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which studio monitors do you think are better?
- Thread starter crb806
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Better for what exactly?
Are you going to be gaming, watching movies, using this for audio production, concerned with bang-for-buck, concerned with bass quantity, want something that can be super loud, etc. etc.....?
May be easier to recommend one over the other if people know what you're going to be using these for and what you want out of your purchase.
Are you going to be gaming, watching movies, using this for audio production, concerned with bang-for-buck, concerned with bass quantity, want something that can be super loud, etc. etc.....?
May be easier to recommend one over the other if people know what you're going to be using these for and what you want out of your purchase.
Mostly for gaming and watching movies. No audio production. I do live in an apartment with neighbors and I think a lot of bass would not be a good thing.
Most people who've heard the 305's and 308's prefer the 305's as they're a little bit better in the midrange. In general 8" 2 ways are pretty tricky to get right and the midrange usually suffers. Besides if you get a sub anything the 308's bring to the table bass wise will be wasted and you have a weaker midrange. I have the 305's with the matching 310S sub but haven't heard the 308's. Out of the box the 305's are pretty good but the lower midrange is a bit too thick. I PEQ'd (in JRiver) mine to be pretty flat from 200Hz to 20kHz (slight downward slope in the high end), below 200Hz it rises to hit the bass curve I like. They responded very well to the PEQing and they surprisingly hold their own against my MartinLogan ElectroMotion ESL's that are $2k/pair. The sweet spot on the JBL's wide and forgiving, the complete opposite of my ML's. My ML's are louder, more revealing in detail, and the sound stage is amazing but considering the JBL's can be found for as low as $225/pair on sale and come with amps they're a freaking steal IMO.
Regarding the bass with the matching 310S sub... this thing will shake your desk when cranked. It feels weird to feel my desk vibrating through my mouse trying to click on shit while surfing. I can feel the bass through my pant leg and the driver can certainly push a lot of air through the port. It shakes my floorboards pretty well too. It integrates well with the 305's, not surprising though. It's not quite what I'm used to but I have some high excursion, low distortion, high power DIY 12's so it's not really a fair comparison but not bad for $300 but not quite the steal the 305's are.
I can post measurements Monday or Tuesday if you'd like.
Zepher
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I haven't heard the JBL's, but do have the M-Audio D2 BX5's and I really like them and they were on sale when I bought them, $150 for the pair.
I do have a pair of Alesis M1 Active MK2's on my other workstation and they do sound better than the M-Audio's but they are larger and twice what I paid for the BX5's.
I do have a pair of Alesis M1 Active MK2's on my other workstation and they do sound better than the M-Audio's but they are larger and twice what I paid for the BX5's.
I had a pair of JBL LSR 305 in a PC-based setup for a few months before I bought the Emotiva monitors. I prefer the Emotiva monitors because of the ribbon tweeter, but I also prefer a flat frequency response when it comes to studio monitors. The Emotiva Airmotiv 5 would be comparable to the JBL LSR 305. I currently have Emotiva Stealth 6 monitors and that is about as big as I would go on mid-bass size ( 6.5" ) in a 2-way. My sub for these monitors is an SVS SB-2000, but I really don't need it for music, only movies.
We have both, and the JBL is the superior speaker in terms of imaging, detail and low-end (from my perspective). The 305' seem balanced/fairly neutral in my space and I haven't noticed any terrible mid/high range issues myself. As such, I haven't seen the need to eq them.
Here's a frequency response chart from an independent reviewer:
BTW, these speakers sound good with games. The imaging is so detailed, I can tell where sounds originate.
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Are yours raised off your desk? I'm just using some foam isolation pads like this:
My glass desk could be exaggerating my lower mid range. I've thought about raising them up a little bit.
Are yours raised off your desk? I'm just using some foam isolation pads like this:
.
Yep, I got some pads that came with the starter kit from American Musical on a wooden desk. No issues thus far.
I've read various descriptions on these speakers behaving differently in certain environments, though.
HammerSandwich
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So, the 305s strike you as non-flat? How would you describe them in this regard?
LOL. I couldn't tell if he was saying the JBL were flatter, but he preferred the ribbon twitter, that the JBL' are overall inferior in both regards or that he just prefers flat monitors.
