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- Feb 27, 2018
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I am mostly a headphone listener, but (obviously?) there are times I don't want to be limited by the cord of any cans, nor the isolation of my IEMs when working at the computer.
I owned a few different "computer speakers" over the years from "real audio firms" (Yamaha, Boston Acoustics) and considered them generally quite crummy. I picked up a pair of Mackie CR3s on sale a few years ago when the BAs crapped out, and while they are much better for casual listening to music or dialogue on YouTube, they are not the last word in clarity. The electronics are all in one monitor, which includes a switch to set that as left or right...and mine suffered from failure of that switch, a common problem. It was fairly simple to remove the rear panel and solder in a couple of jumpers to bypass it so they are still usable.
But for me, the biggest issue is the rear port. My home workstation is fixed against a wall only 14 inches or so from the rear of the speakers. I cut a couple of pieces of 1" foam pipe insulation to partially plug them to tame the bass to some degree. In any case, it seems that a front ported monitor might be a better choice.
Two new ones that just happen to be priced at $149 as is the JBL 305P are the RCF Ayra Pro5 and the Fluid Audio FX50.
Like the JBL, both use DSP crossovers (at least that's what the manufacturers imply.) The Ayra Pro5 is said to use DSP to attain 0° phase response in a driver arrangement like the JBL and a similarly sized cabinet, while the FX50 is a coaxial driver design in a smaller cabinet.
https://www.rcf.it/en_US/products/product-detail/ayra-pro5/1022568
https://www.fluidaudio.com/products/fader-series/fx50.html
Both seem to be so new that they are hard to find in stock anywhere versus the JBLs, which seem to be available at any local Guitar Center (the white 305Ps are even on sale there right now for $129 each!)
Any other suggestions for a front ported monitor in the 4-5" woofer range? Thanks!
I owned a few different "computer speakers" over the years from "real audio firms" (Yamaha, Boston Acoustics) and considered them generally quite crummy. I picked up a pair of Mackie CR3s on sale a few years ago when the BAs crapped out, and while they are much better for casual listening to music or dialogue on YouTube, they are not the last word in clarity. The electronics are all in one monitor, which includes a switch to set that as left or right...and mine suffered from failure of that switch, a common problem. It was fairly simple to remove the rear panel and solder in a couple of jumpers to bypass it so they are still usable.
But for me, the biggest issue is the rear port. My home workstation is fixed against a wall only 14 inches or so from the rear of the speakers. I cut a couple of pieces of 1" foam pipe insulation to partially plug them to tame the bass to some degree. In any case, it seems that a front ported monitor might be a better choice.
Two new ones that just happen to be priced at $149 as is the JBL 305P are the RCF Ayra Pro5 and the Fluid Audio FX50.
Like the JBL, both use DSP crossovers (at least that's what the manufacturers imply.) The Ayra Pro5 is said to use DSP to attain 0° phase response in a driver arrangement like the JBL and a similarly sized cabinet, while the FX50 is a coaxial driver design in a smaller cabinet.
https://www.rcf.it/en_US/products/product-detail/ayra-pro5/1022568
https://www.fluidaudio.com/products/fader-series/fx50.html
Both seem to be so new that they are hard to find in stock anywhere versus the JBLs, which seem to be available at any local Guitar Center (the white 305Ps are even on sale there right now for $129 each!)
Any other suggestions for a front ported monitor in the 4-5" woofer range? Thanks!