Kenrick Sound JBL 4345

Treat yourself to the ultimate new year's gift!

I am offering for sale my brand new Kenrick Sound JBL4345 speakers.

JBL4345

The JBL4345 professional monitor series was manufactured in the early 1980's in very small volumes (I believe that only 200-300 pairs were ever manufactured). It is considered to this day one of the best speaker systems ever made and has developed a cult following, especially in the Japan, South Korea & the USA. There is a buoyant market for replicas & clones around the world but original speakers are extremely valuable and rarely come up for sale. If you do manage to find an original, it is often in poor condition because of their vintage.

Here's some data on the speaker: 

https://audio-database.com/JBL/speaker/4345-e.html 

KENRICK SOUND

Kenrick Sound in Japan are JBL fanatics who buy original speakers from around the world, then painstakingly restore them to new condition. Every aspect of the speaker is restored or re-built, including careful attention to detail on the cabinet, drivers, driver surrounds & crossovers. The craftsmanship is extraordinary. As rare as the originals are, the Kenrick Sound versions are even rarer.

Company:                           http://kenricksound.com

These exact speakers:          http://jbl43.com/?pid=143272370

SOUND QUALITY

Even compared to modern expensive high end speakers, these have a tone and effortlessness about them that is amazing to hear. The main reasons are that these original drivers were exceptional and they were all been used well within their performance capability so there was no stress or strain. The result is an effortless big articulate, tonally rich sound.

For example, one member of the Audiophile Club of Athens, Akis Michalopoulos has a pair of Kenrick Sound 4351 speakers http://www.aca.gr/index/members/greece?row=9

In 2014, the club met at his home and heard his system and to this day the members say that they have not heard a better sound. Report: http://www.aca.gr/index/meetings?row=2691

The speakers on offer here are even rarer than his JBL4351's and in ordering these, I spoke extensively with Akis and Kenrick Sound.

BACKGROUND AND REASON FOR SELLING

I had been on a waiting list for a long time and finally I had an opportunity to order them in December 2018. The build was estimated to be around 2-3 months however I asked Kenrick Sound to build me an upgraded crossover network and due to my lack of availability (overseas travel), the speakers did not actually arrive here till late November 2019 (11 months later). I have only run them for 20 hours so far and they are notorious for needing hundreds of hours to run in so your are essentially getting a brand new speaker.

Due to their rarity & quality, my intention was to keep these long term however in the ensuing year, we've had some changes to our situation and we are now about to move out of our house for 6-12 months and undergo a significant renovation project. I have had bad experiences with storing rare & valuable items so I prefer to sell them rather than risk damaging them in storage.

UPGRADED CROSSOVERS

At my request, Kenrick Sound upgraded the crossovers with pure silver wire sheathed in teflon & high performance audiophile capacitors, chokes and other components. This cost me an extra $4,000. Despite this, most owners bi-amp them, which results in tighter bass performance. If you choose to bi-amp them, you turn a switch near the binding posts and it bypasses the internal crossover. If you choose to use the internal crossover, you have a new full upgraded crossover to enjoy (see photos).

HOW MUCH DID THEY COST ME?

The speakers with the upgraded silver crossover networks plus the wooden stands & freight cost me $23,900. This includes the upgraded crossovers, a pair of brand new dark blue JBL grill cloths and black horn diffusion lenses. I am prepared to have them professionally crated ($1,000) and pay freight anywhere in the world (could be up to $2,500).

CONDITION

They are in absolutely brand new condition. No marks, scratches or scuffs. They look stunning.

LOCATION

I am in Melbourne, Australia and have experience of shipping large items to different parts of the world. I assure you that the packaging and crating will be over-engineered!

IN CONCLUSION...

This is a truly rare opportunity to purchase a highly sought after, rare and appreciating speaker system.

You may enjoy the superb craftsmanship of a perfectly restored legendary speaker, you may simply love the uber-retro looks, you may love the idea of being a custodian of audio history or you may be an investor who knows what these speakers can fetch overseas and into the future when they will literally never come up for sale. Or you may simply want to enjoy their superb sound which embarrasses most modern speakers that are multiples of this cost. Whatever your reason, this is a wonderful opportunity.

Enjoy!