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Darcher84
01-01-2004, 03:08 PM
Now I noticed peep are saying that the JBL Studio Series arent good as the studio monitors. Now what are good about the studio series I mean they are expensive you know they aret cheap speakers so there got to be something good about them that are like pros?

Darcher84
01-01-2004, 04:05 PM
Well there are passive monitors that cost the same as the S26 and that has the same woofer size.

This Guy
01-01-2004, 04:05 PM
they're named the "studio" series doesn't mean they have anything to do with studio monitors. They're named that way to sell more, so people will think they will perform like studio monitors. These speakers are about $200, and you shouldn't expect much from them, studio monitors usually costs thousands of dollars.

-Joey

This Guy
01-01-2004, 04:30 PM
the S26 is a passive speaker as well. The woofer size doesn't determine how good the speaker sounds. Any studio can use whatever speakers they want, the good and most expensive studios use B&W speakers costing very much. A speaker costing $200 isn't going to perform that good. Get this whole S26 as being a professional studio monitor out of your head.

RGA
01-01-2004, 05:29 PM
As the others have said just bcause something says Studio or the other silly ad campaign "Digital Monitor" means absolutely nothing. In fact if a speaker has the word Studio or digital monitor in them I begin to have a little thought that makes me groan. Very few that actually have these words are used in a recording studio.

And even speakers that ARE used in a recording studio means very little. SO what if a speaker is. many companies give "for free" very expensive speakers to recording studios so that they can post on their website..."Here at XYZ company you know you're getting great speakers because ABC recording studio uses our loudspeakers." You will also not that most very large conglomorates have speakers in recording studios because they can afford to give away 50 sets of their 10k speakers...which while they may be good certainly does not mean best. If I'm running a studio and a big company GIVES me free good speakers even though I may like something else a bit better...if that other speaker maker charges me 2 grand+ well I'll take the free one...it is a business after all.

Furthermore, there is a convenience issue. British Recording studios tend to use gee --- British speakers and in America - American speakers. Most of those studios are still using 2 decade old models.

Many speaker decisions are also built on door to door sales. Just like any business. The old steel dfoundry I worked at would have some guy come by trying to sell us their brand of Photocopier etc. The BIGGER the company the more salesman they can send out to other compnaies' purchasing agents with special DEALS. Buy our speakers...ohh and here's some chocolates, or tickets to the super bowl or etc etc...you better believe that happens in recording studios too.

JBL used to make recording studio speakers and they still do. Those speakers are not what you'll find in the stores. JBL simply lives off their reputation just like Bose...and frankly the S and N series and Bose 301s etc are of the same quality ilk. Cheap drivers in cheap boxes. JBL at least can rock at a party volume levels and don't charge ridiculously high prices.

skeptic
01-02-2004, 05:32 AM
Like many companies, JBL offers a wide range of products for different tastes, budgets, and needs. Many audiophiles do not consider their products among the most accurate. That is a matter of opinion. Obviously a speaker selling for a couple of hundred dollars will not perform as well in at least some respects as those which sell for thousands.

There is a market for small loudspeakers which are very compact yet suitable for a small recording studio such as one in a home that is in a room only slightly larger than a closet. That's a popular meaning for the term "monitor" today which means something else than it did 20, 30, or 40 years ago. The S series is probably targeted at a slightly more sophisticated mass consumer market while the N series is for a larger more general market. The Ti series is for a more sophisticated market yet. Harman International also owns among its brands Infinity, Tannoy, and Revel which make a vast variety of loudspeaker products for different markets sometimes competing against each other.

When you buy a product with the JBL name on it, you are buying from a company which has a reputation for generally high quality manufacturing, extensive research facilities, a vast distribution network to sell and service these products, and someone who has been around and likely will be around for a long time. When you buy from brand X who subcontracts drivers to Vifa, Morel, or someone else, you never know what you are getting in the way of quality control or if they will be around on the day you need a replacement part or service. It's something to consider when purchasing an expensive item.

Darcher84
01-02-2004, 10:55 AM
So I guess this means my Alesis Point Seven monitors are way better than the JBL S26 even the Alesis one costed $300 pair??

RGA
01-02-2004, 10:58 AM
Skeptic.

While I agree in part...a speaker maker using Vifa, Scanspeak, SEAS or other drivers also means that when or IF that driver blows you can order the particular tweeter yourself and have a competant speaker builder or repair person change out the part. With B&W for example, they're the only ones who make their tweeters...if it blows you could be looking at seriously high costs to get another one...especially if after 15 years they have changed tweeters and no longer even have the one you bought. That is less likely with the "off the shelf" drivers.

Indeed, if you're not gifted in building then being able to get an off the shelf Vifa tweeter to replace the blown one is a huge advantage.

If you don't know what you're doing as most don't then things get hard if the "off the shelf driver" has had modifcations done. I have never neededto take a speaker apart and while I can order my tweeter from Vifa, I don't now how to re-wire it and take the ferro-fluid cooling out like the company did...nor other modifications to the part. And by doing nothing you alter the sound.

JBL Britain seems to have entirely different models which have had some very high praise...for some reason those models don't hit North America. They are also far costlier though.

