JBL Studio 530 Speaker Review

[ryanosaur]

I find myself wanting to turn up the volume at 9' distance but I'm afraid I would damage them. I think I prefer these on a Desk nearfield.

Sigh...

How loud do you listen?
JBL's recommended amplification is up to 125w. @ 1 meter, that should be hitting around 105dB. Most people consider that uncomfortably loud, and it will damage your hearing if you listen at those levels for prolonged times.

 

[tw 2022]

I find myself wanting to turn up the volume at 9' distance but I'm afraid I would damage them. I think I prefer these on a Desk nearfield.

Sigh...

I wonder if the 570 would be better.

I'm late to the party here bt i assume you have em crossed to a sub at somewhere above 80 hz.?? If so you need not worry much...in a ht application though , the 570s would probably give you a bit more headroom but it's basically the same drivers in a taller cab..i think if i was worried about turning up the 530s too far i might go up a size (580)...

 

[AVKS]

I find myself wanting to turn up the volume at 9' distance but I'm afraid I would damage them. I think I prefer these on a Desk nearfield.

Sigh...

I wonder if the 570 would be better.

You'll hit woofer compression well before you damage anything, but the core issue of not reaching desired volume will still exist. Maybe try it and see if that occurs; if it does, the 570s or 580s will be a better choice.

 

[mstanley117]

The good news is that the 580's & 590's are still on sale, which are an absolute steal (as are the 570's when they go on sale). Basically, if you like the sound signature of the 530's, then you still have a great opportunity to "upgrade" to the larger sizes at bargain prices.

 

[ryanosaur]

I would bypass the 570 and go straight to the 580 at a minimum!
But then the 698 should be available this Summer!

 

[Asking Dumb Questions]

oh I didn't know new speakers line are coming. I'm assuming the 630 is a direct replacement of the 530s? Any reviews or info on them? I might just hold off on any purchase.

 

[Ozymand1as]

I find myself wanting to turn up the volume at 9' distance but I'm afraid I would damage them. I think I prefer these on a Desk nearfield.

Sigh...

I wonder if the 570 would be better.

Besides the fact that one might go deaf listening at such levels, I feel like these speakers probably don't make the best near field monitors. The tweeter and woofer are unusually far apart, at least compared to the other 5" speakers I have on hand.

I am not the most knowledgeable, but that seems like it would be a real issue at distances less than a meter.

I'd be curious to hear what others think about putting these on a desk.

 

[AVKS]

Besides the fact that one might go deaf listening at such levels, I feel like these speakers probably don't make the best near field monitors. The tweeter and woofer are unusually far apart, at least compared to the other 5" speakers I have on hand.

I am not the most knowledgeable, but that seems like it would be a real issue at distances less than a meter.

I'd be curious to hear what others think about putting these on a desk.

Had them on my desk about 20" from me for several months and they sounded great. They've since been replaced by Revel M16s, which also sound phenomenal on my desk.

 

[tw 2022]

Had them on my desk about 20" from me for several months and they sounded great. They've since been replaced by Revel M16s, which also sound phenomenal on my desk.

Do you consider the m16s an upgrade? Just curious , I'm a 530 owner..

 

[ryanosaur]

I'd like to have them a little further away than on my desk, but I would expect they would sound OK as long as you have the Tweeter at the right level. Frankly, 1 meter would be ideal. I think for the 570 and above, I could see the argument for 2m carrying much more water just due to the spacing involved for the entire driver-system.

 

[AVKS]

Do you consider the m16s an upgrade? Just curious , I'm a 530 owner..

To my ears yes, but it's more a case of differences than straight better/worse. They resolve about equally to my ears but the 530s are a bit leaner through the low-mids and then M16s have a midbass hump, so the midrange presentation of the M16s has a little more body to it. You can dial up some EQ but that 5.25" woofer will hit compression that much sooner if you're going for volume, so the M16s (unsurprisingly) get louder. The 530s were also more finicky about placement.

With that said, I do love the 5 series and fairly recently swapped in 590s for my Revel F35s in my basement theater area. The 5 series is amazing value at the 'sale' prices and then M16s sure aren't multiples better than the 530s, but they do things that the 530s simply can't. At lower volumes though it's a pretty even sonic fight.

 

[tw 2022]

To my ears yes, but it's more a case of differences than straight better/worse. They resolve about equally to my ears but the 530s are a bit leaner through the low-mids and then M16s have a midbass hump, so the midrange presentation of the M16s has a little more body to it. You can dial up some EQ but that 5.25" woofer will hit compression that much sooner if you're going for volume, so the M16s (unsurprisingly) get louder. The 530s were also more finicky about placement.

