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Studio Monitors in HI-Fi Systems @ 7ft

Ron Texas

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Who around here is using a powered studio monitor in a hi-fi system at around 7ft or greater distance? I have been listening to JBL LSR 305P MkII for a while and am surprised at how good they are. My LS50's have been AWOL since mid June. If they don't totally outperform the 305's when I get them back, the KEF's will be sold.

NB: JBL's in use with a single ML 1000W sub. No bass management other than the -3db boundary switch. KEF's were used with a Crown XLS 1502, same sub and the Cown's built in high pass filter set to 80 hz. Topping DX3 Pro DAC.
 

BDWoody

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Who around here is using a powered studio monitor in a hi-fi system at around 7ft or greater distance? I have been listening to JBL LSR 305P MkII for a while and am surprised at how good they are. My LS50's have been AWOL since mid June. If they don't totally outperform the 305's when I get them back, the KEF's will be sold.

NB: JBL's in use with a single ML 1000W sub. No bass management other than the -3db boundary switch. KEF's were used with a Crown XLS 1502, same sub and the Cown's built in high pass filter set to 80 hz. Topping DX3 Pro DAC.

I'll be interested in your thoughts when you get the LS50's back. I really like mine (paired with a Velodyne DD12) right at that distance or closer...but I'm definitely looking for something better suited to a 15x20x10 space.
 

FrantzM

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I am using JBL LSR 308 as L,C,R at about 11 ft from the primary listening distance in 5-channel HT. 2 Subs for now but planning for 3. . I like what I hear from this combination. I don't think the LSR305 outperform the Kef LS50 but the LSR308 does.... IME and not side by side comparison :) ...

One sub cannot be optimal . You need at least 2 , preferably 3.
 
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Ron Texas

Ron Texas

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I'll be interested in your thoughts when you get the LS50's back. I really like mine (paired with a Velodyne DD12) right at that distance or closer...but I'm definitely looking for something better suited to a 15x20x10 space.

Thanks. I'm looking forward to the experience whenever it happens. My room is 14x18x7. It's a finished attic so the roof slopes down from 9' to 6'.
 

LTig

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Who around here is using a powered studio monitor in a hi-fi system at around 7ft or greater distance? I have been listening to JBL LSR 305P MkII for a while and am surprised at how good they are. My LS50's have been AWOL since mid June. If they don't totally outperform the 305's when I get them back, the KEF's will be sold.

NB: JBL's in use with a single ML 1000W sub. No bass management other than the -3db boundary switch. KEF's were used with a Crown XLS 1502, same sub and the Cown's built in high pass filter set to 80 hz. Topping DX3 Pro DAC.
K&H O300D at about 10-11 feet (3.35 m). First without sub, later I added a Genelec 7060B. Room is about 50 square meter.

Also tried:
  • Mackie HR824 (mk1)
  • JBL LSR2025P
  • Genelec 8020 (not kidding)
Even the Genelecs play nice without sub but with quite restricted spl of course. The JBLs can go a bit higher in SPL, the Mackies can compete with the K&H and need no sub (neither do the k&H, but with sub they sound better).
 

Blumlein 88

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When I moved a few years back, I threw up a pair of 305's on stands in a 19x34 ft room. They were certainly fine though they did sound small. And you could push them too much. I added a sub which also rolled off the 305's bottom end. That made them competitive with a larger speaker, and they were good even in that size room. I was listening about 9 feet from them. I'd say the sub transformed them from merely a near-field monitor to at least a mid-field monitor. Eventually I swapped them for some moderate sized floor standers as this became the room for my video rig. I kept the sub, and the moderate floor standers were efficient and played louder anyway. In that size room even the floorstanders were borderline if run without the sub to alleviate them of everything below 80 hz.

In the room the OP describes I'd think if the low end is taken off the 305's they'd be fine in that room.

I use one of the 305s for a center channel, and one each for the rear surrounds currently. I've considered getting a 308 for center though I don't perceive much wrong with the 305 for 95% of what I watch.

I do think the sound quality of the 305's deteriorate if pushed kind of hard. I've wondered with how inexpensive they are during sales if one could successfully stack a pair of them. Maybe put the upper one upside down. Or maybe 4 per channel stacked sideways with tweeter toward the middle. Somehow I think that won't give the spin-o-rama data Harman intended.
 

