1audioz
100+ Head-Fier
Hey guys,
Having owned my first pair of studio monitors for a little bit under a year now, I thought I might share some of my impressions so far.
About & Purchasing Background
I come from a fairly musical background with relatives working as professional musicians and parents fostering a deep passion for the piano, guitar and mandolin. Playing the piano, singing and listening to music (whether live or recorded) has been very common in my life. Ever coming to to Head-Fi, I've been open to this amazing world of what music can be as a listener. Starting small, I initially bought a pair of Audio-Technica AD700, followed by multiple IEMs as outlined in my profile. When I first thought of purchasing studio monitors - I was torn between putting together a passive pair of speakers and an amplifier or buying self-powered speakers, I eventually opted for the convenience of the latter alternative. I spent several weeks auditioning multiple monitor models at DJ Warehouse's storefront http://www.djwarehouse.com.au located in Richmond, Australia.
Plagued since 2003 by the Logitech X-530, I desperately wanted to find something to sooth my ears.
The JBLs struck me as the monitors with optimal clarity, and elegant reproduction of treble/mid notes. Personally, I love the Audio-Technica sound signature, so the JBLs fitted perfectly.
I will come clean here that I have done an ABX test on Foobar2000 and did not do super awesome. 62% CI I believe. I don't have Golden Ears, but I can often notice a change in music reproduction quality. E.g. Logitech X530 <> Monitors.
The Studio Monitors
These monitors each use their own power plug and are moderately heavy. They are bi-amplified and are thus self-powered. All you need is a 1/4" TRS / RCA or XLR connection to use them.
Current Listening Setup
From the very beginning, I have been using a very simple setup to playback my music collection.
Impressions
The sort of music I listen to varies on my mood - so I tend to listen to pretty much anything that just makes me happy. In this review, I'll be closely listening to a few select tracks that I enjoy the most.
Muse - Map of the Problematique FLAC 998 kbps @ 44.1 KHz @ 28% System volume.
In this song, I can feel the true power of the monitors' bass response. The notes from Chris Wolstenholme's bass are reproduced so clearly, lack any form of muddiness and are just extremely tight and have great attack. The highs are spectacular, compared to my AD700 - the highs are much more engaging and the sound-stage is so wide, I'd forget I'm sitting on a desk at times. While the bass is strong, it doesn't drown out Dominic's delicate drum strokes in the background while allowing Matt's guitar chords to whirl through. I find the level of detail to be absolutely brilliant, delivering nuances such as the raw beat and resonance of drum hits. The 5" units are very powerful and the physical volume knob is only set to the 3rd lowest level on each speaker. A truly mesmerising experience.
Murray Gold - Doctor Who XI FLAC 938 kbps @ 44.1 KHz @ 28% System volume.
A short 1:05 piece (it's actually just the album version of the opening sequence): I do find that the distinctly eerie "Whovian" floats very elegantly above the otherwise extremely bombastic re-arrangement of Ron Grainer's original theme. While it won't stand up to music's 'Greats,' the monitors still deliver a consistent sound throughout, with every single note in the song resolved by the spectacular 5" drivers. The tweeters really produce an effect which is distinctly close to science-fiction and not just some random 'sound' which sounds dull and boring on a regular TV. The clash of synth-cymbals crashes with tremendous force - but the resulting sound is not harsh or overly sharp to my ears. Overall, in layman's terms, upon hearing "Doctor Who XI" on the JBLs, one could just say "awesome."
Radiohead - Fake Plastic Trees MP3 VBR V2 @ 44.1 KHz @ 28% System volume.
What I love most about this song is the gradual build up of intensity and emotion as Thom works his way through it. The acoustic guitar is reproduced in a way that is just so precise, so accurate - but to an extent where the resulting sound is still musical and sounds very 'crisp.' This just shows the treble reproduction is simple impeccable. Moreover, Thom's falsetto voice sweeps over the gentle, yet sharp acoustic guitar. The introduction of bass and drum doesn't start to drown out the treble, so instrument separation is superb. Instead, the bass and drum just compliments the beautifully haunting vocals and background strumming of guitar strings. I could literally listen to the acoustic guitar all the way through if I wanted to.
