JBL LSR308 vs Event ASP8. Which one? Opinions?

[mhschmieder]

There's a somewhat new company whose products I saw while they were still prototypes, that make affordable and flexible acoustic isolation "stands" that are especially designed to work well when monitors are placed on desks or tables vs. on stands.

The company name is Iso Acoustics. I know Zen Pro Audio carries their entire line, and a few other pro audio sites as well. I haven't gotten around to replacing my Auralex MoPads with them yet, and have my monitors on dedicated stands, but I intend to buy the Iso Acoustics stands for my computer table once I finally get around to buying a pair of Avantone MixCubes.

I've had the opportunity to compare these to a number of different approaches, and feel they make a huge difference for a small amount of money, and the flexibility of how you can arrange your monitors can actually make a bigger difference more quickly than the room treatment approach, where you have to do more up front to start making a real difference.

For someone who is doing their recording, mixing, and mastering in the same room (i.e. many of us who have home project studios), the acoustic isolation stands are more appropriate across those three working modes anyway.

Sorry that I don't have first-hand experience with the revised JBL line-up, as our pro audio shop went out of business last year (or maybe it was the year before). I am very familiar with the entire JBL lineup, all model series and all sizes, before this most recent rev.

I was especially impressed at how relatively insensitive they are to room placement (almost the opposite of ADAM A7's in that regard), and how consistent their sound is across the monitor sizes and even the product ranges (the more expensive ranges are primarily about having more loudspeaker management control, which is a lot more relevant in a treated room than in a home project studio).

[mikehalloran]

The LSR305/308 SOS comparison without the sub which hadn't been released yet.
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/feb14/a ... series.htm

For me, the reason for the sub is to remove frequencies below 80Hz from the mains and throw them to the box on the floor (the JBL, like most studio subs, has that crossover built in while many consumer/home theater subs do not, having a low pass filter only). I have yet to hear an 8" ported box that is not improved by this, including the Mackie and Equator D8 as I pointed out to Ted -- he was quick to point out you can crank your monitors louder when you pair them with a sub and x-over when I mentioned it to him.

[James Steele]

Well, this is gonna sound silly/flakey of me, but I went to the local GC and bought a pair of the LSR 308s. They matched the online price. I did this locally because GC has the 30-day return policy. It was fortunate I did. As it turns out, they didn't seem to be an improvement on my ASP8s and I returned them after setting them up and giving them a list. I'm almost embarrassed to come back to this thread and say that after all the discussion about it. I'd read really glowing reviews of these, but I found I still preferred my ASP8s. Ugh... so subjective. I just want to thank everyone for the input and I really appreciate it.

[MIDI Life Crisis]

Not sure this applies to you James, but Guitar Center has made it extremely difficult if not impossible to apply the post production tax discount, at least at their Hollywood store. The difference of about 6% on the tax rate makes a big difference on purchases of $100 or more. Sam Ash and other local brick and mortar stores do supply the paperwork or apply the discount to the price. As a result, major purchases for my business rarely, if ever, end up beings made at GC.

[Tobor]

Nice to hear the ASP8's won the shootout. I've had Event Studio Precision 8's (I think it's the same speaker) for 10 years and haven't ever yearned for anything else to this point.

I had Tannoy PBM 8s for about 15 years before that and although I made good mixes on them, they weren't much fun to listen to.

The Events translate very well but they're also very inspirational to listen to, a nice combo.

[James Steele]

Not sure this applies to you James, but Guitar Center has made it extremely difficult if not impossible to apply the post production tax discount, at least at their Hollywood store. The difference of about 6% on the tax rate makes a big difference on purchases of $100 or more. Sam Ash and other local brick and mortar stores do supply the paperwork or apply the discount to the price. As a result, major purchases for my business rarely, if ever, end up beings made at GC.

Well, I do enough work for clients that I can write off much of my musical purchases, so I might qualify, but I've just never bothered to. Also, I should hasten to add that I try to deal with Sweetwater exclusively (not the banner ad above) because they help to support this site, but I was being impulsive and I didn't want to wait for them to ship, AND, more importantly, GC's 30-day Return policy is convenient. Because they have "brick and mortar" stores, I don't have to ship an item back.

I once drove all the way up to the GC in Hollywood to buy a used Marshall amplifier head that I *thought* I wanted. I tried it extensively over the weekend and A/B'd it with my 1979 JMP Mark II Master Lead. I really *wanted* to love the newer head because of all the flexibility and features, but found that my JMP still beat it out in the basic rhythm crunch sound that I would be using 80% of the time. I was able to return it for full refund to the local GC down here in San Diego. So now anything that I think might be a "risky" purchase... items where the ONLY way you can be sure it's going to fit your needs is to bring it home and use it for a bit... I try to go that route. Case in point... if I'd bought those JBLs used from the guy selling on Craigslist, I'd be having to flip them now and might not get my money back. I got a full refund at GC.

