Meh.

I used to be a JBL fan after I bought my LSR305s. However, seeing how Harman has treated Greg Timbers, "Mr. JBL" himself, I'm having second thoughts about the brand.

They say if you want to see into the soul of a person go out to dinner with them and watch how they treat the wait staff. If they are assholes to the wait staff, then that is what they are in their souls. I think the same rule applies to corporations: if they are assholes to their employees, then they are assholes in their souls.

Greg Timbers spent 43 years working for JBL and it's adjuncts. Anyone in the industry would have said he was synonymous with JBL. This last week Harman International, the parent company of JBL, gave him 90 seconds notice that his services were no longer needed and then, after a brief interval, escorted him from the building.

End of an Era. 43 years with JBL is Over

Much as I like my 305s, I would think long and hard before doing business with any company that seemingly is so callous to their employees.

Same problem here with lacking mids on LSR308. My last mixes was in result too harsh, and have to return them to Amazon.
Looking for something else now.

Have had these LSR305's for a few months now.. I can safely say they are a very fine monitor, which translate well, in my room, which is fairly well treated. (I don't listen at very high levels) They are also compact enough to take on location, and ear fatigue is not a problem, regular checks on the Equator D8's help get perspective.

I know its also a case of getting used to what you have, but i feel these are friendly and honest enough and within a good budget range to please most reasonably mannered people, which may be a different story to the company owners now?...

Try the Equator D5's?

Hi guys,

I've just signed in to gearslutz to share my experience with my brand new speakers, JBL 305.

I've recently decided to improve my current home stereo system, PC > ASUS XONAR STX > MICROLAB 6C speakers. My room is is 10*7 feet, untreated.

After doing some research, I've decided to purchase a new set of speakers, JBL 305. Here in my city there is no place where I can test speakers so I had to rely on reviews (yes, I know, the perfect recipe for disaster, but unfortunately that's my only option)

Anyways, here are my thoughts so far (30 hours burn in)

What I like :

• crystal clear sound, revealing
• good stereo image
• bass is surprisingly good once you find the correct spot to place them (in my case 3.2 ft from the back wall and 8 inches from side walls)

What I don't like:

• They sound small (closed/tubby sound) but I that's due to the small size, right?
• There is room for improvement in voices

The problem is that the difference in sound between the 2 speakers is very small + JBL are 2 times the price. I'm not bashing the JBL, but that's the truth. In some aspects, MICROLAB are even a bit better....the sound is more airy and the voices have better resolution...the reason could be that the JBL are smaller, the woofer is 5'' compared with MICROLAB's 6.5 inches.

I still have 20 days to return them so I'll continue to listen to them for a week or so...hopefully the sound will improve even more.

I'm not an audiophile per se but I like my sound to be neutral, detailed, OPEN and the bass to hit hard and precisely. I mostly listen to classic rock, rap, edm, dubstep but I also enjoy classic music and movie soundtracks. Music source: TIDAL (flac format)

My fav artists are:
Pink Floid, Dire Strais, Queen, Alphaville, Michael Jackson, Xiii Stoleti, Tina Turner, Adele, Lana del Ray, Yoko Kanno, 2Pac, Nas, Jim Jhones, Three Six Mafia, Dr. Dre, Outkast, Notorius Big, Big Pun, Rammstein, Nightwish, Three Days Grace, Lordi, Kavinski, Flux Pavillion and more.

Are ADAM 5x/7x better as in better sound stage (opened sound), even more details?
If i go with his bigger brother, 308, will the tubby sound vanish?

PS: I'm sorry for my English but it's not my main language.

Well, the 6c are moreso multimedia speakers rather than speakers striving for strict accuracy. I'd safely wager, if measured, the Jbl' have the flatter response. They're also likely to get louder more cleanly. The Jbl' are bi-amped and one speaker puts out more power than the entire solo set. From a construction/electronic perspective, the JBL' are likely to blow the Solo' out of the water (IMHO). This pertains to the price difference.

Does that mean they're better? Depends on you. Stick with the ones you prefer. Surprisingly, I found the frequency response measurements if you care.