Howard Shore - Days of the Ring (featuring Annie Lennox in 'Into the West') FLAC 650 kbps @ 44.1 KHz @ 28% System volume.
I've always loved to listen to my collection of The Lord of the Rings Soundtracks. What does this song say about the monitors? It says that Annie's female voice is beautifully extended across the treble frequencies and untainted by distortion. As far as midrange vocals fare - I'd have to say they are simply excellent, maintaining fabulous control throughout passages requiring long notes. Undoubtedly attributed to Annie's vocal capacity, the JBL monitors are 'just' able to faithfully reproduce every bit of the piece without any audible trace of coloration. Bass is not pronounced as it is a mids/treble focussed track, but whenever 'heavy strings' kick in, a deep, yet warm resonance can be felt as the track progresses. As this piece is from the Complete Recordings set, the reprisal LOTR theme carried by strings and wind instruments bring the piece to an end.
Kyle Eastwood & Michael Stevens - Letters Montage ALAC 657 kbps @ 44.1 KHz @ 28% System volume.
- ongoing -
// More songs to follow...
Ending Statement
For anyone looking to purchase a pair of these in Australia, they come with a strong recommendation. Anyone wanting to move from low-end/high-end PC/computer speakers will love the JBL LSR 2325Ps, I can say with strictest confidence that the sound quality and overall delivery of music is spectacular. Bass is more than enough for 'most' people. Tight and with great attack in rock/pop songs - it couldn't get any better than this (for me anyway).
Originally bought for $650 AUD.
Having owned my first pair of studio monitors for a little bit under a year now, I thought I might share some of my impressions so far.
About & Purchasing Background
I come from a fairly musical background with relatives working as professional musicians and parents fostering a deep passion for the piano, guitar and mandolin. Playing the piano, singing and listening to music (whether live or recorded) has been very common in my life. Ever coming to to Head-Fi, I've been open to this amazing world of what music can be as a listener. Starting small, I initially bought a pair of Audio-Technica AD700, followed by multiple IEMs as outlined in my profile. When I first thought of purchasing studio monitors - I was torn between putting together a passive pair of speakers and an amplifier or buying self-powered speakers, I eventually opted for the convenience of the latter alternative. I spent several weeks auditioning multiple monitor models at DJ Warehouse's storefront http://www.djwarehouse.com.au located in Richmond, Australia.
Plagued since 2003 by the Logitech X-530, I desperately wanted to find something to sooth my ears.
The JBLs struck me as the monitors with optimal clarity, and elegant reproduction of treble/mid notes. Personally, I love the Audio-Technica sound signature, so the JBLs fitted perfectly.
I will come clean here that I have done an ABX test on Foobar2000 and did not do super awesome. 62% CI I believe. I don't have Golden Ears, but I can often notice a change in music reproduction quality. E.g. Logitech X530 <> Monitors.
The Studio Monitors
These monitors each use their own power plug and are moderately heavy. They are bi-amplified and are thus self-powered. All you need is a 1/4" TRS / RCA or XLR connection to use them.
Current Listening Setup
From the very beginning, I have been using a very simple setup to playback my music collection.
Desktop PC running Foobar2000 -----> ASUS Xonar Essence STX (flat, no DSP) -----> Harmony RCA/RCA -----> JBL LSR 2325P
My music is stored in ALAC/FLAC 16,24-bit/MP3 192+/OGG Q5+
My current rig + HTC Desire + Thinkpad T410
Yes, I'm reading the review for the new "Explorations in Space and Time" album.
Impressions
The sort of music I listen to varies on my mood - so I tend to listen to pretty much anything that just makes me happy. In this review, I'll be closely listening to a few select tracks that I enjoy the most.
