Studio L Series

[edgewound]

excuse the pun but the 4430's are BUTT UGLY...

Oh they are not...

[Zilch]

Don't MAKE post the Biradial Babes here, too, now....

[MJC]

Oh they are not...

I don't think that either the 4430 or the Studio L are ugly. I haven't seen the Studio L in a store, but they look good enough on the computer screen.

[JBLnsince1959]

Oh they are not...

yes, you're correct of course...the 4430's are THE wife pleaser's......

On a scale of 1 to 10, the Wife Approval Factor MUST be a 12.....I've yet to see a woman that didn't fall in love at first sight of those big old 4430's

It's a case where SIZE truely does matter

[edgewound]

yes, you're correct of course...the 4430's are THE wife pleaser's......

On a scale of 1 to 10, the Wife Approval Factor MUST be a 12.....I've yet to see a woman that didn't fall in love at first sight of those big old 4430's

It's a case where SIZE truely does matter

Now your catchin' on...I knew you'd get it soon....

[Anthony L100]

yes, you're correct of course...the 4430's are THE wife pleaser's......

Yeah, mine too, she said the look "powerful" BTW, great thread 'dome, no bitchin

[JBLnsince1959]

Ok, time to get serious....

Saturday night as me and lady were on our way to a movie I checked a place where they have JBL's ( I left her outside while I ran in just to see)...well they had the 890 and the Venue series ( and still have the large nothridge series to).

Today I took a little time to go hear them. Now understand I was planning NOT to like these ( and not for the looks, I'm Ok with the looks)...but really, dual 8's for bass...can we get serious???? I remember 6 years when I played the S312 VS dual 8's or 10's at Best Buy and the dual small woofers just didn't cut it in realistic sound ( and I don't mean Radio Shack), the 12's were Sooooo much better IMHO...

Just to let you know my bias, I don't like the "NEW LOOK" of speakers ( thin, cubes etc ), I don't like small..I'm old school.. a person who likes large voice coils....I don't want no pansy-ass, left-over from a 60's Japanese transistor radio SMALL SPEAKER wanta-be in my house...and I don't care WHAT the woman says or likes, they ain't coming in my house..period

Since much has been said about the looks of these puppies and since several people want to judge a book by it's cover, I'll start with looks. The 890's they have are the cherry finish and had the grills on....They look great!!! in fact they make a rather refined, strong statement. dims are 42 1/4" H, 10 1/4" W and 15" D the speakers are deeper than they are wide, sides are curved and placement of the grill is perfectly centered....these are heavy looking , quality looking, refined looking speakers...nice, very nice... Looks nothing like the pictures on the web. You got to see them in person. When I took off the grills, yes all those transducers and wave guides looked a little strange at first, but seriously most times you would have the grills on AND if you didn't so as to get the last drop of resolution from the highs, I think it's something you would get use to....I got use to the PS 800's.....stop and think..what was your first reaction to the 4430?? the Everest..the K2..these are speakers that don't "Fit the Mold" and one thing I have enjoyed about JBL over years is that they are willing to use the "Form Follows Function" to get the best sound.

Botton-line..they are very good looking speakers in person and if you don't like looking at the ultra-high tweeter or silver and that really upsets you then put on the grills or go see a shrink...

Ok, lets get to the heart of matter...THE SOUND!!!! Botton-line..these speakers will knock your socks off...really they are that good....resolution, detail, mid-bass, mids, highs, air, all in balance and yes, ( I hate to amitted it) BASS...no F'ing sh*t . These are the sleepers of 2006. Now everything must be put into perspective, these are (retail) around 1600 ( they were on sale for 627 each I think). That's not cheap but it's not JM Labs Be stuff either...for the price the sound is unbelieveable.

This a major step up from the older Studio series..very major. In fact there's no comparison. In several threads I've praised the old Studio speakers as the best bang for the buck speakers I had heard....well, the studio L leaves those old studio speakers in dust and for not much more money.

I'm going back and I'll do some more listening, but just to finish saying...I really liked these and was thinking of where can I put these...I want these BIG TIME..
( but I have no room and I'm waiting to see what's coming out this fall)

If you are thinking of getting new speakers, and you don't want to spend a fortune to get a really RICH and wonderful sound that would cost $7000 from other speakers, then do yourself a favor and listen to these. I think you'll be surprised at how great $1600 can sound..

