looking forward to your result !

Considering they are about the same price as the HS5's ,
how revealing/usefull are the LSR305's in the Mid frequency compared to the yammies?

Regards

Very interested in JBL 305, saw that some had bought them - what are your thoughts after a few weeks of use? My other option are Dynaudio DBM50 (they're twice as expensive)

I really need to buy a pair of monitors, has been doing research for years.

Its easy to look and see how excited people are about a new product and believe what you are saying, however it is another thing altogether to just go to the store and have a listen for yourself. I have had my LSR 305s for just about a month, and I am EXTREMELY happy with them. I did not just make an impulse decision when buying the JBLs. I had been listening and testing out monitors for almost two years. I was looking for monitors that werent 8" but 5" that didnt take up my entire workspace on my desk. Quite a tall order when I did not want to sacrifice quality or clarity. Anyway I was dead set on getting the F5 Adams......Problem was at 400 a pop, I kept getting cold feet when I attempted to pull the trigger. I thought there HAS to be a happy medium! (Cost/performance ratio) then I listened to these. It was truly one of those moments......when a heavenly body drifts out of the clouds.....I just knew these were the ones. When I saw the price, I almost fell down. I honestly thought the price tag would be around 400 per monitor. Then, I thought the wrong price tag was on them at Guitar Center.....Nevertheless, I did not buy them, but went to the internet looking at specs, and reading about the 305's. I was wondering to myself if perhaps all of my research made me give up, and think the 305s were the best sounding monitors I have heard in SOME time. I wondered why the highs were so crisp, and the percussion so realistic on my reference CD. Then I found something out. What JBL did was use the wave guide technology from their M2 commercial monitors. ($10000 per monitor) Then I read that their engineers were out to corner the 5 monitor niche by making sweet sounding quality monitors that everyone can afford. I honestly think they hit a home run here, and have the home run lead for the year. I dont know if any 5" monitor can match the JBLs. IF you think about it for a moment, how hard was it really? You have the KRK Rokit 5s, the Mackie MR5 MK2, the Presonus Erus 5, and the M Audio BX5 D2. Maybe the HS5 Yamahas? (Shrill HF btw) They didnt have to aim that high if they targeted the monitor range I just mentioned. The JBLs are sonically superior to any of these monitors.
One more thing I should mention, and I dont know why other manufacturers dont think of this.....how about using the same size amp for both high and Low Frequencies? When you think for a sec how smart that was to match the amp sizes....(41W LF, 41W HF) It just seems like a good idea to have matching amps!
But who am I? Im just some guy who finally found studio gear that fit my price budget, and fulfills my sound requirements just right. That doesn't happen to me that often I may add...... My point? Go to the store, and listen carefully.....Perhaps you will have the same moment of clarity like i did!
YES I LIKE THEM THAT MUCH!

How do your mixes translate ?

The HS5 is less tubby sounding than the LSR305. Yamaha is still slightly better. The new JBLs are priced right. Presonus Eris 5 is comparable to the LSR305 in detail. They are similar to the KRK Rokit 5 G2. They all lack that presence you need to tell whats going on.

If you shopped around for a long time and ended up on Adam F5s I'd feel bad for you. They are slightly more muffled than KRK Rokit G2.

After listening, I know HS80m are still the ones to get, and if you can't do them, the HS5/7 are still good. Everything thats $150 is going to sound like it. LSR305 sound OK, but they don't take you to the next level from what I'm hearing.

KRK rp5 sucks. Your post is a lie.

The Adam F5 won this years award in the " Best Studio Monitor " category (DJ Mag)
Ok, it was a public vote so it doesnt really count in the gearslutz realm, i'm actualy suprised KRK didnt win as they are more popular for whatever reason..

I think that the HS series should be on top because they translate very well but ............. the F5's are a better sounding speaker to my ears and i'm sure they are just fine for studio duties :-)

Muffled? Pfffffff. I would say darker but still quite acurate. ;-)

Sorry I didnt get back to you right away Ampar.
My mixes actually translate pretty well. OF course I am getting to know the monitors, so it will take some time. I actually have the JBL2310 sub turned down very low so that you dont even know its there. It just gives the 305's the low frequency they are so sorely lacking. Then again, there is not a 5" woofer that is going to give you the low frequencies as they should be. That is why I added the sub. That guy was saying that the 305s sound tubby......Not really sure what he means by tubby. If you make sure that the 305s are only handling the high and mid frequencies, then you will be VERY pleased with them.
IDK. I tried the F5s I really loved them. I thought them to be very pleasant, and realistic in all of the high frequencies. That ribbon tweeter is pretty nice, and the mids sound great as well.....the LF? MEH.....Same thing applies for all 5" woofers....
So realistically, being that the JBL 305s were only 150 per, I saved a little money compared to the Adams, and got about 75% of the Adams HF and Mid range. I will take the trade off......especially after you actually hear for yourself how nice the JBLs sound. So.....for the record for everyone else on this thread.....Are the JBLs as good as an 8" monitor? Lets face it your never going to get the LF on a 5" woofer.....as long as everyone understands this, you will be happy with the JBL305.....get a sub to handle the lows!!!

