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JBL 705P / 708P

oivavoi

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Compression drivers don’t have to sound anything, as always depends upon the driver and how it is used, ime multiple drivers used within the flattest part of their response works pretty well, also front loaded horns if you have the space.
Keith

I'm not sure about that. Compression drivers + horns couple to the air in a different way. Plus you have the issue with HOMS (higher order modes) which Geddes identified. My anecdotal experience is that compression drivers and horns do sound different. It's like some things become more accentuated, especially in the midrange. Horn guys usually interpret this as proof that ordinary hifi drivers smooth it over, but it's equally likely that it's the compression driver/horn combo which accentuates some things extra. I like horns though, and if I had a very big house at my disposal with the possibility to install many different hifi systems, I'm pretty sure at least one of them would have been a oversized horn system.

These are all anecdotal and subjective experiences, of course.
 

Purité Audio

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They do, but they do not have to sound coloured, tonally and in terms of timbre thre horns here sound just like my actives.
Design and implementation are everything, although I have heard some spectacularly poor horns.
Keith
 

RussellD

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I paid for the Sound on Sound review by Phil Ward. It's a lengthy and thorough review with lots of measurements, well worth the $1.49 via PayPal if one is seriously interested in these speakers.

Here is the "Final Thoughts":

"When I first unpacked the 705P I had high hopes. I have a thing for compact monitors that are well put together and have some engineering tradition and integrity behind them. Overall, I found the 705P slightly disappointing — if JBL could fix its mid‑range coloration things would be completely different, but as it stands, to my ears the 705P imprints too much of its own character on music for it to be an entirely satisfactory mix tool. The 708P, however, is a much more interesting prospect. It still has some quirks of tonal balance and slight coloration, but its no‑nonsense, wide‑bandwidth, low‑distortion and high‑volume personality seems to me exactly what JBL is about. I can imagine numerous dance or electronic music studios, where volume levels can get high and the workload is unrelenting, where the 708P would be in its element. If that’s your kind of scenario, you should add the 708P to the list of interesting monitors."

...and this is another angle on that SOS review, posted by a JBL insider:
https://www.gearslutz.com/board/showpost.php?p=13156782&postcount=136
This echoes my feelings. Too bad Hugh Robjohns was not the reviewer.
 

FrantzM

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Hi

I would like to read subjective, yes! you read it , "subjective" accounts on the JBL 708p. If they are as good as a souped-up version of the LSR 308 that they seem to suggest, then they deserve serious consideration. Comparisons to audiophiles darlings speakers or systems are much welcome ;)
I am about to build an HT based on its brother or cousins the LSR-308 and LSR-305 helped by a receiver functioning as a Pre/Pro. Thanks in advance :)
 

jtwrace

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Hi

I would like to read subjective, yes! you read it , "subjective" accounts on the JBL 708p. If they are as good as a souped-up version of the LSR 308 that they seem to suggest, then they deserve serious consideration. Comparisons to audiophiles darlings speakers or systems are much welcome ;)
I am about to build an HT based on its brother or cousins the LSR-308 and LSR-305 helped by a receiver functioning as a Pre/Pro. Thanks in advance :)

Subjectively there is no comparison to the 708P. As an owner of the 708P and the M2 the LSR 308 while is very good it doesn't compare to the 708P. I spent hours at Harman listening to them all blind and with a push of a button was able to cycle through them not knowing what I was listening to and the LSR were quite noticeable when listening. If you have the money, get the 708P! Unless you want to buy mine. lol
 

stunta

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I asked a similar question a while ago and someone said the 305P is about 90% of the performance of the 705P. This is the problem with subjective opinions - you get a lot of variance. The price difference between the 30o series and the 700 series is substantial, so I am reluctant to make the jump without a good return policy.
 

