JBL L300 vs JBL 4430?
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Zonker92
All shiny and chrome
I've never heard the L300, but I do have 4430s, and I've read many threads where the comparison was discussed. Bear in mind that they have identical cabinet volumes, and the woofers and compression drivers have a great deal in common.
Starting at the bottom, one comment I have seen is that the L300 has tighter bass, with the 4430 being "tubbier." (I'm not sure exactly what that means.) (On my 4430s I have tuned the ports down a few Hz--something Zilch suggested--and raised the speakers up on stands--another common recommendation--and I really like the bass.)*
As to the midrange, I have heard that the L300's aluminum diaphragms sound a little smoother than the Ti phragms found in most 4430s (2425/2426 drivers; the very early ones (2421s) were AL). I have read other threads where people found no great difference between the two phragms. (In any event, I believe that the $80 AL Radian diaphragms for the LE85 / 2421 / 2425 / 2426 drivers would address this issue nicely, while their Mylar surrounds would afford more power handling and longevity than the earlier AL phragms.)
And up top, having those sweet 077 tweeters, the L300 will play up and past 20 KHz, but the 4430 rolls off at 16 KHz. (Long after my hearing rolls off.)
Overall, the 4430 has more uniform (100 x 100) dispersion (I believe).
And I have read that the 4430 has better imaging.
Another issue is pricing; I think you can still find some decent 4430s for around $1,300. Clean L300s are fetching $4,000-5,000 nowadays.
* One thing I highly recommend on the 4430s is bypassing the biamp switch; that greatly improved the bass on mine.
Starting at the bottom, one comment I have seen is that the L300 has tighter bass, with the 4430 being "tubbier." (I'm not sure exactly what that means.) (On my 4430s I have tuned the ports down a few Hz--something Zilch suggested--and raised the speakers up on stands--another common recommendation--and I really like the bass.)*
As to the midrange, I have heard that the L300's aluminum diaphragms sound a little smoother than the Ti phragms found in most 4430s (2425/2426 drivers; the very early ones (2421s) were AL). I have read other threads where people found no great difference between the two phragms. (In any event, I believe that the $80 AL Radian diaphragms for the LE85 / 2421 / 2425 / 2426 drivers would address this issue nicely, while their Mylar surrounds would afford more power handling and longevity than the earlier AL phragms.)
And up top, having those sweet 077 tweeters, the L300 will play up and past 20 KHz, but the 4430 rolls off at 16 KHz. (Long after my hearing rolls off.)
Overall, the 4430 has more uniform (100 x 100) dispersion (I believe).
And I have read that the 4430 has better imaging.
Another issue is pricing; I think you can still find some decent 4430s for around $1,300. Clean L300s are fetching $4,000-5,000 nowadays.
* One thing I highly recommend on the 4430s is bypassing the biamp switch; that greatly improved the bass on mine.
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Everything Zonker said, except that I can't speak to the Radian diaphragms.
Many people say that they can't hear past 16KHz so it makes no difference up there. When I do "pure tones" I also loose it past 16kHz. But I can still hear the difference in the sizzle of cymbols when I A/B the two and the 077 tweeter does a better job up there. There is just some missing from the 4430s in that range.
Other than the tweeter, bit of bloat on 4430s and its better imaging seem to be the biggest differences to me. With respect to the imaging, with the L300s you say, "the sax is over there" and you point to the area between the speakers where the sax seems to emanate from. With the 4430s you say, "the sax is right there" and point to the exact spot (including fore/aft) where the sound emanates from.
BTW, I sold my 4430s for $1,100 with brand new foams installed by OCS. One had a mar in the corner and a small crack in one of the butt cheeks.
Many people say that they can't hear past 16KHz so it makes no difference up there. When I do "pure tones" I also loose it past 16kHz. But I can still hear the difference in the sizzle of cymbols when I A/B the two and the 077 tweeter does a better job up there. There is just some missing from the 4430s in that range.
Other than the tweeter, bit of bloat on 4430s and its better imaging seem to be the biggest differences to me. With respect to the imaging, with the L300s you say, "the sax is over there" and you point to the area between the speakers where the sax seems to emanate from. With the 4430s you say, "the sax is right there" and point to the exact spot (including fore/aft) where the sound emanates from.
BTW, I sold my 4430s for $1,100 with brand new foams installed by OCS. One had a mar in the corner and a small crack in one of the butt cheeks.
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Man, I don't know. When I first got my 4430s the sound of the cymbals is what caught my attention. They just sounded so dead on - like you were there in the recording studio. I've not heard any L300s either but I love my 4430s.
Having owned 4430's I did notice the lack of sizzle that I have been used to in other speakers, but the bass was about as good as any I have heard.
Since I just picked up some L-220's and have all the drivers and crossovers for 4430's, my mind has been going wild on trying to use the 4430 drivers in the L-220 cabinet. :scratch2:
Since I just picked up some L-220's and have all the drivers and crossovers for 4430's, my mind has been going wild on trying to use the 4430 drivers in the L-220 cabinet. :scratch2:
You need to select the right piece of music and sit in a quiet room with a switch in your hand so you can instantly A/B to two speakers. That is the only way to hear these difference with certainty. I used to do that for hours on end.
jblmar
JBL & marantz
I've heard the L300s, not the 4430 but the 4435. The L300 sounded very good at low to moderate SPL, but when played loud the 077 was overpowering. The 4435 was much more realistic over a wide SPL level and various music selections.
My system is closer to the 4430 (2235, 2425/2370, 3110A in the 4507 5ft3 cabinet tuned to 32 Hz) than the L300, so I can say the mid/HF response is very realistic sounding. More like the 4430 than the L300. These systems have a similar overall sound in that they can produce very realistic sound reproduction at different SPL levels with a wide range of music.