GT and his crew have done a wonderful job ....can't wait to see what they have for us this fall

[JBLnsince1959]

I had to stop last night with the review of the 890. I'll go into it more after I hear them with more material.

these speakers were a total shock to me....they look good, sound good and have enough bass..

The most surprising thing was the bass, it was much better than I expected...( understand that I was listening to music, not movies with super low noises - and yes, all subs were off)...no, it's not a 12, 14 or 15" transducer, they are dual 8's and I want a Studio L with something bigger if it were my main speaker ( see my bias, maybe a S312 and S412 version - yes BOTH). These were designed to be used with subs I think

I see two uses for me with the 890's.....Center speakers for my HT ( I don't do single speaker) or actively crossed over to PS1400's or to some home grown Le-14 or 15's

Bottom-line:
1. they don't look cheap or cheesy in person, maybe on paper or on the web. These are very nice looking speakers in person - but then some people I've seen look cheesy on the web too

2. The sound is way better than a $1600 pair of speakers should sound, these are really approaching what I consider "Audiophile" sounding speakers

3. the bass is way better than one would believe(Frequency Response (±3dB) 28Hz – 40kHz ). I took in my "ball-busting Bass" CD's to break them and they took it and gave it back MUCH more than I thought possible. I'm not a "bass" person ( I believe what most people hear as "bass" is the box itself) BUT when REAL Bass is called for I want it there and the 890's did it...period. Next i'll take an organ CD and see if we can break them ( I've "broken" a few in stores )

Of course all of this is subjective...and you'll have to make up your own mind...just know that if you are judging these by the pictures on the web then you're only judging a book by a picture of it's cover. ( you're twice removed)

[Titanium Dome]

Thanks for taking the time to both look and listen in person before passing judgment. It makes a difference, eh?

While all of us have opinions on these things, it's always useful to have an informed opinion with some credible experience to back it up. I know it can be hard to accept that something new and different is "as good as/better than/an improvement on/different in a good way to" older ideals, but it does happen.

I learned this lesson when I got my first pair of SVA1800s, an MTM design with two 8" drivers surrounding a Bi-Radial horn. It was mind blowing and paradigm busting at the same time. How could two 8" drivers be so powerful, so articulate, and so effective?

Old dogs like us can learn new tricks.

[Thomax]

...no, it's not a 12, 14 or 15" transducer, they are dual 8's and I want a Studio L with something bigger if it were my main speaker ( see my bias, maybe a S312 and S412 version - yes BOTH)

In fact you'd like a pair of TL260 !

[edgewound]

these speakers were a total shock to me....they look good, sound good and have enough bass..

The most surprising thing was the bass, it was much better than I expected...( understand that I was listening to music, not movies with super low noises - and yes, all subs were off)...no, it's not a 12, 14 or 15" transducer, they are dual 8's and I want a Studio L with something bigger if it were my main speaker ( see my bias, maybe a S312 and S412 version - yes BOTH). These were designed to be used with subs I think

Bottom-line:
1. they don't look cheap or cheesy in person, maybe on paper or on the web. These are very nice looking speakers in person - but then some people I've seen look cheesy on the web too

2. The sound is way better than a $1600 pair of speakers should sound, these are really approaching what I consider "Audiophile" sounding speakers

3. the bass is way better than one would believe(Frequency Response (±3dB) 28Hz – 40kHz ). I took in my "ball-busting Bass" CD's to break them and they took it and gave it back MUCH more than I thought possible. I'm not a "bass" person ( I believe what most people hear as "bass" is the box itself) BUT when REAL Bass is called for I want it there and the 890's did it...period. Next i'll take an organ CD and see if we can break them ( I've "broken" a few in stores )

Of course all of this is subjective...and you'll have to make up your own mind...just know that if you are judging these by the pictures on the web then you're only judging a book by a picture of it's cover. ( you're twice removed)

I think it's great that you love them. I do think they look better in the the beech color, too. Lots of Euro made speakers have the beech/silver look...it'd be really nice if the silver material was actually aluminum, magnesium, or some real metal. Harman's got lots of resources globally for VERY inexpensive(China) metal parts.

It's also not surprising that two eight inch woofers make ample bass...two 8"s cone area closely approaches a single 12", and the rest can be made up with added excursion...the transcient attack should be better than a single big driver due to the lighter moving mass you'd expect from multiple smaller drivers....you see this way more in the "high-end, audiophile" world.

I'm glad JBL has at least one more customer for the new line. They must be doing something right.

[JBLnsince1959]

In fact you'd like a pair of TL260 !

