JBL 4311's??? Relics of the 70's...

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elementOne

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I'm currently putting together a small project studio to record songs for a group of songwriters. It's a computer based system (Apple G4 w/ OS X) using a MOTU 828 and Logic Audio.

I'm trying to find a decent set of budget monitors. My room isn't big (8' deep) so I'm glad that such a thing as nearfield monitors exist as the concept will help me out tremendously.

None of the local stores (Vancouver, BC) seem to have a good selection of used or bargain gear. I was going to go for a pair of Yorkville YSM1p's after reading a bit of feedback on these forums last night.

A friend has offered me a pair of JBL 4311's for loan. Reading what I could find on the internet, it seems they were well respected monitors that were in high circulation in the 70's. I'm tempted to take them and pick up a small amp to use with it. However, I'm concerned that these BIG monitors might not be suited to my small room (12" drivers??). Am I right to shun these conventional, non-nearfield monitors and find a more modern nearfield pair???

Any advice would be appreciated.
 
I would think you'd be better off getting the yorkville's. I would then look at room treatment as well. The jbl's may get you buy in the mean time though....



F.S.
 
Yeah, room treatments will be happening regardless of which monitors I go with. I just have this suspicion that the non-nearfield monitors will have more problems with a small room than the nearfield ones.
 
How close will you be to the speaker? If you will be close, the larger monitors won't do.

Also, speaker tech has come a long way since 1970...
 
I was in a similar situation a while back and borrowed a set of 4311's. They are great speakers, but were designed to be mid-field (ie. you need to be a few feet away to really get the sound to be properly blended). Up close I noticed that the bass seems really weak, but about 10 feet away it sounded good. Also, with the 12" woofer, you really have to drive them at a fairly loud volume to get the woofer to work right.

I replaced them with a set of Event 20/20 passives that I picked up cheap, and am very pleased with what I'm getting in my small room.

Darryl.....
 
Hey man, i'm from Vancouver island. I have a bunch of buddies in Van and i'm going to move there eventually.

There are a few places that sell some decent gear, but i've found that Canada is WAY more expensive than the US websites.

Sucks huh!
 
I beleive it's Eh. Ahah, yea it is quite nice.
Whistler is great for skiing.
 
Freudian Slip said:
Don't you mean, Sucks ay:D
Click to expand...

It's actually:

Sucks, eh?

Not that it matters much...

Yeah, there are no discount online Cdn music sites. We get so ripped off up here.

EDIT: Sorry ambi, didn't see you beat me to the 'eh' correction...
 
I've still got a pair of JBL 4311's I bought new in 1979. I'll have them reconed (about $35 each) and soffit mount them when I finish building my studio. I've always liked them and "know" them pretty well. I also have a pair of M-Audio SP-8B nearfields. Takes a little getting used to them when I "A-B" the two. Haven't used the M-Audios much. I'm waiting to get the studio finished.

DD
 
I do believe that any smaller sized speaker system can be used as near-field monitors, providing that it is sitting close enough to your ears so that the room acoustics do not have an effect in colouring the sound. Too close, though, and you won't get a proper stereo field. Near field monitors should be at least 6 feet apart, and any one speaker should be at least 3 feet from your ears.
Monitorig SPL is also important, due to Fletcher Munsen.
Having said that, I used the 4311's successfully in my Montreal studio back in the 80's, and I still own the pair. Unfortunately, I cannot use them at the present time, as they are too big for the cupboard of the space I call my control room in Coquitlam. So I am using a pair of smaller JBL bookshelf speakers for that purpose. (sigh)
 
I use a pair of 4311's (and urie time aligns and auratones)....speaking of a dinosaur speaker setups... in a 12x15 room. All the newer little nearfields don't cut it in my book. I've tried the Mackie 824, etc and thought they sounded wimpy in comparison to the jbls. HOWEVER, I like to listen fairly loud a lot of the time too. I don't believe that speaker technology has really advanced that much over these speakers. (unless you spend the $ for the LSR series by jbl!!) They were popular for a very good reason....they sound great even with the minor midrange bump. I would get them in a heartbeat. ....especially since you can find them so cheap nowadays.

oh...and I wouldn't get a "little amp" either. Get something with a least 300 watts rms to push these puppies so you won't be sending clipped signals to these ole boys.
 
Well, I'm going to pass up the loan of the 4311's and go for some nearfields. My room is pretty lively as is and although I will do some foam treatment, I think nearfields will aide in my quest for a dead room.

The two frontrunners at the moment are the Yorkville YSM1p ($750 Cdn) and KRK V4's ($800 Cdn). Any comments regarding these two are appreciated.
 
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