JBL 4319...The Big Easy

These speakers have been around for a few years now, primarily for the Asian and European markets and have recently been introduced here, stateside.

Why? Good question. They should have been here all along. I’ve always wondered about and read good things about them.

3-way studio monitors made for home audio. To call them monitors is a bit misleading as they are 23.5" tall by 14.25" wide by 11.8" deep and weigh in at around 36 lbs apiece. They have twin front ports and sport a 1" al/mg dome tweeter set in a wave guide, a 5" al/mg midrange and a 12" pure pulp woofer. There are two pots at the top for adjusting the mids and highs and the front baffle is that old blue color that JBL has used for decades. Walnut cabinets are plain and nicely finished. With the grills off, they look like they mean business. I’m happy to report that they’re up to that task. The grills don’t seem to affect performance and they look better with them on. They are rated from 38Hz - 40Khz (-6db) and are 92db sensitivity at 6 ohms. Crossovers are at 650 Hz and 2.2 Khz. They are bi-wirable and use jumper plates. Substituting jumper cables for the plates improves the sound in an immediate and noticeable manner.

It’s good to have practically full range sound in my room again. Using smaller drivers and clever box designs simply can’t make up for what a large woofer can do for the music. All the overtones and harmonics naturally reproduced changes the music for the better in a way that smaller and even multiple drivers can’t come close to doing. It’s the ease and naturalness of the sound that impresses and holds your attention.

The look is purposeful, not fashionable. These are not fashion statements crying out for WAF or a spot in some chic upscale ad. They are slaves to the music. Some might find them too industrial looking but it’s function over form from a decades old design that needn’t be tampered with. If you can get your head and ears around that, then all the better for you. You won’t stop grinning after you hear them. Old is new again.

Sound wise, I simply can’t fault them. Everything sounds good on them. For all the questions on what speaker would be best for old school rock, look no further. Ditto for classical, jazz, folk, soundtracks, electronica, ambient, you name it. They seem to have a wide dispersion as I have them aimed about a foot to either side of my head and they image very well. Being front ported, they load my room differently then my rear ported monitors and the music is all the better for it. Piano has such weigh now as do vocals, drums, upright bass and to be honest, just about everything is much more realistic sounding.

Highs are very realistic and are only present when called for. Cymbals, high hats, triangles all have sparkle, shine, air and mass with great decay. And then it all calms down. There’s no high end emphasis to the mids that lesser designs can impart.The mids have a slight richness but no aggression to speak of. The lows are deep and well defined with oodles of texture and nuance. I know it’s rated at -6db at it’s lowest but the size of my room more than compensates for it. No subs needed here. I’ve read where the bass is not in line with the mids and highs but I can’t fault it at all.

The imaging is well divorced from the speakers unless it’s a hard right or left pan. I have them low to the floor on Deer Creek speaker stands for that old school look (like the old Memorex ads) and it has a nice mid century look to it. Despite being only 8" off the floor, the soundstage is up where it always been since the stands angle the speakers back about 5º. Speaking of old school, the speakers sit on felt pads affixed to the stands and nothing else and the imaging is rock solid. I don’t even have spikes and everything sounds fine.

All in all, a nice alternative to what’s out there. It’s funny how I’m not that amped up about them as I used to be about new equipment. What they do is bring me back to simpler times and maybe that’s why I’m so content right off the bat with them. No surprise, but rather a welcoming home of sorts that I wasn’t expecting but am glad it happened. I got them from Music Direct, who are a pleasure to deal with. They have a generous 60 day audition policy and all you’ll be out is the cost of shipping them back if you don’t like them. I can’t see anyone returning these.

All the best,
Nonoise