it's true that film capacitors live as long as electrolytics, but believe me, their sound loses transparency and life. the only rule that must be respected is not to change them for others with inferior quality. try to replace old caps by new caps of good quality like the mundorf supreme or even the oil caps and you will notice a very big improvement in sound.

thank you, you well come

Definitely do not swap the wirewound L-pads used in the level controls for cheapo potentiometers. Big mistake. I carefully disassembled mine by bending back about 3 tabs of metal. Cleaned off the green corrosion with contact cleaner. I went the extra mile and put them in a 40 watt ultrasonic bath for no more than 2 minutes (can damage nickel plating). Reassembled and they are as good as new. These are not potentiometers which wipe a carbon graphite lick of paint. The wipers on these contact a coil of copper wire. Big quality difference. IMHO the L-pads shown in this video are not original. At least mine looked far older and probably made in the USA.

Ok I'll answer you: First things to know that old jbl film capacitors still working good with exact value but not like before. - all dayton audio caps are for audio amateurs projects not for high quality speakers like old jbl studio monitors. - old caps on old jbl studio monitors still sounds better than this dayton audio caps!!! - if you want feeling a real change replace old mkp caps by high quality mkp capacitors like mundorf, jantzen z-cap, Audyn, clarity caps....

I’ve been doing crossover mods for 50 years. The end-game for me, at a reasonable cost, is Jantzen Superior Z. They are very smooth, but detailed. I think it’s their best “affordable” cap. Audyn and Mundorf are also good, but I still prefer Jantzen.

Because the schematic diaphragm of jbl 4311 is very very simple : - One cap from + terminal to midrange Lpad - one cap from + terminal to tweeter Lpad - boomer connected directly to terminal Negative jbl wires are always marked by black line to keep polarity!!! Why i should mark something very clear and easy to understand by anyone???!!!🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️

@@homemade_audio I see, OK. Yeah, I couldn't really tell from the video, exactly how it was wired, but that kind of super basic, first order design seems like it would be quite easy to remember how it was hooked up, especially if you studied the wiring first before just immediately tearing it apart. (Which you probably did right before making this video, I would suppose.)

smartphone? take pics before disecting

3uf replaced by two 1.5uf caps in parallel

hello, the crossover frequencies will change, jbl 4311 have only two caps on crossover : one of 8uf for midrange, one 3uf for HF and the midwoofer connected directly( plays bass and some midrange), based on 8uf the jbl midrange le5 play sound from 1.5khz , if you replace it with 8.2uf it will play sound from 1khz or down = it will plays somme frequencies that also played with midwoofer = disturbs the flat response. but in general 8.2uf/3.3 instead 8uf/3uf = small difference felt. i know that 8 and 3 are not a standard value, but if you're an audiophile it's better to make 8uf/3uf.

1.5uf for each one, the association of capacitors in parallel, the rule says Ctot = C1 + C2 1.5uf +1.5uf = 3uf.

the value of the second cap is 3.3uf, the foil lay is wavy but after pasting becomes flat, you can also remove the whole foil lay in a flat shape, it's less difficult when using knife.

5 months late to reply, but the answer is no. Buy some better binding posts and put them in. Remove and disconnect the Woofer, on the inside you connect a red wire to the red post and a black wire to the black post. Super easy to do.

Thanks! Any chance you can share where you got your speaker terminals?

yes it's,the woofer terminals are marked by red color for (+ )and black for(-) for midrange and tweeter they have a special connectors for (+) and (-), you can't connect them wrong. in general all vintage jbl speaker's wire have follows the same rulles : the two wire of every driver have the same color but one have a black line for (-). green for woofers white for midranges and yellow for tweeters.

@@homemade_audio Many heritage JBL drivers have reverse polarity where black is positive.

🥰🥰🥰 you welcome 🙏🙏🙏

Thanks, for capacitors if your 4311 still have the original capacitors it's recommended to replace them by a new ones. But the new ones must be a high quality film capacitors to get the best results. For example mundorf supreme are good for this job or sonicap, jantzen superior z-cap ... Four caps in all. 2 for each one. Because the crossover of 4322 is very simple. One cap for tweeter, one cap for midrange and the midwoofer directly connected to binding post.

@@homemade_audio this is studio monitors.. why didnt you change the capacitors to make it a hifi speakers?

@@sergiobisonte because they are not mine,

@@homemade_audio but is it possible to change capacitors and make them hifi?

