Monitors are personal, I also find the LSR305 to be boxy sounding compared to other monitors, maybe you should try something that has more of an open sound with more obvious detail like Adam F5, equator etc.

In comparison to these monitors, they should sound like crap. If their specs/design/history of most 2.1 systems are any indication.

Hard and thuggish? Weird, I have the same speakers and the lows are punchy without being bloated. They also present clean/clear audio. I find it bizarre that a cheap pair of Logitech's with likely exaggerated (a frequent trait of cheap 2.1 systems) bass is capable of producing bass even remotely on par of even a single LSR305.


Really weird.



Perhaps you just prefer the sound of the Z4. It happens. I have to be honest, I can't fathom how two studio monitors (each bi-amplified), with more power output in a single driver than the whole Z4 system combined---would be outperformed by a cheap pair of logitech's. Then there's the tiny satellites (apparently, with only one real driver) of the Z4, and I'm certain the crossover is more than suspect. The sub likely makes up for the deficiencies of the sats.

I'm baffled.

Does your sound card come with software? Are there any effects added?

Also, have you tried the speakers with a different source?

BTW, which passive speaker switch (brand) are using and the cables?

He likes the imaging though. LOL. This is weird. Something clearly isn't right. When I moved these things into my room, everything sounded better. Movies, games, radio, etc.....

I'm kinda shocked that not too many people have commented on this bizarre phenomena. LOL.

Because it's not bizarre, everyone has an acquired personal taste to speaker/monitoring system. Obviously this guy is more into a more open and clean sound thus the LSR305 does not fit into his personal criteria. (Which are boxy if directly compared to a more clean/open system)

Of course. Which is likely why he prefers the 2.1 system, or something is wrong with his setup. However, you see nothing wrong with a studio monitor sounding worse than a cheap computer 2.1 system?

It's hard to recommend something "better," when the LSR305 should already sound better than what he owns.

That's all subjective though, since he may prefer a certain sound signature in comparison to myself.

For instance, they don't sound "boxy" (when I think boxy, I think tiny sounding/limited in imaging) to me, and are nothing short of open and clean.

I turned the level at the back full up today and found one of the units producing intrusive mains hum after it hits half-way. Anyway, I got in touch with the retailer who has agreed to exchange them both. Hopefully these two I have here will just prove to be part of some dodgy batch.

Before I contacted the retailer I loaded a high quality MP3 of 'New Kid In Town' by the Eagles into my DAW, and using a software graphic equaliser (Voxengo Marvel GEQ) I managed to make the speakers sound more or less how they should sound - or rather how I expected them to sound. This required (with the speaker trims set at 0dB) a reduction of -5dB at 80Hz, -4dB at 126Hz, -2dB at 200 Hz. Then flat until +3dB at 3kHz, and +5dB from 5kHz upwards.


With those settings they now sound much better than the Logitech. So what do you make of that?

I'm wondering if the 305s were properly situated on stands away from reinforcing surfaces. A speaker designed to be flat in the free field will sound bass heavy on a desktop or near a wall, floor or corner. The 2dB bass roll off available on the back of the speaker is not enough to compensate for this type of bass augmentation.
Move the speaker away from boundaries to hear what the designers intended.

The manual says:
"Ideally, the speakers should be placed on suitable speaker stands, rather than on the work surface. This will reduce resonance and deterioration of low frequency performance that occurs through mechanical coupling with the work surface."

No mention is made of boundary reinforcement, but it is at least as big a factor.
I can't count the number of times I have seen/heard speakers designed to be in the free field sitting on a desk or the floor or a bookshelf and booming away obnoxiously, the owner oblivious to the fact.

Don't know. Software can wreak havoc on the performance of speakers. For instance, the equalizer software that came with my on-board (crappy Sound Blaster Cinema) was actually causing the JBL's to sound marginally boomy and curtailing some of its performance.

When I bought a cheap Xonar card, the difference was night and day. The speakers sounded clearer, the slightly bloated low-end was gone and everything sounded balanced. I attribute that to the fact that Xonar could be set to neutral; with no enhancements. I'm sure a better made dac in the card didn't hurt either.