Solo 6c in a controlled review environment:



JBL' in an average (non-treated) environment:



This is only a small part though. I must say, for the segment they're pigeon hold into, the Solo' don't measure that bad in a controlled environment. I'd imagine they'd make excellent speakers for their intended purpose.

Hi heflys20, thank you for taking your time to reply.

Yes, JBL should definitely blow Microlab out of water, but the problem is that they don't, or at least not to my ears (and frankly I'm pretty picky when it comes to sound...I've carefully listen to a lot of songs, and Solo comes first thanks to the more airy sound and better details in the voices)

A few songs used to for comparison:

• 'Bubbles' by Yosi Horikawa (soundstage test)
• 'Wandering' by Yosi Horikawa (soundstage test)
• 'In the Distance' by Yosi Horikawa (soundstage test)
• 'My Home is in The Delta' by Muddy Waters (soundstage test)
• 'You and Your Friend' by Dire Strais (guitars test)
• 'Hello' by Adele (voice test)
• 'Playa Playa' by D'Angelo (voice layering test)
• 'Cave of Forgotten Dreams' by Ernst Reijseger (voice layering test)
• 'Fly Like a Bird' by Mariah Carey (voice test)
• 'Late Night Tip' by Three 6 Mafia (bass test)
• 'Lrad' by Knife Party (bass test)
• 'Surviving the Time' by Nas (picked up a strange resonance in the right speaker but after some troubleshooting - inverted the speakers cables and the noise moved in the left speaker - I realized that it's the song and not the speakers...so yeah, they are pretty damn revealing :D

I'm not here to promote my current speakers, but to share my experience. I do LOVE the JBL, they are my first studio monitors set! I love their neutral and revealing sound, clear highs, stereo separation and the bass is pretty damn good for my room, but I expected a wider stage(width and depth) + a more airy sound.

Regarding the 305's bass...the bass is impressive for a 5'' woofer but there is a catch:

• when I sit at my desk (40'' from speakers), the bass is weak
• when I sit in my sofa (located near the back wall...80'' from speakers), the bass hits very hard

* my room is 10*7 feet (untreated) and the speakers are raised 37'' from the floor and placed 3.2 ft from the front wall and 8 inches from side walls. The bass TRIM was always set to +2db

So I guess I'll return the 305 and continue my quest for searching my ideal studio monitors. I really hate the fact that I don't have the possibility to test the speakers and have to rely on reviews...it makes the things way more complicated :(

My sound signature:

• good soundstage (good width, depth and height)
• airy sound
• detailed sound
• tight and punchy bass (good impact at 40-45hz)

I've continued my research and manage to compile a list of possible suspects:

• Adam A5x/A7x
• Focal Alfa 65
• Dynaudio BM5 MKIII
• KRK VXT6

Does anyone have any experience with these?

Regarding the speakers size...is there a rule that a small speaker will sound boxy compared with it's siblings? 305's 5'' woofer makes the sound too boxy compared with my current speaker that has an 6.5'' woofer...that's the reason I ask.

Thank you for your time!

No, I didn't mean the Jbl' should win on sound quality, but that the electronics are likely to be superior; which reflects on the price point. I'm not accusing you of anything. LOL.

I said go with the speakers you prefer sound wise. The emphasis appears to be entertainment, and the 305' may be too neutral and dull for that purpose. They're intended for near field listening.

The other listed speakers are likely to be superior to the Jbl' in overall sound quality and construction. Does that mean you'll like them? Can't say. And yes, larger woofers will usually do better at dispersing sound. This can be both a gift and curse depending on the environment/placement.

It's shame that you can't really audition the speakers.

heflys20 again, thank you for the reply and for your help

I've added KRK VXT6 to the list. Hopefully, someone will help me with some feedback regarding the listed speakers while I'm doing my own research

Both LSR305's and Adam F5's are good for their price range.

I was deciding between them myself, and A/B'ed them in a store with a friend. We listened to LSR305's first, then switched to the Adam's. Both myself, friend and the staff member helping us unanimously were surprised at the difference and the vibe was that the Adam's were clearly superior.

Here's what I heard. The LSR305's were quieter, and had less mids. Because they were quieter, it also meant any kind of self-noise they created also had to be turned up. From memory I think they had more top-end, but like... an air-yish top-end that felt a bit hyped. That was just my opinion.

