JBL Studio 698! I just had to do it fellas!!!

[Out-Of-Phase]

Over the weekend I checked to see if there are any hifi dealers in my area that stock the 698's, unfortunately there isn't. I think I am going to wait until JBL has one of their generous sales on the 698's like they have for their 590's. If I can hold out that long.

 

[Danzilla31]

That sounds amazing. I wonder if you ever get to a point where you would say something rivals your RBHs at a much lower price point. Sounds like these are an amazing option!

Honestly I'm very skeptical that anything could it would take much much higher then what I paid for the RBH.

The RBH can do it all. And are the most lifelike natural sounding speakers I've ever heard. Wide dispersion check.
Focused imaging perfect Soundstage check.

I could go on and on I think you catch my drift. I have a new artist I'm following his name is Ren just a phenomenal artist and human being he just released a song Hi Ren that is just breathtakingly beautiful. Really a work of art not just a song. On my RBH from a YouTube friggin recording that was the most amazing experience when he's playing the guitar you don't just hear his fingers slipping and sliding and pulling on the strings you feel it in the room like he is right there with you. I've never owned any speakers that could do that. EVER. I've heard speakers can do that never until then experienced it myself.

But the 698 get closer to the RBH then the 590 could the 698 are just a better speaker then the 590 better midrange better highs better vocals better detail and resolution and clarity and can play higher volumes without distorting

However if these JBL 698 had been out in the states at my time of buying and if I hadn't been corrupted by the perfection that is RBH

5 of the 698 for the front 3 and surrounds with 2 690's for the rears plus JBL up top for atmos would have been all she wrote for me. Or even 3 698 plus 4 690's or just go for broke and do 7 698 all around plus JBL for atmos.

It would have sounded so damn good that I don't think anything else would have needed investigation. And cost me a lot less.

But no JBL was releasing them overseas first can't blame them the studio 5's were really hitting a late wave of popularity.

Ignorance would've been bliss as they say and I would have saved a LOT of money. But no @gene and individuals such as @AcuDefTechGuy corrupted me and sent me down the rabbit hole.

If RBH weren't so damn good I'd really be mad at you guys!

 

[Danzilla31]

Over the weekend I checked to see if there are any hifi dealers in my area that stock the 698's, unfortunately there isn't. I think I am going to wait until JBL has one of their generous sales on the 698's like they have for their 590's. If I can hold out that long.

I think they are flying off the shelves. Crutchfield had to send me an open box like new because they had already sold out of the stock they had from when I bought which was less than a week later.

If this one arrives in good shape I'm probably going back to 3.1 in that bedroom setup. Heck I may just go to 5.1 keep the encore T6 and run them all full range I seriously doubt I'd need subs at that point

 

[Out-Of-Phase]

Just out of curiosity, what is model of the RBH speakers you have. I just may take a look at those.

 

[Teetertotter?]

I just checked and Crutchfield has the 698 in stock!

 

[Kleinst]

Honestly I'm very skeptical that anything could it would take much much higher then what I paid for the RBH.

The RBH can do it all. And are the most lifelike natural sounding speakers I've ever heard. Wide dispersion check.
Focused imaging perfect Soundstage check.

I could go on and on I think you catch my drift. I have a new artist I'm following his name is Ren just a phenomenal artist and human being he just released a song Hi Ren that is just breathtakingly beautiful. Really a work of art not just a song. On my RBH from a YouTube friggin recording that was the most amazing experience when he's playing the guitar you don't just hear his fingers slipping and sliding and pulling on the strings you feel it in the room like he is right there with you. I've never owned any speakers that could do that. EVER. I've heard speakers can do that never until then experienced it myself.

But the 698 get closer to the RBH then the 590 could the 698 are just a better speaker then the 590 better midrange better highs better vocals better detail and resolution and clarity and can play higher volumes without distorting

However if these JBL 698 had been out in the states at my time of buying and if I hadn't been corrupted by the perfection that is RBH

5 of the 698 for the front 3 and surrounds with 2 690's for the rears plus JBL up top for atmos would have been all she wrote for me. Or even 3 698 plus 4 690's or just go for broke and do 7 698 all around plus JBL for atmos.

