems to be a little separation in the surround seal.

Does the color come from doping applied to the entire cone, and if so, is it a reason to walk away? Or should I be worried about the surrounds more?

He told me he bought them from a Hi-Fi shop about 4 years ago, so I wonder what, if any refurb job they did - any opinions based on these photos?

This is my first post, thank you!

 

[GordonW]

That's not original. Some kind of "wet look" coating has been added. '

There were some JBL woofers that had that sort of glossy coating- but the 2214H never did. They should be somewhere between a flat and an eggshell texture, and even somewhat "bumpy".

Any surround separation should be dealt with- it could be as easy as injecting a little glue in the separated area, and re-gluing. But, the cone treatment is a much harder problem to solve- as original 2214H kits are not longer available. There is an aftermarket kit- but, for this application- they should be treated with the proper Aquaplas coating, before installation.

Regards,
Gordon

 

[RosewoodAsh]

Hi Gordon,

Yes, they are quite different looking than a pair I saw last week at a Hi-Fi shop. What is the purpose of applying a coating like this? Are they usable as is, or a problem to be solved as you put it?

This other pair from last week was priced 700E more, but didn't sound very lively to me. I noticed the edge of the cone had some chipping, and thought maybe this was an indication of old paper and why I wasn't thrilled with the sound?

Here's a photo of one of the speakers I saw last week with the chipping around the edge:

 

[turnitdown]

It looks as though the picture above is a re-foam job and they did an inelegant job of removing the old foam.

 

[Chris Brown]

The glossy look is definitely a coating that has been added. Unfortunately it seems to have been a fad at one point, as this is hardly an isolated case. It wouldn't even surprise me if they did it thinking that it would improve the sound somehow (It doesn't). Lots of snake-oil type stuff like that in Audio unfortunately.

The woofer would probably still work, but the added mass from the coating WILL change how it sounds compared to the original. Whether it's still good enough or not is something only you can decide. It would be a bigger problem in the 4425 than something like the L100T (which also uses the 2214H) since the 4425 has the 2214H crossed over much higher in order to facilitate a 2-way design with that compression driver. The 2214H has to handle more of that lower midrange in the 4425.

I also notice the gasket, which is usually around the outside of the foam, is missing. Cosmetic, but only further shows that whoever did the refoam job didn't really care about doing it "correct". Even if it was done at a "shop", that doesn't really guarantee anything. Some of the worst refoam jobs I've seen have come from "professionals" at "shops". Some of them allow their egos to get a bit too big, and end up pushing their ideas about how stuff "should" be done upon their customers instead of just doing it the right way.

Just be glad that they didn't replace them with some cheap car subwoofers I guess... Maybe you can get them for a better price when you point out the obvious flaws.

I noticed the edge of the cone had some chipping, and thought maybe this was an indication of old paper and why I wasn't thrilled with the sound?

The paper cones have an exceptionally long lifespan as long as they have not been subjected to excess moisture or constant direct sunlight. That is not any kind of age-related deterioration. It does look like whoever did the refoam was probably a bit rough when they did the refoam job. Keep in mind that these speakers are approaching the age where, depending on environmental conditions and other factors, they could very well have been refoamed twice at this point. In those cases, sometimes the 2nd refoam job can be more difficult than the first in terms of keeping everything looking perfectly clean.

 

[Semanon]

Welcome to AK.

Here's a photo of one of the speakers I saw last week with the chipping around the edge:

That chipping should not have a big impact on the sound. It’s unsightly and should impact the price, but not the sound (unless it’s rubbing).
The pair with the shiny cones have been clearly reconed. The look and feel isn’t nearly right. Here is one of my woofers which was refoamed by A Brown Soun in 2016. They knew what they were doing. Sadly, they closed. .



That said, a professional reform job could cost $200-$300. If the condition of the shiny cone speakers is otherwise good, you can come out ahead by buying them and reconing. Just be sure that the driver is a 2214.

 

[RosewoodAsh]

Thanks a lot for the responses, I wasn't aware of any of this. I'm going to take a pass on this pair. The seller does not want to open them, so I won't be able to confirm what the internal components are. And since one of my possible uses for these is as studio monitors and the coating will have an affect on the sound, I don't think it's worth it all things considered.

The only other refoamed speakers I've had were Urei 809's done by Orange Country Speakers, and the job was perfect, so I knew something was a little off with the first pair, but it's good to hear it's not of huge consequence. Unfortunately sold those and the Bryston 4b-St they were paired with before I moved. It was an incredible sounding combo, but I'm having fun hunting down a new setup in a new country, so I can't complain too much.

Hi-Fi is very popular here in Italy and there are a few sets of 4425's and 4430's for sale at any given time. It's actually been a little overwhelming walking into a shop and seeing so many options - that's why I focused on classic monitors with 12" drivers that I figured would be similar in performance to the Urei's.

 

[Semanon]

The hunt is a big part of the fun.

For me. The 4425s are keepers and they serve well in their role

 

[GordonW]

Hi Gordon,

Yes, they are quite different looking than a pair I saw last week at a Hi-Fi shop. What is the purpose of applying a coating like this? Are they usable as is, or a problem to be solved as you put it?

This other pair from last week was priced 700E more, but didn't sound very lively to me. I noticed the edge of the cone had some chipping, and thought maybe this was an indication of old paper and why I wasn't thrilled with the sound?

Here's a photo of one of the speakers I saw last week with the chipping around the edge:


View attachment 3139643

The woofer in the photo, just need a very thin bead of glue, to go over that rough area. Just to make sure that anything on the edge that is loose or comes loose, doesn't cause noise/buzzing sounds. You can see that done, in the woofers just above, that were reconed by A Brown Soun -look at the glue between the cone and the inside of the surround.

Regards,
Gordon.