JBL 308P MKII Studio Monitor Review

[Ellebob]

According to research and some of it Dr Toole's I believe (maybe he'll chime in) is reflections can actually increase enjoyment of the sound and add to things like dialogue intelligibilty. It depends on where the reflection is happening. If the reflection is similar to the direct sound it can make the material more pleasureable and easier to distinguish parts of the music. If the reflection is not similar to the direct sound than it makes it worse. They even did experiments with using two(maybe more) speakers to simulate reflections. I believe they did it in an anechoic chamber but I imagine it could be duplicated outside as well. it is also one of the reasons first reflections should not be treated with abosroption. It is more of it depends on the sound be reflected at the first reflections. There are of course other factors as well like overall room reverberration and proper bass set up. The room does play a big role but if set up well can actually improve the sound over outside. I do like the idea of telling people to listen outside if they just want to hear the speakers capability as most people will not have a properly treated room to get the most out of the sound.

 

[SIY]

FWIW... I bought a pair of these to use to finish up my Trinnov review after one of my usual fronts (Quad 988) blew a panel. So in my use, they're on stands out in the room, crossed over to the subwoofer array at 80Hz and 48dB/octave L-R. Got them set up, ran the Optimizer, and settled in for an extended listening session.

This was far less of a step down from the Quads than I would have expected. I'm amazed at how good an inexpensive set of speakers like this can sound in a rather high end system.

 

[SlaughterX]

Yeah... I am not taking my speakers outside to experiment anything. My speakers are placed the best way possible on the tiny desk I have in the room for now... I am going to get my longer L shaped glass desk from my mother's house... eventually, that will give me more room for everything... but mostly my instruments. I will look into some treatment behind the speakers, but I am not about to deck my entire office out with the stuff. For a recording booth maybe, but my office isn't exactly hidden away and it still needs to be atheistically pleasing. Either way I am pretty happy with the system for the price. My walls sound great.

 

[AnalogSteph]

atheistically pleasing.

Complete with a poster saying "Deities are overrated"?
(SCNR, but I honestly LOL'd when I read that)

 

[Robbo99999]

Yeah... I am not taking my speakers outside to experiment anything. My speakers are placed the best way possible on the tiny desk I have in the room for now... I am going to get my longer L shaped glass desk from my mother's house... eventually, that will give me more room for everything... but mostly my instruments. I will look into some treatment behind the speakers, but I am not about to deck my entire office out with the stuff. For a recording booth maybe, but my office isn't exactly hidden away and it still needs to be atheistically pleasing. Either way I am pretty happy with the system for the price. My walls sound great.

Complete with a poster saying "Deities are overrated"?
(SCNR, but I honestly LOL'd when I read that)

Ha, yeah, typos hey, but "aesthetically" is hard to spell!

 

[Xaviedie]

Yeah... I am not taking my speakers outside to experiment anything. My speakers are placed the best way possible on the tiny desk I have in the room for now... I am going to get my longer L shaped glass desk from my mother's house... eventually, that will give me more room for everything... but mostly my instruments. I will look into some treatment behind the speakers, but I am not about to deck my entire office out with the stuff. For a recording booth maybe, but my office isn't exactly hidden away and it still needs to be atheistically pleasing. Either way I am pretty happy with the system for the price. My walls sound great.

Everyone sees things their own way. I'm not imposing anything on anyone; you're free to do what you like.

This was just an experiment for those who want to; when I mentioned outdoor speakers, it was especially for those who truly want to see what their pair of speakers are capable of with their direct sound, nothing more. No one is going to install their home studio or home theater speakers outdoors.

Just don't forget that there are quite a few things to do before buying a pair of speakers; this is just the icing on the cake once the road is built. This won't prevent you from listening to your speakers in a "bare" room; however, you'll get 30% of their full potential. So much the better if it still makes people happy. There are people who are less demanding, and I'm aware of that while respecting you.

I read that you plan to apply treatment behind your speakers:
=> Thin absorber panels (the shorter the thickness, the more SBIR will be present in the high frequencies, making them easier to treat) to combat the (significant) SBIR phenomenon. This only applies to the panels behind the speakers.
For the rest of the early reflection absorbers, get thicker panels.

