JBL

4309 Bookshelf Loudspeakers

£1,799

On the face of it, this speaker looks like it has teleported straight from a smokin' hot LA recording studio circa 1977 – it even displays the legend 'Studio Monitor' on the front baffle. The thing is, it isn't intended for pro-audio use at all – because JBL's 4309 is aimed squarely at the domestic market. That's you and me, folks!

The 4309 is a 2-way bookshelf design incorporating modern proprietary technology within its funky retro cabinet. Housing a 165mm woofer and 25mm compression driver (tweeter), quoted sensitivity is 87dB – so it's relatively amplifier-friendly for a fairly compact bookshelf loudspeaker.

The front-ported cabinet presents a visually striking pro-audio image, which differs from most modern speakers. Rather than the inconspicuous narrow-but-deep low profile boxes designed to fit unobtrusively in modern domestic living rooms, the 4309 features an old-school wide front baffle that positively screams Professional Monitoring Tool, while cabinet depth is shallow.

If you're eyeing a pair of these up with a view as to where they might fit in your listening room, the vital statistics are 260x420x229mm (WxHxD). Visually they are no shrinking violets, and visitors will immediately know you are serious about high quality, professional-grade sound reproduction – or at least aspire to be!\You'll be in good company too because back in the day, JBL engineers began using their company's studio monitors in their homes – well, they would, wouldn't they?. This inspired the brand to develop speakers with the same looks and performance characteristics as its professional range but for specific use in the home. Probably the best-known example of this was the classic, recently reissued JBL L100, which was the domestic version of the 4310 studio monitor; it gained a massive following and went on to become the company's best selling loudspeaker.

UP CLOSE

Now, the brand new 4309 joins its larger stablemates as one of the current models in the 'studio monitor designed for the home' range. Despite the vintage pro-audio looks, the 4309 is packed with modern technology. The tweeter is JBL's patented 2410H-2 annular ring with Teonex polymer diaphragm compression driver, which features a V-shaped cross-section engineered to reduce break-up modes while minimising distortion and time smear, the company says.

The driver is allied to its proprietary High Definition Imaging (HDI) geometry horn, featuring technology derived from its D2 range of professional monitors. This is a classic JBL concept, with its distinctive curves designed to deliver an even response, controlling dispersion and further reducing distortion. At the bottom of the treble assembly sits a UHF (Ultra High Frequency) adjustment control, offering 0.5dB or 1dB of top-end boost or cut above 5kHz.

Taking care of midrange and low-frequency business, with a crossover frequency of 1.6kHz, is a cast-frame pure pulp cone woofer, featuring a symmetrical field motor design with a long-throw voice coil, flux stabilisation ring and copper shorting ring. It's great to see that in a world of ever more exotic speaker cone material, good ol' pulp can still hold its own!

The transducer is aided by twin bass-reflex ports on the front baffle to extend the bottom end down to a quoted 42Hz (-6dB). These not only assist bass extension but also increase placement options. Although the speaker does like a bit of space to breathe, 50cm from a rear wall is sufficient to keep things fulsome yet controlled in the low-frequency department. As the cabinets are not particularly deep for a speaker of this size, you won't have to relinquish a large chunk of your listening room to achieve optimum positioning.

As for the cabinets themselves, here's where the 'studio monitor for the home' aesthetic really makes itself known. While the striking blue fascia surrounding the woofer evokes the classic nineteen seventies monitor vibe, the heavily braced 18mm thick enclosure features furniture-grade real wood veneer on both the sidewalls and – adding to the sense of luxury – the rear panel. StereoNET's review pair came in a beautiful Satin Walnut finish, with blue cloth grilles. Black Satin veneer with a black grille is the other available option.

On the rear panel are two sets of inset gold-plated binding posts, so bi-wiring and bi-amping arrangements are catered for, while jumping straps are provided when simple single-wire connectivity is used, as per this review. My reference system centred around a Naim Nait XS 3 integrated amplifier; I used heavy Target speaker stands, around 1.5m apart.