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Nothing but bullshit in this thread because I bet none of your rooms are treated. Buy whatever has a consensus toward neutrality.
(shrugs) Like I said previously, it seems fairly balanced in my space across frequencies. Nothing sounds obtrusive.
As I previously stated, the monitor will behave differently depending on one's environment. In fact, the frequency chart I posted came from an untreated/noisy room.
Even treated rooms behave differently. This is mostly a result of one's finances and space.
TBH, he should audition them both; preferably in the space he plans to use them. The Bx5 could actually be the superior speaker in his space.; despite consensus indicating otherwise. The LSR305 still has more low-end though.
Accuracy is difficult to gauge, since there are other factors ( like low-end decay times and resonance). A speaker can seem neutral, but turn out atrocious mixes. In fact, one of the most popular studio monitors (Yamaha NS10) isn't really flat or neutral in terms of response; but is considered very accurate by many.
He doesn't need all that detail, since he's mostly using these for gaming/movies.
B00nie
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With controlled directive speakers you don't need room treatment. At least that bad.
Zepher
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I got grey paint on my walls. and I don't have the speakers aimed at me for aesthetic reasons.
B00nie
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I got grey paint on my walls. and I don't have the speakers aimed at me for aesthetic reasons.
If aesthetics are the important thing you could hide the speakers completely. Why bother.
Zepher
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Even though they are not aimed at me, I still get good imaging from the speakers.
there isn't enough space to turn the speakers without them hanging off the desk, so I just have them shooting straight.
My second workstation has them aimed at me, but I need to raise them up a bit, or get pads that aim them upwards, just haven't gotten around to it.
there isn't enough space to turn the speakers without them hanging off the desk, so I just have them shooting straight.
My second workstation has them aimed at me, but I need to raise them up a bit, or get pads that aim them upwards, just haven't gotten around to it.
dragonageinquisition
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JBLs are a pretty good value for the money.
One example is the JBL PT800 which is a $3400/pair msrp speaker, you usually see these go for used for around $700-800 on ebay.
Harman repackaged this speaker in a with rounded edges, gloss finish, and a slightly different tweeter and sells it as the Revel Ultima Gem 2 for $12,000/pair, goes use for like $5000 used.
JBL speakers may be ugly but you get a lot for your money.
One example is the JBL PT800 which is a $3400/pair msrp speaker, you usually see these go for used for around $700-800 on ebay.
Harman repackaged this speaker in a with rounded edges, gloss finish, and a slightly different tweeter and sells it as the Revel Ultima Gem 2 for $12,000/pair, goes use for like $5000 used.
JBL speakers may be ugly but you get a lot for your money.
No offense, I have to comment whenever I see such claims. I seriously doubt that anyone has tested every monitor on the market. They run the gamut in price, size and (naturally) performance.
The brand list is enormous.
Dynaudio (arguably) makes some good monitors, that is all.
B00nie
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Yep. Genelec for example holds much higher valuation in the pro market.
Genelec is top tier, but way over-budget for most of us.
My friend recently got the LSR 308's for $416 shipped. At that price, I told him to grab them.
He preferred them to the LSR 305's because midbass is especially important to him. He said he wanted "chest-pounding" bass: he is after a certain sensation that I figure can be attributed to upper bass and midbass visceral impact. What the 305's + subwoofer couldn't really deliver in any balanced way, the 308's could provide (some of) without a subwoofer at all.
So... without any concern over mid-range quality, the decision was obvious. Heh
He still insists the mid-range is good, but it's not like he can remember what the 305's sound like at this point.
My friend recently got the LSR 308's for $416 shipped. At that price, I told him to grab them.
He preferred them to the LSR 305's because midbass is especially important to him. He said he wanted "chest-pounding" bass: he is after a certain sensation that I figure can be attributed to upper bass and midbass visceral impact. What the 305's + subwoofer couldn't really deliver in any balanced way, the 308's could provide (some of) without a subwoofer at all.
So... without any concern over mid-range quality, the decision was obvious. Heh
He still insists the mid-range is good, but it's not like he can remember what the 305's sound like at this point.