The 4200 series of loudspeakers are designed specifically for console-top operation and feature magnetic shielding for video applications. Paul White puts a pair of 4208s to the test.

JBL are well-known for their M1 speakers, PA speakers and larger studio monitoring systems, but they have never — to my knowledge — produced a model specifically designed for near-field recording work. The new 4200 series changes all that. So far there are two models in the range, the 4206 and the 4208, the latter being the model under review here. The two models follow similar styling, the 4206 employing a 6" bass/mid driver and the 4208 an 8" unit. Both are two-way passive systems with distinctive sculpted baffles, and both can handle 75 Watts of continuous noise power or 300 Watts peak, the 4208 being slightly more sensitive at 89dB SPL for 1W at 1 metre. As expected, the larger model has the better low-end frequency response, though the difference is not as great as you might imagine. The manufacturer's literature quotes the frequency response of the 4208 as being within 2dB over a 60Hz to 20kHz range, with a 10dB drop at 38Hz. The smaller 4206 manages 65Hz to 20kHz within 2dB, with a 10dB drop at 42Hz.

Overview

The main body of the cabinet is built from vinyl-covered particle board with the tuning port at the back. In keeping with JBL's philosophy, the tweeters are rigid-dome titanium types, measuring a nominal 1" in diameter, with ribs and facets formed in them to break up resonances and to promote mechanical stiffness. Titanium is a very strong, light metal, enabling a very good paper specification to be presented, though in practice, they sound quite different to, say, soft-dome tweeters. A diffraction ring is mounted in front of the dome, and the whole tweeter is set into a sculpted depression, which is designed to act as an acoustic lens, in the front baffle. A magnetic shielding system is employed to reduce stray magnetic fields to an acceptable level.

The moulded polypropylene baffle curves out dramatically in the area of the bass/mid driver, giving the whole thing a kind of 'pregnant commode' look. But this design is no mere fashion fancy — the idea is to time align the drivers so that the bass unit and tweeter are properly in-phase at the listening position. The curvature also serves to help diffuse any mid/high room reflections which might encounter the baffles, and the speaker geometry is optimised for a listening distance of around 1 to 1.5 meters, which is typical for near-field applications.

Furthermore, the drivers are mounted one directly above the other, rather than offset, to obviate any need to build mirror-image pairs. A removable, circular grille protects the bass/mid driver and a thoughtful indent is provided in the baffle moulding, enabling the grille to be prised off with the aid of nothing more technical than a finger.

The grille itself is made from perforated metal covered in a standard grille fabric, while the driver it conceals has a ribbed, doped paper surround fixed to a roll-foam suspension. Built on a pressed-steel chassis, the speaker has a 2" diameter voice coil and the magnet is covered by a large metal cap which, presumably, also conceals the compensating magnet used to neutralise stray magnetic fields. By comparison with more powerful monitors, the bass driver is pretty lightweight and is front-mounted to the moulded baffle with four self-tapping screws, via a foam gasket.

A passive crossover operating at 2.6kHz feeds the drivers via push-on connectors, while the interior of the cabinet is lined with what looks like glass fibre to provide some measure of acoustic damping.

Test Drive

Driven from an amplifier of 50-70 Watts per channel, the monitors are capable of exceeding a comfortable listening level at the intended distance without any noticeable distortion. However, the speakers are designed to be used in an upright position, and the large distance between the tweeter and bass/mid unit is likely to compromise the performance if they are turned sideways — as is common practice. The speakers produce a more mellow sound than I confess to expecting from a pair of monitors with the JBL name, though I also felt the bass was noticeably underdamped, leading to a somewhat boomy and uncontrolled low end in a typical, domestic room. Stuffing a handful of Dacron wadding into each of the bass ports, as an experiment, tightened up the sound considerably, so perhaps JBL might reconsider their tuning criteria?

Stereo imaging is very good, considering the spurious reflections which occur when monitors are used perched on a mixing console, and I found the top end to be reasonably detailed and certainly less abrasive than some of JBL's other titanium-domed designs. There is a trace of splashiness right at the top end but not enough to be fatiguing. The acceptable listening area is as wide as can reasonably be expected when monitors are placed so close to the listener, and from the mixing position, the phantom centre image held up confidently.

Final Analysis

As a small monitor for assessing how a mix will sound on a mid-sized hi-fi system, the 4208s are pretty fair, especially bearing in mind that most domestic monitors are also overtuned to hype up the bass end. Despite the over-emphasised bass end, the 4208s do present a stable stereo image and are relatively revealing of detail within a mix, given their price range. They are also reasonably smooth-sounding, which is good news when you're working with them for long periods of time. And, whereas, many smaller monitors are distinctly lacking in bass, the wide range of these monitors makes them a viable proposition for full-range monitoring in a small home or project studio.

There seems to be a shortage of monitors in this price range, which is somewhat higher than the typical hi-fi speaker used for near-field work, but significantly lower than most purpose-built monitors. While the 4208 is not the only monitor in this market area, there are few similarly-priced speakers offering a comparable specification. Since they are magnetically screened, the 4208s may also be used close to a video monitor with no ill effects, making them attractive to the video post-production fraternity. Any speaker is a compromise but I feel that, despite the inevitable criticisms, this model has enough plus points to be given serious consideration.

Further Information
JBL 4208 monitors £399.50 per pair inc VAT.

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