Muse - Map of the Problematique FLAC 998 kbps @ 44.1 KHz @ 28% System volume.
In this song, I can feel the true power of the monitors' bass response. The notes from Chris Wolstenholme's bass are reproduced so clearly, lack any form of muddiness and are just extremely tight and have great attack. The highs are spectacular, compared to my AD700 - the highs are much more engaging and the sound-stage is so wide, I'd forget I'm sitting on a desk at times. While the bass is strong, it doesn't drown out Dominic's delicate drum strokes in the background while allowing Matt's guitar chords to whirl through. I find the level of detail to be absolutely brilliant, delivering nuances such as the raw beat and resonance of drum hits. The 5" units are very powerful and the physical volume knob is only set to the 3rd lowest level on each speaker. A truly mesmerising experience.
Murray Gold - Doctor Who XI FLAC 938 kbps @ 44.1 KHz @ 28% System volume.
A short 1:05 piece (it's actually just the album version of the opening sequence): I do find that the distinctly eerie "Whovian" floats very elegantly above the otherwise extremely bombastic re-arrangement of Ron Grainer's original theme. While it won't stand up to music's 'Greats,' the monitors still deliver a consistent sound throughout, with every single note in the song resolved by the spectacular 5" drivers. The tweeters really produce an effect which is distinctly close to science-fiction and not just some random 'sound' which sounds dull and boring on a regular TV. The clash of synth-cymbals crashes with tremendous force - but the resulting sound is not harsh or overly sharp to my ears. Overall, in layman's terms, upon hearing "Doctor Who XI" on the JBLs, one could just say "awesome."
Radiohead - Fake Plastic Trees MP3 VBR V2 @ 44.1 KHz @ 28% System volume.
What I love most about this song is the gradual build up of intensity and emotion as Thom works his way through it. The acoustic guitar is reproduced in a way that is just so precise, so accurate - but to an extent where the resulting sound is still musical and sounds very 'crisp.' This just shows the treble reproduction is simple impeccable. Moreover, Thom's falsetto voice sweeps over the gentle, yet sharp acoustic guitar. The introduction of bass and drum doesn't start to drown out the treble, so instrument separation is superb. Instead, the bass and drum just compliments the beautifully haunting vocals and background strumming of guitar strings. I could literally listen to the acoustic guitar all the way through if I wanted to.
Howard Shore - Days of the Ring (featuring Annie Lennox in 'Into the West') FLAC 650 kbps @ 44.1 KHz @ 28% System volume.
I've always loved to listen to my collection of The Lord of the Rings Soundtracks. What does this song say about the monitors? It says that Annie's female voice is beautifully extended across the treble frequencies and untainted by distortion. As far as midrange vocals fare - I'd have to say they are simply excellent, maintaining fabulous control throughout passages requiring long notes. Undoubtedly attributed to Annie's vocal capacity, the JBL monitors are 'just' able to faithfully reproduce every bit of the piece without any audible trace of coloration. Bass is not pronounced as it is a mids/treble focussed track, but whenever 'heavy strings' kick in, a deep, yet warm resonance can be felt as the track progresses. As this piece is from the Complete Recordings set, the reprisal LOTR theme carried by strings and wind instruments bring the piece to an end.
Kyle Eastwood & Michael Stevens - Letters Montage ALAC 657 kbps @ 44.1 KHz @ 28% System volume.
- ongoing -
// More songs to follow...
Ending Statement
For anyone looking to purchase a pair of these in Australia, they come with a strong recommendation. Anyone wanting to move from low-end/high-end PC/computer speakers will love the JBL LSR 2325Ps, I can say with strictest confidence that the sound quality and overall delivery of music is spectacular. Bass is more than enough for 'most' people. Tight and with great attack in rock/pop songs - it couldn't get any better than this (for me anyway).
Originally bought for $650 AUD.