Hey guys, as promised, audio samples of the LSR305s are now up on our sound cloud as well as the Adam F5 and many others so you can compare.

The recording really does stand up to what we heard in the studio, these monitors sound great.

Here's the link: https://soundcloud.com/sonic-sense-p...tudio-monitors

I was waiting for this... now for the video or article. Thanks! Any chance you will add Mackie MR5 MK3 to your list?

You say the Genelec M series were peaky and muffled? Care to ellaborate a bit? What material were you playing through them etc..?

I mean you're now comparing GENELEC to an entry level JBL monitor, and saying things like that so something must be wrong.

By listening to the demos on good headphones the Sound-cloud the Genelec M030 did sound so bad in the bass and I think that something is wrong with them.
While the KRK Rokit RP5 G3 is slightly better than G2 the KRK VXT6 have much better sound quality.
The JBL LSR305 have a more fuller and natural quality to it especially the male vocals in the sound sample.

P.S. The Adam F5 have a small bit of a buzz sound in the bass with the demo.

Might wanna listen to the samples soon, through my M030 of course

I don't have other monitors to compare these to, but these are best small speakers i've heard.

I also own several decent cans, Sennheiser HD600, Beyerdynamic DT770, and I can say compared to those M030 is far from boomy and peaky.

Rather the opposite - but you NEED to turn the bass tilts down. I use bass tilt at -2dB from 200hz down, and another -4dB bass eq from the back of the monitor.

Also, Soundonsound states the M030 sounds like the 8030, just improved. And 8030 is seriously appreciated monitor out there.

I did not say that theM030 was boomy and peaky just that it was too much and covering up details at least to me. The important thing is that your like yours and you adjust the bass to make it work for you. I have Stax, T70, Shure and Fostex headphones and a active member on Head-Fi. I had monitors that everyone just raves about but fall short for me. I have not read the comments on Soundonsound just my first impressions.

I was at Dale Pro Audio in NYC picking up some cables and nick/nacks two weeks ago or so, and my buddies pulled me into the demo room and asked me to check out the 305 and the Genelecs.

Keep in mind I've listened to 3 generations of Genelecs in Dale's demo room. I know how Genelecs sound (especially in that room). and the new ones just sounded wrong. Beatles, Beasties, Jay-Z, Miles Davis, Tom Petty, etc... all sounded very muffled, with a weird resonance in the low mids. The opposite of what you'd expect Genelecs to sound like. I checked the settings on the speakers and everything was set Flat.

The JBL's on the other hand were a complete surprise. I've also listened to 3 generations of JBL speakers in that demo room, and was never a fan. The 305s were incredibly even, with nice midrange details, I always demo Abby Road because on good speakers you can really hear the compressor working on the instruments, and subtle things like the reverb tails, the things you want to hear when your mixing. . and sure enough I could hear all that on the 305's. The highs are clean, not hyped or crispy, They reminded me of my BM6a's (original) but with a bit more forward mids. These are not your 'big bass, crispy highs' entry level speakers (meant to grab attention and move off quickly off of Guitar Center floors)

Like I said, we put them up to a pair of 0310's that just happened to be there, just to see, and overall tone, and stereo imaging were very similar. The 310's did sound better, but at that point I'm comparing a $300 pair to a $7000 pair. (and of course, the 305's would never fill the same space the 310's would)

Just this week, Dale lent me demo a pair for our facility as a speaker for our composers to work on... Not only did That pair not go back, I'm putting in a request to order 4 more pairs for the rest of the crew....

Anywho, it's a sign that great products are becoming cheaper to manufacture. JBL isn't a sexy brand, and I'm the first to bash Harmon, but they nailed it with this one.

And this is probably why. Set the switches to bass cut, and -2dB bass at least, then say they are muffled ... Genelecs are designed to be flat in anechoic room, unlike some other monitors..

I was looking for a small, portable, inexpensive set of monitors for tracking instrument takes on a new portable rig that I built because I was tired of wearing cans. I have a decent pair of monitors in my treated room for making critical mixing decisions, but it's a bit of a cave in there so I like doing my setup work in a lighter, more pleasant work environment. A sale engineer at Sweetwater recommend the JBL LSR305's, but I didn't want to purchase them sight unheard so I sauntered over to the local Guitar Center to audition them against the usual suspects. I liked the way they sounded for my intended purposes so I purchased them along with a set of isoAcoustics ISO-LBR155s. I brought them home, set them up, calibrated them, and burned them in for about 16 hours by running pink noise through them, and then I listened to a bunch of material that I was familiar with. I must say that I am really impressed with the clarity and detail of these entry level JBL's. I could hear into the mix. The stereo image was good. If these were my only set of monitors, I would be quite happy to mix on them. In fact, I imagine I will be doing some mixing on them anyway.

