Thanks Terry for also looking at products a little bit off the beaten path. So many interesting speakers, so little time!

In the US, the 4309's are the same price as the KLH 5. I'd love to hear them compared side by side.

Looking forward to your review of the upcoming JBL L52 Classic. Their looks alone have me sold!

excellent review! you mentioned how linear the jbl 4309 are, similar to the kef ls50 metas. trying to decide between those 2...perhaps the kef have a bit more of detail and offer a deeper, taller, wider soundstage?? or is it the other way around?

JBL 4306 is closer to the 4309,in my humble opinion.The JBL 4367 is a great speaker for rock music. Great review. The comparison's were great.

I like the speakers and Tweeter you're showing.

Thanks Terry. I love these mega comparisons. Due to some psycho COVID purchases and my inability to pass on an open box discount I decided to sell off some things. Dynaudios Evoke 20s consequently have left the building. Next on the chopping block are the JBL HDI 1600s and a tube amplifier. I have been running them together prior to the amp buyer picking up his purchase, and I continue to be impressed by the HDI 1600s. I may have to reconsider that parting of the ways. I'm sure you will ferret out all it's little foibles and shortcomings but they do it for me. I must not be alone. Before the Evokes were finally purchased, I had several people want to trade, confessing that already had three or four pair of speakers and just couldn't pull the trigger on another pair. heh.

got 2 small LSR-305 5" monitors for my desk ... very nice (active) near field monitors 👍

How would these compare to something like an SVS Ultra bookshelf?

Outstanding as always Terry. I can't wait to see the HDI-1600 review.

Great review Terry. Have you or do you plan on reviewing Meridian Speakers? Thanks Anthony

hi Terry according to your opinion since you got to test them both better this Jbl 4309 or the Atc Scm11??

According to the back info panel, sensitivity is 85 db. Good video, thank you.

Thank you for the review Terry i think this is gonna be my next speakers or Axiom M5HP!!!! Take also into consideration (of course if its possible) a review for Axiom M5HP i heard a very nice things for these speakers!!!Are made in Canada!!

will they double duty as a hifi speaker? Many thanks.

Hi, what's the difference with the Klipsch Rp600M bass? Thank you

Great review. Why do most speakers have dips in the crossover region? Is it to mask the problems inherent with overlapping drivers?

But have you tried these JBL as matched LCR and tested with the rancor scene from return of the jedi.

And… what are you think in terms of sound comparing with the 4306? Did you hear it? Is there a significant difference? Thanks for your reply!

That doesn’t look like a 87 sensitive speaker with that horn. Great review as always.

Great review! To get a little more low end out of them try a parasound amplifier...like a JC5! Hegel top H590 would work too but is overkill. Maybe a Naim Supernait 3 or some Audionet amps.

Following Through on my commitment Terry, I've listen to the review, and was actually intrigued for first 8 minutes. Then, as I expected from a Studio (in this case passove) monitor speaker the sound as flat as in no depth and one dimensional imaging. Most studio monitors are designed to be near field listening, in order for the mastering engineer to get an accurate reproduction without room effects. As you masterfully explained, a flat curved doesn't necessarily translate into a 'Perfect speaker'. Thanks Terry.

Hi what amps were you using in this review? Cheers

Hi Terry. It’s striking that all 3 speakers have exactly the same response curve up to 500Hz. Is that likely due to room response? With love, Ken

Thanks Terry…..I'm with you…give me more bass….and tone-down the brightness. Don't know what the sensitivity is on The JBL's, but maybe a 300B tube amp could tweak them into a more pleasant listening experience and less "monitor"-like.

Nice! Have you by chance heard the bigger brother, JBL 4367? Would love to hear your thoughts on that.

At about 0:37 to 0:40, what is the white speaker on the far left with the folded ribbon tweeter ?

0:36 What is the 4th speaker from the left? Nice to see two of them have ribbon tweeters. Like I said earlier, I look forward to the Quad Z2 review (far left), which I own, and hearing how it compares to the others in its price range. It's designed by the same guy (Peter Comeau) responsible for the Wharfedale Evo 4.2, so I'm betting it finishes at or near the top of the group.

Reminds me of Voice of the Theater speakers only in way way smaller. They were PA speakers.

Studio monitors like that go on a desk are not designed to go too low because they are supported by bigger speakers behind or subwoofers

each speaker gets such a similar response curve up to 1k, means that we see more of the room and or other factors than the speaker

I want to get some new speakers for a 2 channel stereo setup. I was considering the newly released classic JBL L100 12" floor standing or would you suggest that the 4309 which are part of the synthesis line would be a better fit? Thanks so much!

So how's the compression driver working out in a nearfield set up?

I like the reviews without all the fluff. Enough information to continue researching the item but not those bloated audiophile words and going on an on about nonsense trying to describe a sound with subtle airy undertones and a slight crispness on the finish

Hv you measured some Neumann kh310?

What’s the difference between studio monitors and hifi speakers?

4:28 Thank you for not having anechoic measurements. Greetz from 🇨🇭

very good speaker. If you have the wallet for them. If not the JBL L52s are 1/4 the price and have ballpark sound including the High Freq trim.

Roadmap to a proper review. Good work. Others take notice please!

