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JBL LSR305P MKii and Control 1 Pro Monitors Review
- Thread starter amirm
- Start date
explain please...
Robbo99999
Master Contributor
DACS aren't really gonna be changing the sound of any speaker really, certainly not if they are well measuring DACS that have been measured here on ASR. If you hook up some super sh*tty DAC to your JBL's then I suppose it could make them sound worse. The fact that the JBL speakers do their own ADC-DAC conversion in order for them to have internal DSP shouldn't affect the sound negatively beyond the background hiss that these speakers have, which is not audible when playing music. I'm not sure what exactly causes the hiss in these JBL speakers - I don't know if it's something to do with the amplification it uses or it's internal DSP or a combination of both, but either way the hiss doesn't get louder when you turn up the volume on the back of the speaker so maybe it's not the amplifier that is causing it. There's maybe a few folks here that would know which elements within the JBL speakers create the hiss, or maybe they can make an educated guess, but I don't know specifically what is causing that hiss. Just use a good measuring DAC with any of your music playback equipment to ensure that it's not adding to any lack of transparency in your audio chain.
AFAIK it isn't the DAC that's responsible for the hiss, but the analog amp. Someone had explained earlier that a passive speaker which has a crossover between the amps output and the drivers which tends to pad down any amp noise, the active doesn't. I think he may have hit the nail on the head with that reasoning.
Robbo99999
Master Contributor
Strange that the hiss doesn't get louder when you turn the volume up on the back of the speaker though, it's always at the same level unless you turn the volume to zero (which is mute).
Volume is most normally controlled at the input or in the DAC's digital domain. The hiss you hear from the final power anp wouldn't vary under that arrangements.
Robbo99999
Master Contributor
Yes, I can see that would explain why the hiss doesn't change with volume setting, but it seems like a low quality way of doing things for the volume knob on the back of the speaker to be controlling volume in the digital domain, as it doesn't seem like optimal gain staging. Also it's an analog volume knob with indents for different positions so to me (and it also varies in "stiffness" throughout the movement, and differently between the speakers, so it seems like each volume pot is not manufactured to exactly the same tolerance, so that feels like analogue to me) that doesn't marry that logically with being tied directly to digital domain. I'm not sure, I'm just playing Devil's Advocate with you.
I said it could be either/or analog input or digital domain. I don't know for sure which but you could very well be right that it's an analog input pot.
Just as an FYI, in audio most generally, overall volume control has almost never been done after the power amp - between the speakers, in an attempt to pad down those high power levels. Just mostly wrong on many levels.
Your right that level pot quality can vary tremendously and probably the sourced ones for these speakers are super cheap ones and could have wide lot to lot variances.
Sorry no disrespect meant but how much can you really expect from $295 a pair speakers? As it is, they punch way above their weight class in SQ, near or at 'best in class".
Robbo99999
Master Contributor
I don't have a problem with the speakers, I was just responding to that guy earlier and then pondering what elements within the speaker were responsible for the hiss.I said it could be either/or analog input or digital domain. I don't know for sure which but you could very well be right that it's an analog input pot.
Just as an FYI, in audio most generally, overall volume control has almost never been done after the power amp - between the speakers, in an attempt to pad down those high power levels. Just mostly wrong on many levels.
Your right that level pot quality can vary tremendously and probably the sourced ones for these speakers are super cheap ones and could have wide lot to lot variances.
Sorry no disrespect meant but how much can you really expect from $295 a pair speakers? As it is, they punch way above their weight class in SQ, near or at 'best in class".
Do they? Can't find any documentation of such.
AnalogSteph
Master Contributor
Even the original LSR305 did, employing an STA350BW DSP + Class D amp.
I think those were the first DSP-powered budget monitor ever.
I think those were the first DSP-powered budget monitor ever.
Has anybody found a remote power switch for these? Really like the speakers, but as I'm using them on my desk at approx. arms length, the hiss is driving me mad!
Ive also demo'd the Edifier MR3's. Decent little speakers, though not a patch on the sound quality of the JBL's. But they cost £99, vs £250 for the JBL's plus £90 for a Wiim Mini. so really £99 vs £340.