THE LISTENING

Fans of the JBL brand will be happy to learn that the new 4309 has not gone 'off piste', so to speak. It remains quintessential, classic JBL – albeit in a slightly more modern setting. Think fast, dynamic, punchy, expansive and expressive. It's the sort of sound that makes rock fans remember why they love the raunch of guitars, bass, drums and vocals, or jazzers celebrate their beloved music's infectious groove and powerful evocation of mood.

First and foremost, this little loudspeaker does rhythm especially well. It wins no prizes for out-and-out refinement, but sure knows how to have fun. Fed with some classic seventies rock in the shape of Fleetwood mac's Rumours album, it was soon serving up that memorable LA studio vibe. The album opener Second Hand News begins with a muted, chugging guitar in the left channel and is soon joined by sparkling acoustic guitar to the right as the song kicks in proper. The JBL injected this, and the rockier numbers such as Don't Stop ;and Go Your Own Way, with a wonderfully propulsive bounce. This was enjoyed with unexpectedly precise stereo imaging, the widely panned audio fixed firmly in its place.

A fulsome bottom end helps the 4309's ability to rock out almost as much as the speaker's lightning-fast transient attack. Led Zeppelin's Whole Lotta Love was a thrilling experience. This speaker provided a firm foundation to the music and never lost its grip – so the interplay between kick drum and bass guitar was locked-in tightly.

During the track's breakdown, with guitar effects sweeping from speaker to speaker, the 4309 displayed what could be perceived as either a great strength or weakness, depending on your listening preferences. While it packs a punch, it can't quite muster a cavernous soundstage. Rather than smother you with a huge holographic image, this speaker seems to invite you to peer into the mix to hear all the subtleties and detail. The music isn't thrown out at you, as perhaps some JBLs of yore would do.

Although instrumental timbre is convincingly portrayed, tonally, the 4309 has an ever so slightly hard-edged treble which made itself known to me by accentuating sibilance. This was evident on the classic rock of Kate Bush's The Man With The Child In His Eyes, for example, but also on other tracks too. While the upper frequencies are explicitly detailed and nicely extended, a 0.5dB cut from the UHF control usefully reduced sharpness from brighter recordings.

On the whole, the 4309 also handles modern rock and pop very well. Finally escaping the seventies for a spin of the Arctic Monkeys' Tranquillity Base Hotel & Casino album, the JBL revelled in the lush soundscapes within. I heard a precise stereo image from side to side and top to bottom, albeit in a 'right before your very eyes' way. Rather than being subtly immersive and enveloping, this speaker comes right out with the musical goods. Here, high-frequency atmospherics and spatial cues from reverb effects made for an incredibly involving listen.

Eager to assess the JBL's sound without the added distraction of stereo imaging, I connected my review pair of speakers to my ancient Leak TL12 Plus valve amps. As Leak amplification was used in EMI's Abbey Road Studios in the sixties, it seemed logical to play mono recordings by The Beatles that I know like the back of my hand. Flicking the mono switch on my Icon Audio PS1 phono amp, I dug out an original 1966 pressing of Revolver…

Eleanor Rigby revealed superb vocal articulation, while the 4309's incisive tweeter emphasised leading edges of the string parts, which came across with a sense of urgency that eludes, for example, any BBC monitor I've ever heard. Chiming guitars on tracks like And Your Bird Can Sing and She Said She Said sounded even more sonorous than usual, seemingly dripping with rich harmonics; it was a revealing listening experience in more ways than one.

Staying firmly in 1966 mono, but hopping across the pond for The Beach Boys' Good Vibrations, played from a 10-inch 78rpm Record Store Day release, I was able to delve deep into the complex, multi-layered production. The 4309 invited me inside, and I spied odd electronic noises buried at the rear of the mix – a spot of vocal reverb that rings-out solo towards the end of the song was hauntingly delicious on this playthrough. Then it was over to Lee Morgan's classic The Sidewinder from the mid-sixties to prove that this speaker can swing as well as it rocks – this jazz standard was cooking on gas!

THE VERDICT

JBL's 4309 won't delight sticklers for detail and/or neutrality, but it will entertain those who like their music fast, engaging and visceral. It delivers a fun-filled experience that's big and bouncy; there is never a dull moment. Crank up the main fader, get the VU meters swinging and imagine yourself sitting in the producer's chair at The Record Plant in the summer of '77 – with your fingers snapping your those flares a flapping!

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