Just got my pair of 305s in a few days ago after doing some hunting as well as previous experience with JBL products. I must say - for entry level monitors, these things are terrifying. Natural, a LITTLE tubby but not too much- bass frequency reproduction is surprisingly good. I would love to try em in conjunction with a sub though and maybe get some isos for em...
Just my 2 cents

Cosmo,
I recommend the JBL 2310 Sub to match everything up. I honestly cannot be happier with my setup. Just make sure you have the sub level down enough where you cannot localize the bass. That and set the crossover to 80db, and you will be quite surprised at how good the 305s can be. I mixed a house song over the weekend, and it translated over very well. Played it on my brothers cheap computer speakers at his house, played it in my car, and they both sounded clear and distortion free.....So happy! Heres a picture of my set up.

Hi ! as i live in Norway may i ask you where you placed your order ?
Thanks a lot and kindest regards,
gino

You mean 80 Hz ? on the subwoofer ?
I ask this because i have noticed that also cutting smaller speakers like 60-80 Hz can help them to sound better.
The sound is cleaner like less distorted. It can be done for instance using an active x-over.
And this also protect the speaker from being over driven.
Thanks and regards,
gino

The F5 need tweaking as stock, they still offer the best overall detail and cleanness in this price range when burned in properly, but do sound muffled stock, for some reason Adam shipped them like this. (Tweeter level) Bit of tweaking on the rear knobs fix this.

Yes, I meant that assuming you have the wires from your interface, into the subwoofer, then XLR out to the speakers......the sub acting as your crossover. SO yes I meant 80DB on your sub.

Thanks i was mistaking. I checked the model you mention only now.
Sorry i did not know the specific model.
Kind regards,
gino

Good morning,

Im from Germany and Im very new to this forum and to monitors, but I want to leave some experience and some questions here :-)

I tested some monitors last week for my home recording.

List of subjects to testing:
Adam F5, Yamaha HS5, Presounius E5, Mackie Mr5 2 and 3, KRK RP5 2 and 3, M-A BX8 Mr5, JBL LSR 305.
Tannoy 501 werent in stock.

Test:
1. RP5 2 - very muffled.
2. RP5 3 - better, but in comp. to the Adam - no chance.
3. Mackie Mr5 2 and 3: In dont know why, but the Mr2 I liked a bit more than the 3, but the Adam wins again.
4. Yamaha and Presonius fell away instantly.
5. JBL: wow.. they sound so good. First competitor to the Adam F5.
And for me they win!
In spite of the Adams sounded to me even more clear.. or true, escpecially in the highs, the JBLs give to me a more honest sound overall! And most notably for me: one nice, beautiful and warm organic tone!!!
6. At last I tested the BX8: Nice speakers I think, but in low frequencies very lacky in my opinion - and they dont sound for me like 8". So: no rival!

Questions:
I have them now at home and Im very happy with it, but:
1. They have a light "hissing" in operating state. Very quiet and I didnt notice it in the shop, but on my desk next to me I can hear it. So is this normal for active speakers?
It doesnt get louder by turn them more up or goes away by unpluggin it.
2. Theres a little "pimple" on the 5" membrane. They are new so i wonder if such a "pimple" is normal or/and bad on a new unpacked product?

PS: I had to write this post again after accidently clicked the google bookmark.. so sry for short explanations.

Thanks!

With no input connected to the speakers and you turn down the gain trim on the back is the hiss still there? I had amps and some monitors that will have a very light hiss at maximum gain with nothing being played. I saw no pimple on my 5 inch cone.

Turned down the LSR 305 - the hiss is gone. When i began to turn up, even on the first step u can hear it already, but it stays at this volume, no matter how loud u go. I have these plugged in to a multiple socket with my computer etc?! I will plug them to power separately - perheps this will do?!

EDIT:

So plugged in to a seperate socket doesnt fix it.

I have measured the volume: Directly at the tweeter - an average of 2 - 3 dB.

Is this a "normal" value?

thanks, q

Perhaps, there is an issue with the particular units you purchased. If you have ruled out the signal source as the cause of the hissing noise, your best bet may be to go back to the retailer for an exchange.

Good luck

So I was at the store, and there's a bit of hissing in all of the monitors there - so it should be normal - directly at the tweeter: 2-3 dB, like on mine. so yeah... its the "noise floor" i think.