Alon 4 or JBL590?


By any chance has anyone out there heard both speakers and care to offer an opinion on which is better?
I may have a chance to buy either, but cannot audition beforehand.
Not recommended I know, but curious as to experiences of others as to how they compare!
spa317
Hi spa, I have not heard the JBL's but I used to own the ALON 4's, I sold them, not because I did not like the sound ( I did! ) but because they needed so much power to get them to sound good! At least 200 watts per channel!  That really limited the amps I could use, as good 200 watt amps are very expensive. I have since only used speakers with high sensitivity so my choice of amps is greatly increased.Just something to think about,TISH
racamuti - Thanks. Do you mind if I ask what you moved on to, and whether they sound as good or better than the Alon's?

canibefrank - Thanks also, 'can I be frank'(!) with you and ask your reason for suggesting that 590 are better? :-)
My answer is not going to help because I went in a different direction and I'm now using a 2 watt amp with a pair of Sonist Concerto 4's.When I sold the Alon 4's, I bought reference 3A De Capo's and then Sonist Concerto 2's and now Sonist Concerto 4's.I'm retiring next month so these will be my last!  But I have no desire to change speakers as these were the sound I was after.Good Luck, TISH
@spa317 

 I can't help you with your comparison of the 2 speakers but I can give you my 2 cents on the Alon 4's. They were my first real high-end speaker and I really liked them. As racamuti said they need a powerful amp to drive them. At the time I used a BAT VK 500 se (200wpc) with a BAT tube preamp. The sound was fantastic! After 6 months or so I also bought the speaker cables that Acarian Systems designed to be used with their speakers. A tri-wired pair that I believe were called Black Orpheus, that greatly improved the sound. I almost bought the Alon 5's after the 4's but decided to go with a pair of Proac Response 5's. The Alon 4's have great bass extension and a good midrange and top end, of course that depends on electronics and cables upstream. They do need to have some breathing room to sound their best....good luck!

I would only look at a pair of Alon Vs with the 10" woofer versus the 12" in the 4s.  They are much faster sounding and more accurate.  Plus only get the Alons with the Alnico mid-range and even better with all of the drivers alnico.


Happy Listening

I agree about the Alon V vs the 4. the bass response is faster and more accurate. I drive mine with Cary V12 tube amps rated about 75 watts an they are a good match. I also use Simaudio Moon 5 solid state. Heve given the Alon V's to my best friend and now have the Alon circe..Can't help vs the JBL's . The only thing I can say is that I've bought speakers maybe 5 times in my life. JB:L's were in contention at least 4 times and I always chose a different speaker.
 Candles come to hear reality and evaluate each speaker model  https://hdradio.vn/loa-karaoke-jbl/ . New feel the most realistic and clear
Just to echo Ron, I loved my Alon IVs!  They were incredible value for money and  they did so many things well. They have a very open un-boxy sound with a HUGE soundstage. They need a some space and they do need a 200 watt high current amp to control those woofers, but with that and a good front end they will really sing.

I first drove them with little Meitner monos and pre, then moved up Herron mono blocks (150w each but high current and damping) and tubed preamp.  The latter combo sounded great on all kinds of music, all volume levels, ffff to ppp.  Yes, the Vs are better, and the Circes are fabulous, but the IVs will always have a special place in my heart. As long as you are wiling to match the amp to the IVs, and commit to bi-wire or tri-wire (the Alon Black Orpheus tri-wire can be had for cheap on used market) do not hesitate.

I'm just not a fan of the JBLs. Not as refined or timbrally pleasing to me. YMMV.
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