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JBL Studio 530 Speaker Review

boselover61

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The JBL 230 was $299 in the states. The 630 isn't sold in the US and looks like it's $1200+ from places that will import.
Well it was 400 msrp when it came out. The 630 is $700 every where in asia. The studio 230 is 600 in asia trust me i been to the jbl vietnam store i saw the prices
 

More Dynamics Please

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If sold in the US I would expect Studio 6 series pricing to be roughly in line with pricing for the Studio 5 series in the US. The question is what would the demand be in the US for the Studio 6 series that combines a compression driver with JBL's HDI waveguide similar to the JBL Synthesis HDI series but at about a third the price? For example in Australia the Studio 630 lists for about a third of the list price of the HDI-1600 (AU $1,300 vs. AU $3,600 per pair).
 

enio nery

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contemplating on buying a pair of studio 530s at their discounted price of 250usd. but in wondering if you cAn guys can recommend something better for the same money?
 

SDX-LV

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studio 530
Consider how they look - I have Studio 580 with 520c and they look like nothing else. I like that.
For the same price you can get +/- similar performance, but most alternatives look like just another box.

Then unless you are building a surround system, I would certainly get powered studio monitors instead - more high performance options and no fuss with amps.
 

jevenator

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Consider how they look - I have Studio 580 with 520c and they look like nothing else. I like that.
For the same price you can get +/- similar performance, but most alternatives look like just another box.

Then unless you are building a surround system, I would certainly get powered studio monitors instead - more high performance options and no fuss with amps.

What would you recommend?

This is what I'm doing: Studio 530 = $500 + SMSL DA-9 = $250 + Topping E30 ($130) = $880 What's nice is that the DA-9 has a subout as well so I don't need a different preamp/dac to support that, right? I have a JBL 550p sub for $200 that I want to try and see if I like the extra bass in my room.

What are powered options that are better for less than $1k?
 

SDX-LV

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What would you recommend?

This is what I'm doing: Studio 530 = $500 + SMSL DA-9 = $250 + Topping E30 ($130) = $880 What's nice is that the DA-9 has a subout as well so I don't need a different preamp/dac to support that, right? I have a JBL 550p sub for $200 that I want to try and see if I like the extra bass in my room.

What are powered options that are better for less than $1k?

I personally went with higher tier system right now - because I literally never intend to upgrade again (unless I move to another place), but

on a tighter budget, to stay under 1000$ I would suggest to look at Amir's or Erin's reviews of Adam, KRK, Kali Audio (2nd wave) and of course if you have the budget Neumann and Genelec speakers. (look up sites that show all Spinorama measurements from all sources).
Then if 2-ch without DSP is enough - any Amir-recommended DACs with a volume control will do. But I would personally choose miniDSP 2x4 HD for 4 outputs and powerful DSP to set integrate any speakers (with an option to upgrade to Dirac when you can afford it). It has remote too :) Just use digital inputs and you should be fine.
 

fieldcar

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I'm sure you'll love the 530's. The horn in the 500 series from JBL is astonishingly stable at very loud volumes. The only downsides I've heard about on the 530 is the inefficiency, a hint of non-linearity at the crossover, and them needing to be crossed over around 80Hz to prevent over excursion and chuffing.
 

enio nery

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thank you! im crossing them over to my old but reliable JBL PB10 sub. which im also looking for another 1 so i can stereo subs. :cool:cheers!
 

Bruce Morgen

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thank you! im crossing them over to my old but reliable JBL PB10 sub. which im also looking for another 1 so i can stereo subs. :cool:cheers!

I have its Infinity cousin, the PS10 -- the amp is pretty much the same at the PB10's, but the PS10 is front-firing. Its amp finally broke down last year, but "I found a guy" who specializes in old plate amps and it sounds as good as new now. IMO it goes just deep enough and, unlike the "Sub 550P" that's now on sale, it's not overwhelmingly big and fits comfortably under my desk.
 

jevenator

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Listened to the 530's today for a couple hours. My previous speakers were the JBL 305p. In the living room environment, the way I can describe it in general words is that the sound is much more filling, crisp, deep at louder volumes. My wife began to jam out and kept turning it up and up and they held up very well.

An overall improvement in sound enjoyment as first impressions. For $125 per speaker this just sounds way too good to be true. Powering it currently with the SMSL DA-9.

What's hilarious is that my wife approves of how they look saying they are better than how regular speakers look.
 
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Chrispy

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Listened to the 530's today for a couple hours. My previous speakers were the JBL 305p. In the living room environment, the way I can describe it in general words is that the sound is much more filling, crisp, deep at louder volumes. My wife began to jam out and kept turning it up and up and they held up very well.

An overall improvement in sound enjoyment as first impressions. For $125 per speaker this just sounds way too good to be true. Powering it currently with the SMSL DA-9.

Were you keeping amplification in the same range as the 305s? I have both but haven't compared directly but I'd suspect the 305s are better up to a point....
 

jevenator

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Were you keeping amplification in the same range as the 305s? I have both but haven't compared directly but I'd suspect the 305s are better up to a point....

I think so. I will have to revisit it again...

On the 305s I was 2 notches away from max on the knob and using the Topping E30 as a pre-amp and about -1-(-5)db on the E30 to get my room loud enough on certain songs.

