JBL Studio 550P 10-Inch Subwoofer Quick Review

[Silvador]

my sub should be here tomorrow.i would have had it tuesday but i had to refuse the shipment due to damage.hopefully the new one makes it here intact.this will be the first sub i have had in a few years.hopefully the sale will last a bit longer so i can get a second if i like this one.

How is it?

 

[rdkusher]

How is it?

i don't know yet.ups comes late around here.hopefully i will get it set up tonight or tomorrow morning.i will report back and let you know after i get some time with it.

 

[Nilrem]

Heads up. This sub is on sale at Newegg for $170. Flash sale for a few days I think.

 

[panteragstk]

A bit of an update.

I really never used this sub for anything I'd consider "deep". Not sure any of you would either. It can play down to around 20hz without issue (not a lot of volume in that range though).

The "issue" I have is that there is a vibration/rattle starting around 50hz and down. I don't know how high I'd have to have the volume to get the rattle to be audible, but it's not like I'm playing at concert levels. At "normal' listening levels it's not audible until 30hz and below, but I can make it happen at 50hz if the volume is high enough.

From what I can tell, it's the driver. The weird thing is that it isn't bottoming out as far as I can tell (heard that before, it's pretty obvious), so what could it be? Cabinet resonance? I've checked and it isn't anything around the sub that's making the noise, it's the sub itself.

Is that just something to live with, or is there an issue?

 

[lovinthehd]

I'd take the driver out and inspect to start to just see if something is obvious, like something has come loose or similar....still under warranty?

 

[panteragstk]

I'd take the driver out and inspect to start to just see if something is obvious, like something has come loose or similar....still under warranty?

Nope, way out of warranty I'd guess. I've had it almost three years. I sent a request to JBL to see.

 

[panteragstk]

I'd take the driver out and inspect to start to just see if something is obvious, like something has come loose or similar....still under warranty?

Took the driver out. No damage at all. In fact, it still looks perfect. It just vibrates at 30hz I guess. At least it did running it free air. I'll see what JBL has to say.

 

[ryanosaur]

Took the driver out. No damage at all. In fact, it still looks perfect. It just vibrates at 30hz I guess. At least it did running it free air. I'll see what JBL has to say.

Sometimes a screw can come loose... it happened on some speakers I have. Once I figured out what was happening, I took the screwdriver to all my drivers just to make certain!

I'd just go over it again and check everything that isn't glues down.

Also since you popped the driver out, you might want to consider putting some sealer tape or some such to help close that up proper!

 

[Kleinst]

I found a screw loose on the AMP before. Tightened up and went away. It was one of the tiny screws so hard to tell but that helped me

 

[panteragstk]

Sometimes a screw can come loose... it happened on some speakers I have. Once I figured out what was happening, I took the screwdriver to all my drivers just to make certain!

I'd just go over it again and check everything that isn't glues down.

Also since you popped the driver out, you might want to consider putting some sealer tape or some such to help close that up proper!

Thought of that. Not the issue. The vibration is the driver. Seems to be coming from the cone or the spider. I thought they maybe had separated, but everything is intact.

All screws are solid. It was obvious when the driver was out of the cabinet that the driver is where the vibration is coming from.

The only reason it was noticable at all is because I was watching Dark and a very low rumble started and the vibration started. I don't hear it at all during music since there is usually enough going on so it gets masked.

EDIT: I will tape it up though. Just need to find my tape.

 

[lovinthehd]

Thought of that. Not the issue. The vibration is the driver. Seems to be coming from the cone or the spider. I thought they maybe had separated, but everything is intact.

All screws are solid. It was obvious when the driver was out of the cabinet that the driver is where the vibration is coming from.

The only reason it was noticable at all is because I was watching Dark and a very low rumble started and the vibration started. I don't hear it at all during music since there is usually enough going on so it gets masked.

EDIT: I will tape it up though. Just need to find my tape.

You ran some free air tests and definitely from the driver?

 

[ryanosaur]

The only other thing that kinda makes sense is if the alignment of the motor got borked. But I thought that usually made scraping sounds? (Asking more than telling. )

 

[panteragstk]

You ran some free air tests and definitely from the driver?

As far as I can tell. It sounds like the cone is vibrating against something, but I can't tell what. That and it doesn't appear that anything is broken. It plays clean untill the cone moves enough to vibrate.

 

[lovinthehd]

As far as I can tell. It sounds like the cone is vibrating against something, but I can't tell what. That and it doesn't appear that anything is broken. It plays clean untill the cone moves enough to vibrate.

So outside of normal operation/connection, you can, unconnected, press on the driver and get no scraping sensation going in and out?

 

[panteragstk]

So outside of normal operation/connection, you can, unconnected, press on the driver and get no scraping sensation going in and out?

Nope. I expected to, but nothing.

 

[Oscarjc24]

As far as I can tell. It sounds like the cone is vibrating against something, but I can't tell what. That and it doesn't appear that anything is broken. It plays clean untill the cone moves enough to vibrate.

Hola, compré dos de estos mismos en Amazon en $189, después de un tiempo me percaté que los subwoofers emitían un ruido como si algo golpeara o rozara el cono y esto ocurría únicamente cuando el cono vibraba fuertemente. Desmonté el altavoz y todo parecía normal, pero me di cuenta que el alambre que une la bobina con los enchufes golpeaba el cono cuando este vibraba fuertemente. Mi solución fue pegar unos trozos de espuma más gruesos que los que trae de fábrica el altavoz./Hello, I bought two of these same on Amazon at $189, after a while I noticed that the subwoofers emitted a noise as if something hit or grazed the cone and this happened only when the cone vibrated loudly. I disassembled the speaker and everything seemed normal, but I noticed that the wire that joins the coil with the plugs would hit the cone when it vibrated loudly. My solution was to glue a few pieces of foam thicker than the ones that the speaker brings.

 

[AudioLover73]

Check to see if the tinsel leads are hitting the cone. I've had to shorten those on other drivers I've used in the past to keep them from making noise.

As far as I can tell. It sounds like the cone is vibrating against something, but I can't tell what. That and it doesn't appear that anything is broken. It plays clean untill the cone moves enough to vibrate.