Perhaps, as Russell, said it's room acoustics.

Your equalisation shouldn't be necessary for a 'true' music reproduction with the LSR305. I guess you are rather matching them to your listening preferences -which got once set by using the 2.1 plastic speakers

Here a frequency chart from the LSR 305 in comparison with three other competitors. I guess some other manufacturer with products in this price field would wish for a freq. response like the LSR305



Since I like stuff that I can't build on my own, it might be worth to mention that the 305 uses in-house designed JBL driver -containing of a really nice long throw bass/mid driver- where others on this price level are mostly piling third party OEM stuff or even worse in a box.
The JBL is digital inside. Internally a Cirrus Logic CS5341 Multi-Bit Audio A/D Converter feeds the signal into a ST STA350BW (digital crossover/filter/PWM output) and makes a pretty clever design with good control abilities over the drivers. From a "design/involved components" to "outcome/sound" ratio it is probably the best a company could come up with in a budget speaker.

IMO, There are some parts inside this speaker which are on a real budget. I might start a thread at some point and show what to exchange to make the (fairly good) reproduction of mids and trebles even a bit more clean/open which also goes along with a tighter low end. . whilst screwing up the warranty I do not care for : )

We are using NS10M, MSP10, G.J Acoustic TD160, ATC SCM 50, K&H O300 in our two places and I usually do not like little (budget) speakers at all because all of them do sound either small or crappy -with the NS10 as an exception for their known properties.
Nonetheless I've bought the little JBL's out of curiosity about their special designed waveguide and I think they are overall enjoyable, workable and a good suggestion for the new, overtaking breed here on (now) homerecordingSlutz.

Just for fun I've tried and measured the 305 playing with a LR4 150Hz high pass filter in combination with the larger woofers from our more expensive active speakers. That takes the low end stress/biggest cone movement from the little JBL woofer (that thing has to cover 45-1700Hz otherwise). To do so I've low passed the active 8" Woofer from the MSP10 to take over the 30 to 150Hz range and high passed the JBL's at 150Hz for covering the freq. band from there (After trying different combinations, the Yamaha's with the JBL's resulted in the best match). That resulted in a three way system that really offers its own quality in comparison with the K&H and G.J. Acoustics. Some one would need an external crossover to do so too. Here it works really well either with my modded Klark KN800 or a NanoDigi 2x8 with a lucid 88192 to split the signal. Any 'cheap' off the shelf crossover (Peavey, DBX, Behringer) will degrade the sound/narrowing the stereo field.
To squeeze the most power out them I've set the JBL's input to -10dbV even when driven balanced via XLR inputs

I just tried that suggestion. I moved them further from the wall near the front of the desk and mounted on some firm sponge. The bass became only a little less overwhelming and the highs were still not there as I had originally expected. With these I expected to hear the breath of vocalists, but that's barely appearing, whereas it is on the Logitechs.

The JBLs I have here seem to more closely match the descriptions I've seen of how the KRK Rokits sound.

Did you try connecting it to a different source (another computer, a different dac/soundcard) as I previously suggested?

Also, what is the brand of passive switch you are using?

Shame, really. These speakers have brought me budgeted audio bliss.

If there is only a sponge separating them from the desk you may well still have more boundary reinforcement than they were designed for, again boosting the bass region beyond design intent. The idea is to get them away from close proximity - say 2 foot minimum - to hard planar surfaces.

Just experimentally, try somehow to raise them at least a foot off the desk on a stack of CDs, books, whatever - a short stand would be ideal; I made a temporary stand for my son out of two 14" lengths of 6X6 post because his small Fostex's had the same "bass problem".

Not many speakers are designed with boundary reinforcement assumed. Mission 70s come to mind as an exception - designed specifically for wall mounting.

This is the only computer available, but as the Logitech sounds okay, I doubt trying them on a different one would make any difference. I recently changed the AP2496 soundcard when I thought it was faulty, before discovering it wasn't (it was something else), so I strongly doubt whether that will be the cause of any issue.

The switch just says HQ 3-way Audio Switch. I got it off Ebay, three pairs of RCA phono-ins and one pair out. There's nothing inside to disturb the signal or impedance.

