Hi guys. My friend implored me to offer some negatives I have of the JBL. I am going to do my best to describe my negative impressions of them here, right now.
There is some slight horn coloration. Now if that’s not your thing, then you can stay well away from them. However, the benefits the horn loaded system offers, in terms of dynamics, spl capibility without loss of detail that IS there, is extraordinary and far out weighs the slight coloration I speak of. It is not honky, it’s not ’horn-y’ it is a natural shrillness to the 5-10khz range that is just naturally there in brass and upper end vocals. The detail that is there, is there in bounds. I do not want for more. If I wanted hyper detailed (and potentially fatiguing) speakers then I would have gone for the KEF Ref 3 or Ref 5. Both are in the ballpark of the 4367 price range. Both would offer a more detailed presentation. I admit the JBL 4367 are not the last word in resolution, but you get a tradeoff of a unfatiguing experience.
Bass. I did mention this but was somewhat vague. The JBL 4367 are rated -6db @ 30hz. Considering the size of the woofer, this may be unacceptable to you. I can understand that. However, I’d much rather take these -6db @ 30hz over (claimed) frequency response of 18Hz -3db of the B&W 800D3, for example. Science is science, and the fact is a cabinent of smaller cubic size than the JBL will struggle to provide meaningful displacement, and without that displacement you just cannot get that 18hz claimed response.
But I digress, there is a serious lack of subbass on the JBL 4367, and you will need a (pair) of subwoofers to fill out the bottom end if you are truly a basshead and require THX 105db spl for 10hz LFE for the latest Transformer movie. Or you can corner load them like I do. I truly feel this is one of the best ways to enjoy these speakers.
There is some slight horn coloration. Now if that’s not your thing, then you can stay well away from them. However, the benefits the horn loaded system offers, in terms of dynamics, spl capibility without loss of detail that IS there, is extraordinary and far out weighs the slight coloration I speak of. It is not honky, it’s not ’horn-y’ it is a natural shrillness to the 5-10khz range that is just naturally there in brass and upper end vocals. The detail that is there, is there in bounds. I do not want for more. If I wanted hyper detailed (and potentially fatiguing) speakers then I would have gone for the KEF Ref 3 or Ref 5. Both are in the ballpark of the 4367 price range. Both would offer a more detailed presentation. I admit the JBL 4367 are not the last word in resolution, but you get a tradeoff of a unfatiguing experience.
Bass. I did mention this but was somewhat vague. The JBL 4367 are rated -6db @ 30hz. Considering the size of the woofer, this may be unacceptable to you. I can understand that. However, I’d much rather take these -6db @ 30hz over (claimed) frequency response of 18Hz -3db of the B&W 800D3, for example. Science is science, and the fact is a cabinent of smaller cubic size than the JBL will struggle to provide meaningful displacement, and without that displacement you just cannot get that 18hz claimed response.
But I digress, there is a serious lack of subbass on the JBL 4367, and you will need a (pair) of subwoofers to fill out the bottom end if you are truly a basshead and require THX 105db spl for 10hz LFE for the latest Transformer movie. Or you can corner load them like I do. I truly feel this is one of the best ways to enjoy these speakers.