JBL Pro speakers advice wanted

I think it sounds like an awesome plan and will sound dynamic as hell. It's not completely unheard of to use speakers like this in a room your size. There are a few of us around here that already do it.

Go for it!

Are the 4632's with the double midsections? I will assume those are the bottoms that come with them? Which drivers are they?

You can get 4722N's for about 1100 a piece. I'm running two of these and a 3677 for the center due to space limitations. The 3677 was only 550.


I wouldn't go with the tall ones in such a small room as you're increasing c-t-c distance of the drivers by too much.

I agree, the 4722N's would be the best bet for most and it is passive for a simple setup. The 3731's are the next step but become more complicated to setup as they are bi or triamped.

I went with the 4722's in my room, love them. This is with Audyssey pulling down the top end, and the mic I used here isn't that accurate above 10khz. You need a larger distance from the speakers for the taller ones to sound right. They're designed for large auditoriums.

The issue with the 3731 is the center to center spacing on the drivers. I power the 4722N's with my receiver. This allows me to reduce the number of devices in the signal chain, and my receiver can put out 170wrms, which is more than enough for these in a home environment. They are ridiculously sensitive and very flat. I auditioned a bunch of the other ones and ended up with the 4722. My advice is to listen to them in a controlled environment and see which you like. I already explained the possible issues with the ones you're looking at, but if they sound better to you, that's all that matters. MK cycles through speakers faster than anyone I've ever seen

like 'not suggested, those may not be the best speaks for your room, as they were designed for large theaters where the seating distances are 30 feet+ and at such distances the different distance to each driver is minimal, so all the wavefronts combined, more or less how they are supposed to. at only 12 feet back from the speakers, the distance to each speaker will be significant and so there may be some weird combing effects in the frequency response because of the large driver spacing.

edit: it is sometimes difficult as we are all updating/posting at the same time.

'not. what is your next step? gear out of sight and a bigger screen?

mockup of the evolution. :-)

Read his full speaker test review. For a lot less than the price of JBLs you can have built for you the winner of his impromptu, but very thorough, competition.

I went from the 3622N 's to the 3731(clone). Remember JBL switched the CD in the 7 series for the top end and it is better! That is why I liked it better. Put together a 4722N top with dual 2226's and it does not get much better. A straight 4722N is very close to the combo I mentioned. The 3731's use that HF section and a single 2226 but also adds the dual 6.5 inch horn loaded Mid section. I had 4675c's from 13 feet and it sound great! Overall the 4675c's were the best but the HF section of the 3731(same as the 4722) extends higher. The 4675c's sound so big it is ridiculous! They are enormous though! I would stick with the 4722 or 3731 for size.

No self promotion here at all. He also didn't test against JBL's, and many people want fronts that are flat down to below 200hz, unlike the DR200s. I also wouldn't call that very thorough, no offense to MK at all, but he compared a pair of horn loaded drivers to single full range direct radiators, none of which I would consider very good.

$0.02

Hah, nice mockup The screen is already a 10' screen, any larger and it would be kind of uncomfortable to watch at the distance my seating is at. The speakers just make it look really small. It's currently pushed right up against the ceiling also. Your mockup pushed it higher The wall you see sticking down is actually the header that runs directly behind where my seats are. I have the projector mounted there, so it can't go back any further either.

I have some small changes coming that I can't really talk about yet. When I can, AVS will be the first to see

Not point me in the direction (PM or whatev) where to get 4722N for $1100, all i can find is $1739 online.

"Hah, nice mockup"

i've thrown a 10 footer (16x9) on my wall 'not and that was almost a decade ago, but you are on the leading edge. i just figured that you would be headed for a "HIMAX"...Home-theater-based IMAX. :-) maybe something like 20 foot diag with 2.35:1 and some parabolic rounding on the screen's horizontal profile (not to scale in the pic, just cooking ideas on the back of the envelope). you know that you are going to end up there... :-) i was just prognosticating...

"The 4722's should be great for me and I am sure all the headroom I need. Thanks again for the replies."

definitely...if you are planning to cross them at 80hz or higher. they are the right kind of total overkill for a home theater.

edit: the pic is only 12 feet diam scaled. the combination of the larger corner to corner and the reduced dimensions (16:9 to 2.35:1) makes the screen look much more enveloping.

I've thought about it I shot the projector at the wall with a couch there before building the screen and picked the size that would be good. Any lower and there are issues when reclining =] Very important haha. 2.35:1 was also a consideration. That would be kind of epic, but going a/t screen is more trouble than its worth, and I prefer not to have to turn my head while watching stuff At only like 12' away, a 10' screen is pretty big

As for JBL hookup, this is where I got all of mine. Call up for a price quote, it's much cheaper than the MSRP listed online.

I thought jbl pro was already a great value, the fact that it can be bought under msrp is pretty mind boggling..

Yep. I'm surprised more people don't go that route with how cheap the stuff can be gotten. I guess it's too big for most. *shrug* not my problem

I compared eD cinema 12's with the DE-250 and 3012Ho woofer which is an awesome speaker as well as the Triple 8LP's. Without a head to head there are things that will be obvious to me. The JBL pro's will sound bigger and have much more midbass impact! The DR's have more dynamic slam and HF clarity and extension. Crossing over my subs to 100hz is all that was needed to get the best of both worlds. The DR's almost sound as big but not quite. I was not going to bring this up since the OP asked for JBL pro speakers which I still like.

Ah, I thought you were running the 200s for some reason with T39s under them. Still, not exactly a fair comparison as triple 8's and the ed12 don't have very much displacement. Comparing them to something like a DR250 with massive efficiency and proper directivity control, obviously the DR250s will win because they're simply better. But again, it wasn't a JBL vs DR250 comparison, so I don't see what purpose it had in a JBL Pro thread, hence my previous reply.

