JBL 308P MKII Studio Monitor Review

[pavuol]

Is it entirely clear that the distortion comes from the loudspeaker-drivers ?
I dont think so.

I think its mostly depending on :

1. Lack of damping material inside the loudspeaker. The box is almost empty, making standing waves inside the loudspeaker to appear: - distortion. It should be about 3 or 4 times more of the damping material.
2. Lack of crossbracing inside the loudspeaker. The walls are vibrating like crazy: - distortion. Cured with a cross bracing L - to R wall.

All of these things are easily corrected by the owner, making this loudspeaker a ”kick-ass” loudspeaker, especially for the money.

Where is the photo documentation?

 

[hestejoe]

Is the Adam T8V better?

It seems that this one has quite a higher preference rating: 5.6 vs the T8V's 4.7. I am not sure how meaningful such a difference is?

 

[thewas]

It seems that this one has quite a higher preference rating: 5.6 vs the T8V's 4.7. I am not sure how meaningful such a difference is?

The JBL has a smoother directivity thanks to its better designed waveguide.

 

[Tangband]

The box is almost empty, making this a flawed loudspeaker. With much more damping material ( not blocking the port ) this would be an entirely different loudspeaker, and much

better.

 

[thewas]

What I find interesting and somehow also strange for a giant like Harman is that it is tuned much more linearly than the here tested 305P MKII and thus en par to the other JBL active monitors and also the first 30x generation, only needs maybe -1db high shelf filter, can't understand what went wrong with the 305P MKII.
The only thing I find disappointing in this is the over 1% distortion at a very wide and audible band between 1-2 kHz which probably shows the limits of a low cost woofer, at least it is the more good-natured 2nd harmonic.

 

[pavuol]

The box is almost empty, making this a flawed loudspeaker. With much more damping material ( not blocking the port ) this would be an entirely different loudspeaker, and muchView attachment 91991 better.

I meant photos of your DIY improvements

 

[TimVG]

What I find interesting and somehow also strange for a giant like Harman is that it is tuned much more linearly than the here tested 305P MKII and thus en par to the other JBL active monitors and also the first 30x generation, only needs maybe -1db high shelf filter, can't understand what went wrong with the 305P MKII.

I made this remark last year as well, but: I wonder, especially with budget speakers, what the unit-to-unit consistency is. I know it's a logistic hassle, but this particular 308p may be exceptionally good, while the 305 tested here may very well the opposite.

Not saying this is the case, but it is not impossible either.

 

[MZKM]

nother view on Horizontal and Vertical dispersion.

Audioholics s has shown this type of visualization before, so cool:

For the vertical one, could you rotate it such that it’s more intuitive?

 

[thewas]

I made this remark last year as well, but: I wonder, especially with budget speakers, what the unit-to-unit consistency is. I know it's a logistic hassle, but this particular 308p may be exceptionally good, while the 305 tested here may very well the opposite.
Not saying this is the case, but it is not impossible either.

I also thought so, so I looked up for other 305P MKII measurements to see if it was just one flawed unit, but the only one I quickly found seem to rather confirm Amirs measurements here.
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...-305p-quasi-anechoic-polar-measurements.7167/

 

[tuga]

Why not building the product to a higher standard.?Monitors that have no hiss up close seems reasonable.

Isn't that what the mid- and up-maket ranges are for?

 

[FrantzM]

Someone could start a company modding these: Better enclosure, replacing the electronics... Wait .. That seems to be the 708 ..

Saying that Harman is clueless when it comes to marketing is not hyperbole.

 

[tuga]

Those distortions at 96dB are definitely within range of audibility...
And the hiss. I think it might be made more obvious due to how wide the treble dispersion is.

Shame as these can be deal-breakers for otherwise high-end frequency response and directivity. There is definitely a market demand for something with this performance with the flaws removed.

Re: Estimated In-room Response

Maybe JBL figured out how to game the Klippel...

Perhaps JBL's convinced that frequency response and directivity trumps (this word has gained new meanings in recent years) everything, and that people will buy blind from good Spinorama performance. It is after all a good marketing tool.

And then you'll wonder why people are complaining in forums that these speakers don't sound good...

 

[puffreis]

@amirm,

I currently own JBL 305(bedroom) and 306 (gaming PC). Not the 308 though. I like the JBLs and have stuck with them. Around Black Friday you can find them half price even most years.

I previously had the Behringer Truth. I personally preferred the Behringer Truth subjectively speaking. For me, they had that melt in your chair smoothness, and chill inducing property, that has proven difficult to define or pin to objective measurement traits. They measured objectively well. If you ever get a chance to listen or compare them to the JBL, I’d be interested in your review and perspective.


——
Though not to the same level as amirm’s capability, my objective measurements and subjective review on the Truths start at post #699 and continue into the next page, for anyone curious about a similar priced market competitor. The reason I did not keep them is I had the 8.75” woofer based Truths and found them too large for my computer desk, and not capable of the SPL levels I desired for my home theater. Though if I wasn’t a stickler for reference capability or had a small HT room, I would have enjoyed 11 Behringer Truths in a full HT setup. The JBL 306 I use now is smaller sized and a better match for my PC desk.
https://www.avsforum.com/threads/ar...me-theater-room.1525397/page-35#post-31976849

It is time to test the Behringer B2031A. Is like 308P but with less distortion !

My own measurements:

http://www.hifi-forum.de/viewthread-30-13717-630.html#31709

http://www.hifi-forum.de/viewthread-30-13717-646.html#32522

 

[daftcombo]

What I find interesting and somehow also strange for a giant like Harman is that it is tuned much more linearly than the here tested 305P MKII and thus en par to the other JBL active monitors and also the first 30x generation, only needs maybe -1db high shelf filter, can't understand what went wrong with the 305P MKII.
The only thing I find disappointing in this is the over 1% distortion at a very wide and audible band between 1-2 kHz which probably shows the limits of a low cost woofer, at least it is the more good-natured 2nd harmonic.

The 305p need a re-test with the new dashboard IMHO.

 

[tuga]

Someone could start a company modding these: Better enclosure, replacing the electronics... Wait .. That seems to be the 708 ..

The 705 shows other, not insignificant, issues.

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/jbl-705p-studio-monitor-review.11944/

 

[Music1969]

Crossover is stated at 1.8 kHz.

"1800Hz 4th order acoustic Linkwitz-Riley"

So it's an analogue crossover?

 

[YSC]

Sorry for my bad, it seems it’s playing at the level of accuracy as the 8030s at half the price ?

 

[MZKM]

The 305p need a re-test with the new dashboard IMHO.

What new dashboard?
Getting an updated 86/96dB distortion of them would be appreciated though.

 

[Tangband]

"1800Hz 4th order acoustic Linkwitz-Riley"

So it's an analogue crossover?

View attachment 91996

No, its a dsp crossover. Jbl 308 mkII has an A/D converter at the input.

 

[Music1969]

No, its a dsp crossover. Jbl 308 mkII has an A/D converter at the input.

I don't see any info about that anyhwere.

JBL's website for 705P and 708P mentions DSP crossover, but not 305P/308P MKII