Valentin R

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I have both 308MKII and 708p end while the tonal balance is very similar (a very good thing) Dynamics, detail, smoothness, frequency extension, loudness with out power compression and dispersion are not of the same quality

708P way supirior

JBL 308 indeed are the best cost/results but in may way of viewnig things no even close too the 708P
 

RayDunzl

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I have both 308MKII and 708p end while the tonal balance is very similar (a very good thing) Dynamics, detail, smoothness, frequency extension, loudness with out power compression and dispersion are not of the same quality

The LSR 308 I have are fine at moderate volumes, but lose clarity at higher volume - I blame the harmonic content, and 50W power limit (and low price). They are, after all, intended for nearfield monitor use and not room-filling duty.

At more normal levels, I find them interchangeable with the big rig here, and are much more economical to operate.

From that perspective, for a HT application, they just might be fine as surrounds, but I wouldn't pick them for the mains, for louder listening. I'm assuming the mains run at higher levels than the surrounds, and I have no experience with multichannel.

Power Handling: lower left, room noise affects measurement, top left, looks like the woofer starts to compress in the 95dB range (which is loud). The tweeter (cross at 1.7k) sitll has room to go, though something maybe happened to the highest frequencies on the top trace

Distortion rises with each of the top four traces, it was lowest (though not real good) with the green sweep, fifth from the top.

upload_2018-4-18_11-57-23.png


Distortion, 5th from top and second from top sweeps above.

upload_2018-4-18_12-13-47.png upload_2018-4-18_12-14-16.png

Part of the advertising for the MkII (new ) versions mention improved distortion characteristics, so, ???
 
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Blumlein 88

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The LSR 308 I have are fine at moderate volumes, but lose clarity at higher volume - I blame the harmonic content, and 50W power limit (and low price). They are, after all, intended for nearfield monitor use and not room-filling duty.

At more normal levels, I find them interchangeable with the big rig here, and are much more economical to operate.

From that perspective, for a HT application, they just might be fine as surrounds, but I wouldn't pick them for the mains, for louder listening. I'm assuming the mains run at higher levels than the surrounds, and I have no experience with multichannel.

Power Handling: lower left, room noise affects measurement, top left, looks like the woofer starts to compress in the 95dB range (which is loud). The tweeter (cross at 1.7k) sitll has room to go, though something maybe happened to the highest frequencies on the top trace

Distortion rises with each of the top four traces, it was lowest (though not real good) with the green sweep, fifth from the top.

View attachment 12206

Distortion, 5th from top and second from top sweeps above.

View attachment 12207 View attachment 12208

Part of the advertising for the MkII (new ) versions mention improved distortion characteristics, so, ???

As usual terrific informative post of testing Ray.

I use the smaller 305's for the surrounds in a moderately large room. I also use one for the center channel. I did for a time use them all the way around. A sub helps relieve them of some of the strain. I don't think they are problem for surrounds, and they weren't bad at all up front. I did eventually go with some larger right and left front speakers and it seems better. Might have been no problem in a smaller room.

BTW, I use an AVR with pre outs. I use Revel F12s for the front. This is a good combination because the F12s sound pretty good, are floor standers though not huge. The F12s are pretty efficient requiring little power so using a couple channels of a good AVR works very nicely. Finally the F12s were replaced with an upgraded model in 2015 so finding good used ones on ebay or audiomart isn't too hard and the price is not very high $5-700 per pair or thereabouts. Also the F12s were an earlier embodiment of Harman's testing.
 

12B4A

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I asked a similar question a while ago and someone said the 305P is about 90% of the performance of the 705P. This is the problem with subjective opinions - you get a lot of variance. The price difference between the 30o series and the 700 series is substantial, so I am reluctant to make the jump without a good return policy.

That would be me that answered (80-85% for audio performance). Just to add context, I usually use them in a 10'x12' room well under the levels where the 305 noticeably start falling apart.
 