Musically. My pleasure, just to answer your needs, however, there are quite a few things to do before all that... but that's not the point.

The best thing to know before anything else is the proportions, impedance of the walls of your room + length, width, height, symmetry, etc..
Unfortunately, most people aren't so lucky; most often, we build a custom room ourselves. With whatever means we have, haha.
I'm very demanding when it comes to acoustics, listener placement, knots, bellies, measurements, etc., because they're essential for those who want to fully enjoy their listen, whether in a cinema or studio. You don't need to know everything—that's impossible—just the important basics.

I bought a single JBL 308P MKII speaker for the moment, a few weeks ago, and I'm starting from scratch. I sold everything; they'll serve as measurement speakers in the meantime. (and listen futur)

I already build (anticipate) full-range corner bass traps (without absorbers; I'll buy and install them when the time comes).

Full-range corner bass traps are a must in any room. Please add a rigid faceplate to the edges of the bass trap or superchunks, with 1D (preferred) or 2D diffusers on top, to maintain the room's vibrancy.

"Build it yourself = save money"

 

[RayDunzl]

Owning high-end speakers without treating your room is like driving a Ferrari on a muddy road.

You can do that.

Don't really even need a road.

Did Ferrari Make Tractors? - ExperienceFerrari

Discover whether Ferrari, renowned for luxury sports cars, ever ventured into manufacturing tractors, a different vehicle industry.

www.experienceferrari.com

 

[respice finem]

Complete with a poster saying "Deities are overrated"?
(SCNR, but I honestly LOL'd when I read that)

Buying based on measurements is "audio atheism"

 

[807Recordings]

Buying based on measurements is "audio atheism"

Objectively speaking the accurate and complete measurements would be closer to objectivity thus less of a belief system than hearing (hearsay). No I am not suggesting go off measurements alone though.

 

[aptx78]

Reading this thread and Amir's review I picked up 3 of these to do LCR duties with my Denon 3800. In stereo mode with Wiim Pro I cannot help but admire their character. They seem to be brimming with energy and effortless, clean and loud sound is what keeps coming to mind (if I were to describe them). In a way they remind me of the time when I used to play songs on my dad's Technics deck- the amp used to be stuffed with enough power- with no worries of adding a power amp or anything else. The Technics used to go so loud with tonnes of bass (no subwoofer). I could never turn the volume knob beyond 10 o'clock.
Currently I also run a KEF LS50 Meta pair powered by the Marantz M1 (with Dirac). Both systems (JBL and Marantz+KEFs) sound different but I am gravitating to the JBL sound more.

 

[Joeyd33]

Reading this thread and Amir's review I picked up 3 of these to do LCR duties with my Denon 3800. In stereo mode with Wiim Pro I cannot help but admire their character. They seem to be brimming with energy and effortless, clean and loud sound is what keeps coming to mind (if I were to describe them). In a way they remind me of the time when I used to play songs on my dad's Technics deck- the amp used to be stuffed with enough power- with no worries of adding a power amp or anything else. The Technics used to go so loud with tonnes of bass (no subwoofer). I could never turn the volume knob beyond 10 o'clock.
Currently I also run a KEF LS50 Meta pair powered by the Marantz M1 (with Dirac). Both systems (JBL and Marantz+KEFs) sound different but I am gravitating to the JBL sound more.

Sounds awesome! When I had my 305s I didn't like them for movies cause the voices would sound a bit muted. But I'm guessing having a 305 for the center would fix that. I just bought the Kali in-8 v2's the other week but I'm still missing that JBL sound. Hoping the stock market turns around in the next few months cause I want to pick up the JBL's again..just not sure which ones to go with. I did like the 305s but wonder if the 306s would be a bit better or not. I really wanted to get the 308s but I've been seeing that they are even more noisy than the 305s.

I really really really loved the 305s warm sound. Wish I could test them out cause I would love to see if the 308s add even more warmth due to the bigger speaker..plus the 308s at 200 each is a nice deal. But they would also mainly be used for my desk so I'm not sure if the 308s size would make for a worse soundstage or anything else.

