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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
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.
jsujo
348 posts
 
did you rewire them yourself, or a tech...what was used? and how much? I have a super mint condition L-96's and am not sure I wanna mess with them,,,what do you think was the improvement?
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