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I need to get rid of my JBL 4311s don't I?

I have a pretty decent system and can't help thinking that my 70's JBL 4311's from a radio station are holding me back.
I have them perched on some leadshot filled Target stands...toed in about eighteen inches from the wall. To my ears they sound great if the vinyl I am spinning is great. They seem to be a very revealing, flat, near field monitors. What speakers should I be checking out as replacements? I have an ARC Ref1, VPI TNT 3.5, ARC Ref Phono, ARC D130, old Cardas Hexlink interconnects. My local hifi emporium has a pair of used Quad EL63's that they are asking fifteen hundred bucks for...I listen mostly to jazz...lots of mono....and soul from the 60s...any suggestions? I am not concerned about cost but do like to get some bang for my buck. I have considered going all out for Wilson's, Revel, or B&W but really don't know where to begin. My next purchase is certain to be some kind of monoblock tube amplification but I guess that is for another thread. Thanks in advance for your suggestions!
ntscdan
satch
329 posts
 
The JBL's are genuine studio-monitors, and designed to reveal every detail a recording has in it. There was not much focus on soundstage and depth etc. If you change your JBL's for the Quad's..... well, it's hard to come up with more different-sounding speakers. In my view, if you already know that you are going to buy monoblock tube-amps, try to listen to them in combination with the speakers you fancy. I really like B&W's N802, who'll need a lot of power, so maybe tubes aren't right for them.
What I'm trying to say is that you should trust your own ears. If you want detail, go for some Revels, if you want low-end and incredible drive, go for the B&W's, and if you want all of the above, go for Wilson (and pay the price....). If you want perfect soundstaging.... well, there are worse things then Quad ESL 63 powered by some tube monoblocks. Find a friendly dealer and listen to 2 or 3 combinations, preferably with your own pre-amp and VPI. See what you prefer, buy and enjoy!!
xiekitchen
821 posts
 
I have two pairs of 70's JBL's I use just for fun: L-166 Horizons, and a pair of huge L-200's. Why not keep the JBL's for when you want to crank up some rock and roll and also look into a pair of very revealing timbre-correct huge soundstage minimonitors like Ensembles, Chario, ect.
I would recommend putting high end jacks on the jbls, replacing the internal wiring.
jsujo
348 posts
 
arent timbrally accurate? I find most JBL's of that era very accurate and true to the sound....Now, In my opinion, what would be a better window to how hardware swapping affects sound than to have these JBL's...
Dynamic speakers should also do well with classical and jazz...you just loose some imaging...I think its like a concert, but you are just in the back rows...in a hall, if yoru in the back, you will loose also some of the staging and imaging (besides seeing where is each player)..
imin2u
392 posts
 
Hey, I gave those to my brother 20 years ago. (I had bought the 4312's). I still "hang" in that era and I Highly recommend the older Dahlquist line. I have DQ-28's all the way around in my living room (home theater set-up) and I have DQ-10's in my family room. (The kids have figured out that it's really the listening room but my wife hasn't).
buscis2's avatar
buscis2
468 posts
 
I have completely upgraded my system including my speakers. I still own my JBL L112s that I purchased new in 1981. I refinished the speaker cabinets, and rebuilt all the drivers while rewiring the internals. I now have them stored. I cannot bring myself to selling them. To this day, I have not heard a speaker that was as dynamic, and as "profound" as the L112s.

The only reason for replacing them was sheer physical size. They do have a habit of letting themselves be known when in a room.

Don't let yourself be impressed by the "latest and greatest". Your 4311s are a classic loudspeaker that sounded great then, and still do now.
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