The Adam's sounded more natural, they were flatter and had this noticeable sweeter upper mid-range presence in comparison. When we switched to them it was like "Mm, yeah, that's better". I got the Adam F5's, and am happy with them. My mixes definitely translate better to my car now (the only other place I listen to music, other than through headphones).

I'm glad to hear that you are happy with your purchase MercurySound! I've heard lots of good things regarding ADAM speakers.

The 305 has this boxy sound (small, tiny sound) that is very annoying for me...how does the Adam F5 compares in this area?

I think all these 5" speakers around this price range will have a boxiness to them, including the Adam F5's. I didn't spend enough time with them both in the store to comment or compare them on this accurately, to be perfectly honest. But my feeling from what I heard is that the Adam's sounded a little more open.

If I had it my way I would have Adam A7X's. I listened to them in the store.. they were wonderful, and definitely a step up from the F5's, more open. But I bought a bass earlier that same day, I'd already spent a grand..

Thank you for the suggestion MercurySound, I really appreciate your feedback! One question regarding Adam A7X...are they suitable for casual listening? I intend to purchase them for casual listening only...I'm not an sound engineer / music producer, just an average guy passionate about music

My cousin was shopping for monitors and was going to get Adams. He wound up buying Genelecs. He really wanted the Adams because they are cool looking, and the Genelecs look like designed by Gumby. At any rate for his style of music acoustic folk bluegrass, the Genelecs were much more natural and didn't hype the high end......

Well, I guess I'm pretty easily affected by hype. I had already ordered the Adam F5s, but then changed the order to the JBLs due to this thread.

However, it is pretty risk-free since I can send them back within thirty days. The pair costs €285 vs. €399 for the F5s, including pads, so I figure it is worth giving this a spin. If the JBLs meet my needs, it'll have saved some money. If they don't do it for me, I can still get the F5s.

Looking forward to experiencing them first hand.

Got the LSR305s this morning. Only a few hours in, but these are keepers for me. I don't have a whole lot of experience, so I can't compare them to a wide range of alternatives, but they sound fantastic to me, with nothing making me think "I wish this was different..". Surprisingly good low end for the size, but not boomy. To me, they sound open, not boxy or particularly tube-y. Going through different genres right now, and I'm blown away by how well they reproduce uncompressed classical lute and ukulele recordings. No coloration that I can discern. These are definitely usable for general purpose and recreational listening, too. I don't excessively dabble in super low frequencies, but the Chris Liebing tracks (10 Years CLR) I played sounded great.

It's not an ideal room, no proper/sufficient treating, and they are not perfectly placed (they sit on 3" tall iso pads, the backs diagonally facing the walls in a 30 degrees angle, 2ft away), so I can only imagine how stunning they must be under optimal conditions. The interface is a Scarlett 2i2, Cordial CFM 3 MV balanced cables.

There is a minimal hissing of the tweeters, though I only hear it when I put my ear on them, or crank them up to unrealistic volume levels and get close, which I think is normal for most active monitors, and it's not audible in normal operation. (Edit: Set the volume level to 3 of 10, and cranked up the audio interface - still much louder than I would ever listen to anything, but now when cranked up on the source's side the hum is only there when putting the ear on the speakers, i.e. not audible even when close without physical contact). I found the power cables a little short, but workable.

Just early impressions, but so far these are definitely keepers and a remorse-free purchase. Justified hype. (I almost want a second set now for another room.)

Glad you like them, Mivo.

They're really good for the price, that's for sure. I almost bought another pair when they went on sale for under $100 a piece around black friday just because that's a crazy low price.

I have both the 305s and the 308s, and I can say that the hiss is decidedly louder on the 308s. It's fine if I'm standing back a few feet, but don't plan to have them closer together on a smaller desk, or the hiss is just too much. Since I built myself raised shelves for them to go on, the hiss doesn't bug me. But you'll hear it if your ear is closer than 2.5 feet. Your description of the very minimal hiss on the 305s is pretty accurate. I can hear it if my ear is closer than 1ft away.

the 5" have decent low end for the size. I mix with the 308s, but I'd be confident mixing on the 305s if I could quiet my computer and treat the room that I have them in.