@@sergiobisonte without any change this speakers are a real hifi speakers. It sounds very good. There's some people try to made a new kind of crossover for jbl l100 (home version of 4311) but really 4311 must still as it's.

I have just replaced the old caps with new ones (same value ).

IKR - no electrical roll-off on the woofer and mid-range, plus only 6dB/octave high-pass on mid and tweeter.

It's not an upgrade, just replacing the old caps with better quality ones. To upgrade the crossover one would need to start again, take measurements, re-design the crossover to take it to the level of todays designs. Dare I say if you did that it would be a no brainer and do the whole hog ! ( Cabinets made of cheap chip board, can't do anything with them except re build them ) the rest~ brace the cabs, replace the cheap damping material, replace the cheap wiring, replace the binding posts with modern ones. Would take these speakers to the next level, whole lot of fun. Would they sound better, absolutely. Would they sound different yes because there would be more of the music. Check out Kenrich Sound latest vid on the upgraded 4311.

No sir. After 50 years old these film caps age and sound bad. Be sure that after replacing theme by Audyn the speakers sounds good with very clear midrange and also the high frequency response well improved.

@@homemade_audio I will have to take your word on this.However it contradicts everything I have read on the subject for years..... decades actually. Personally, I would suspect oxidation of the wirewound element and sweeper arm of both pots, and clean them with deoxit....before I would suspect the caps of aging poorly. I will disassemble and measure the caps in my 4311s for capacitice and ESR. To answer my question : do you agree that these are PPE or mylar film caps ?

@@wzortrex i think ppe. More than i have read that the caps on vintage jbl monitor studio series was made by jantzen audio. Measure can give you the exact value but sonically there's a difference between these old &tired caps and the new ones. - Replace the caps by mundorf supreme or jantzen z-cap - check the lpad - check the connections between wire and drivers - replace the binding post by new ones (audiophile grade). - check the drivers of your speakers if they are standard or repaired before. - wires I'm sure they still good And trust me. The sound will well improved.

Hello. Verry important question!!!! Don't connect your amp directly to any HF drivers !!!! Why ??? Because any noise before the amp or before the active crossover will destroys immediately your hf drivers!! The solution is to use a capacitor with a big value to protect your hf drivers from loud sound, in general from 20 to 30uf. For exemple In jbl 4430 there's a 20uf coupled in series to jbl 2426h when the external crossover is selected. Put 20uf if the hf cut is about 1khz or more, And 30uf for 800hz cut . Put the caps in serie between the amp and hf drivers to cut any loud signal. For Lf drivers no problem to be connected directly to amplifier.

@@homemade_audio Thank you, i will look for the 20uf capacitor, I am learning about all this so i have to ask is it an electrolytic cap? form what i read on another post they mention electrolytic non polarized ? i got the crossover set at around 2khz, I tested it and sounds a bit harsh , hard on the ears. Thanks again.

@@alexgreen121 if your reusing the old coils you have to use the same value capacitors that you already have

the crossover used is 1 order type for both tweeter and midrange. the diagram of the crossover is very very simple: - One capacitor for a tweeter - One capacitor for midrange The woofer is connected directly without a filter. I associated capacitors to have 8uf and 3uf because these values ​​used by jbl are not standard. You will find the schematic diagram on description. You welcome 🥰

Hi. Thank you for your interest and your comment. before answering your questions I inform you that after changing the midrange and jbl tweeter you no longer have the jbl sound of the 4311!! even if the replacement drivers are of good quality. - first try to find jbl le5 midranges and jbl le25 tweeters for your 4311. - for capacitors are 3uf total for small, and 8uf total for large. - the wiring of course must be respected. the wires with black line always at the negative terminals of the loudspeakers, normally jbl on these models we cannot be mistaken because they use plugs for positives different from those for negatives.

