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JBL 4309 Speaker Test

JBL 4309 Speaker Test


JBL 4309 Speaker Test

 Musical retro is in fashion today, but JBL developers do not have to deal with styling: the brand has been making speakers since the 40s of the last century, so for inspiration, they just need to scroll through their own catalogs of past years. And, of course, to combine a stylish look with the most relevant technologies of today. Actually, this is how the heroes of our today's test were born - JBL 4309 shelf speakers.

younger brothers

The JBL compact monitors are created in the same Northridge development center as all other JBL speakers in this category, as well as devices from older lines. The JBL brand itself is part of the huge corporation Harman International Industries, which, in turn, became part of the very vast Samsung Electronics five years ago.

However, judging by the stability of the model range and the consistently high class of equipment, global market changes do not affect the originality of the audiophile brand. Which, of course, cannot but rejoice.

The idea to offer modern music lovers, professional monitors in retro design was born by engineers quite a long time ago. Perhaps its most striking embodiment was the columns that appeared last year under the number 4349.

These are impressive (74 cm high and 44 cm wide) two-way speakers with a 12-inch woofer and a compression tweeter loaded on a huge complex-section horn. The speakers turned out to be really interesting, but not everyone can afford this format of “floor shelves” for $2000.

In a word, the need for a more democratic and truly shelf version was simply in the air. Finally, it materialized in the JBL 4309 Studio Monitor.

domesticated pros

It is enough to throw a cursory glance at these speakers, and the soul is downright captured by nostalgia for the good old days and full-fledged studios. By themselves, the 4309 was created as a replacement for the 4306 - and became the most compact speakers in the Studio line with a compression driver.

However, if we talk about real historical prototypes, then the design of 4309 reminded me rather not of a studio, but of a home model Everest DD 55000, released in 1985. True, despite the similarity in layout, the dimensions of Everest differed dramatically.

These were 145-kg "cabinets" with 15-inch woofers. They did, however, have similar full-sized horns that JBL uses today for the most part in high-end cinema speakers, both home and commercial.

JBL 4309 Speaker Test

Unlike floor standing or "low sitting" prototypes, our small speakers are designed specifically for rack placement. The instructions even indicate the optimal height of the supports - 61 cm. But they can also rightly be called shelf stands: front-facing bass-reflex ports and a small case depth make it possible to put them even in a bookcase without any problems. Of course, if such a decision suits you in terms of the nature of the sound.

By the way, the width of the speakers, which exceeds the depth, is an extremely rare phenomenon in our time. Many designers believe that speakers should be as narrow as possible so as not to be an eyesore to those who do not understand anything about sound. Well, JBL 4309 is clearly designed for a completely different audience.

The mouthpiece of the era

So, the wide (about a third wider than the mid/bass driver!) front panel is finished with a dark blue coating that is not pretentious but is clearly visible in the interior. In addition to two-phase inverters, rather large holes for attaching the grill were found here - everything is exactly like in the speakers of the 70s and 80s.

The body is assembled from 18 mm thick MDF boards and covered with natural satin veneer. There are two finishes: black or natural walnut. A square grill that does not capture the horn is also black in the first case, and blue in the second. In my opinion, the "walnut" version looks much livelier and more interesting.

On the bar separating the bass section from the high-frequency section, there is a miniature regulator, which can only be turned with a screwdriver or a coin. This is a potentiometer that allows you to adjust the high-frequency part of the frequency response within ±1 dB.

It seems to be quite a bit, but, firstly, such a small range hints at a careful attitude to the phase structure of the signal, and secondly, if the room needs serious acoustic correction, then it certainly should not be carried out by column crossovers.

As conceived by the developers, this regulator should be of particular benefit during the warm-up period, which for the JBL 4309 is several weeks. According to official figures, during this time the ratio between the sound output of the speakers can float a little, and the potentiometer is a great way to keep the sound under control.

The JBL 4309 has a 6.5-inch woofer with a cast basket, a 1.5-inch coil, and a proprietary Pure-pulp cone for the lower and, partially, mid-range frequencies. It is made, as you might guess, from the pure pulp.

The tweeter is also of the original design - this is a 2410H-2 compression driver. It is armed with an inch annular diaphragm made from Teonex film, that is, from polyethylene naphthalate, a polymer that is characterized by increased strength, durability and stability of physical dimensions.