IMO, the L300 represents the 1970s 'West Coast Sound' where the later 4430/4435 systems are more accurate. The L300 was designed for a home environment. The 4430 is a Studio Monitor.
My system is closer to the 4430 (2235, 2425/2370, 3110A in the 4507 5ft3 cabinet tuned to 32 Hz) than the L300, so I can say the mid/HF response is very realistic sounding. More like the 4430 than the L300. These systems have a similar overall sound in that they can produce very realistic sound reproduction at different SPL levels with a wide range of music.
IMO, the L300 represents the 1970s 'West Coast Sound' where the later 4430/4435 systems are more accurate. The L300 was designed for a home environment. The 4430 is a Studio Monitor.
powerman
Super Member
I have the L300's and the 4430's here. I have listened to them for many years. The 4430's image better than the L300's in the bandwidth from 1Khz to about 9Khz. That is were the slot tweeter takes over on the L300's from the H92/2312 horn. I did not notice any bass difference but my L300's have the 2235's instead of the 136A's. The 4430's seemed to me to have a little coloration in the lower mid, maybe due to the woofers xovered at 1Khz. To bad JBL did not make a 3 way time aligned and EQ with the 2404 tweeter in the 4430's. I like them both and it would be a hard call but the smallest edge to the L300's for the top extentsion
I'd love to hear 4430's someday. I own L300s with Nelson Pass crossovers and the music they produce just blows me away. The 4430's are certainly more affordable, and possibly easier to find as well. Design and cosmetics wise I have to give to the L300's - one of the finest looking speakers ever designed IMO. Everything about them just oozes bad-ass quality and they are a pleasure to have in my home.
I agree, that's why I am considering using the drivers from the 4430, and adding the cats eye tweeters from my L-220's. Question is though, how to build a crossover for that, and will the 2235 work with the passive in the L-220 cabinet? Also will the horn in the 4430 adapt to the L-220 mid lense? that would do away with the cheeks though. :scratch2:
It's a combination of the dispersion of the woofer crossing over to the mid at 1kHz matching that of the butt cheeks (not the driver) at the same crossover frequency that is said to give the 4430 its spectacular imaging. Take that away, and ...
Zonker92
All shiny and chrome
BMWCCA
Addicted Member
Well, we all know the L300 is simply the consumer version of the very popular 4333 studio monitor. Granted the 4430 is a later version which benefitted from 15-years more development on the shoulders of the 4333 and newer materials, and it also was one of the longest running and successful studio monitors ever produced by JBL.
Now throw the 4344 into the mix and see what happens! :yes:
bshorey
Super Member
I've heard L300's and loved them, never heard 4430's. I was going to chime in and say the same thing about the looks of the L300 - the looks of that speaker really do it for me, if I ever stumble across a pair I'd buy them on looks alone.
bs
jblmar
JBL & marantz
Don't get me wrong. The L300 sounded great. A very exiting sound I never heard before. I heard them in a Sam Goody store (not Sam Ash) that was under reconstruction. Salesman was nice enough to hook them up for a listen. The room had bare walls and no carpet and was otherwise empty except for the L300, amp & CDP. Not the greatest demo room. The 2405 may have been turned up.
As a whole, the L300 looked and sounded great. If I had the $ at the time I wouldn't hesitate to get a pair.
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Zonker92
All shiny and chrome
They were always my dream speakers, as a young lad just opening my eyes to the splendor of nice audio gear. I'd still love to have or even just see a pair, but at today's prices I'll cheerfully stick with my 4430s and be thankful I found a clean pair for a fair price.
audiomagnate
Addicted Member
There really is something special about the L85 mid driver/horn/lens combo in the L300. They can sound harsh in the upper mids and highs, but they are studio monitors and I'm sure there are lots of harsh sounding recordings out there. Real horns can sound harsh too. If you've ever been a few feet from a trumpet, you know what I mean. The 300's ability to just explode dynamically from 800 Hz and above - up to and beyond the threshold of pain - is unsettling. The mid and tweeter are so sensitive, and so padded down by the crossover, that they are just loafing along at at 115 dB. Now that I have the triamplification dialed in, I really can't stop smiling. I've stuffed the ports with the new heavy and expensive nylon stuff from PE and added a third sub, a Bravox 15, near the seating area.
Holy F****** Crap Batman!!! All of the sudden I'm listening to genre's I've always ignored. Flight Facilities's "Crave"? Oh yeah. All seven mixes. These things do techno like nobody's biz, but are amazing with acoustic Dylan. I have never listened this loud. Usually an "audiophile" system playing at these levels is suffering from massive amounts of dynamic compression. Not these babies. They just eat it up. With the thump turned off, and some REAL bottom from a swarm of nice subs. and pretty much unlimited clean power (and no nearby neighbors), I can't imagine a more fun system. The clipping lights have never even flickered on my Nak, but this sounds more like live music than I've ever heard in my house.
BTW, my daughter is 14 and can hear up to 19,500 Hz, and LOVES my 300s, all the way to the top.
Holy F****** Crap Batman!!! All of the sudden I'm listening to genre's I've always ignored. Flight Facilities's "Crave"? Oh yeah. All seven mixes. These things do techno like nobody's biz, but are amazing with acoustic Dylan. I have never listened this loud. Usually an "audiophile" system playing at these levels is suffering from massive amounts of dynamic compression. Not these babies. They just eat it up. With the thump turned off, and some REAL bottom from a swarm of nice subs. and pretty much unlimited clean power (and no nearby neighbors), I can't imagine a more fun system. The clipping lights have never even flickered on my Nak, but this sounds more like live music than I've ever heard in my house.
BTW, my daughter is 14 and can hear up to 19,500 Hz, and LOVES my 300s, all the way to the top.