Thanks so much for the quick answer…already ordered the mid rangers LE5-2 ….about to order the tweeters……the brand Audyn you used, are those like the best you can get? Or are there any better ones out there you would use? ….where do you buy your parts?….thanks again

@@galipan6213 you welcome. I'm audiophile and i love sound, I used audyn for there best quality for money, but if you want well caps for jbl, it's better to use mundorf supreme or jantzen z-cap(red) are a very high quality caps and they work great with vintage jbl studio monitors, but you have to associate two caps of 1.5uf in parallel to get 3uf for tweeter, because 3uf isn't a standard value. And 4.7uf + 3.3uf in parallel to get 8uf. You can see a video in my channel that show how to associate caps/ resistors/... I bought original parts from hificollective england. www.hificollective.co.uk/components/capacitors.html

Thanks so much for all the help….checked out the Jantzen Z and they’re like $15 more but have great reviews….if you think they’re worth it above the Audyn, I’ll totally get those, and extra 50 or so bucks for all 4 and to fit both speakers is not much in the big picture….if you think they’re much better, and the speakers deserve it and would actually improve them, not just an ego trip, I’ll do them….anything else you would change? Like wires?…I’m all ears….

@@galipan6213 hello. The most important parts is the drivers, if you get all drivers originals , any audiophile capacitors will do the job well. For pair of speakers you'll need 8 capacitors: (1.5+1.5)*2 (4.7+3.3)*2 For Capacitors start with audyn or clarity cap are good for price because you have to bay drivers too. For wire in this jbl series they never died!! You have to change the binding post if you want to be free to connect any speaker's cable to your speakers., because the original are very limited for use.

Yes exactly 🤣🤣🤣 Vintage jbl speakers = high quality speakers + big size + big crossover inside + big boomers + small terrible binding post 🤕🤕🤕

yes it is true that they can work for a lifetime, we do not exchange them because they no longer work, but because after 20 years and more the sound of these film capacitors deteriorates on the one hand, On the other hand, loudspeaker manufacturers sometimes put capacitors in a speaker that are not up to the drivers for budget reasons, so sometimes upgrading the capacitors can bring huge improvements to your speakers.

I bought them from : www.banzaimusic.com/Audyn/

Helle. It's jbl 2213h 8ohm grey.

Thank you so much for the information ☺

@@EvanX-fu2to you Welcome 🙏

Hello, just search on Google " Audyn Qs" and you'll find many sellers like banzai music, audiophonics and hificollective, these are my favourite websites to bought audiophile electronic parts.

more complex doesnt mean better.. its more components to degrade the signal. Less is best.

@@karlmuller1976 GR-Research and I also disagree. Here is detailed testing and an upgrade and the reasons why. With just capacitors, what you have is a high pass to the mids and tweeter. There is no crossing over going on. The woofer frequencies extend into the midrange causing distortion and cancellation. 'One Of The Worst I Have Seen! Can The Retro JBL 4311 Be Fixed?' kzfaq.info/get/bejne/fMWYm9KG35nGm4U.html

@@grob318 look at the epos es14 . it has no crossover but the drivers are designed so they rolloff without the need of one. They have one of the most transparent midrange s of any speaker ever made. Jbls designers made all their own drivers and would have had this in mind. If they thought the crossovers needed inductors and more they would have included them.

Less components = more transparency

No, there's a foam gasket between driver and enclosure.

@@homemade_audio Thank you! Mine are JBL 4311's. Potentiometers are scratchy due to the degredation of the insulation material, I wish I could just wire them flat without the knobs, any suggestions appreciated. These have been my daily drivers for forty years, i love the sound.

@@m.hughes2521 pots from my 4312c are scratchy too. Anyone kwon where I can buy new ones? Or are there a way to clean them?

@@johnnywerner It's the degradation of the acoustic baffling material that gets in the potentiometers. They say you can take them out and spray cleaner in them but what a pain. I'm going to wire around the potentiometers and use an external EQ. I've had these 4211 monitors for 50 years and I can't find anything that sounds as good without spending thousand$.

It's pretty easy to do, just a little patience, you can get exact replacements at parts express, on my 4310s I believe it totalled around $50-60 for all 4 pots, exact as stock, 8 ohm 15 watt, literally a drop in replacement for those, then their trouble free for many many years again, whatever u do, don't bypass them, ruins the value of these collector models, just spend $50 and do it the right way...and be very careful removing the foilcal on front, if you bend or crease it it's done, and it can cost $100+ to get a new one.

www.banzaimusic.com/QS-6/

@Homemade Audio thanks for sharing the link .. since I am not the technical guy .. Not able to understand the capacitor value .. capacitor in jbl 4311 and jbl l100 are having same uf .. i have chosen two capacitors of Audyn Cap QS6 1,5uF 630V × 2 = 3 uf Audyn Cap QS6 3,3uF 630V + Audyn Cap QS6 4,7uF 600V =8 uf . Is it fine for replacement as the vault r different ..plz suggest ..