With that said, I do love the 5 series and fairly recently swapped in 590s for my Revel F35s in my basement theater area. The 5 series is amazing value at the 'sale' prices and then M16s sure aren't multiples better than the 530s, but they do things that the 530s simply can't. At lower volumes though it's a pretty even sonic fight.

thanks , very nice explanation .. i was just curious.. i was thinking about a pair of m16s , but i'm happy with the 530's in my "back up" set up...

 

[AVKS]

thanks , very nice explanation .. i was just curious.. i was thinking about a pair of m16s , but i'm happy with the 530's in my "back up" set up...

Also, no contest between the two on build quality - the M16s are very well built and the finish is excellent gloss. The 530s have perfectly fine build quality IMO (and I do love the overall aesthetic) but they're definitely a more industrial and cost-efficient build, and a part of the M16 and Revel pricing is the premium look and feel.

 

[tw 2022]

Also, no contest between the two on build quality - the M16s are very well built and the finish is excellent gloss. The 530s have perfectly fine build quality IMO (and I do love the overall aesthetic) but they're definitely a more industrial and cost-efficient build, and a part of the M16 and Revel pricing is the premium look and feel.

yeah, i'm perfectly happy with the 530's looks , i think they are a bit "batman cool" for lack of a better term.. in a small room with a 8" sub , used mostly for music / some movies /tv they work fine .. i mostly jones for clarity and "air" , it sounds like there won't be too much improvement there .. maybe if it was my main system the m16's might be the thing...

 

[10khz-lpf]

Hi, I'm considering getting some of these. I put an order in for JBL Stage A130 recently, but it was before I noticed the more recent reports that the A130 is not consistent in measurements, and my order was cancelled for me so I consider it good luck.

I'm thinking about getting some of these Studio 530, the M16 is more than I'm willing to spend personally so I was thinking it'd either be Studio 530 or Emotiva Airmotiv B1+.

I do like some nice forward midrange.

 

[tw 2022]

either the b1+s or the 530's should be what you may be looking for.. both are pretty decent for clarity and are more mid centric than most budget speakers...

Hi, I'm considering getting some of these. I put an order in for JBL Stage A130 recently, but it was before I noticed the more recent reports that the A130 is not consistent in measurements, and my order was cancelled for me so I consider it good luck.

I'm thinking about getting some of these Studio 530, the M16 is more than I'm willing to spend personally so I was thinking it'd either be Studio 530 or Emotiva Airmotiv B1+.

I do like some nice forward midrange.

 

[10khz-lpf]

either the b1+s or the 530's should be what you may be looking for.. both are pretty decent for clarity and are more mid centric than most budget speakers...

Thanks, i actually got a pair of used Yamaha NS-333 for $100 just now, the constant power rating is a surprisingly high % of the maximum power rating so I think it will be a good speaker to test the power output capabilities of my TPA3255 board when it arrives.
If I hate them, I can easily make that $ selling them used again, on Amazon they are still $250!! (279 the other day when I checked)

 

[tw 2022]

Thanks, i actually got a pair of used Yamaha NS-333 for $100 just now, the constant power rating is a surprisingly high % of the maximum power rating so I think it will be a good speaker to test the power output capabilities of my TPA3255 board when it arrives.
If I hate them, I can easily make that $ selling them used again, on Amazon they are still $250!! (279 the other day when I checked)

Good luck with the new speakers...

 

[Asking Dumb Questions]

How loud do you listen?
JBL's recommended amplification is up to 125w. @ 1 meter, that should be hitting around 105dB. Most people consider that uncomfortably loud, and it will damage your hearing if you listen at those levels for prolonged times.

I recently bought a dB meter and realize I've been listening really loud

Regardless I do feel they lack the bass I like to have, so I ordered an RSL Subwoofer recently.

Hopefully it works well for Music.

I really enjoy these on my Desk and wonder how much of an upgrade the 630s would be.

 

[IIIRIC]

Spin data enclosed.

My JBL Studio 530s brightened up a lot with more power. After lowering my audio interfaces volume and increasing the gain on my power amplifier (Crown XLS 1002) my 530s really came alive. Switching my amplifiers input sensitivity from 1.4V to .775V also helped a lot. On my computer, Audirvana makes the music sound awesome. I tried Roon but for some reason it just didn't sound as lively.