The 530's have much more bass, I plugged the rear ports within the first 30 minutes.
 

Chrispy

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I think so. I will have to revisit it again...

On the 305s I was 2 notches away from max on the knob and using the Topping E30 as a pre-amp and about -1-(-5)db on the E30 to get my room loud enough on certain songs.

The 530's have much more bass, I plugged the rear ports within the first 30 minutes.

Never looked to my 530s for any significant bass myself...I've just used them as wide and rear surrounds....whereas I use the 305s in a 2ch setup....will have to compare directly one of these days. I use more significant amplification than the Topping on the 530s even in rear surround duties, tho.
 

6th0

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What would you recommend?

This is what I'm doing: Studio 530 = $500 + SMSL DA-9 = $250 + Topping E30 ($130) = $880 What's nice is that the DA-9 has a subout as well so I don't need a different preamp/dac to support that, right? I have a JBL 550p sub for $200 that I want to try and see if I like the extra bass in my room.

What are powered options that are better for less than $1k?

I have almost exactly this setup but am having some issues. If you stop the music and turn the volume of the DA-9 to 70, do you hear any noise? I am getting fuzz and hum from what I think is my PC (especially when moving my mouse) whereas I don't get any of that with my 3E SY-DAP1002.

Thanks!
 

jevenator

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I have almost exactly this setup but am having some issues. If you stop the music and turn the volume of the DA-9 to 70, do you hear any noise? I am getting fuzz and hum from what I think is my PC (especially when moving my mouse) whereas I don't get any of that with my 3E SY-DAP1002.

Thanks!

No noise at max volume when paused with the DA-9. I'm using them with my optical input though with my E30 & TV
 

cjennings

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I run 590s for L/C/R, 580s for surrounds and 530s for my elevations speakers powered from a rack of QSC CXD4.3 and CX404 amps. Low end is SVS.

Each time I have moved up a speaker 530, 580 to 590, it's been like a vale is being lifted off the speaker. I think the lower models suffer a bit from the x-over having to shelve down the compression driver as a whole so it does not out run the bass driver. I think it takes a bit of life and sparkle away. The output levels of the EON speakers with the same driver (albeit different horn, crossover and I thought different phase plug or something) gives you an idea the ear splitting output and efficient a true compression driver can do. And this is low output one by any JBL Pro standards.

I run all my speakers with the bass port plugs in to lesson the bass bump and also deal with reducing a bit of room gain from positioning where they are pushed back more into some corner loading than I would like.

I went with a 3rd 590 for my center, right now I have it horizontally belowr my 120" screen elavated on a stand. Plan is to go A/T screen but just has not happened yet, so this was going to be temp. Previously I was running the klipsh RP450c, then the SVS the ultra center before... its now upstairs with the SVS towers now in the living room for the kids. There was no comparison between the options in any respect, utter knock out. I know the placement horizontally is not ideal, but the dispersion and what ever else they did to this speaker it works and sounds incredible. I suspect the same resonace and horizontal dispersion of the 530 exists in the 590, but I don't hear it. I think the 2.5way xover might also be helping a bit limiting high mid bass from the lower driver. I have a dark grey room with a grey 3D ALR Aeon screen so the unconventional grey drivers of the 5 series look menacing with the grills off. The asymmetry of the tear drop design of the 590 on its side I live with, I could wrap some A/T cloth to 'square' it up, but I love seeing that massive horn ready to kill me if it ever decided to. I think this series suffers being designed several years back missing a real center channel option. Center channels where not the anchor of the systems we use them for today just a few years ago in the early days of home theater. I tried the 530 as an option with the 590s flanking, and it was decent, but did not match the SVS Ultra Center by a decent margin for that application. It also visual looked off flanked by the massive 590s..

The 530s I just temp mounted as my elevations, I have them crossed at 100hz right now. I am following more of an auro3d layout plan at 30 to 40 deg above my mains in expectation my next pre-pro will be auro3D capable. Running the way I am, the 590s with the 530s as elevations sound incredible. As I understand Aura3d will drive more full range content than what atmos does so that will be interesting.

I did run my 530s with my SVS subs for a while. They were great!. I truely enjoyed them, they sounded better and better the more power you threw at them. The higher xover and plugged port seem to eliminate the port and chuffing issues people brought up the way I had them set up. They would hold together to a more than decent volume levels at 80hz. Although, when I grabbed the 580s on sale, the difference was huge, not just raw SPL but mid bass snap, vocal presence and highs all noticeable more present. 580s to 590s same thing.

At the end of the day, I love all these measurements and tech discussions as a tweaker geek (toying with going full active as well). But what I can say, at the sale price of the 530s, the sum of the whole is just something awesome. I am sure there is some bias here, throwing back to my old days running some serious JBL pro tour and install rigs, but for the money I have invested, vs the performance level of my theater, it's off the charts IMHO.

Next is some REW turning and addressing more room acoustics. On sale, I just don't know what really touches these. (Well other than having to get creative with elevating the 530s which have no mount option and are certainly not light). I just can't see that much value upgrading in the near future. Other parts of my system, room acoustics and decor will have far more impact.
 
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