Or for home theater, I would like to see how the JBL's go with the Kali's.. would be fun just to see.

 

[aptx78]

Sounds awesome! When I had my 305s I didn't like them for movies cause the voices would sound a bit muted. But I'm guessing having a 305 for the center would fix that. I just bought the Kali in-8 v2's the other week but I'm still missing that JBL sound. Hoping the stock market turns around in the next few months cause I want to pick up the JBL's again..just not sure which ones to go with. I did like the 305s but wonder if the 306s would be a bit better or not. I really wanted to get the 308s but I've been seeing that they are even more noisy than the 305s.

I really really really loved the 305s warm sound. Wish I could test them out cause I would love to see if the 308s add even more warmth due to the bigger speaker..plus the 308s at 200 each is a nice deal. But they would also mainly be used for my desk so I'm not sure if the 308s size would make for a worse soundstage or anything else.

Or for home theater, I would like to see how the JBL's go with the Kali's.. would be fun just to see.

For desktop use the 308p is a very large speaker standing tall at 16 inches. Also the woofer (8 inches) may not be suitable for nearfield listening (there is a faint hiss as well which is audible if you put your ear to the speaker). For HT use or a normal stereo setup they really excel. Also if you go with a 305 or 306 FOMO would soon set in . This was also the reason why i went for the 308p instead of the smaller siblings..
BTW Dirac and Audyssey treat them automatically as full range speakers after measurements- much better than many floorstanders !!

 

[Ellebob]

IME the 305 and 306 are more alike while the 308 has a different sound. The 308 is more neutral. I would definitely say try it first to see if it had that JBL sound you prefer. Compared to the Kali the 308 and LP-8 are very close in our shoot out. The LP-8 won but it was very, very close. That doesn't mean they sound the same just which they preferred. I think the IN series is a step up from either of them. Particularly better in the midrange but if you like the JBL sound you still might prefer it.

You are not that far you are welcome to take the 308 home and try them. We use them for rentals, so it is not a problem if someone wants to try them. No obligation, plus I doubt we could match the current price they are selling. It's just nice to get others impressions especially if doing a shootout.

 

[Scrivs]

This speaker is essentially an example of top-shelf engineering using bottom-shelf components.

(Which I find very impressive, FWIW.)

You made the comment I was just about to post.

My understanding is JBL had a mission to make these speakers as cheaply as humanly possible along with making them sound great.
Really seeing the insides and having used a pair for awhile I can say they did well.

This goes to show you can make excellent sound with very, very inexpensive drivers and parts. In the reverse of what we have seen in several designs using very expensive drivers - yet the sound was mediocre or worse. (Ascend, Oceans Way, Vedant Audio & more)
You can't just buy expensive drivers.

This thing has $0.50 tweeters, a plastic front baffle (with a very nice waveguide formed), $10 amps and zero cabinet bracing or fill. You can see what is important first here. Then of course what comes second and third when it comes making improvents that the JBL left on the table for a more expensive model.

I personally found them muddy and generally lacking the SQ that I crave for critical listening, that said I also was very impressed for any first time monitor buyer or person on a budget. Very decent sound all in. (like I said before though most HIFi types will eventually get upgrade craving)

Keep you eyes peeled for holiday sales which in the past where shockingly low on these.

Great comment, I'm 100% with you.
People can't expect Icepower, or Hypex guts for Bungled English moniker prices.
It's quite the feat what JBL accomplished in this line given the constraints, really smart choices all the way around.

 

[respice finem]

From an owner: The hiss of the 308P is more audible from the tweeters.
Subjectively it's not annoying for me at 2 m distance, but at < 1.5 m it would be, at least in a quiet room.

 

[Robbo99999]

Sounds awesome! When I had my 305s I didn't like them for movies cause the voices would sound a bit muted. But I'm guessing having a 305 for the center would fix that. I just bought the Kali in-8 v2's the other week but I'm still missing that JBL sound. Hoping the stock market turns around in the next few months cause I want to pick up the JBL's again..just not sure which ones to go with. I did like the 305s but wonder if the 306s would be a bit better or not. I really wanted to get the 308s but I've been seeing that they are even more noisy than the 305s.

