Subjective opinions only (no objective analysis please)... what do you think of these speakers?

[Bugal1998]

Edit: the title is just a little light hearted ASR humor... thought some folks might enjoy seeing what the M2s look like with a better finish. Opinions on the new look are welcome!

Those are factory grills with the cloth removed; trying to decide if I like them better covered or exposed... thoughts?

 

[feynman]

I want to hear them. I like the look. They might be too close together (oops).

 

[sq225917]

They look like a 1980s water cooler that's sucking lemons.

 

[Bugal1998]

They might be too close together.

Haha do you really think so?

I just had them painted due to shipping damage so thought I'd share what M2s look like with a nicer finish. And thanks!

 

[goryu]

They suck. They are the best ever! They are so-so.

 

[audio2design]

Tell the truth. You bought them and the SO hates them

 

[Bugal1998]

I want to hear them. I like the look. They might be too close together (oops).

 

[Bugal1998]

They suck. They are the best ever! They are so-so.

Nailed it!

 

[Bugal1998]

They look like a 1980s water cooler that's sucking lemons.

I'll never be able to NOT have that image in my head when I look at them

 

[Doodski]

DrOOL... Big woofers, nice horns, great design and I bet they slam and thump very well.

 

[Bugal1998]

Tell the truth. You bought them and the SO hates them

I'm very fortunate... she happens to love them. But not in the living room.

 

[audio2design]

I'm very fortunate... she happens to love them. But not in the living room.

I hate the traditional black or white look. For my next I am thinking a bourban cherry red.

 

[Bugal1998]

I hate the traditional black or white look. For my next I am thinking a bourban cherry red.

That sounds beautful!

And in all seriousness, my wife picked the color and I chose the approach for the grills.

I was considering a Candy Apple Red or a burnt orange color, or even a nice luxury wood veneer. But she wanted an intense blue so that's what I did.

 

[Bleib]

Great for parties and some movies? Generally I like purple color

 

[Prana Ferox]

The refin job looks nice but I'm not a fan of the grilles. I just kind of think with a grille the driver shouldn't be visible, and JBL's speakers tend to have fairly classy fabric or foam. To be honest, this one looks a bit... Rubbermaid.

And to each their own but if I was spending the money on speakers like this and then spending to refin them, I would have gone with a wood veneer. But that's very much dependent on the nearby decor. If the wife says blue paint... blue paint it is.

 

[Rayman30]

Good for a party where people are to drunk to care about sound quality.

 

[Bugal1998]

Great for parties and some movies? Generally I like purple color

Glad to hear it. It's growing on me. I wasn't expecting as much of a violet hue, and was taken back a bit when I saw them.

The refin job looks nice but I'm not a fan of the grilles. I just kind of think with a grille the driver shouldn't be visible, and JBL's speakers tend to have fairly classy fabric or foam. To be honest, this one looks a bit... Rubbermaid.

And to each their own but if I was spending the money on speakers like this and then spending to refin them, I would have gone with a wood veneer. But that's very much dependent on the nearby decor. If the wife says blue paint... blue paint it is.

Thanks for the comments, @Prana Ferox.

I reassembled everything for the first time about half an hour before posting. And I see what you mean about 'rubbermaid'. I have a second set of grills that I can pop on with cloth. The stanard JBL cloth was a little too gray and looked out of place, so I bought some dark black grill cloth to recover the second set of grills, but haven't had a chance to do so yet.

Re: nearby decor

Good point! And decor played a role here vs. the nice wood veneer.

They're going in a dedicated room. The main walls will be black brick, with blue LED accent lighting. The front and rear walls will be dark wood with RGB wall wash lighting to set the mood (like a live music venue). My other half thought the veneer was too upscale (and I agreed with her), and she thought the blue against black brick would work well.

In a living room I would have done something like this:

I really liked the idea of a polished nickel insert!

 

[Bugal1998]

Good for a party where people are to drunk to care about sound quality.

Such versatility!

 

[Gorgonzola]

Many years ago in a hi-fi shop on Yonge Street, Toronto, a salesman told me that JBL stood for "Jesus bloody lousy"

The occasion was my audition of JBL L100's in comparison with AR3a's.

 

[dasdoing]

that looks very cool. the grill squares blend perfectly into the horn square. the whole thing looks a little "automotive" now, in a good way