I wondered if heflys20 does have a point, in that I'm possibly used to the sound of my 2:1 Logitech, although I have always liked to have more treble information (detail) in my audio than tends to be fashionable, especially as I'm no bass-head. I made myself (it wasn't difficult) sit through a loud session of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon earlier today, and I'll continue to do similar to see if my ears become re-educated over the weekend.

I agree that stands / acoustic treatment & proper positioning would solve most of your issues with the LSR's but maybe you should try the Adam F5's instead.
They will have the lush highs you are craving for due to the ribbon tweeter.

The source can make a difference, it did in my case when I changed to a dedicated sound-card. I believe it was more specifically the software that came with the on-board though. It is more likely that the onboard DAC is mediocre.

The Logitech's may sound fine, but it's possible that you're acclimated to the sound. When I connected my 2.1 set to the Xonar, its sound signature changed. The highs became obnoxiously piercing. The LSR305 was clear/non-fatiguing.

It's not that I'm looking for lush highs, but just some kind of flat accuracy. If they are reasonably accurate then the highs should show through well, because that is how the producers of the 70s - 80s music I'm putting through them would have surely had them mixed and mastered, rather than with such predominant lows that is a feature of the current fashion.

If one were available, and I have been looking without success, the excessive bass and subdued highs could be compensated for with software that can tailor the sound into the sound card. Many soundcard drivers have such an equalizer to do this, but there is no such thing with my M-Audio ASIO driver. Clearly an oversight there with Windows.

What are you listening to? Can you name some specific songs? Or do you have the files?

I'll give them a listen for comparison.

Specifically, for their content of highs and airiness, I've played through them MP3s of 'Lyin' Eyes' by the Eagles (192kbps), and 'The Most Beautiful Girl In The World' by Charlie Rich (256kbps). This is not the kind of music I'm writing and recording, but just using it for reference to ascertain detail and accuracy. I checked Youtube quality of these but they are obviously pretty poor in comparison.

I just listened to Lyin Eyes in 192kps. Glenn's vocals were clear without being prominent and the guitar playing was detailed/open. It sounded good. IMHO.

Hmmmm.......The more I read about that soundcard, the more I'm thinking it might be the issue. I can't be certain though.

http://mail.audiokarma.net/forums/sh...d.php?t=277191



It may be a ridiculous question, but do you have the latest drivers?

Yes I have the latest driver. It gives a full sound through the Logitech, and the JBLs are being fed from exactly the same source. From what I've read, the AP2496 appears to be a highly regarded sound card anyway.

The problem with what you are doing is that you are only listening to the JBLs. I'm finding the bass is thudding, which is unpleasant, and the high hats lack the airy crispness that I get on the Logitech.

I just tried a 192kbps MP3 of 'You're Gonna Lose That Girl' by The Beatles (which has less bass level), and the JBLs almost completely lost the ticking hi-hats that are so present with the Logitech.

I'll have to take your word for it, since I can't get a hands on with the system.

That's a bit of a rude assumption. I have done extensive comparison tests between my 2.1 system (Cyberacoustic's 3908, which are similar in design/power-output to your Logitech's) and the JBL's. I've compared them with both on-board and the Xonar sound-card. I also listened to several other studio monitors in between.

In regards to what I have in front of me, the 2.1 gets slayed every time. With on-board it gets easily distorted, since, as I've stated previously, the on-board unit bloats the bass. The mids sound like someone tapping on a tin-can. There was also some veiled sound. With the sound card, the bass was reigned in, but the highs became piercingly sharp. The veil was still there too. With the JBL's, I was able to discern details better; this was particularly noticeable in some forms of electronic/synthesized music.

Case in point:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfWQr9ViE_I


I suggest you return the JBL's and just stick with the Logitech's, that, from your perspective, completely blow them out of the water. Your preference is all that matters.

I wasn't intending to be rude, I was just not aware that you were also using a 2.1 speaker system for comparison.