My thoughts on the speakers - the JBL I would classify as proper hi-fi gear. The bass and treble are crisp and i can easily pick out the individual instruments. The Edifier, while sounding OK, does not have the same detail.
Having said that, i am tempted to keep the Edifier. It is much smaller than the JBL. has Bluetooth built in so i can stream straight from my phone, and there is zero hiss at any volume.
Ive also demo'd the Edifier MR3's. Decent little speakers, though not a patch on the sound quality of the JBL's. But they cost £99, vs £250 for the JBL's plus £90 for a Wiim Mini. so really £99 vs £340.
My thoughts on the speakers - the JBL I would classify as proper hi-fi gear. The bass and treble are crisp and i can easily pick out the individual instruments. The Edifier, while sounding OK, does not have the same detail.
Having said that, i am tempted to keep the Edifier. It is much smaller than the JBL. has Bluetooth built in so i can stream straight from my phone, and there is zero hiss at any volume.
Blew
Active Member
There's nothing special required for a remote power switch. Any smart plug would do.
Personally, I'd much, much prefer the hiss over lack of detail or uneven frequency response. Also don't forget how low the directivity of the JBLs is. You get used to the hiss after a while. I hardly notice it anymore. They're not high end by any means, but are excellent value for the price.
I got a pair of these and they don't sound right by any means. Not nearfield, not midfield, not without EQ, not with EQ.
The sound is not correct, the voices do not sound right on many songs, withtout any EQ, there's too much fake "widening", the voicing is completely off.
First when I got them, I didn't realize these issues, I was amazed by the punch even at low volumes, but after REW and EQ, it really struck me that they are not voiced correctly at all.
Oh, and that hiss, is like the cherry on top, you just can't live with it in nearfield scenarios, it's too annoying and you can hear it in quieter parts of the songs.
Honestly, I'd never put a recommendation on a product that hisses, no matter what.
The sound is not correct, the voices do not sound right on many songs, withtout any EQ, there's too much fake "widening", the voicing is completely off.
First when I got them, I didn't realize these issues, I was amazed by the punch even at low volumes, but after REW and EQ, it really struck me that they are not voiced correctly at all.
Oh, and that hiss, is like the cherry on top, you just can't live with it in nearfield scenarios, it's too annoying and you can hear it in quieter parts of the songs.
Honestly, I'd never put a recommendation on a product that hisses, no matter what.
AnalogSteph
Master Contributor
That doesn't sound right - how exactly did you wire them up?
I would advise trying the following:
Place the two speakers directly face to face.
Fire up REW and use the signal generator to generate full spectrum pink noise in L+R.
Toggle "Invert second channel" and observe what happens.
You should be hearing noise if not inverted, and almost nothing if inverted. Otherwise there is definitely something wrong. Doesn't have to be in your wiring (even if that's where I'd be looking first), things also get really wonky if one of the drivers is wired up backwards (very bad QC / previous owner messing about).
To be fair, it's pretty well-documented for them at this point, and the purveyors of silence will generally be looking elsewhere. Inexpensive DSP speakers like LSR305s or ADAM T5Vs just aren't dynamic range kings. I guess you'd have to shell out for some KRK RP5 G5s minimum or stick with more traditional analog models like the Mackie MR524 or even Yamaha HS5 with the requisite EQ. Or I guess Edifier MR5 for a cheaper option.
Studio monitor speakers without hiss?
Hello, because of the measurements, I bought the JBL 305P Mark II for my desktop. The problem is, that Im very sensitive with noise, but I wanted to give them a chance. At the end I sent them back because of the hiss. 1. What measured speakers are dead silent? 2. Are there some silent ones in...
www.audiosciencereview.com
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
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These aren't "voiced", they are (mostly) neutral. Which is correct. What you are describing is not normal and suggests either a wiring issue or a speaker defect. I would engage with JBL support if you aren't successful with AnalogSteph's suggested troubleshooting above.
As far as the hiss, this is known and common among cheaper active speakers. The only one that I'm aware of that's notably different in the class are the Adam Audio D3V, and that's due to the way they "gate" the tweeter I believe (which caused some problems before they released a firmware update to change the behavior).
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