JBL PA Systems for Home Theater and Studio Monitoring: A Comparative Analysis

[Kouioui]

Hi all. I usually mix on headphones but have access to JBL 305P/310S with room EQ for spot checks. I also perform with local acts and prefer a quality live sound. My current home theater uses JBL Pro PA speakers.

Most pros wouldn't want what their PA lines might offer for home theater and home studio use. Why not let Google's Gemini do some research on the more affordable options I chose and see which offers the best sound per dollar? This is a slightly edited result. Following is a chart listing the product specifications generated from the chat.

I'm not looking to start brand wars, but I do favor JBL Pro over other options and posting this as a discussion point. Take it away, gents and ladies...

JBL Professional 2025 Product Guide

 

[smygolf]

I had 15 year long tenure in the high end sphere but i got bored.
The last setup used Pro tranducers for some parts and it gave a certain umph to it

Now i use PRX wave guides with JBL 2453H-SL in my LCR, combined with JBL2216ND and 4645C (2242H) i can not really complain.
Used both for stereo and multi ch

So i am all for Pro tranducers

 

[Kouioui]

Cool. Guess I'm not the only one who likes compression drivers. Plenty to choose from in the new 2025 JBL Pro Product Guide, which is too large for upload here.

JBL PROFESSIONAL - 2025 Product Guide

 

[Andysu]

five screen 70mm SDDS Atmos , JBL 4673A , CD 2445 , HFH 2380A , LF 2226 all with professional cinema , lucasfilm ltd THX sound system , ultimate power of the universes end reaches boundaries end game beyond to alien 10th dimension

 

[Kouioui]

For those who have not seen this - Spinorama for the brand new JBL PRX900 series

 

[Philbo King]

I use two 2005-era JBL Eons (6 feet high on speaker tripod stands) in my studio. I used to do PEQ setups for it, but don't bother lately. They are active, 400W each. I mostly use them as a PA for studio jams.

For recording/mixing duties I have a pair of JBL 308s since I generally work better (less hearing fatigue over 8-10 hours) with levels 65-70 dB SPL. I also have a pair of old passive Tannoy Proto-J speakers, but they only go down to 50-60Hz powered with a Peavey 225W/channel stereo amp; I haven't used them for quite a while. (The 308s give me mixes that translate effortlessly; the Tannoys not so much).

 

[Kouioui]

Recent video from JBL that covers the Pro Connect App V2 new features. It can save speaker configs for each venue, which saves a LOT of time during sound checks and easy to return to my home studio setup and PEQ afterwards. I'm running it on a Google Pixel Tablet but iPads are also supported. So nice to walk around listening to test tracks and tweaking things before shows.

JBL Tech Talks | Exploring JBL Portable PA Pro Connect