JBL 4350A/4350WXA (1975)
The JBL 4350A/4350WXA is a large four-way studio monitor from 1975 — the biggest and boldest of the classic JBL 43XX series, and a speaker that still commands serious respect among vintage audio collectors. It’s a five-driver, bass-reflex, floor-standing system that was designed for professional studio use, and it shows: each cabinet weighs 110 kg and stands 889 mm tall. These are not bookshelf speakers by any stretch.
The driver list is long. Two 38 cm (15″) 2231A cone woofers handle the low end, and a 30 cm (12″) 2202A cone driver covers the mid-low band. The midrange and high frequencies go through a horn-loaded setup of the 2308 acoustic lens, 2311 exponential horn and 2440 compression driver. A 2405 horn tweeter takes the super-high band. Playback frequency response is rated at 30 Hz to 20 kHz ±3 dB, with crossover points at 250 Hz, 1.1 kHz and 9 kHz. Output sensitivity is 95.5 dB (New JIS).
The 4350A has to be bi-amped. The network uses a two-channel multi-amp drive system. Frequencies below 250 Hz are driven separately, and the bass section presents a 4 Ω load with a 200W RMS allowable input. Everything above 250 Hz runs at 8 Ω and 100W RMS. The low-frequency feed needs an optional JBL 5234 electronic crossover (with 52-5121 filter boards), while the built-in passive network divides the upper frequencies. There are XLR jacks on the rear for connection. The front panel has a rotary attenuator for the horn tweeter, and the tweeter and horn driver can be swapped left/right to optimize the soundstage. The cabinet can even be hung upside down using the iron reinforcement fittings, which fits its studio origins, where soffit mounting was the norm. As one owner noted on StereoNET, the 4350s work best against a back wall, as they were designed for soffit mounting.
Two external variants were offered. The 4350A has a gray finish and black grille, and the 4350WXA has a walnut finish and blue grille. The 4350A was priced at ¥800,000 per unit around 1978, with the 4350WXA slightly higher at ¥850,000. The optional 5234 channel divider sold separately for ¥120,000, and the 52-5121 filter boards for ¥5,000 each.
Documented reception is thin but enthusiastic. A seller on ishop.name described them as “the legends,” noting the drivers perform flawlessly, and a YouTube title pairs them with 300B tube amplification as “amazing.” One pinkfish media forum post called £1,000 “a very low price for a set of 4350s,” while a recent French listing asked €13,900 for an original Alnico pair. A Japanese commenter observed that the 4350’s low-frequency section, being 4 Ω, can take up to 200W when bridged — consistent with the spec sheet.
No formal period reviews, production discontinuation date, or detailed construction information have surfaced. What’s clear is that the 4350A/4350WXA represents the apex of JBL’s classic large-format studio monitors — a serious, heavy, professional tool that has aged into a collector’s prize.
Known Specifications
- Type: 4-way, 5-speaker, bass-reflex, floor-standing studio monitor
- Low band: 38 cm 2231A cone woofer ×2
- Mid-low band: 30 cm 2202A cone driver
- Mid/high: 2308 acoustic lens + 2311 horn + 2440 compression driver
- Super high: 2405 horn tweeter
- Frequency response: 30 Hz – 20 kHz ±3 dB
- Crossover: 250 Hz, 1.1 kHz, 9 kHz
- Impedance: 4 Ω below 250 Hz; 8 Ω above 250 Hz
- Sensitivity: 95.5 dB (New JIS)
- Power handling: 200W RMS (low), 100W RMS (high)
- Dimensions: 1,210 W × 889 H × 508 D mm
- Weight: 110 kg
- Variants: 4350A (gray/black grille); 4350WXA (walnut/blue grille)
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