How are JBL LSR305 compared to Tannoy Reveal 502?

LE: Got Tannoy Reveal 502 like 4 months ago and I've decided to come with my impression after all this time.

When I first tried them, it sounded strange to me, like it didn't had bass, me being used to boomy sound. But then I've tried a bunch of songs which showed me how amazing these speakers sound, how much space there is and how clear I can hear every detail. Tried some jazz also some dance music and I must say they have really good bass, it's tight, controlled, that's why I had feeling that there is no bass, it wasn't muddy, boomy. Although it doesn't go really low, I would say around 49-50Hz, me producing dance music I can't say I feel that I can't mix on them. Although it took me some time to get used to them and still I check my mix on mp3 player for example.

Medium frequencies are really clear and when you listen to a track with vocals your really feel like you are there listening to that person. In terms of mixing I can't say I find something wrong about them.

High frequencies are really warm, doesn't cause ear fatigue, but at the same time it doesn't miss the attack or sound mushy. Dunno how to explain it, you can hear every detail in it.

The only downside I've found about them is the hiss. It has some little noise that when you are in a silent room and closer than 1 meter to them, you can hear it, but if you have your pc in the same room or stand at around 1m or more distance from them, it's unnoticeable. Especially if you play some music even at lowest volume the noise can't be heard.

The stereo field is amazing, even the slightest pan can be noticed and reverb is amazing, you don't have to apply a lot to be able to hear it.

In conclusion I really love these monitors, and when I bought them they were really cheap for what they offer, I've payed ~129 euros for one. Now they sell for 188 euros and I think that's kinda the right price for them. Having the aux in it's something even better, you can buy a cheap bluetooth receiver from ebay and you have bluetooth speakers, of course the quality will depend on the DAC inside that receiver, but it will be ok for checking material that your friends come with at your studio.

If I were to give a score from 1 to 10, I think for the price they are a 8-9, this is just because of that hiss. If it wasn't there at all, I would've gave them a 10 without hesitation.

I was in a local store and I had a chance to test many monitors.
Let me share my toughts.
Test was including these: JBL LSR305, Adam F7, A7X, A5X, Yamaha HS5, HS7, KRK Rokit 8
I was there with my gf and we was A/B-ing tracks for about two and half hours.
Let's start with JBL LSR305: I heard alot good about this monitor so I was expecting a miracle everybody talks about, In it's price range It may be a no brainer for many, but not for me. Bass was really neutral and definedly was there, which was quite amazing for a speaker this size. Midrange and treble clarity was good and neutral, but when compared to Adams and Yams it was less detailed in my opinion. When compared to these, imaging seemed like mashed together somehow, it could be the cause of room acoustics which were heavy treated but these were in the corner of a listening room.
Adams F7: Damn son! I was impressed at first, but then I take a second look into them. Bass was less neutral than JBLs and even less present if we go down in hz spectrum. Midrange and highs were quite amazing alot of detail the feeling was almost like ,,you can see or touch the sound'' but maybe they were a bit overhyped in upper midrange and treble, I'm not saying harsh, but when compared to AX series or Yamaha HS series it almost feeled that way.
Yamaha HS series HS5 are worth mentioning, sounded clear and defined in midrange and treble, but bass? I was like ,,c'mon bass are you even there?'' HS7s was really good overall monitor which seemed clear, well defined and treble was really great too compared to F7s it had same amount of detail, but the treble was less harsh, which is quite good in my opinion. Bass wasn't really present as JBLs or even F7, but these monitors would do great with a Yams subwoofer I guess.
KRK Rokit 8 I should probably not say my opinion on these monitors. I can't belive that anybody actually buy those. My girlfriend said that these are horrible, no imaging, alot of bass and almost no midrange or treble detail, everything mashed together. I tought about them as that they can be good tool for DJs maybe? As a music producer I didn't found anything positive.
Now Adams AX series I know they're in differend price range, but wow! These may be the best thing I heard in a while. Bass was neutral very well defined, in 5' woofer bass seemed a little more subtle but definedly there!, great midrange and also treble. I feel like this may be the only tool you ever going to need in home recording studio.