Arnold Krueger

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So what does it sound like??? We can't wait anymore. :D
We had a SMWTMS audio club meeting over at Jim Walter's house some months ago, but after he had gotten these puppies into place. What to say? What to say is that the sound quality of any speaker is profoundly affected by the room it in. So on the best day of my life, much of what I'do say would be automatically based on his room, which none of you are going to have or even want. His system sounds good, but I'll take my OLED day of the week. :)
 

Arnold Krueger

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Hi

I would like to read subjective, yes! you read it , "subjective" accounts on the JBL 708p. If they are as good as a souped-up version of the LSR 308 that they seem to suggest, then they deserve serious consideration. Comparisons to audiophiles darlings speakers or systems are much welcome ;)
I am about to build an HT based on its brother or cousins the LSR-308 and LSR-305 helped by a receiver functioning as a Pre/Pro. Thanks in advance :)

I own that system and it works. 3x LSR 308, Denon AVR, 2 ragtag 12" subs, 3 Behringer analog Parametric eqs.
 

12B4A

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We had a SMWTMS audio club meeting over at Jim Walter's house some months ago, but after he had gotten these puppies into place. What to say? What to say is that the sound quality of any speaker is profoundly affected by the room it in. So on the best day of my life, much of what I'do say would be automatically based on his room, which none of you are going to have or even want. His system sounds good, but I'll take my OLED day of the week. :)

 

Sal1950

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Jim's room sounds (and looks from what I can see in the video) a bit hard and bright with a lot of echo? Next to nothing in the way of damping other than the couches?
 

Arnold Krueger

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Jim's room sounds (and looks from what I can see in the video) a bit hard and bright with a lot of echo? Next to nothing in the way of damping other than the couches?

Please give Jim some time, as he's only lived there for about a year that I know.

Nice neighborhood, though. The rest of the house pretty well matches what you see. Total refurb from top to bottom.

But your estimation of what you heard in the recording is pretty much what you'd see if the views were complete.

BTW if the view were complete, you'd see me sitting on the couch that was behind where the camera seems to be. but maybe a bit off to one side. :)

While the recoding is echoey the speech is pretty intelligible. Micing was by means of a number of small diaphragm omnis and maybe a well-placed cardioid or two, if memory serves. One of those cardioids seems to be hiding behind the screen of the laptop. The cool part for me is the intelligibility of the people in the crowd asking questions, as there was no mixing, just open mics.
 
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Sal1950

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BTW is the view were complete, you'd see me sitting on the couch that was behind where the camera seems to be.
Were you here? Jump to about 9.05 in. :)
 

Arnold Krueger

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Were you here? Jump to about 9.05 in. :)

At about 9:10-9:22. I am sitting on the couch, far left, wearing shorts and glancing through a magazine. Two seats over to my right is David L. Clark, AES Fellow with his chin in his fingers. The guy with the 'stache and goatee to Clark's right is one of the 6 ABX partners so you have 3 of the 5 surviving ABX partners in one picture. The video guy who is often shown to Jim's right at other points in the video is the fourth ABX partner. The 5th has largely disappeared from our lives, and the sixth died very tragically and prematurely a few years back. He and Tom Nousaine passed maybe the same year.
 
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Sal1950

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At about 9:10-9:22. I am sitting on the couch, far left, wearing shorts and glancing through a magazine. Two seats over to my right is David L. Clark, AES Fellow with his chin in his fingers. The guy with the 'stache and goatee to Clark's right is one of the 6 ABX partners so you have 3 of the 5 surviving ABX partners in one picture. The video guy who is often shown to Jim's right at other points in the video is the fourth ABX partner. The 5th has largely disappeared from our lives, and the sixth died very tragically and prematurely a few years back. He and Tom Nousaine passed maybe the same year.
Dang we're all a bunch of ole cronies. Reminds me of the Suncoast meeting I went to not long ago. Sorry for your friends unexpected passing, wonder what will happen to this "hobby" when all us boomers are gone? :( Guess we're the dinosaurs here.
 

Wombat

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Dang we're all a bunch of ole cronies. Reminds me of the Suncoast meeting I went to not long ago. Sorry for your friends unexpected passing, wonder what will happen to this "hobby" when all us boomers are gone? :( Guess we're the dinosaurs here.

Put your fist in a bucket of water. Rapidly pull it out and observe how long you can detect your fist's disturbance. That is life.
 
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