I can not believe that these JBLs I have here don't have an inherent fault. Even stacking them on books has failed to attenuate the painful thudding lows, together with the lack of treble detail. I'm just going to have to consider that they are both probably faulty (Chinese quality control?) and do an exchange with the retailer who, judging by his increased stock levels, appears to have a fresh batch.

Incidentally, should they exhibit a little mains hum at full volume as these do? That would normally suggest poor PSU smoothing to me.

My apologies, it sounded like you were getting exasperated with me. LOL.

Anyway, I listened to the aforementioned Beatle's track on three speaker systems. Coincidentally, I own a pair of Logitech LS1 (merely acceptable system). In comparison to the other systems, the LS1 made things sound louder. I could hear the hi-hat clearly, the guitar and the vocals. However, the bongos sounded like they were being played in another room, and barely audible. The vocals also lacked fine detail, and were obnoxiously loud. They were competing with the guitar for center stage. It quickly got fatiguing.

By comparison, the JBL's toned down the volume of the vocals and gave them some slight airiness (goodness, I hate speaker lingo). The bongos became more prominent, with a nice clarity. The hi-hat wasn't as audible, but it was there. The guitar sounded good, and was no longer wrestling with the vocals. My ears felt better, too.

I'm thinking the hi-hat on the track is intended to be slightly recessed. On the Beatle's track "All I've Got to Do," the hi-hat is significantly more prominent.

Youtube (LOL):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wv7mGZDKHiw

I slightly hear the mouse moving/electronic noise at higher volume levels, it's not noticeable when something is being played though. It has to be turned high, too.

The Logitech LS1 is a mouse. Perhaps you mean LS21? It's odd because my Logitech Z4 gives plenty of clear vocal detail. Perhaps there is not a 'Logitech Sound'.

I should have added before, which I forgot, that listening to all these tracks through my Shure SRH440 headphones, and my cheaper Sennheiser HD201 (which I use for vocal tracking), the sound is perfectly balanced with no booming bass, and producing clear sparkling trebles, but when I apply the same EQ in my DAW that made the JBL speakers sound better, the signal in the headphones becomes harsh and tinny. This would suggest to me that the EQ balance of the JBL speakers here is completely wrong, weighted far too much towards the lows. I guess I will only know for sure when I get the replacements.

Yes, LS21. LOL.

Let us know how the replacements do.

Now I'm wondering if perhaps your HF drivers have failed! I presume you have put your ear to the waveguide and checked that.

Yes, there's sound coming out of the waveguides, although perhaps not as much as I would have expected. I even covered them with my hand to see if I could hear a loss of treble, and I did.

I think it best to see how the replacements fair, and I definitely will report back on that.

Okidoki :-)
In my space the LSR 305's sound flat across all frequency's from classical to rock to electronic music etc... no signs of bloated Lows or weak Highs
At the moment im comparing them to some EVE SC208's, Yamaha MSP3's + Sub and some tiny Logitech multimedia speakers.
Hope you sort out the issues you're having, all the best.

Hey guys, I just got the jbl LSR305's 5" monitor speakers and I love the sound and they're perfect for the size of room/studio I have. BUT ---

There is crackling!

I have an Audiobox USB interface that I have all the cords for the speakers and my mic and midi plugged into. Well, I did have these speakers set to the highest settings of hi-fi for most bass and everything but I noticed the crackling.

I have an Imac computer and i use bluetooth activated keyboard and wireless mouse. Seems like there is interference whenever I open a webpage or type on the keyboard and I can hear the response only when music is not playing. I watched a dvd earlier and the crackling came back. I had the speakers turnt up! to the 8th notch, now I've turned that down to 5. The music is coming through clear but I know the crackling will persist.

WHY?

It sounds like what you'd hear from like a phonecall interference whenever I do something on the computer!

Also idk if i didn't break them in right or what but it could be the interface too. Still this doesnt explain the obvious static sound when typing or surfing the web.

With everything turned down for the most part it isn't there or hardly noticable.

Anyone with precautionary measures to share when using this equipment please give me some do's and don'ts! thank you!!!

That sounds to me to be more likely an issue with the computer and/or an active peripheral attached to it rather than a speaker issue. You should try connecting them to a different source.