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Thread: LSR308s...just had to do it.

  1. #1
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    LSR308s...just had to do it.

    Was at guitar center looking for connectors, I am digitizing a collection of vinyl for a friend (cleaning up old LPs and trying to salvage them since he let them sit in his basement for 20 some odd years and they got destroyed). I walked by the JBLs with strong resolve. Covering my wallet like it was child that would be corrupted just by gazing at them...

    well long story short the tweeters in my Infinity's went out and it was going to be pretty expensive to replace the stupid polycell tweets...

    I am the proud owner of a set of LSR308s, I'll do some listening tests for folks is theres interest. The waveguide got me...didn't hurt that the kid working the counter let me do a demo for myself and no one was around...

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    Senior Member LowPhreak's Avatar
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    Grats! and hey, I never pass up a chance to blast the latest speaker I might be interested in on a demo. If they still sound good and don't die, they may be a contender!

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    I've heard very good things about them and the price is reasonable. Let us know what you think.

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    Senior Member BMWCCA's Avatar
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    Please let us know what you think of them.

    In just comparing their specs to the LSR305, they have to be incredible. I'd love to hear them because I could not be more impressed with the LSR305s . . . especially when you take into account what they cost!
    ". . . as you have no doubt noticed, no one told the 4345 that it can't work correctly so it does anyway."—Greg Timbers

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    Well hooked them up and I love them so far. Initially had some trouble hooking them up because my AVR that I was going to try them with doesn't have RCA preouts like I needed and my other AVR is not in my computer room. I think I have some signal issues as well, currently I have it running 1/4" TRS to 1/8" mini jack into my computer and there is definitely signal hiss its really low but its there. So I am going to get a mixer or computer audio interface which will give them a clean +4dB signal like most pro audio stuff and see if that helps. I am guessing a different soundcard could help...but the audio interface will take care of it for me.

    But in a now...5 hour listening session they sound great. My room is tiny and they definitely need more room to breathe but I am super happy. The highs are a little on the hot side but turning them down 2dB was too much so I think really its just their positioning in my room with another foot or two away from my face it would be perfect. The stereo image is amazing. Bass is deep but not fatiguing. I messed with a little EQ and they are really flat and need just about nothing in that department. I am going to mess with REW and see what they are actually doing in my room. Currently the setup is not optimal...smash up against a wall and close together but even with the limitations they sound great. Very forgiving, I played everything from jazz, acoustic, classical, progressive rock, metal and soundtracks through them and they are pretty transparent. Once I get them dialed I think I will be really happy.

    I'll see if I can work out the kinks and then do some video or just hook the H4N up and do a quick demo. Anniversary is tomorrow so the weekend it is!

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    I heard 308s at Ti Dome's place

    The 308s and 305s are both superb for the money. Not full-bird "reference" speakers by any stretch, but good enough that even a serious audiophile could live with them almost indefinitely. More bass from 308s more refinement from 305s it seems.

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    Senior Member BMWCCA's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by badman View Post
    More bass from 308s more refinement from 305s it seems.
    That would seem to be the consensus, but I can't really figure why the 305 would best the 308 in any metric. I dearly love my 305s and the 308s are quite a step up the price-ladder, but I find it hard to believe the 308 wouldn't be better in every way. But then I haven't heard them!
    ". . . as you have no doubt noticed, no one told the 4345 that it can't work correctly so it does anyway."—Greg Timbers

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    So this is really disappointing.

    I thought the issues I was having with signal hiss were due to my unbalanced TRS connectors...nope! its the amp in them...

    I am returning these, since I am using them on a desk I can hear the hiss and I think my ears are attuned to it now. JBL Pro Service was super helpful too..."yes they hiss, thats typical of all monitors, you should be using balanced inputs" "but they hiss without anything plugged into them which leads me to the amp" "well they are in spec I don't know what to tell you, other monitors hiss too" "Right...thanks for you help"

    I hate this...I really liked these but I just can't NOT hear the hiss now...whats so maddening is these would be great as passive monitors...then I could hook them up to a non-class D amp thats worth a shit.

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    Senior Member BMWCCA's Avatar
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    I went upstairs and turned on my LSR305s. If I go six-feet across the room and stick my ear directly in front of the speakers I will hear a very slight hiss from the tweeter, and a very slight hum from the woofer. I can't hear it at all if there's even the lowest level of output from a source, it's so far below the signal output. But, if I had them sitting on a desk right in front of me in a quiet room at idle, it might drive me nuts, or at least bother me.

    I tried the pair of Pro-III Plus right next to the LSRs, powered by a Crown PL3 amp. Similar size drivers, lots more power. Dead quiet. But then that amp twenty-years ago probably cost over four-times what the LSRs cost today. Not that that's any excuse.
    ". . . as you have no doubt noticed, no one told the 4345 that it can't work correctly so it does anyway."—Greg Timbers

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    To assist l think there are a couple of considerations:

    Where is the volume control in the signal path?
    If the major noise contributor is after the volume control you would hear the same level of hiss at any volume setting.