I really really really loved the 305s warm sound. Wish I could test them out cause I would love to see if the 308s add even more warmth due to the bigger speaker..plus the 308s at 200 each is a nice deal. But they would also mainly be used for my desk so I'm not sure if the 308s size would make for a worse soundstage or anything else.

Or for home theater, I would like to see how the JBL's go with the Kali's.. would be fun just to see.

I'm not sure that the hiss would be any different for the 305 vs 306 vs 308 - you'd kind of think it would be similar, but I couldn't live with my 308p's on the desk because hiss would be too loud when nothing playing through them, and I'm also not convinced that a larger speaker would fare well when sitting really close to them in terms of the woofer and tweeter sound combining properly, but this is more of a hunch rather than anything I've looked for in measurements.

 

[respice finem]

See here:

Hiss List (S&R)

Lots of discussion about hiss lately, how perceptible or annoying it is, and if it matters. I've created a sheet with Sound & Recording measurements of hiss in active loudspeakers: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1n62hGAdKptSSKC74_fIT_R7DxFJ60YR2_O9C8x-vYQI/edit?usp=sharing Viewers can...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[Joeyd33]

For desktop use the 308p is a very large speaker standing tall at 16 inches. Also the woofer (8 inches) may not be suitable for nearfield listening (there is a faint hiss as well which is audible if you put your ear to the speaker). For HT use or a normal stereo setup they really excel. Also if you go with a 305 or 306 FOMO would soon set in . This was also the reason why i went for the 308p instead of the smaller siblings..
BTW Dirac and Audyssey treat them automatically as full range speakers after measurements- much better than many floorstanders !!

Right now I'm rocking these on my desk since I sold my Klipsch's . They still manage to sound nice with only a tiny bit of sound from the PC that maybe I can get rid of with a few things. I do miss the JBLs for music. But if what @Ellebob is saying with the 308s not sounding as warm, I'll probably go with the 306's now that I have the in-8 v2's. Although I may have to swing by Ellebobs place one day but for now I sadly gotta hold off till the market rebounds .

I hope someday JBL will make a version that doesn't have any type of hiss.

 

[nat1]

Right now I'm rocking these on my desk since I sold my Klipsch's . They still manage to sound nice with only a tiny bit of sound from the PC that maybe I can get rid of with a few things. I do miss the JBLs for music. But if what @Ellebob is saying with the 308s not sounding as warm, I'll probably go with the 306's now that I have the in-8 v2's. Although I may have to swing by Ellebobs place one day but for now I sadly gotta hold off till the market rebounds .

I hope someday JBL will make a version that doesn't have any type of hiss.

It's probably the extremely high H2 distortion you're missing. Even at 86db it's at ~2 percent in the midrange.

 

[Joeyd33]

It's probably the extremely high H2 distortion you're missing. Even at 86db it's at ~2 percent in the midrange.

View attachment 491861

Is that something I can try to imitate with some DIY?

I've seen people say to eq for warmth, but that never has helped for me. I still think it's everything, you need the speaker design, box, amp, etc.. it's what creates the sound profile.

Maybe I'm a picky audiophile or whatever, but I can hear the differences, it's just painfully obvious for me. I guess I'll just have to buy the JBL's if I want that sound, no way around it. I've been listening all day to the Kali's with music and they just don't feel the same. Sure some songs sound great but it's missing that character for me. I'll def be keeping these for movies since they absolutely destroy the JBL's in that regard for me. I actually though JBL would pull ahead due to their tweeter design but these Kali's are the first speakers I've ever had/heard where I can listen to movies and get that phantom center without having to be dead center.

It's been a while but man... I swear the 305s have more bass than these massive In-8 v2's.

**ehh maybe they are a bit ahead, I changed a DSP setting on the Kali Audios and it made a massive difference in projecting the bass**.. still the 305s have a ton of bass for how small they are.