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Soliciting Upgrade Advice

I’ve been reading numerous threads on this forum in an attempt to isolate what would generally be regarded as the “best” pair of speakers in the 5K range. I understand that “best” in this context can be both subjective and objective. I listen to two channel only. While my primary musical preference is Grateful Dead, on occasion I’ve been known to throw on Mozart.

I currently have JBL S412P speakers and recently bought an M6si amp. Now before you guys trash the speakers (because I realize it may be a stretch to even consider them audiophile grade), I can tell you I’ve listened to quite a few speakers in my day, including the relatively new to market Golden Ear Triton One’s, and I still feel the 412s hold their own (if not sound even better). And yes, I know that there are Von Schweikerts to be had at 50K and even JBL makes an Everest model at a 50K price point, unfortunately that’s out of my reach.

Also, I’m told the JBL Array 1400 can annihilate the 412s. While that may be true, spec wise it doesn’t appear that way. I’m not simply looking for speakers to handle more wattage. The Array 1400’s appear to me at face value to be more-of-the-same (with respect to the 412s).

So, my dilemma – although it’s not a bad one to have – is because I’m budget constrained to 5K, do I stay with my JBL S412Ps or should I “upgrade” and if so, to what?
128x128gdhal
gdhal's avatar
gdhal OP
1,641 posts
 
Lostbears - I have a music fidelity m6si if that helps in your response at all. GD used JBL as well as McIntosh. In fact McIntosh still prominently mentions Bobby and I believe shows a photo of him in the studio with McIntosh equipment. McIntosh was a bit beyond what I wanted to spend though.

Zd542, I agree with you, however, certainly you would agree that specs are certainly part of the equation. In this case both JBLs are rated to go to 32Hz. One has a sensitivity of 91db the other 89db. One has three the other four drivers. I grant you the quality of the components, cabinetry, etc and just plain realism of the sound is not necessarily known by specs.

Brauser, in googling the Dunlavy's there are many sites selling the brand and/or reviewing them. I couldn't readily find a company web site. Do you know the URL?

Thanks to everyone. I truly appreciate your candid feedback.

By the way, has anyone here heard the JBL S412Ps first hand?
zd542
5,339 posts
 
"Zd542, I agree with you, however, certainly you would agree that specs are certainly part of the equation."

"Specs do have their uses, but they can't tell you anything about sound quality."

I believe I said just that.

"In this case both JBLs are rated to go to 32Hz. One has a sensitivity of 91db the other 89db. One has three the other four drivers."

If you're going to rely on specs, you need to make sure all of them are taken into consideration. And just not some. For example, the 89db speaker may be much easier to drive than the 91db speaker. Other factors like impedance, xover design, how bass is handled, etc.., all play a huge part. But even if you have all the specs, you still can't predict how the speaker will sound. There's no way to measure things like timbre, imaging, sibilance, pacing....
gdhal's avatar
gdhal OP
1,641 posts
 
Okay. Thanks Zd542. I'll concede you are correct. I'd appreciate it if chime in on the thread I'm starting regarding Triton 1 vs Mythos ST-L Supertowers.
brauser
524 posts
 
John Dunlavy passed away a few years ago and his company, which he had sold a couple of years before, regrettably went out of business. He left behind, however, a legacy of amazing speaker designs which have held up against the mega-$$$ speakers surprisingly well. If you are at all interested, look at the many posts and reviews. What you'll find is a substantial number of audiophiles who will not part with their speakers on any basis.
dhl93449
455 posts
 
Gdhal:

Since you are a JBL guy I'll contribute to your quandary as I myself was a JBL user for many years.

In the late 70's I purchased some L212s, and modded them by time aligning the drivers. While not the most "timbre" accurate they imaged like crazy and had dynamics to die for. But time and smog took their toll and the surrounds disintegrated, forcing me to look for an alternative.

Zd won't like this but I ended up with B&W 804S which retained many of the things I like about the JBLs. They do not image quite as well, but dynamic range is great, and I began hearing things in program material I did not hear with the JBLs. For the money you are talking about, used B&W s might be an option.

And regarding specs, they are basically meaningless. I time aligned the drivers in my L212s and that did not alter the specs 1 dB, but the difference is sound stage depth and imaging was incomparable.
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