[James Steele]

Nice to hear the ASP8's won the shootout. I've had Event Studio Precision 8's (I think it's the same speaker) for 10 years and haven't ever yearned for anything else to this point.

I had Tannoy PBM 8s for about 15 years before that and although I made good mixes on them, they weren't much fun to listen to.

The Events translate very well but they're also very inspirational to listen to, a nice combo.

Yep. It's the same speaker. I can't say that my room acoustics didn't play a part in that. I don't want to put down the JBLs because many, many people like them as you can read in the comments of the various retailer sites. They just weren't for me. I think honesty I was bored and wanted a change... the old "grass is greener" thing. I discovered my Events were a lot better than I gave them credit for.

I think part of what's going on is that I'll sometimes put mixes up on my JBL 4410s (I'm powering them with a Hafler amp) and my ears will adjust and when I put them back on the Events, before my ears can adjust, it will sound very boxy and midrangy. Haven't tried a sub with the Events. That might be interesting. I have a Presonus Control Station and I could hook in a sub, but I figure putting mixes up on the 4410s for a bit to check low frequencies is probably an okay way to go.

[MIDI Life Crisis]

Well, I do enough work for clients that I can write off much of my musical purchases...I got a full refund at GC.

There may be requirements that you have to be in some form of post production, but you do create music and that is certainly an aspect of post. I would imagine you qualify. And the post thing at GC is actually hit and miss. I bought something there last year and they reduced the price to match the post (a pair of JBL 15" EONs for a grand) but I've also bought two keyboards there and they wouldn't honor it or even accept the paperwork. It may be certain salesmen just don't want to bother.

http://www.boe.ca.gov/lawguides/busines ... /6378.html

Certificate (I usually use the blanket one towards the bottom of the page linked below)

http://www.certcapture.com/wp-content/u ... rvices.pdf

Sam Ash and most music stores will also refund within 30 days for any reason. And yeah, I try to give Sweetwater the sales when I'm not in a "must have it now" situation.

I was on a quest for a lighter electric piano a couple of weeks ago and after buying one at Sam Ash (Casio - hated it) and returning it, and another at GC (Yamaha - hatred it as well) I ended up at Hollywood Piano, only about 5 blocks from my home in Burbank. The guy (without asking!) not only matched the internet price, deducted the post production tax from the sale so it would be the same as anywhere else, but gave me a written two year extension to the warranty (now it's 4 years instead of two).

Whenever possible, I do try to shop local and local (AKA Mom and Pop) stores will get the first visit and the sale if the stuff is comparable - even if it's a wee bit more expensive. Pumping money into the local economy is a win-win, IMO. The taxes stay here and the money stays here.

BTW, the piano I ended up with is a Korg SP-280. Out the door for about $650 and it sounds amazing, feels great, is super easy to setup. The built in speakers are great for smaller venues and also server as stage monitors if need be. It even has a L and R line-in (1/4") so you can plug in a mixer or other stuff and use that (again, in smaller houses) or as a stage monitor and the whole mix goes out the outputs to the PA system. Pretty cool. It wasn't at GC, or Sam Ash, but Sweetwater did sell it out the door for about $650 sans the extended warranty.

[James Steele]

...but Sweetwater did sell it out the door for about $650 sans the extended warranty.

Actually I have to give credit to Sweetwater. They automatically add an additional year to the manufacturer's warranty. I found that out with a Behringer PA head I got for the rehearsal room. Original one year warranty expired but it was covered through Sweetwater. The catch... I have to ship it there and be with out it for a couple weeks. It's actually a push button switch on the front panel and I figured out how to get it to work right, so I may not send it in. I can live with it.

[mhschmieder]

At the very least, the comparison helped make you more aware of what you do like most about your Event's, so the next time you look across the fence for greener grass, you'll avoid the cow pies.

[mikehalloran]

Doesn't the Event ASP8 have a switchable 80Hz high pass filter built in? This gives you a lot of flexibility when running with a sub.

[James Steele]

Doesn't the Event ASP8 have a switchable 80Hz high pass filter built in? This gives you a lot of flexibility when running with a sub.

Yes it does! I don't know if Event ever sold a companion subwoofer. I should Google it. I've seen the KRK subs floating around, etc.

[ronjams]

I've sort of fallen out of love with my Event ASP8s. There's a pair of the JBLs I could get used. Opinions on the JBLs?