But the most noticeable element of the emitter is, of course, the advanced patented High-Definition Imaging horn. The complex profile of the internal section , provides a wide radiation pattern: 100° horizontal by 80° vertical in the range of 2-17 kHz (-6 dB).

JBL 4309 Speaker Test


In addition, HDI technology helps to combat the characteristic horn overtones. Moreover, according to the developers, it does it so effectively that the creators of acoustics were not afraid to lower the crossover filtering frequency to 1.6 kHz.


The test setup was built on Mark Levinson components: a preamp with a DAC #526 and a dual-mono power #5302 (2x135 W at 8 ohms). A MacBook Pro laptop with an Audirvana player served as digital transport, and the speakers themselves were connected with a Nordost FREY 2 cable.

With an impedance of 4 ohms, the sensitivity of the JBL 4309 is 87 dB / 2.83 V / 1 m - the indicators are quite standard. As for frequencies, the passport promises us bass up to 42 Hz and high up to 30 kHz at a level of -6 dB.


Let's start with the basses, since it was they who presented the first pleasant surprise. The area of ​​the listening room was about 40 squares, but 4309 did not bother at all.

It is clear that they did not cause ultra-low tectonic shudders - nevertheless, the basses, as they say, shook. Moreover, they turned out to be surprisingly energetic and collected. Amanda Fish's blues (the album "Free") sounded quite solid and weighty, although the key theme in them was the beautifully brutal voice of Amanda herself.

By the way, about vocals. Chris Isaac's baritone on the Wicked Game compilation was lively and punchy, but the upper overtones sounded a bit tight, so I decided to test the doubts on the higher voices. I put on Mozart's Magic Flute and listen to the high airy soprano Fabienne Conrad. Nothing of the kind: it sounds easy, clean and bright in a good way. Great sound!

In parallel with Fabien's vocals, of course, I also analyze the sound of the orchestra. The strings play sharply and in sufficient detail, while the flutes, on the contrary, are rather refined and soft. The trombones not only stand out in the mix, but are distinctly different in tone. Timpani and bells scatter sparks throughout the room.

JBL 4309 Speaker Test


In other words, everything is as it should be in the presentation of good high-quality acoustics. The only niggle is a slight unevenness, which seems to occur on the border of the frequency section. But you can feel it only in those rare moments when the characteristic overtones of a vocal or a wind instrument fall on a very narrow section. Like I did with Chris Isaac.

At the word "mouthpiece" for many, two typical drawbacks of this design emerge in the minds of many: overtones and a narrow radiation pattern. However, if we talk specifically about the development of JBL, it seems to me that these problems are in the distant past. And in general - in our time, only those few brands that really masterfully master their development risk putting horns in audiophile acoustics.

One way or another, I did not catch the notorious color in the sound of the JBL 4309 at all. As for the directionality, it can be described as average in its class. A significant offset from the centerline between the speakers does affect the perception of highs - but not more than most systems with dome tweeters. And if your room is narrow, then this moment can be completely turned into a plus: with the right positioning, early reflections will be done away with.

JBL 4309 Speaker Test

In general, following the results of listening to a very diverse playlist, the summary is as follows: despite the words Studio Monitor in the title, the speakers do not play dryly and are not boring. The sound is lively, moderately sharp, with good relief and fairly accurate tonal balance. Please note all this in the presence of a hefty horn. The music scene for this price class is quite wide and extremely detailed.

Childhood dream

It looks like the compression tweeter in the JBL 4309 is fully justified. It does not try to compete with top-class tape recorders in terms of micro-resolution, but on the other hand,, it produces a sound that can be called lively, sparkling and at the same time harmonious and comfortable.

That is, exactly the kind that audiophiles of past generations dreamed of. Of course, there were horns and purely paper diffusers in those years, but there were no technologies that would allow them to get such a clean and tonally even sound from them. And now we have.

Stylish nostalgic design, very impressive bass for such a body size, energetic and at the same time tonally balanced sound.

It is for studio monitoring that it is better to choose a stricter model, the real element of JBL 4309 is drive and aesthetic pleasure.

JBL 4309

$2000

Number of lanes: 2

Number of speakers: 2

Acoustic scheme: Phase inverter

Frequency response (-6 dB): 42 Hz - 30 kHz

Sensitivity: 87dB/2.83V/1m

Crossover frequency: 1600 Hz

Impedance: 4 ohm

Rec. amplifier power: 25-150W (RMS)

Rec. stand height: 609 mm

Dimensions (WxHxD): 260x419x227 mm

Weight: 10.98 kg (each)

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