JBL Studio 530 - Are They Real or an Illusion?

[dwaleke]

Good deal, I hope you enjoy them - who knows, maybe my ears are filled with wax.

The 580s and matching 520c center sounds pretty good. Although to be honest I think I'd rather have the Ascend Acoustics CMT-340s across the front than these. And that setup costs less money.

I expected the 580s to fill the room with a bit more low end than it did. There was clarity, but the horns still had a bit of a hollow sound to them (as if I was yelling down a hall).

I also auditioned the SVS Ultra towers and matching center. There is no comparison between these. The SVS are just a much better setup than the JBL. But the SVS Ultra speakers cost twice as much. They are well worth their price in my opinion. A nice upgrade in my room.

All in though it only cost me $85 to demo the JBL in my house. Not terrible and if you are looking for something in the $1300 price range for a L/C/R these might be worth looking into. Ascend Acoustics should be on your short list as well. And if you can afford it the SVS Ultra are pretty amazing.

 

[zieglj01]

The 580s and matching 520c center sounds pretty good. Although to be honest I think I'd rather have the Ascend Acoustics CMT-340s across the front than these. And that setup costs less money.

I also auditioned the SVS Ultra towers and matching center. There is no comparison between these. The SVS are just a much better setup than the JBL. But the SVS Ultra speakers cost twice as much. They are well worth their price in my opinion. A nice upgrade in my room.

Speaker listening is subjective to the individual - not everyone hears things the same.
And, people will have their preference one way or the other > I for one know, that the
JBL Studio 5 will not be for everyone. > They do not sound like they are yelling down a
hall to me. It is also nice that there are some good speaker offerings out there, for the
audio fan to choose from. The SVS looks nice - however, they sure do cost more.

Thank you for posting your thoughts.

 

[zieglj01]

I was more curious about the JBL Studio 530 bookshelf speaker crossover, since the picture does not
seem to cover the whole look of the crossover. To my surprise, it is an 18 element crossover - this is
unique for a 2-way $600 bookshelf. That magnet on the woofer is heavy - and there is no cross-bracing.
However, the cabinet does pretty good on the door-knock test - and the front baffle is 1 inch.

 

[zieglj01]

Harman/JBL has lowered the price of the Studio 530 to $479.95 with free shipping.
https://www.harmanaudio.com/search_browse/product_detail.asp?urlMaterialNumber=STUDIO 530BK&status=

And the center to $279.95
https://www.harmanaudio.com/search_browse/product_detail.asp?urlMaterialNumber=STUDIO 520CBK&status=

 

[vuksha]

Hi,
did anyone of you experienced lack of body and recessed midrange on these speakers? there are many pop albums
where i don't hear enough authority (volume, body) in voices. in movies too. piano too. by now they have 20 hours of braking in.
i use old and low powered micro line connected through my lap top headphone out.
do they need more braking in??? my beyerdynamic dt 231 sound on the same lap top has plenty of midrange body.
they do sound VERY impressive on some a cappella, Andreas Vollenweider ... percussions..
maybe sometimes it is the bad album production but i never heard too much of midrange coming from these jbl studio 530.
not the case with bass. out of the box i had to equalize it because it is too much for my 12x15 size room.
maybe the solution is to try bigger amp and equalize top and bottom at wish? i'm not very experienced in audio
so please share your experiences.
maybe Mr. Timbers taylored these speakers for movie effects in HT setup?

addition>i just remembered the day i bought them i auditioned them shortly at frend's bigger room on powerful denon setup.
the midrange was clear but not very authoritative and engaging (.
thank you, and sorry for my english ).

 

[dwaleke]

Hi,
did anyone of you experienced lack of body and recessed midrange on these speakers? there are many pop albums
where i don't hear enough authority (volume, body) in voices. in movies too. piano too. by now they have 20 hours of braking in.
i use old and low powered micro line connected through my lap top headphone out.
do they need more braking in??? my beyerdynamic dt 231 sound on the same lap top has plenty of midrange body.
they do sound VERY impressive on some a cappella, Andreas Vollenweider ... percussions..
maybe sometimes it is the bad album production but i never heard too much of midrange coming from these jbl studio 530.
not the case with bass. out of the box i had to equalize it because it is too much for my 12x15 size room.
maybe the solution is to try bigger amp and equalize top and bottom at wish? i'm not very experienced in audio
so please share your experiences.
maybe Mr. Timbers taylored these speakers for movie effects in HT setup?

addition>i just remembered the day i bought them i auditioned them shortly at frend's bigger room on powerful denon setup.
the midrange was clear but not very authoritative and engaging (.
thank you, and sorry for my english ).

I would agree with your assessment. At least with the 580s. I expected much more "body" as you say.

 

[shadyJ]

If the JBLs have a flat FR, than what you want is a colored sound and an inferior speaker from a technical perspective.

 

[zieglj01]

do they need more braking in??? my beyerdynamic dt 231 sound on the same lap top has plenty of midrange body.
they do sound VERY impressive on some a cappella, Andreas Vollenweider ... percussions..
maybe sometimes it is the bad album production but i never heard too much of midrange coming from these jbl studio 530.
not the case with bass. out of the box i had to equalize it because it is too much for my 12x15 size room.
maybe the solution is to try bigger amp and equalize top and bottom at wish? i'm not very experienced in audio
so please share your experiences.
maybe Mr. Timbers taylored these speakers for movie effects in HT setup?

addition>i just remembered the day i bought them i auditioned them shortly at frend's bigger room on powerful denon setup.
the midrange was clear but not very authoritative and engaging (.
thank you, and sorry for my english ).

The speakers are not tailered mainly for movie effects.

They sound find to me in the midrange, or I would have fired them and not written
my review - however, they will not have a so-called pronounced midrange, or many
frequency bumps in the mids. Some more expensive speakers like my Snell k7, have
more resolution in the mids.