Most likely, there's a thread about the 260 with a PR article from JBL about it, but it really didn't say much..where it is ( most likely Europe), what transducers, crossovers etc....just general Smoke Out the Ass PR stuff ( SOA) that let's you know it exist but nothing in particular as to what's in it or why someone would want to buy it

I made a knee-jerk reaction statement that if the 260 used the same speakers as the Studio L ( they look the same) that that would be a disappointment...I may have to apologize to the GT and JBL crew as the studio L speakers are very good...still....( altho I don't think GT designed the 260 if I understand correctly)

There's still a part of me that wishes that they had done a little more research into "better" speakers ( Be tweeters, ultra high tweeters and mids; large dual voice coil speaker for the 8" mid-bass, le-14) for a flagship speaker for the masses as the 250 ( now 260) but that's me. then again maybe they did..who knows as the PR said nothing about what's in it..

I'll wait to pass judgement until I hear them..IF they can be found here in the States...

[JBLnsince1959]

I think it's great that you love them. I do think they look better in the the beech color, too. Lots of Euro made speakers have the beech/silver look...it'd be really nice if the silver material was actually aluminum, magnesium, or some real metal. Harman's got lots of resources globally for VERY inexpensive(China) metal parts.

.

I think they are doing something right..very right...Let's not forget that these are speakers for the masses and that's what I'm comparing them to..Again for the price these are some of the most bang for the buck speakers i've seen in a long time..

are they the best speakers I've heard?..no...

at the moment I'm testing out JM Labs Electra 1027 Be ( very, very nice by the way, again not the best but nice)...only BIG problem is the SMALL dual 6" woofers ( IMHO - Damn I hate this new "modern" HT small shit design, can anyone tell me why speakers designed for Home theater are the smallest speakers around, you would think that they would be the largest..OH WAIT of course..who cares how they sound as long as they look good by not sticking out into the room)

I agree that all that stuff can look a strange and maybe a little color would help blend them in...but we ARE talking about speakers for the masses and something has to give...so put on grills and enjoy....

well that's my 2 cents..

Can't wait to see what they come out with this fall

[JBLnsince1959]

It's also not surprising that two eight inch woofers make ample bass...two 8"s cone area closely approaches a single 12", and the rest can be made up with added excursion...the transcient attack should be better than a single big driver due to the lighter moving mass you'd expect from multiple smaller drivers....you see this way more in the "high-end, audiophile" world.

.

Exactly .....what most people ( 99.9%) don't know is that the lower notes on a piano and organ ( and below) are perceived largely through their partials ( harmonics) and tranisents can be a very big part of that small picture.

While I've always known that about dual woofers I've never liked it or thought that it was as good as one large one..at least until now....

I'm not sure what they've done with the cones.. I wasn't a real BIG fan of the Poly-plas cones but it is very good for the price and seemed to work well enough( I'm sure it's a bang for the buck process)

whatever they've done it works and works light years over the old studio speakers...still a S412 Frankinclone maybe I can put one together with the new 2206's I got sitting around and other goodies..( or get some 2262's)

or get a pair of the 890's, put them beside my 1400's and run the wires from the 1400's to the 890 instead of the 800's....... ( Q&D 260?)

Hey I wonder if they are going to redo the PS series with the ultra-high thingymabob

[Thomax]

Most likely, there's a thread about the 260 with a PR article from JBL about it, but it really didn't say much..where it is ( most likely Europe), what transducers, crossovers etc....just general Smoke Out the Ass PR stuff ( SOA) that let's you know it exist but nothing in particular as to what's in it or why someone would want to buy it

I made a knee-jerk reaction statement that if the 260 used the same speakers as the Studio L ( they look the same) that that would be a disappointment...I may have to apologize to the GT and JBL crew as the studio L speakers are very good...still....( altho I don't think GT designed the 260 if I understand correctly)

There's still a part of me that wishes that they had done a little more research into "better" speakers ( Be tweeters, ultra high tweeters and mids; large dual voice coil speaker for the 8" mid-bass, le-14) for a flagship speaker for the masses as the 250 ( now 260) but that's me. then again maybe they did..who knows as the PR said nothing about what's in it..

I'll wait to pass judgement until I hear them..IF they can be found here in the States...

You can find these easily here in France, either in shops or ebay. It looks like it's the same drivers as the Studio L's, but nobody really knows. People who had the opportunity to listen to them where quite impressed, like you with the Studio L's. The price is about 2000€ (~2000$) each, so it isn't much more given the larger woofer and cabinet....