JBL 230 vs 305 bass

[Pogre]

went to guitar center to demo but forgot to bring music.
anyway without demoing they price matched the bhphoto deal.

got them setup. cant tell the difference between these and the 230s regarding tweeter which is good.
wont turn them loud to test the bass until a week of breakin.

question. the volume on back default on both speakers was all the way up.
is that correct? i left that alone and use volume on computer.

They're "broken in" after about 30 seconds. There's no need to wait a week.

 

[lovinthehd]

It's more a gain control, and you may be getting noise because it is set too high; the manual says to set it for maximum volume; try lowering the gain on the speakers a bit until it is silent with nothing playing (btw when the music starts it's probably still there, just masked).

 

[bradymartin]

ok ill try bass i love you bass boosted and check out the bass on these. dont want to wait a week hehe

yeah im hearing noise so ill lower the volume until i dont hear it. will have to do each speaker individually.

im for sure keeping these

 

[lovinthehd]

I keep wanting to buy those speakers even though I don't need them....but I'll probably work up a reason

If anything some louder playback will break them in quicker, but don't overdo it either....

 

[bradymartin]

ok turning them down not to damage.

tried several bass songs, def rumbles the desk. impressive bass, at least compared to my old pioneer sb22s.
these dont go as loud or as low as the jbl230s thats for sure.
not sure how many watts in the 305s.

for computer desk though, these get loud enough and the highs are very clear and crisp. bass is punchy.

i got these for $258 total including isolation pads

 

[lovinthehd]

ok turning them down not to damage.

tried several bass songs, def rumbles the desk. impressive bass, at least compared to my old pioneer sb22s.
these dont go as loud or as low as the jbl230s thats for sure.
not sure how many watts in the 305s.

for computer desk though, these get loud enough and the highs are very clear and crisp. bass is punchy.

i got these for $258 total including isolation pads

Manual sez they each get 41W....

 

[bradymartin]

well, im not liking this. i had to set volume on each speaker to level 5 down from 10 (max), so as to hear 0 noise. brings down the volume significantly. youtube volume all the way up, desktop volume all the way up.
they werent loud enough for me at level 10 but i could have lived with that. the noise/hissing whatever, screwed things up.

big con on the 305s for me.

i may return these now. unbelievable

dont get me wrong, they get loud enough at level 5 and everything turned all the way up, but i like louder.

i havent returned the 230s. i returned my sisters amp i was using with them. i may just buy an amp and keep the 230s. just didnt want to spend over $300 for computer speakers. plus theyre too big for desktop.

its a shame, the 305s are every bit as good sounding as the 230s

 

[lovinthehd]

well, im not liking this. i had to set volume on each speaker to level 5 down from 10 (max), so as to hear 0 noise. brings down the volume significantly. youtube volume all the way up, desktop volume all the way up,
they werent loud enough for me at level 10 but i could have lived with that. but the noise/hissing whatever, screwed things up here.

big con on the 305s for me.

i may return these now. unbelievable

dont get me wrong, they get loud enough at level 5 and everything turned all the way up, but i like louder.

i havent returned the 230s. i returned my sisters amp i was using with them. i may just buy an amp and keep the 230s. just didnt want to spend over $300 for computer speakers. plus theyre too big for desktop.

its a shame, the 305s are every bit as good sounding as the 230s

Try a gain setting in between first, maybe 7-8 range?

Would it be convenient to use the gain/volume control on the speakers only with the computer output set to max?

 

[MrBoat]

I keep wanting to buy those speakers even though I don't need them....but I'll probably work up a reason

If anything some louder playback will break them in quicker, but don't overdo it either....

You're involved in this forum with a lot of solid information on a lot of subjects. You kind of need the LSR305s to round out your information database, and as a JBL fan. I didn't need them either. But I'm glad I got them. I'm not sure if it's even audiophile quality over that of an euphonic one. There is just something addictive about them.

 

[bradymartin]

Try a gain setting in between first, maybe 7-8 range?

Would it be convenient to use the gain/volume control on the speakers only with the computer output set to max?

computer output set to max, music videos set to max. speakers at 5, not loud enough

honestly i didnt hear the hissing when the music was playing and speakers volume set to max at 10, but still bothers me that its there.

 

[MrBoat]

well, im not liking this. i had to set volume on each speaker to level 5 down from 10 (max), so as to hear 0 noise. brings down the volume significantly. youtube volume all the way up, desktop volume all the way up.
they werent loud enough for me at level 10 but i could have lived with that. the noise/hissing whatever, screwed things up.

big con on the 305s for me.

i may return these now. unbelievable

dont get me wrong, they get loud enough at level 5 and everything turned all the way up, but i like louder.

i havent returned the 230s. i returned my sisters amp i was using with them. i may just buy an amp and keep the 230s. just didnt want to spend over $300 for computer speakers. plus theyre too big for desktop.

its a shame, the 305s are every bit as good sounding as the 230s

I am getting zero noise from the 305s with the gains all the way up. I forget to turn them off more often than not. But then, everything else that has reported noise that I have bought, doesn't have it either.