SIY

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Who around here is using a powered studio monitor in a hi-fi system at around 7ft or greater distance?

Me. That's about the distance to the Kali LP6s set up in my lab. Also about the distance to the Vanatoo T1Es in the living room, but strictly speaking, they're not monitors. But they are powered two ways with a similar form factor.

Yes, both setups sound amazingly good for their low cost and simplicity. No way anyone could have gotten sound this good 15 or 20 years ago for even ten times the money.
 
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Ron Texas

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RayDunzl

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Who around here is using a powered studio monitor in a hi-fi system at around 7ft or greater distance?

LSR 308 at 10 feet, up high with the tweeter at 58 inches, without subs, with "room correction".

Used for TV, Radio, and other casual listening. Mains used for critical listening.

Left, Right, Both, at the listening position.

1565317820580.png


The room is 18x14x9 with a wide open left rear corner. 1/2 of the left wall, and 1/3 of the wall behind the sofa opens to kitchen/breakfast area, giving a 28 foot depth.

The assymetrical room causes some null at the listening position around 50 Hz.
 
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Ron Texas

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RayDunzl

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@RayDunzl flat as a board.

The above has nearly a 10dB slope.

This is "flat as a board"... Different EQ, else the same...

1565320179964.png




Raw:

1565320204623.png


Not too bad, but a little "tubby" for my taste.
 

direstraitsfan98

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LSR 308 at 10 feet, up high with the tweeter at 58 inches, without subs, with "room correction".

Used for TV, Radio, and other casual listening. Mains used for critical listening.

Left, Right, Both, at the listening position.

View attachment 30934

The room is 18x14x9 with a wide open left rear corner. 1/2 of the left wall, and 1/3 of the wall behind the sofa opens to kitchen/breakfast area, giving a 28 foot depth.

The assymetrical room causes some null at the listening position around 50 Hz.
Wow! What a beautiful looking frequency response you’ve got at home in your listening room. Colour me jealous. Maybe I should get some estats...
 

RayDunzl

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Maybe I should get some estats...

Maybe, but what was posted above were these:

1565462387840.png


It's the "room correction" that smooths things out. MiniDSP OpenDRC-DI in the digital path using AcourateDRC to create the filters.

Below, from top:

MartinLogan (with Cheezewoofers) - both speakers and room correction
MartinLogan (with Cheezewoofers) - left and right speakers and room correction
MartinLogan (with Cheezewoofers) - no correction
JBL LSR 308 - both speakers - no correction
JBL LSR 308 - both speakers - with room correction
(Data SPL offset applied to separate the lower traces)

1565463117607.png
 

badboygolf16v

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I use Neumann KH80 (with KH805) at about 9' in a small room. They're connected to my my Oppo BDP-105, which is all I need for a pre-amp. I have the speakers mounted high firing down, which took a little getting used to.

I used to have LSR305 mk1 with LSR310 which sounded good. I would recommend them to anyone.

The Neumann setup is clearly superior in every respect. The presentation of space in the stereo sound field is excellent. I suspect this is down to the linear phase DSP crossover more than the directivity.

I've heard the Kii 3 and loved them. Can't stretch to them at the moment though!
 

Jmudrick

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Have used both the LSR305 and Kali LP-6 with LSR310 at 10ft in my living room, both just fine for me.
 

Sal1950

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RayDunzl

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Wombat

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I have a pair of lsr 305P Mk11s, sitting on their sides(tweeters outboard), directly beneath my 55 inch TV. Whilst not an ideal set-up for listening from 8ft, I do notice how natural-sounding studio-based voices are.

A small subwoofer would be good for my music videos(DVD and Blu-Ray). Any good smallish and self powered budget ones? Say, 30Hz LF and not for home theatre use.
A pity Edifier doesn't do them.
 

Sergei

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I've wondered with how inexpensive they are during sales if one could successfully stack a pair of them. Maybe put the upper one upside down. Or maybe 4 per channel stacked sideways with tweeter toward the middle. Somehow I think that won't give the spin-o-rama data Harman intended.

A while back I experimented with two Adam A7 for a center channel, to alleviate port turbulence effects while playing loud passages. Comb filtering was quite amusing :) Ended up buying A77X for the center channel, which kinda looks like co-joined A7 siamese twins :)

adam-audio-a77x-studio-monitor-1600-1200x735.jpg
 
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