It would have sounded so damn good that I don't think anything else would have needed investigation. And cost me a lot less.

But no JBL was releasing them overseas first can't blame them the studio 5's were really hitting a late wave of popularity.

Ignorance would've been bliss as they say and I would have saved a LOT of money. But no @gene and individuals such as @AcuDefTechGuy corrupted me and sent me down the rabbit hole.

If RBH weren't so damn good I'd really be mad at you guys!

Well at least you put your money into something you feel paid off. I imagine sometimes people invest that money and aren't that happy which would suck. When you have quality people seldom regret the investment.

 

[Danzilla31]

Just out of curiosity, what is model of the RBH speakers you have. I just may take a look at those.

The RBH SV 831R

SV-831R BLACK

Signature REFERENCE 2-way modular L/R speaker • high-gloss black finish • triple 8" aluminum woofers; large AMT tweeter (PRICE PER SINGLE)

rbhsound.com

 

[Danzilla31]

Just out of curiosity, what is model of the RBH speakers you have. I just may take a look at those.

Also 4 of the on wall SV-661W

Signature - SV | RBH Sound

rbhsound.com

 

[Out-Of-Phase]

The RBH SV 831R

SV-831R BLACK

Signature REFERENCE 2-way modular L/R speaker • high-gloss black finish • triple 8" aluminum woofers; large AMT tweeter (PRICE PER SINGLE)

rbhsound.com

A little out of my price range, but nice. Maybe I'll stick to the T6's and 698's.

 

[Danzilla31]

A little out of my price range, but nice. Maybe I'll stick to the T6's and 698's.

Honestly if I'd gotten my hands on these first I mean it I never would have even gotten curious to see what else is out they're. The 698's are that good. I would have been so happy with what I had I never would have known what I was missing

 

[Danzilla31]

I just checked and Crutchfield has the 698 in stock!

Only the dark wood though the wood finish isn't in stock still. I can see why the wood finish is so hard to get tho that finish is so damn sexy looking. That's the finish I wanted but I got tired of waiting for them.

JBL Studio Speakers: Big sound, better price - av2day.com

There is a formula to JBL’s staying power in the audio industry, and it's one driven by its approach to making speakers. A combination of exciting sound, pounding bass and muscular aesthetics has been a recipe used by the brand not only in regular speaker design but even in portable and...

www.av2day.com

 

[ryanosaur]

Honestly if I'd gotten my hands on these first I mean it I never would have even gotten curious to see what else is out they're. The 698's are that good. I would have been so happy with what I had I never would have known what I was missing

We really need to get these in the hands of someone that can do a real measurement suite on these. It would be excellent to see numbers of the 698 AND 690 side be side... and really nice to be able to compare them against the HDI Series which has already been reviewed.


@gene , @shadyJ ... "wink-wink, nudge-nudge, know what I mean?"

 

[Danzilla31]

We really need to get these in the hands of someone that can do a real measurement suite on these. It would be excellent to see numbers of the 698 AND 690 side be side... and really nice to be able to compare them against the HDI Series which has already been reviewed.


@gene , @shadyJ ... "wink-wink, nudge-nudge, know what I mean?"

I know I'm planning on posting some in room measurements here in a week or 2 when I have time but they will be limited and highly influenced by the room. An outside review with someone that has the best equipment to measure them properly would be awesome

 

[Timforhifi]

Tonight I was at my local dealers home, which I’ve known for over 10 years now. Had the opportunity to hear his theater room. Went through a bunch of harman speakers that he has showing off. It was his normal surrounds and atmos which are monitor audio, with 3 different sets of front 3 speakers he switched out.