Darcher84
01-02-2004, 11:03 AM
But will my Alesis Point Seven be better monitors then for recording even its only $300 Pair???

Feanor
01-02-2004, 01:27 PM
That is, my DM7's. No sure it's true though because they are still working fine.

skeptic
01-02-2004, 08:54 PM
It seems that many of these companies have their drivers custom made to their own specifications by these outsource manufacturers and they are contractually obligated to sell them ONLY to the manufacturer. So if your AN speaker needs a new Scanspeak woofer and Audio Note just happened to be out of business, you will probably be out of luck. As for the crosssover network, as the New Yawkas say, ***eddaboudit.

RGA
01-02-2004, 09:06 PM
It seems that many of these companies have their drivers custom made to their own specifications by these outsource manufacturers and they are contractually obligated to sell them ONLY to the manufacturer. So if your AN speaker needs a new Scanspeak woofer and Audio Note just happened to be out of business, you will probably be out of luck. As for the crosssover network, as the New Yawkas say, ***eddaboudit.

That is the risk you run buying a lesser known speaker no question about it. Luckily, AudioNote is quite a large company as smaller companies go. Since they used to sell everything in Kit form my dealer's know how can surely upgrade and or repair damages.

The choice then is buying a sure thing over sound quality. I have never heard of a crossover going...maybe a cap etc. Black Gates cost a ton apparently...but oh well.

spacedeckman
01-04-2004, 07:55 AM
Darcher: If you own both speakers, play one and then the other with the same music, choose the one you prefer. The job of a true studio monitor is to give you a look inside the music. There is no written standard of what one has to be, and in fact, there are many different varieties depending on which part of the mixdown process you are in. Some music may end up being played through 3 or 4 different speakers or more during the whole process. Each because the give a different view of the mix. Then again, depending on the engineer, it may be only one. You've got to quit fixating on this stuff. If you want to mix something, you have two perfectly good speakers to do it with. Or as I put it above, two different views into the same mix.

Skeptic: Companies, especially Vifa/Peerless/Scanspeak (one company) custom makes any driver you want, or will do a "modified" version of anything they make. My speakers use modifed versions of Scanspeak drivers. My tweeter is a "one off" Revelator...a VERY nice tweeter. You just need to order an agreed amount, and the company will run a batch off. This is a fantastic thing since it means you and I get to buy better speakers. Should yours not be available, I would imagine they would be able to suggest a very close replacement. Crossover problems will more than likely be a capacitor which isn't the end of the world and is easily replaceable.

"When you buy from brand X who subcontracts drivers to Vifa, Morel, or someone else, you never know what you are getting in the way of quality control"

HUH? When you buy a speaker from a company who buys drivers from another company you get that company's quality control. Scanspeak, SEAS, Morel....I don't see a problem here. These are the best OEM speaker manufacturers in the business (Dynaudio is trying to get out of the business, so I didn't add them, but they also qualify) I'm happy with my speakers made by a tiny company in Denmark (I've even struck up a relationship with the guy who runs the company...an advantage)

Gotta go, more later. Okay, back...

Gotta kind of go with RGA on this one. JBL has some pretty killer speakers, unfortunately, nobody here in the states, or Canada wants to buy them. They sell in Europe, but it is a whole different, often very expensive animal. What is sold there would probably be the legitimate offspring of the L100. The stuff we see here is built for their current distribution, which is Best Buy and some Mom & Pops. They are a completely legitimate company with R&D prowess and resources that, to my knowledge is only approached by API. Harman has bigger and more elaborate facilities and more $ resources, API has the NRC facilities fairly nearby, allowing them to concentrate more on CAD and their two diverse theories. Then again maybe it is the competition there between the Energy and Mirage brands that harman lacks anymore. Competition breeds ingenuity, and it is even better if it is in house. Anyway, there is no arguing that harman has the technology to do whatever they want. Under Floyd Toole's guidance, they have one of the best acoustic brains in the known universe (and he even comes with a Capt. Kangaroo demeanor, voice, and delivery) Floyd is good people.

Market realities being as they are, JBL has no upscale market in North America, and only some in Europe. The big clunky K series sells in Asia, but that is admittedly a limited market at those price points. Too bad, but after the Canadian invasion, any chance of JBL getting back into that category pretty much dried up. When harman chose to "dance with the devil" (Best Buy with JBL and Circuit with Infinity (years ago) and Ultimate, and regional chains) they cemented their place in the market. It is hard to move up when companies like Paradigm have become their direct replacement in the marketplace and hold a much higher level of respect than JBL has had in the past 25 years as a "higher end" brand. JBL's customer base runs thin at about $600-700/pr, and is really healthy at $200-400. A company like Paradigm, Energy, or Mirage sell products centered at the $600-700 bracket. The problem is compounding in nature. The more low price speakers you put into the market, the more the perception of your company changes to one of a low end brand. I cannot recall a company that has successfully gone from lower end to upmarket, but there are many examples of once very prominent names in the speaker business on really crappy speakers. (KLH, Altec, etc). That is part of our times.

axelsrd
01-06-2004, 11:58 AM
I am using JBL 310II for front, C-center, and S26II for the rear and a Velodyne CHT 10 sub. There are better speaker systems out there...there always is, but these sound very nice together. I have had no problems at all with this setup.