 

[bradymartin]

I am getting zero noise from the 305s with the gains all the way up. I forget to turn them off more often than not. But then, everything else that has reported noise that I have bought, doesn't have it either.

i do have a lot of other electronics hooked up the the old surge protector the speakers are connected to.
maybe thats the problem not sure. ill do more experimenting in next few days.

 

[MrBoat]

JBL tests these speakers with the gain all the way up for a period of time which is why they come set that way. I am thinking the noise problem is at the source/computer. What system are you using with these?

Currently, I have my pc plugged directly into the wall, modem and everything else in a power strip at the same outlet, and the JBLs are plugged in directly at a different outlet that is not sharing anything else.

 

[bradymartin]

im using a home built diy pc
surge protector is plugged into wall, everything is plugged into surge protector, computer, monitor, speakers, overhead lights, usbs to charge phone etc.

the noise isnt loud. just bothers me knowing its there.
im sure nothing is wrong with the speakers, ill just have to do some experimenting.

 

[KEW]

Disconnect the PC from the speakers then turn them all the way up and see if you still have hiss.
Connect PC, turn volume down at PC and see if you have hiss.
Add volume at PC and check for hiss.
LOL, I'm not sure exactly how to use this info, but it isolates the problem as coming from the JBL's or PC, at least.

These speakers are intended for pro audio. Usually you would leave the volume maxed out on the speaker and use a mixing board to control the volume. You are substituting your PC for the mixing board, which should work just fine. I suspect the hiss you have is from noise/interference inside you computer box. However, this should have been there with the external amp and 230's as well.

If it is noise from inside the PC box, you can likely eliminate it by not converting to an analog signal until you exit the box.
Some of the guys here can recommend an inexpensive DAC. But I would definitely buy from Amazon prime or someplace with a liberal return policy so you can make sure it solves the problem and return it and get your money back if it doesn't.

 

[bradymartin]

Disconnect the PC from the speakers then turn them all the way up and see if you still have hiss.
Connect PC, turn volume down at PC and see if you have hiss.
Add volume at PC and check for hiss.
LOL, I'm not sure exactly how to use this info, but it isolates the problem as coming from the JBL's or PC, at least.

These speakers are intended for pro audio. Usually you would leave the volume maxed out on the speaker and use a mixing board to control the volume. You are substituting your PC for the mixing board, which should work just fine. I suspect the hiss you have is from noise/interference inside you computer box. However, this should have been there with the external amp and 230's as well.

If it is noise from inside the PC box, you can likely eliminate it by not converting to an analog signal until you exit the box.
Some of the guys here can recommend an inexpensive DAC. But I would definitely buy from Amazon prime or someplace with a liberal return policy so you can make sure it solves the problem and return it and get your money back if it doesn't.

disconnected speakers from headphone jack on pc. no noise
connected to pc, volume all the way down on computer. have noise

interesting thing. volume up or down on pc, louder noise when i nagivate the internet. scrolling up/down etc.

i guess pc is causing noise, but what can i do about it.

 

[KEW]

disconnected speakers from headphone jack on pc. no noise
connected to pc, volume all the way down on computer. have noise

interesting thing. volume up or down on pc, louder noise when i nagivate the internet. scrolling up/down etc.

i guess pc is causing noise, but what can i do about it.

There is often lots of interference inside the case. A digital signal is much more resistant to such interference. Of course, whether you are streaming or playing discs, you are starting with a digital signal, so the trick is to keep it digital until it is outside of the metal case (which contains the interference).
I'm not a computer music guy, but I think you can output the music via USB into a DAC. The guys where you bought the 305's should know how to do it, but don't let them upsell you on an expensive dac.
There other issues, but that is my guess.
@BoredSysAdmin probably can offer more on this.

 

[lovinthehd]

Other than a headphone jack for analog connection, what options do you have to connect digitally? Optical?

 

[KEW]

Other than a headphone jack for analog connection, what options do you have to connect digitally? Optical?

USB to DAC is how the connection works. My headphone out is quiet, so I haven't worried about it aside from knowing that internal interference is a common problem and an external DAC can be the solution. Here is a bit on using dacs:

https://www.crutchfield.com/S-NjlgjrDO7N3/learn/choosing-a-digital-to-analog-converter.html

 

[lovinthehd]

USB to DAC is how the connection works. My headphone out is quiet, so I haven't worried about it aside from knowing that internal interference is a common problem and an external DAC can be the solution. Here is a bit on using dacs:

https://www.crutchfield.com/S-NjlgjrDO7N3/learn/choosing-a-digital-to-analog-converter.html

Might be other solutions if he has digital audio out is all I wanted to know. USB is another option in most cases, tho