JBL 4350B/4350BWX (circa 1981)
The JBL 4350B is the last of the 4350 series. It is a 4-way, 5-speaker bass reflex studio monitor built for large recording studios that needed serious sound pressure levels. It's big, heavy and made for professional work: 1,210 mm wide, 889 mm tall, 508 mm deep, and 118 kg, the heaviest of the entire 4350 line.
The drivers define this speaker. The low end uses two 38 cm cone woofers (2231H) wired in parallel for high input resistance and high output. A 30 cm cone mid-woofer (2202H) handles the middle-low range, mounted in its own subchamber so it doesn't interfere with the woofers. The mid and high ranges are horn-loaded: a 2440 driver with a 2311 horn and 2308 lens for mids, and a 2405 horn tweeter up top. Crossover points sit at 250 Hz, 1.1 kHz, and 9 kHz. The system is rated 30 Hz to 20 kHz ±3 dB at 95.5 dB/W/m. Impedance is 4 Ω below 250 Hz and 8 Ω above, with allowable input of 200W and 100W respectively.
The 4350B traces back to the original 4350 from 1972. Over the series' life, the woofer went from the 2230A to the 2231A and finally the 2231H. The mid-bass went from the 2202A to the 2202H. The "H" units got an improved magnet structure and voice coil for better power handling and lower distortion. The 2440 driver and 2405 tweeter stayed the same from the first generation. The B version appeared around 1981 as the end of the series, refining the design without changing its fundamentals.
Two finishes were offered. The standard 4350B came in walnut and was priced at ¥950,000 per unit in Japan. The 4350BWX, distinguished by its blue baffle, ran ¥990,000. The mid and high-frequency units could be swapped left and right on the baffle to make a mirror-image pair, and the cabinets could be flown via eye bolts and reinforcement angles for studio installation. Bi-amping at 250 Hz required a separate 5234 electronic crossover (¥125,000).
The BWX's blue-baffle look has made it a collector's item that remains highly sought after today. These are 40-plus-year-old professional tools, and owners know the common failure points well: foam edge deterioration on the 2231H woofers and the 2202H mid-woofer, diaphragm degradation on the big 2440 driver, scratchy front-panel attenuators, and, at 118 kg, sagging cabinet bottoms and exterior wear from years of hard use. Working pairs command a significant premium on the used market.
justfriends.jp (a Japanese vintage audio specialist) notes the 4350B's status as the "final evolution" of the 4350 series and the BWX's enduring popularity as a collector's item.
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