Another option that takes up a little less space is the AE series like the discontinued AM6215/95.
http://www.fullcompass.com/product/379339.html

I actually prefer the aluminum phragm in the 2431 vs. the Ti in the 2432 which is used in the 4722 and AM7215.
Now if I could find some 2451SL's at a reasonable price....

I agree, The op wants JBL pro and I won't steer him away from them because they are that good! It is a simple solution but the draw back is size. The eD and Triple 8 can both play almost 130 dbs like the DR's so I thought the comparison would be perfect because they all drop off around 80hz in room. My Dr drops off earlier but still has enough displacement for a 80hz crossover. Still, not including DR's which is basically a DIY speaker I would take JBL pro speakers over everything else as commercial speakers are concerned. I know people say their ribbons are the best but none of them except maybe the big line arrays can play loud enough for a proper cinema experience. BTW, for anyone who wants to know, the 2-way and 3731's from JBL pro can play within 11 feet of the listener per JBL's pro rep. The 3731 is not even a cinema speaker, it is a post production speaker they use for mixing. It is that good! If I got the itch to change speakers again I would probably get JBL's 4722N's but my DR's are much smaller(width) and can be stacked like a line array which I will try out for the first time as my center channel.

OP, you will not be dissapointed with these JBL speakers but for the used price and since you have surrounds already even 4722N's at $1500 each is a better value because they are new and the same price as the used speakers. BTW, performance audio is who I used as well, they will discount for a big order so their list price is not the actual price.

Auburn, the 4722's are your best bet (and probably the ultimate mid-budget setup if you can accept the big ugly boxes). If you can get them for ~$1100 that is a great deal. I'd suggest just getting the 4722N passive crossover setup unless you really want to tweak. The difference in performance won't be big going to the active DSP amps.

If you want higher performance for similar money you could upgrade the compression driver and woofers. The 4722 doesn't use JBL's more refined drivers. A set of used 2435HPL's would be a nice upgrade for the CD's. 2226's would make for a much nicer set of woofers. You could actually build a 4722 clone with upgraded drivers and simply buy the horn from JBL parts. You would need to go active and take measurements if you went this route but the AVS DIY group could help with crossover settings (I know I'd volunteer).

As far as the comparison to Bill Fitz's DR's, IMO that was quite disingenuous. There was no head-to-head. Yes, MK's has his opinions and I respect them, but his review has little bearing on these JBL Pro offerings merit. The DR250's aren't even available for sale. You either have to build them or have someone build them for you. You also have to have a DSP to get them to perform well. It would have also been nice for Fitzmaurice to indicate that he has a business interest in the DR250s.

I agree with you! I have always said the DR's needs EQ and my 3622N's were great out of the box. If you go the upgrade way for a 4722N I would recommend a DCX and just use it as a crossover for a simple biamp solution. I regular 4722N will sound better for HT than most popular speakers here people rave about on AVS! I have stated many times why I liked my DR's better but I have a huge sub system to make up the midbass. If I did not have that I would go JBL pro all the way. BTW, you can not return these if you don't like them so it is a slight risk. The best thing about using these JBL pro speakers is that once you turn them on and break them in(about 4-5 demos of reference listening) their huge presence will make you smile! Nothing I have owned had that effect, nothing! Dual 2226 woofers sound awesome as well! As I said before buy a bottom with dual 2226's and a 4722N top, add a DCX and get blown away(literally)!

MK, I really wasn't directing that towards you. Like I said I respect your opinion but it wasn't a true head to head. I also respect Bill's designs, but hopping on a thread and pimping your product by falsely saying there was a head to head comparison and also not disclosing his financial interest in the product he was mentioning is something I don't agree with.

If someone wants to go the bespoke route and use the 4722 (specifically the JBL 2384 horn) horn over dual 15" woofers (AE TD15, B&C 15TBX100, JBL 2226, etc) I'd suggest skipping the compression driver that comes with the 4722. Like Wrager said there are better JBL CDs. Either the beryllium 2435HPL, the aluminum 2431H or any of the 4" diaphragm 1.5" exit CDs preferably with a Radian aluminum, aquaplas'd JBL titanium, or TrueExtent beryllium diaphragm (JBL models 2447, 2451, 2452 CDs).

This setup could be done with new B&C 15TBX100 woofers and used 2435HPL CDs for around $1200 before box, amp and DSP cost.

It is actually pretty similar to what I run but I use 2226J's, 2452H-SL CDs and older 2532 horns. On my infinitely long list of things to try is the 4722 horn to replace my 2352 horns.

There is one other budget option for a 4722 clone. Use the BMS 4555 CD and a single 15" woofer crossed somewhere around 800-1000hz. The reason for the single woofer is that the BMS CD can't play as low as the JBL large and medium format horns therefore you the center-center spacing would be too great. For people looking for big-time cinema sound on a moderate budget this would be pretty slick. Cost of the horn ($110), CD ($160) and B&C 15TBX100 woofer ($300) would be tough to beat. You would sacrifice some woofer headroom but by most accounts the BMS CD will outdo the stock 4722 CD (titanium 2432H) by a significant margin (I discussed this specifically with Zilch).

For the bespoke options, you would need to measure. If that is possible, I'm sure the group could chime in and help with either a DSP or passive crossover.

good lord mr. c., i knew the 2452-sl large format compression driver was good, but 145db with midrange distortion less than 1% down to 300hz??? that's crazy.

http://www.audioheritage.org/vbullet...21706-2452h-sl

the 15tbx100 has relatively low sensitivity in its class and a nasty resonance at the top end. the 18 sounds version of that driver, the 15lw1401, might be better for a bespoke 4722 now that the 2226h price has shot to the moon.