@@dineshchonkar9776 yes it's ok correct 👍, 600v it support more power than 400v ones, both do the job well. In addition, you have to bay high quality silver solder like mundorf or WBT www.banzaimusic.com/Mundorf-Solder-Silver-Gold-50g.html www.hificollective.co.uk/catalog/wbt0800-silver-solder-melting-point-p-5168.html

@Homemade Audio Thanks. I appreciate your efforts ..

@@dineshchonkar9776 you welcome 🙏, I'm audiophile and vintage jbl studio monitors are my favourite speakers, in my setup jbl 4430 are the Masters 😉

No, i have one, the real problem is space!!! I don't have enough space for me + table + camera + lights because i work at home 🤷‍♂️ I'm thinking to rent a garage for that, but until now i don't have enough money for that.

in a sense I agree with you to have a linear response, but don't forget for this job you need a crossover with a lot of components which will change the sound of the speaker. you have talkeda lot about measurement and little about listening. the best transparent audiophile speakers on the market have a filter with a few components so as not to influence the transparency. in my view the best jbl vintage studio speaker with a good crossover like you describe is jbl 4411.

@@homemade_audio if you don't want to reduce the transparency of the sound you have to use quality components in the crossover, It is not about how many components but about the quality of these

@@MrJuanzaz no. I do not agree with you. many components have an impact on transparency even when using high-end oil capacitors !! How? 'Or' What ?? okay. I'm going to answer you. First, each component has a yield of less than 1. Next, each component has more loss, namely in a filter of 18db/octave or more, the sound passes in series through at least two components for each channel!!! namely that the sound signature of any loudspeaker is defined by its medium, which is controlled by two high-pass and low-pass filters in 3 way speakers which are based on mkp capacitors (between 20 and 100uf), tell me how much money you need to upgrade with high quality mkp caps ?????? I had kef 107/2 or the medium high pass filter based on 200uf caps on each speaker!!

@@MrJuanzaz you should be aware that the major Audiophile speaker companies are looking to build drivers that have a correct, flat, peakless response so they don't use a lot of components in the crossover for driver response correction. that's why full ranges have the best midrange response, and they're even used in high-end two-way speakers because they just require a super high-pass filtered tweeter with a single capacitor. I know that most of speakers manufacturers make speakers based on seas/scanspeak/vifa/peerless...drivers. but every company demands some specific technical specifications on the drivers they need.

@@MrJuanzaz another important things: speakers based on big sophisticated crossover with a lot of components are very hard to drive by amplifiers. They need an amplifier with a lot of power (a lot of money) to work well. Jbl 4311 are legendary speakers because their drivers are well made with less components in crossover.

wenige Bauteile = hohe Transparenz

@@homemade_audio ja das stimmt desto weniger verbaut wird desto besser aber mit spulen und wiederständen kann man die unruhe des frequenzverlaufs korrigiert werden...

durch Hinzufügen von Spulen werden es 12 dB/Oktave = steifere Schnitte mit weniger Bewegung und mehr Phasendrehung, was für den direkt ohne Filterung angeschlossenen Tieftöner nicht gut ist! Ich denke, bei diesem Modell suchte jbl mehr Transparenz als Linearität, was den Sieg dieses Modells ausmachte. Für diejenigen, die einen Lautsprecher ähnlich dem 4311 mit gut untersuchter Filterung und einem sehr linearen Ansprechverhalten suchen, bietet jbl seinen jbl 4411 an. Willkommen lieber Audiophiler 😉

@@homemade_audio ja das stimmt ich weiß was eine 12 db und eine 16 db weiche ist danke ....😊😊 ja das kann sein wir wollen aber keine hohen töne beim tieftöner die spule bringt nur 60 prozent der kondensator leitet die hohen töne abund danke ich bin schon seit meinen 15 lebensjahr mit hifi zugange wusste auch schon ohne fremde hilfe wie man lautsprecher an einen verstärker anschließt sorry ich habe das gefühl das endet bzw fängt mit rechtfertigung an und endet in schitstorm bevor ich mich selbst da rein ziehe .....🤔🤔🤨🤨#solltenichtunverschämtklingen

For jbl 4312 mk1, Yes the same value but with extra 0.01uf cap for each HF driver. - 3uf + 0.01uf in parallel for tweeter - 8uf + 0.01uf in parallel for midrange Jbl added 0.01uf caps to improve hf response.