    If this is the case my bet is that due to the inputs being balanced unless the negative is shorted to ground from an unbalanced source there will be a significant noise from the negative terminal of the amp input.

    To test the amp noise alone short both the positive and negative input of the balanced input to ground.

    If the amp is say 100 db s/n l think the amp would be quiet. So therefore care is required to set up the unbalanced input.

    I hope this makes sense.

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    Quote Originally Posted by BMWCCA View Post
    I went upstairs and turned on my LSR305s. If I go six-feet across the room and stick my ear directly in front of the speakers I will hear a very slight hiss from the tweeter, and a very slight hum from the woofer. I can't hear it at all if there's even the lowest level of output from a source, it's so far below the signal output. But, if I had them sitting on a desk right in front of me in a quiet room at idle, it might drive me nuts, or at least bother me.

    I tried the pair of Pro-III Plus right next to the LSRs, powered by a Crown PL3 amp. Similar size drivers, lots more power. Dead quiet. But then that amp twenty-years ago probably cost over four-times what the LSRs cost today. Not that that's any excuse.

    Thats kinda what I was thinking. It was a little too good to be true. Realistically I would have been happy with them as a passive monitor. But a company like JBL should be able to put together a nice mini-Class-AB amp without noise for that price point...it doesn't have to be a 100 watts per channel thing just a clean amp that puts out 50 watts. Done...But then again I have never worked in the audio industry in that capacity and I don't know what production costs are...so I'll hope for more next time I guess.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Aculous View Post
    Thats kinda what I was thinking. It was a little too good to be true. Realistically I would have been happy with them as a passive monitor. But a company like JBL should be able to put together a nice mini-Class-AB amp without noise for that price point...it doesn't have to be a 100 watts per channel thing just a clean amp that puts out 50 watts. Done...But then again I have never worked in the audio industry in that capacity and I don't know what production costs are...so I'll hope for more next time I guess.
    I'd argue that at the cost level they need to meet, class D is a better choice for sound quality than AB. It's not clear where the noise in any given rig is coming from. A tiny little hiss isn't uncommon, and I certainly don't have any that I can hear 2ft from the speakers, much less at listening position.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ian Mackenzie View Post
    To assist l think there are a couple of considerations:

    Where is the volume control in the signal path? On the plate amp in the back of each speaker
    If the major noise contributor is after the volume control you would hear the same level of hiss at any volume setting
    Same level of hiss until you put it to the 9 or 10 position (90-100%) and then it went up slightly.

    If this is the case my bet is that due to the inputs being balanced unless the negative is shorted to ground from an unbalanced source there will be a significant noise from the negative terminal of the amp input.
    I believe the previous comment and answer goes to it not being a balanced vs unbalanced issue. In truth I did not nest a shorted balanced input but then again I bought these because they were supposed to work for consumer and pro level signals and I was expecting there to be no hiss.

    To test the amp noise alone short both the positive and negative input of the balanced input to ground.

    If the amp is say 100 db s/n l think the amp would be quiet. So therefore care is required to set up the unbalanced input.

    I hope this makes sense.
    For the most part, of course I already returned them...so theres that.
    There was also some Reddit thread on it. Looks like a lot of people are having this issue. Its only problematic for people who are using them as near field monitors or extremely close. I think its a combination of the waveguide and proximity. However I am not saying these are fatally flawed, just not for me and my application. You should be able to bypass the amp...or the amp just work silently though that was stupid on JBLs part.

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    Quote Originally Posted by badman View Post
    I'd argue that at the cost level they need to meet, class D is a better choice for sound quality than AB. It's not clear where the noise in any given rig is coming from. A tiny little hiss isn't uncommon, and I certainly don't have any that I can hear 2ft from the speakers, much less at listening position.
    I'm not an EE but class d has some disadvantages to sound quality if not designed well. (like any design) Except Class D has greater complexity and some inherent issues with PWM and the output filters that compromise sound quality.

    Well your experience was different from mine then, which could be a million different factors. But close to a computer with fans running and the drone of the stupid A/C unit outside and I could still hear more then what I would call a "little hiss" hence the return.

    guy from reddit.
    http://i.imgur.com/EeuZdCl.jpg
    https://soundcloud.com/user-20329455...bl-lsr305-hiss

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    I agree that once you focus on it it can be a constant annoyance.

    My comment is premised on that fact that some leads but not all necessarily provide shorting of the negative to ground.

    By way of example if l use my hi end Pass labs 250.5 with rca unbalanced inputs and l do not use the shorting links provided to insert into the XL inputs the amp is quite noisier,

    I have not used these monitors myself so as you say if they hiss regardless (with balanced inputs) the point is mute.

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