While they are bi-radial horn loaded speakers - they are not voiced to jump out at you.

There have been no real major complaints about their midrange from others. One thing
for sure, more power will help.

While a lot of people really like these speakers - you may find, that they are not for you.

 

[fish]

Thanks for taking the time to type up your review! Much appreciated, especially since there's not much info out there on the 5 series. I've came really close to pulling the trigger on a pair of the 590's the last couple of days at their $799 price. Would you mind commenting on their vertical off-axis response? Just trying to get an idea if the 590's would work out in my situation since the throat of the waveguide would be above the LP.

 

[zieglj01]

Thanks for taking the time to type up your review! Much appreciated, especially since there's not much info out there on the 5 series. I've came really close to pulling the trigger on a pair of the 590's the last couple of days at their $799 price. Would you mind commenting on their vertical off-axis response? Just trying to get an idea if the 590's would work out in my situation since the throat of the waveguide would be above the LP.

Welcome to the forum

I own the Studio 530 - however, I am speaking about the horn

The bi-radial horn is a controlled-directivity horn > however, that does not mean it will
have poor vertical or horizontal of axis response - the horn also acts as a type of wave
guide - there tends to be less reflections off the wall and hard surfaces, which makes
for a clean sound. The Studio 530 is transparent and clean to me, and they do have a
good spacious sound stage. For the best imaging, they do need to be toed in at least
a couple of inches.

Read this review of the 590 - and note page 23
http://www.avhub.com.au/images/stories/australian-hifi/reviews/2013/2013-08/jbl-studio-590-loudspeakers-review.pdf

The choice is up to you - the price sure is good

 

[cschang]

If the JBLs have a flat FR, than what you want is a colored sound and an inferior speaker from a technical perspective.

Two speakers with flat FR can sound very different.

 

[fish]

Welcome to the forum

I own the Studio 530 - however, I am speaking about the horn

The bi-radial horn is a controlled-directivity horn > however, that does not mean it will
have poor vertical or horizontal of axis response - the horn also acts as a type of wave
guide - there tends to be less reflections off the wall and hard surfaces, which makes
for a clean sound. The Studio 530 is transparent and clean to me, and they do have a
good spacious sound stage. For the best imaging, they do need to be toed in at least
a couple of inches.

Read this review of the 590 - and note page 23
http://www.avhub.com.au/images/stories/australian-hifi/reviews/2013/2013-08/jbl-studio-590-loudspeakers-review.pdf

The choice is up to you - the price sure is good

Thanks for the welcome & the link. I've read that one before, but not as in-depth as this time. Sorry if my first post was a bit confusing, as I was referring to the waveguide portion of the speaker in general.

 

[ousooner2]

Fish. Welcome!

Same Fish from DIYMA? I'm ousooner2 over there also. PM'd you a few times over there.

 

[vuksha]

thank you all for your replies.
i am experimenting with different distance from front wall, grilles off... and software equalizer.
the simple tweak that i like is when i totally plugged the bass reflex port with some rolled cotton cloth.
the bass it is much more enjoyable in my room and easier to equalize to my taste.

i installed tone generator to help me diagnose the recessed midrange sound i am experiencing.
will see but i definitely need more power to solve this...
btw did anyone try pipe organ on these? very dramatic sound!

 

[zieglj01]

thank you all for your replies.
i am experimenting with different distance from front wall, grilles off... and software equalizer.
the simple tweak that i like is when i totally plugged the bass reflex port with some rolled cotton cloth.
the bass it is much more enjoyable in my room and easier to equalize to my taste.

i installed tone generator to help me diagnose the recessed midrange sound i am experiencing.
will see but i definitely need more power to solve this...
btw did anyone try pipe organ on these? very dramatic sound!

They do come with their own port plugs - the midrange is not going to jump out,
or be pronunced - and they have a different radiating character. I do prefer them
toed in for the best imaging.

It comes down to your preference/taste for sonic sound signature

I really do like them - however, I do prefer some other speakers above them, that
tend to cost more.

Again, they may or may not be for you - one subjective former owner/tester did say
that he prefered them over that likes of the >
Aperion Intimus 5B, Ascend Acoustics Sierra, Audioengine P4, Axiom Audio M22, B&W 683 & 685,
Dali Mentor & Icon, Dynaudio Contour & Focus, Epos Epic 1, GoldenEar Triton & Aon, Linn, NHT Classic 3,
Magnepan MMG & 1.6, Monitor Audio Silver RS6 & RX1, RSL CG4, Revel F12, and Tekton Design Model 4.5.

However, as the Audio World Turns!

 

[zieglj01]

For the tech, or DIY minded - a closer look at the JBL Studio 530 crossover.

 

[fish]

Fish. Welcome!

Same Fish from DIYMA? I'm ousooner2 over there also. PM'd you a few times over there.

Yep, that's me! You should come hang out with us one of these Friday nights.

zieglj01, that's a pretty stout looking crossover. Have you tried the pair with any movie content?

 

[zieglj01]

zieglj01, that's a pretty stout looking crossover. Have you tried the pair with any movie content?

They are nice with all types of movies - and hold up good with dynamics on
action films, such as Man of Steel and Star Trek Into Darkness. They will not
easily faint.

 

[fish]

They are nice with all types of movies - and hold up good with dynamics on
action films, such as Man of Steel and Star Trek Into Darkness. They will not
easily faint.

Thank you. Could you also comment on their capabilities of producing dialogue across multiple seating positions?

 

[zieglj01]

Thank you. Could you also comment on their capabilities of producing dialogue across multiple seating positions?

Dialogue is one of the strong points - how big of a room are you talking about ?
I can hear the voices from them in another room - while I am typing this post.