EQ Mag (July 2004) - JBL 6300 Monitors article - need part2

[kylen]

Hi Mitch,

 

I thought you might stop by the forum every once in a while and might see this.

 

Can you please do a part2 to your JBL 6300 series article - you've covered the EQ switches and whatnot. How do the monitors sound ? What room did you listen to them in, what acoustic treatments, room-monitor interactions, etc. You know the drill.

 

I recently auditioned a set of the JBL LSR6328P monitors at Guitar Center after studying the manual and it's room balance settings you mention in the article. I wasn't too keen on those but I'm a speaker placement and treat your room kind of guy (per Ethans forum) so that didn't appeal to me much anyway. Other folks might use EQs to balance room/monitor interaction - that's cool.

 

I also auditioned a set of Event ASP8 monitors and walked out of the store with those. For that reason I'm also wondering how you would compare them to a model priced 1 tier lower (like Events) and 1 tier higher (maybe Adams or something) also how do they rank among their peers?

 

The JBLs sounded very good to me but I didn't think they sounded $800 better - although my budget was affecting my 'vision' slightly, hehe.

 

What do you think - how'd they sound ?

 

Thanx

[Salyphus]

[Mr. G]

Whoops, sorry I missed this. Thanks to Craig for pointing it out.

 

I did actually discuss the sound toward the beginning of the review, at the end, and in the Strengths list. But the LSR28 has been around for a while, so I focused on what was new with this model, the RMC stuff.

 

I also mentioned that my room is heavily bass trapped, but the discussion was more in the context of how the speakers performed, than of the room itself.

 

Here's details, if you're interested: The room was designed by John Storyk, and is approx 450 sq. ft. I've got 8 RealTraps panel-style bass traps on the walls, 4 low- and 4 high-bass. There's a reflection-free zone around the listening/mix position, created from 4" Auralex foam, spaced 4" off the wall and ceiling. Floor is hardwood, with a rug under the mix position (no rug might be better, but I gotta keep my toes comfy).

 

Frank Wells from Pro Sound News shot the room, and I was very happy with the response -- it's quite flat all across the range. As I mentioned in the review, I had to "manufacture" a peak in the speakers by putting them right on the wall. In the normal speaker position, I use no RMC on the 6328s, and a small amount on the sub around 60Hz.

 

In short, I was very impressed with these speakers. The sound is full, clear, and tight. Even without the sub, there's loads of lows. I still have them here, and am toying with buying them. I find them very balanced and honest for mixing and tonal evaluations.

 

Hope this helps, feel free to ask if you have more questions.

[kylen]

Thanx Mitch - that's some cool info about your room too and the mini-traps. I'm thinking about starting out with a couple of those for an upgrade from my existing homemade 703 'passive' type traps.

 

The thought about somebody shooting your room is interesting too - maybe I'll think about that if the production warrants it. Right now I'm one of those folks running around with ETF measurements trying to piece it all together...

 

I'm running the EQ on my Events flat too and the RMC on the JBLs looked like a bit of monkey-business, respectfully.

 

It looks like the JBLs are keepers then - thanx for part2 !

[Mr. G]

We took before- and after-treament measurements of the room. It was quite interesting.

 

I reviewed the Events not long ago, and found them excellent. My surround mixing rig uses older Events, and the new ones offer much better quality.

 

The RMC system works well -- but keep in mind what it is for: reducing the impact of the biggest peak in the room. It's not a be-all, end-all room EQ. I think the best approach to using it is to get your room in the best shape you can, then use RMC to tweak the last remaining problem. For example, as mentioned, I use no RMC on the speakers, but am taming one small peak on the sub.

 

But if the Events are doing it for you, wonderful!! And I fully agree that making your room sound good is prioity #1. That's why we've been running so much acoustics stuff in EQ lately.