It's interesting that this has been brought up because I went through a similar experience. First off I decided that I wanted to change from the Behringer 8 inch 2031a and the 6 inch 2030 Truth monitors to the newer 8 inch 3031a and the 6 inch monitors in that same series. By the time I was ready to purchase these monitors, The Event company had come out with a new line of speakers: the BAS V.3 monitors and the more expensive Opal monitors. My friend had purchased the Bas V.3 really based on my recommendation. He later ran into financial issues and I bought his speakers for a very good price. I had spent some time listening to these speakers in his environment but this was in his basement with the walls not treated and the speaker did not sound very good but because of the reputation of Event Electronics and the success other people I knew had with these speakers, I bought them anyway. These speakers are very powerful; more than any other pair that I've owned. I had done about 4 mixes on them that turned out pretty decent on them and translated well on to other systems but I was still not happy with them. They seem to have some unwanted color in them around the upper mid range [400 to 800] so I read all of the reviews I could find on line. I soon discovered that Event Electronics had been purchased by makers of the Rode Nt mic and of course changed the design of the speaker that I bought from my friend so I decided to continue my course of getting the Behringer speakers I wanted but through the persuasion of my sweetwater rep who just started carrying the new JBl 3 speaker line at that time and a trusted colleague who heard the speakers, I decided to give the JBL 308 speaker a try for 30 days. I did not return them and went on to purchase the JBL 305. I suspect that if I had the Asp8 speakers that might have been a different outcome for me but I'm very satisfied with the JBL 3 Series speakers. I've never been a fan of JBL speakers in general. This has been a serious game changer for me. I feel the 308s are very neutral sounding speakers, very wide image, can handle extreme lows, and surprisingly can go up to 24000khz. They give a great deal of detail and clarity without being hyped. That being said, I still wished they had a little more power. I use these speakers with a sub by Behringer so I'm okay. I should mention that the 305 speakers give a different charter [but basically the same description]and would be great for a small bedroom situation.

[James Steele]

I've sort of fallen out of love with my Event ASP8s. There's a pair of the JBLs I could get used. Opinions on the JBLs?

It's interesting that this has been brought up because I went through a similar experience. First off I decided that I wanted to change from the Behringer 8 inch 2031a and the 6 inch 2030 Truth monitors to the newer 8 inch 3031a and the 6 inch monitors in that same series. By the time I was ready to purchase these monitors, The Event company had come out with a new line of speakers: the BAS V.3 monitors and the more expensive Opal monitors. My friend had purchased the Bas V.3 really based on my recommendation. He later ran into financial issues and I bought his speakers for a very good price. I had spent some time listening to these speakers in his environment but this was in his basement with the walls not treated and the speaker did not sound very good but because of the reputation of Event Electronics and the success other people I knew had with these speakers, I bought them anyway. These speakers are very powerful; more than any other pair that I've owned. I had done about 4 mixes on them that turned out pretty decent on them and translated well on to other systems but I was still not happy with them. They seem to have some unwanted color in them around the upper mid range [400 to 800] so I read all of the reviews I could find on line. I soon discovered that Event Electronics had been purchased by makers of the Rode Nt mic and of course changed the design of the speaker that I bought from my friend so I decided to continue my course of getting the Behringer speakers I wanted but through the persuasion of my sweetwater rep who just started carrying the new JBl 3 speaker line at that time and a trusted colleague who heard the speakers, I decided to give the JBL 308 speaker a try for 30 days. I did not return them and went on to purchase the JBL 305. I suspect that if I had the Asp8 speakers that might have been a different outcome for me but I'm very satisfied with the JBL 3 Series speakers. I've never been a fan of JBL speakers in general. This has been a serious game changer for me. I feel the 308s are very neutral sounding speakers, very wide image, can handle extreme lows, and surprisingly can go up to 24000khz. They give a great deal of detail and clarity without being hyped. That being said, I still wished they had a little more power. I use these speakers with a sub by Behringer so I'm okay. I should mention that the 305 speakers give a different charter [but basically the same description]and would be great for a small bedroom situation.

Yeah... you know... I think part of it is that you become accustomed to something. I will never know if I didn't just give them a chance, but I was so thrown by the immediate difference that I just bailed on them. Perhaps if I had given it a day or two and listened first thing in the morning with fresh ears... gave them time. I have a good friend who still has the 20/20bas and loves them and gets great results. He's had them at least 10 years so they must be an early incarnation. Might have been my room, too. As it turns out, the grass just didn't seem greener, so I went back to my ASP8s.

[mikehalloran]

Yeah... you know... I think part of it is that you become accustomed to something. I will never know if I didn't just give them a chance, but I was so thrown by the immediate difference that I just bailed on them.

The first thing I played when I got my Equator D5s (they've been mated to a sub since day 1), was a monster MOR hit from the 1970s. I used to play it through a pair of Audio Techniques Big Reds at the station where I worked back in the day.

Well, the first thing I hear is that the compressor is pumping, the orchestra balance is horrible and the French horn is out of tune. My thought was, "These are going back in the box – now!"

Then I thought about that out of tune F-horn… so I listened again. Everything I heard was on the recording.

Were those Altec 604s that bad 40 years ago? Was my ear that uneducated back then? Who knows? Probably major doses of both.

I had decided it was time for new monitors when I misheard the chorus of a song I was mastering on my KRKs. When I put the test CD into the JBL system in my Prius, I heard the words perfectly. Yes, it was way past time.

Of course, I learned to like the Equators a lot. I'm now looking for a bigger sound but space is limited and Opals are way beyond this year's budget. I may be able to spring for D8s later with a new sub. I may even give the JBLs a try.