Overview
The classic, old-school studio-monitor looks of the JBL 4349 bookshelf loudspeaker are timeless – a satin, furniture-grade, wood-veneer cabinet paired with a blue baffle and a cloth grille. As for the sound: True to JBL’s unprecedented heritage, yet utterly modern in that you likely never expected a two-way horn model to play with such exceptional detail, uniform directivity, and striking cohesiveness. The result is music reproduction marked by a beguiling combination of liveliness, presence, authority, and accuracy that in-class traditional speakers cannot produce.
Designed and engineered in JBL’s world-famous acoustic engineering facility in Northridge, California, the 83-pound 4349 features a patented High-Definition Imaging (HDI) horn molded in Sonoglass, a patented D2415K dual 1.5-inch compression driver, and a massive 12-inch, cast-frame, Pure-pulp cone woofer for powerful dynamics and incredible precision. High-frequency and ultra high-frequency tonal adjusters are located on the front panel below the horn and allow you to tailor the sound to your specific specific environment and preference. They work in conjunction with an advanced crossover network design that boasts air-core inductors, cast wire-wound resistors, and low-ESR metallized film capacitors in a multi-cap configuration. The latter technique improves series capacitance by averaging their values while lowering ESR and distortion.
Inside, the D2415K compression driver benefits from the advanced research and applications derived from JBL Professional’s D2 range. At its core, a pair of lightweight, polymer, annular diaphragms improve high-frequency extension by reducing diaphragm mass. The V-shaped geometry of the annular diaphragm reduces breakup modes, thus eliminating time smear and reducing distortion. From a technical standpoint, the “D” prefix indicates the driver utilizes dual diaphragms, dual voice coils, and dual motors for wonderful efficiency. Equally impressive, the woofer employs a three-inch long-throw voice coil in conjunction with dual opposing spider dampers to guarantee maximum output with significantly reduced distortion.
