JBL 4800's

Not a lot of info on them,as far as sales. Did find this old ad,on the net.

http://www.jlaforums.com/viewtopic.php?p=78638867

There has not been any sold on ebay,so thats no help.

Looks like there about the same as G400 JBL'S,as far as size and drivers,
I've got a pair of them,gave 25 bucks at the thrift store. Here's the tech sheet,you can compare the two.

Have to figure out there value to you,and go from there. Good luck.

http://www.jbl.com/resources/Brands...Documents/en-US/technicalsheet/jbl4800 ts.pdf



http://www.jbl.com/resources/Brands...tedDocuments/en-US/technicalsheet/g400 ts.pdf
 
I purchased mine with a pair of 2600's off of CL for $200 so i guess i could say i paid $150 for them? They are in very nice shape, the grills have some fade but they kept the drivers looking perfect. I wish there were scores like that around my area at thrift shops. Do you regularly look at thrift shops for audio? Do you have any advice?
 
The 4800's are the big brother in the line starting with the 2500. I bought a mint pair of 2600's for $40 that are pulling front duty in my HT setup. Picked them up from a Traders Village fair in this area.

Not as popular as older JBL's mentioned here, but a decent sounding speaker to me.

I have some info on the 2600 & 3800 models.

Rome
 
I own the 2600's and i think they sound half way decent as well. The line goes; 2500, 2600, 2800, 3800, 4800. I am using the 4800's and 2600 for my HT as well and i think they are perfect, the only thing not so perfect is my HTIB Pioneer receiver, I am thinking about upgrading to a Pioneer VSX-920-K which i have see on ebay for $300 seems to be a good entry level receiver with great features.
 
Quote:Rome..
Not as popular as older JBL's mentioned here, but a decent sounding speaker to me.

I,agree,there great in H/T set-up thats what I use my G 400's for rears.
And if I run across another pair,I'll get them for the fronts.

No need for a sub-woofer with these.
 
No need for a sub-woofer with these.

Hi HR!

Thanks for the kind sentiment & no doubt the 2600's have wonderful bass extension for a 6.5 woofer size.

My HT system does have a sub in it, but is truly not needed. When listening to the CD channel on Dish, I switch to stereo mode that does not use the sub.

Great mellow & full bodied sound from these speaks on jazz, acoustical, rap, swing, & other generes. I don't understand why this line of JBL's get beat up so much.

Mind you, they are being driven by a Magnavox mini system for HT. They would probably sound even better if driven by my MCS, Sony, Sherwood, or Kenwood pieces.

Anyway, glad to see others who enjoy this line of JBL sound. :thmbsp:

Rome
 
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Oh for sure. I was thinking about getting a pair of 2500's after i get a new HT receiver to use them as surrounds as well as my 2600's, but i almost can't bring myself to do that to the 2600's i TRULY love the sound as well, they sound (on a good day) almost as good as my RTiA3's. My HTIB Pioneer receiver came with these little satellite speaker and i'm pretty sure there is some sort of a low pass filter inside of the receiver because I don't get much at all for bass out of them at all, but as soon as i hook them up to my Pioneer A35-R WOOOOO do they sing!

Since there was so little data on these i'm actually surprised i had so many replies!
 
Yea JR, the 2500's should make pretty nice surround speakers & you can always find them for pennies on a dollar in good condition.

I almost bought a pair of 3800's for $125, but passed. I learned from that mistake as it only matters what you enjoy & your pocketbook can deliver.

Rome
 
I think i saw the same 3800's you're talking about on ebay too. I sometimes have the tendency to splurge on nice things especially speakers, I am all about those deals, i'm going to be going to quite a few estate sales and garage sales this summer trying to find that perfect "scroe"
 
Hi there VW! :D

Yea, I would think they provide a nice soundstage for sure. If you have a power source with at least 35 wpc you should get a nice sound.

Like I said this line of JBL's don't get a lot of praise, but if you like the sound that's all that matters. I'm always looking for other vintage model JBL's. My 2600s still keep me enjoying their sound in the HT setup!

Let us know if you get a pair with pics if possible.

Rome
 
So bottom line are the JBL 4800s any good in simple stereo setup?

Good? Yes. Great? No. I sold this line at Best Buy in 1992. It was a fun speaker, and I thought it sounded better than the Infinity SM series we sold as its competition... but, it's not hard to sound better than an SM series speaker, now is it?!?
 
I would love to get some to play with! :D

I have the 2800, 2 way with the 8" woofer. The 4800 is a three way with a 10" woofer.

At first I thought the tweeter was a bit course and muffled. Then I changed out the parts with the same values but better components. Now the tweeters sing like little birdies. :thmbsp:

EDIT: I paid $50.00 for mine on CL in Northern CA where most things are overpriced. Having said that, I don't feel that I overpaid for them because they were in really good condition.
 
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I would love to get some to play with! :D

I have the 2800, 2 way with the 8" woofer. The 4800 is a three way with a 10" woofer.

At first I thought the tweeter was a bit course and muffled. Then I changed out the parts with the same values but better components. Now the tweeters sing like little birdies. :thmbsp:

EDIT: I paid $50.00 for mine on CL in Northern CA where most things are overpriced. Having said that, I don't feel that I overpaid for them because they were in really good condition.

Forty to fifty bucks is a good price for the model 2800 or better, and maybe thirty for the 2600. I'm surprised that even the stock tweeter/crossover combo could ever be seen as muffled! When new, they were the brightest, snappiest thing in the store, which is why some customers didn't like them. The highs were too bold, bright, and in your face! Your caps must've been worn out.
 
Forty to fifty bucks is a good price for the model 2800 or better, and maybe thirty for the 2600. I'm surprised that even the stock tweeter/crossover combo could ever be seen as muffled! When new, they were the brightest, snappiest thing in the store, which is why some customers didn't like them. The highs were too bold, bright, and in your face! Your caps must've been worn out.

Was that brightness across all the different models?

Before I recapped mine I took a look at all the different schematics for that line that I could find. There does not seem to be any pattern to the design of those crossovers. Some of them have resistors in series with the tweeter some just have one cap.

On the 2800 there is a resistor in series with the cap and an inductor going to GND.

When I measured the Culver caps they were at the higher end of their range +/- 10%, 3.3 uF --> 3.5 uF +, I would have to measure them again to get the exact number.

I like they way they turned out. I'm not sure if I would call it bright, I guess part of that depends on what you are running them with.

Anyway, here is what I replaced the parts with. That little silver thing is a .068 uF polystyrene bypass cap. I actually ended up using the Jantzen .39 mH 15 AWG air core inductor because it's a better electrical match to the stock coil than the one pictured here.

EDIT: This pertains only to the 2800 model.

DSCN2216_zpscbfcd692.jpg
 
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