[Review] JBL LSR305 Studio Monitors! Best bang for the buck!

[KungPaoChino]

Hey guys! Today I'm going to give my two cents on speakers I have purchased. 

Product:

JBL LSR305 Studio Monitors ( x2) 
Disclaimer: If you do want to purchase these, be aware that each speaker is sold individually. 

 

General Specifications: 

Spoiler

Frequency Range (Hz): 43Hz - 24kHZ

Max Peak Sound Pressure Level: 108db SPL C-Weighted

Max Peak Input +23dbU

Tweeter Size: 1" 
Woofer Size: 5"
Amp power: 82Watts ( Distributed equally to tweeter & woofer )
LF & HF Trim Control: +2dB, 0 , -2dB
Inputs: 1 XLR / 1 TRS Balanced

AC Voltage: 100-240 VAC +- 10% @  50Hz / 60Hz

Dimension: (H*W*D) : 11.75in * 7.28in * 9.88

Weight 4.6kg / ~10lb

 

Why did I buy these over other products? 

My Corsair SP2500 malfunctioned a week into use. The subwoofer was completely blown and RMAing with Corsair was a pain. They didn't have any in stock and everywhere I searched, they were discontinued. I returned those and stumbled upon the JBLs on Amazon. I knew about JBL only in the automotive industry. They had a high reputation so I'd figure they'd probably have the same high rep in studio speakers. After two whole weeks of burning in these speakers, I have to say this was the best investment in audio equipment. ( For now) 

 

Also I wanted something that was a reference monitor. Something that was able to reproduce sound extremely accurately. 

 

Physical Appearance:

These speakers are huge and requires a lot of space. Unfortunately for me I have a small desk and very limited surface area. I had to purchase stands and let them stand by themselves. They are not touching the table. Here is the speaker next to my Deathadder. (To give a reference of how big the speaker is.) 

 

There is no grill or any cover for these speaker. Gotta be careful and not make them dirty or break. (Exposed Woofer) 

Between the two speakers, there is a white LED light to notify user that the speaker is powered on. 

 

On the tweeter, there is a feature called "waveguide". This allows the sound waves to travel in the most efficient way to the user's ears. This also allows the person to hear it accurately from whatever position in the room. Waveguide is also seen in their M2  flagship monitor and on the larger LSR308. (with larger 8" woofers) 

 

On the back of the speaker, we see where we can place our inputs, XLR and TRS Balanced. The speaker allows for adjustment in LF and HF ( bass & treble ) with -2dB ,0 ,or + 2dB. I personally leave my LF on +2dB and HF on 0. My highs sound great and I need a little but of extra bass.  A volume control knob with 20 way adjustability ( increment of 0.5 )  . Input sensitivity adjustment to prevent damaging speakers and adjusting to user input. Back firing port... Finally power cord & switch.  

 

What comes in the box? 

Speaker itself, & power cord. Input cables are not included probably because JBL assumes people buying these already have them. These cables are pretty cheap so I didn't mind paying the $10 bucks. Packaging was simple. Easy setup right off the box. 

 

How do they sound? ( Not from an audiophile's perspective but from a person who listens to a lot of music) 

My listening experience has been inside a bedroom setting. The environment is not that big compared to what they are meant to be in... A studio. First thing I noticed was that the LSR305 was loud. Party / wild banger loud. At max volume these were uncomfortably loud. What I noticed when I tried max volume was that the music still sounded great. No distortion. 

Without a subwoofer, I was amazed that there was some bass with the speakers. It's not right in your face but very subtle. It felt weird for the first time having the bass felt on my chest. (I was more used to having the sub on the floor so none of the bass was on my chest) However if I really want more bass, I would add their subwoofer down the line. There is no replacement for a sub. 
Vocals on these are amazing. Voices are crystal clear. Nothing else to say.

Instruments. OMG! You can hear almost everything. Going from gaming speakers to these reference monitors, I heard stuff that I missed. Revisiting music from my playlist felt like listening to something extremely different. (dont know how to explain this phenomenon) . 
 

These obviously sounded quite flat. They're suppose to be. Made for mixers and musicians who need to accurately hear how the instruments sound. 

source: noaudiophile.com who measured the frequency response. 

 

 

Testing methodology: 

The speakers are placed 2.5ft away from each other and positioned to fire towards my ears rather than having them point forward. I assumed normal desk sitting position. I am about 1.5ft away from each speakers. 

Speakers were connected to my Asus Xonar Essence STX II's left and right RCA connections. There was no XLR or TRS  for me to connect to. 

Sources vary from Spotify Premium, Apple Music, & Tidal. 

 

Songs used for test: 
1. Eagles - Hotel California
2. Louis The Child - Slow Down Love

3. Calvin Harris - Slide
4. Hippie Sabotage - Sunny 

5. Aero Chord - Love & Hate
6. Sam Gellaitry - ESCAPISM I II III Albums. 

 

Viable applications for these speakers...
1. Desk

2. Bookshelves

3. Living room theatre

4. Obviously in a studio. 

 

Pricing:
At under $150 for each speaker, these are amazing. In my opinion this offering is way better than AudioEngine's A5+. These are true reference monitors whereas those are marketed to be similar to reference.  The only problem I have with the LSR305 is that they are not bundled together in a package. However Amazon does offer a combo package for people without any equipment. 
These were priced just at under $100 at Massdrop. Do not know if they will ever comeback on that site. 

 

Conclusion
These would def be my go to for anyone. These are reasonably priced and sound amazing. IMO this is JBL's attempt to give people a first hand grasp of what great speakers can do for you at a very very nice price. I def like how these are individually sold. If one of the speaker is faulty, you could simply replace one without having to completely replace the entire setup. The product's downfall is that you can't really "plug into the computer"... Don't know how to fully explain this either. 

 

In the long run, I'd for sure add their subwoofer to this setup. I'm pretty satisfied with what they offered. 

 

Now time for me to return to AFK status... 
 

[RGProductions]

pics are broken

[KungPaoChino]

7 minutes ago, RGProductions said:

pics are broken

Okay. Might know why. Will be fixed by the end of the day. 

[KungPaoChino]

14 hours ago, RGProductions said:

pics are broken

If you're not viewing on desktop it might not work...