I'd like to see the off axis response because compression horns generally narrow the dispersion angle. Therefore, if the on axis response is balanced, the off axis can be expected to be extremely bass heavy. This can be a significant problem anywhere near walls. It's a design that is OK for open air PA because the dispersed bass just keeps radiating out side and away from the audience area. It isn't too bad in an auditorium because there is distance for dispersion and possibly room treatment as well. It's a pathetic design in a small untreated room though. It doesn't look at all like a studio monitor, but rather a typical PA design. You have to be careful with this type of design. I had a pair very much like that, designed to be used as either pole mounted mains or stage wedges. As stage wedges, without EQ they were OK for the performers who's ears were on axis, but most of the bass power radiated under, over and around them, only to bounce off the stage surfaces and out into the audience which meant that whenever they were loud enough to be useful to the performers, they completely destroyed the house sound with overwhelming muddy bass. The answer to the house sound problem was EQ but this made the stage sound tinny and metallic. So there was absolutely no solution but to replace them with something that had a more tonally balanced dispersion pattern. You might suggest stage treatment but that is not a solution, it's an after the horse has bolted Band-Aid. Once the sound is out there, you can't take it back, you can only reduce it through absorption or dispersion, which is not actually fixing the problem as it still exists. OK you haven't got that particular situation, I just use it as an example of how shit that type of design can be. Most people buying cheap speakers, would not have acoustically treated rooms, probably just common dry wall (which is poor). This is why I want to see if the off axis response, is as bad as the design suggests that it may well be? I've been in HiFi over 40 years, in PA over 30 years and never seen a good small room implementation of this type of design. The whole point of compression drivers is to get efficient high power transfer from the tweeter driver into the tiny mass of air in contact with it's small light weight diaphragm. While that is needed at the high power levels of PA, it is just not needed at domestic power levels. A dome tweeter is more than adequate and gives a much smoother dispersion pattern. One of the absolute best budget speakers in recent years is the Andrew Jones designed Elac Debut series. I don't own a pair & have no stake in them, just suggesting they would most likely be a better bet. Your measurement graph is not anechoic, so not a valid comparison with ones that are.

Haych, gets me everytime

In the review, you asked 'what is a Studio Monitor?" While I agree with your assertion that one characteristic is a neutral and flat response. But as Mr. Rivera commented one of the critical features is near-field presentation. I'm somewhat surprised that JBL proposes a minimum spacing of 6'. Of course what part of a studio is important. Near the mixing board, there isn't room, in most studios, for 6' spacing, especially for multi-track review. In the usually separate reviewing space, a more 'consumer' system with more space and often different sets of speakers are utilized. This is still technically in the 'studio.' I still have a pair of L300s but my more than a dozen 45xx from the '60-70s are gone. I don't think that i'm in the market for them, but I'll go find some to listen to and who knows... Cheers. d - From San Francisco.

You should be driving the JBL’s with a high current amplifier with at least 300 W RMS minimum, in my studio they would be driven by a professional power amplifier , LAB Gruppen probably, with 500w capability so that the amplifier is never stressed, in a studio the dynamics are extreme compared to finished mixed and mastered tracks.

Why not use magnetic grilles

I trust my ears more than commentary.

Ribbed for your pleasure 😆😆

We had a 1st gen Echo in our master bathroom for listening to music in the morning kzfaq.infoUgkxABghAEkaIDGZfHRBH3D3rBrlraNmnC71 and while in the shower. I didn't realize how tinny and awful the sound output on the original Echo was until we replaced it with the Studio. It was a sonic upgrade far beyond what I was expecting. Just wow. I love it because it's like having speakers IN the shower. My friend likes it because the music is so loud that she can no longer hear me singing. So that's a win-win.

Omg, JBL needs a new webmaster. Try searching for these (or even the Classic). Good luck.

Price is each or pair?

The bass driver is so unproportionally small for this box. Looks quite weird with grills off

Ribbed for your pleasure... I see what you did there, and I like how you think. 🤣😂🤟

You are going to do the Ministra last aren't you :P

👍

you're very busy Terry :)......

The cabinet dimensions are being dictated by that "bossy" compression driver's wave guide, and those woofers are going to feel so small they're going need counselling for an inferiority complex from a certified psychologist

Not being funny but if you want a flat response or something other than that, why not just use an EQ?

I reckon EVERY speaker should HIDE imperfections..... we'd all be happy.... Cost us all a lot less... Conundrum! (Not active? Sure there's crap designs due to internal amp designs, but so can be crap external amps too.... Conundrum! $1700 ?? 6.5"? lol)

Arendal look like winners for me 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Ribbed for your pleasure… Hmmm… I see what you did there. 😂

You said KLIPSCH in a condescending way...yes you did😂 But why...

you forgot about tannoy...

Schtudio ?

These speakers give you what you feed them. Extremely accurate and neutral as a Studio Monitor should be. I personally believe they are the best because I want sound to be reproduced as it was intended. I think HIFI has gone in all kinds of directions.One reason is because not many have seen this caliber of accurate reproduction and the other reason is because everyone wants a different flavor of sound.

Shows that nearly all of the speaker dips and troughs in your measurements are room created.

Shtudio?

Hahaha 7900€ never heard the big bang.

You ..very funny man. Ribbed..

nice review, well done, too bad the darn things are $2k, clearly JBL is jacking up the $$$ in hopes that the name will help in ripping off anyone dumb enough to actually buy bookshelf's for the same price that anyone could get great towers for, hmmm noooo thanks! jbl, smh

Just my opinion, but I'm not paying 2 grand for any speaker manufactured in China.

"Schtudio"... like the German pronunciation. 😂

The way Brits pronounce the letter H always amuses me.

Бла. бла бла ни о чем!!!!

Appearance wise I am sorry to say Typically JBL look cheap as chips shinny plastic horn and two lower ports cheap black plastic frequency adjustment knob and lastly the speaker terminals rubbish..JBL stands for Just Buy a Lemon 🍋

4309 good😍🥰

"Ribbed for your pleasure." #ISWYDT

JBL 4309 + Yamaha A-S2200 👨🏽‍🍳 😘🔥🔥🔥 pure 🪄 🎉🎉🎉