So from what I've heard I would say the best way to get sound right I think will be: 2x Adam A7X, or 2x Yamaha HS7, with Yamaha subwoofer.

This is my opinion on things, it doesn't come cheap both ways to get a good monitoring over your mix.

I'll give a local store another shot soon, and also to JBL LSR305, and Adams F7 as I don't give up on them (because they meet my budget), but maybe I'll save my money and buy Adam A7X later on.

Have a nice day everybody, hope my rewiev come helpful for some.

Currently looking for a small(5''-6''), decent pair of monitors, wonder if the LSR305 would fit that bill. Price is attractive, but do they provide enough juice for a decent mix? I'm fine with mixing the low end on other systems.

305's on sale for $100- at GC for Black Friday. I would seriously look at the small Eve monitors if I was looking. Obviously very different price but that's the lens your looking at your music thru....

Already have a pair of ATC 20s, but looking at something small, cheap(ish) and fairly flat, but somewhat engaging, specially for tracking(ITB) and mixing at 100HZ+. I only like to use the ATCs for final decisions. Wonder also about the HS 7, but I'm not sure about their sound(anything but engaging). However do know they provide good info mixing wise, thus reliable, but the price is a bit higher than I'm willing to pay for the experience they offer during tracking. Not sure what to look for. Whever I look there's someone saying "best monitor money can buy within that price tag", and another one saying the exact opposite. Testing is limited on my location. Only have access to some Genelecs(which I'm not a fan of because of their overly velvety, sweet sound), Yammies and Samsons. I'm a bit stuck.

Yeah such a personal choice, Eve's ain't cheap, but I was surprised at how affordable they are given the rep. Honestly I think you have to get something you can live with soundwise and learn to hear around their limitations....

Which Eve model you think would fit my needs? I know nothing about this brand, tbh. I'm into multi-genre, some acoustic, some EDM, some classic, it varies. Let me know what are the downsides from what you know. Also curious for whatever else "best bang for the buck" you heard of. I'm open to any suggestions, cheers!

PS: I think some (co)founder of Eve was some ex Adam engineer. Another one went to HEDD, if I remember well. If Eve has fast transient response like Adam it's a plus, I'm into that.

They just came out with some nearfields think for around $6-800- Not sure. Eve 204.....

just listen for yourself : YouTube

disclaimer : i use my studio monitors for casual music listening not for analytical mixing. i just listened to my top 10 song in classical/techno-pop/rock genres on jbl 305 vs adam t5v, only 2 or 3 songs sounded better on the adam t5v(clearer highs) (t5v is the replacement of f5 so it must be very similar) but the 7 or 8 other songs sounded better on jbl 305 (more balanced mids and beefier bass). so you should TRY SPEAKERS with your own ears and WITH YOUR OWN SONGS because each song is different( i was the first surprised about that song to song difference). the adam t5v also have a tweeter hiss but a bit less than on jbl 305. both did not sound good at low listening volume - if someone knows a (less than $350 a pair) that sound good at low volume, i am interested, please share. in the shop there was also krk rockit in the same size/price range but it was boomy so i discarded the krk after the second song.

Looking for a secondary pair of monitors (not more than $400/pair) that are detailed enough in the midrange and if highs are as well it's a plus but not a requirement. I hate the Auratone clones. I get it why people use them but I don't need something that exagerated, I'd rather just buy a set of car speakers and be done with instead. I'm OK on the Bass side for now. It's just to get another reference when mixing.

I've read good things on the LSR305 but detailed mids seems to not be a consistent opinion.

My main monitors are KRK V8 (originals not the later ones that sound horribly different). Great Bass and adequate highs but the mid-range is softer than I need and so I have to print a few mixes and then go to various other systems to compare. It works but it is a tiring process.

I made too many other purchases to justify a better pair of monitors so I thought to look for a small pair that excels in the mid-range. I am not expecting full range at that price range.

Most here seem to be using it for their main monitors. How does it perform in the mid-range (500hz to 5k area for me)? If it is low can it then be shaped by lowering the Bass and treble so that mid-range sticks out more?

Thanks and cheers

Jim