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JBL 4367 shoutiness remedies?

Hello all, I am a first time post-er, so pardon me if I am clumsy with this venue. 
I live in a small town on an island in SE Alaska, and do not have immediate access to anywhere locally that sells hifi equipment besides Walmart. So after reading complimentary reviews, I ordered from USA Tube Audio a pair of JBL 4367 speakers, ..a two way design  with a woofer and a horn. I have about 20 hours on the speakers, driving them with a Primare I35 Integrated Amplifier and a perceived higher end Primare CD player., and for an alternate music source, I use Music Choice from my cable box. I also have a 10 band graphic EQ to tailor the  sound to my liking. The issue I bought when I paid for the speakers is a  loudly blaring shoutiness in the range of frequencies of the human voice. It can be loud and overpowering even with EQ attenuating the frequencies between 500 and 4khz. I called the dealer who I bought them from for advice..he told me the amp and cd player are junk, ($6000 junk) and the only way to fix the shoutiness was to buy tube equipment.  On some recordings, the speakers sound wonderful, but on some, it makes me question whether or not they're worth keeping. The room in the apt I have them in is about 15x18 with low ceilings. Does anyone have any practical suggestions or ideas on how to remedy or at least partially correct this issue? Thank you for reading.
deckhand
keithtexas
352 posts
 
If you are handy at all with a soldering iron, I would change out the parts in the crossover to higher quality. Ask the dealer or JBL directly for the crossover diagram/schematic. Should be pretty easy to find cap and inductor values. Seems I’ve read an internet article or two on that specific upgrade. https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/jbl-4367-inside-photos-video.2293/page-2

https://positive-feedback.com/high-fidelity/jbl-4367-studio-monitor/    One comment to this review "These deserve Kenrick Sound Outboard Crossover upgrades from Japan.."
riaa_award_collectors_on_facebook's avatar
riaa_award_collectors_on_facebook
981 posts
 
I agree with the dealer....throw out the gear. Garbage in Garbage out
chayro
2,996 posts
 
If you can't correct the issue with EQ, the speakers are just not your taste or don't work with your room.  This is a common problem when you buy off the web without audition. Hopefully you can return them.  If you have to pay shipping and a restocking fee, it's better than trying to live with speakers you don't like.  It's happened to me too.  
ohlala
1,236 posts
 
I do not know Primare.  My experience, though, is that this speaker is sensitive to electronics and cables. They are not shouty in the sense of some other horn models and do not have particular room placement quirks.

They do require a lot power. I have had a VAC phi 160, Hegel h160 and a Classe 70 hooked up to them. None could marry the woofer to horn.The ML 532H was a huge improvement in cohesion making the horn section relatively less prominent, even in comparison to the 150 watt Hegel.  While the (tube) VAC is pretty sounding, it is not appropriate for the 4367.  

It is great to try free or inexpensive experiments first. My guess is that they need new gear to know if they will work for you. May be safer to return to sell them, though. 
twoleftears's avatar
twoleftears
5,318 posts
 

A lot of people apply that automobile acoustic deadening material to the back side of horns (Klipsch). Would that work here to ameliorate the problem?

BTW, Primare is good quality and that was dreadful, entirely self-serving advice from the store.

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