First was Jbl 698 with 665 center, next was Jbl hdi 3800 with 4500 center and last was revel 228be and 426be center. You can definitely hear and see how great the studio 6 line is compared to the others. Hard to beat for the money. With that being said the hdi were definitely better, more top end detail, whilst staying neutral. Bass impact was deeper and speaker just felt larger. I know the 4500 isn’t well liked by some, but it was so impactful and chesty. Made voices clear and had a huge presence. 665c did 80-90% of what the hdi4500 did. One interesting thing 665c does is it turns the horn or waveguide vertically. Doesn’t match any other studio 6 speakers. I was told Jbl did that for a reason from Mark, my dealer. Gives it a wider dispersion pattern, but still gives you enough vertical dispersion while sitting. I wonder if the hdi 4500 would benefit from that? That was the biggest gripe of the 4500 was off angle listening.

Then we have the revel be line. What a speaker and shares many similarities as my newly acquired f208 and c208. Detail at low to mid volume is maybe the best I’ve ever heard. Only thing that surprised me about 228be and my f208 is the bass. It has texture and you clearly hear distinct bass notes but it lacks that slam or spl until you really push them. The details in the tweeter is top notch, definitely the star of the speaker. Mids are also good but not a stand out over f208. The c426be is huge and it sounds the part. Dynamic and detailed with a rich presence, it’s almost 13” tall stature screams look at me. Overall an improvement over c208 but not leaps and bounds. The white drivers aren’t attractive to me but the rest of the speaker is beautiful.

Overall for the money I’d do the hdi line, has me reconsidering my revel choice. For music revel are better but movies I think the Jbl might win. He’s bringing me this weekend these same hdi we just heard to test in my house. He’s also bringing me my new in wall speakers. Surrounds and surround backs are Jbl studio 6 88lcr. Incredible 96db and has that same compression tweeter. I just need to find replacement in ceiling, studio 6 needs to make some or I’ll be using the 88lcr up there too.

Sorry got sidetracked in your 698 thread. Your thread made me really want to hear them and I left feeling extremely impressed. I felt similarly to your experience and can’t imagine a reason not to own these. In fact I’ll help my son buy the 698 and 665 for his room, when the wood option is available. All my dealer can get is dark wood. 698 dynamics and neutrality is amazing, it is a nice replacement for his Jbl l890 in cherry wood.

Never thought I’d be going back to harman speakers after buying all my canton speakers, but here I am. Back to the brand I started with in 1995. First speakers I bought myself were Jbl arc1000. Still have them almost 30 years later.

 

[Danzilla31]

Tonight I was at my local dealers home, which I’ve known for over 10 years now. Had the opportunity to hear his theater room. Went through a bunch of harman speakers that he has showing off. It was his normal surrounds and atmos which are monitor audio, with 3 different sets of front 3 speakers he switched out.

First was Jbl 698 with 665 center, next was Jbl hdi 3800 with 4500 center and last was revel 228be and 426be center. You can definitely hear and see how great the studio 6 line is compared to the others. Hard to beat for the money. With that being said the hdi were definitely better, more top end detail, whilst staying neutral. Bass impact was deeper and speaker just felt larger. I know the 4500 isn’t well liked by some, but it was so impactful and chesty. Made voices clear and had a huge presence. 665c did 80-90% of what the hdi4500 did. One interesting thing 665c does is it turns the horn or waveguide vertically. Doesn’t match any other studio 6 speakers. I was told Jbl did that for a reason from Mark, my dealer. Gives it a wider dispersion pattern, but still gives you enough vertical dispersion while sitting. I wonder if the hdi 4500 would benefit from that? That was the biggest gripe of the 4500 was off angle listening.

Then we have the revel be line. What a speaker and shares many similarities as my newly acquired f208 and c208. Detail at low to mid volume is maybe the best I’ve ever heard. Only thing that surprised me about 228be and my f208 is the bass. It has texture and you clearly hear distinct bass notes but it lacks that slam or spl until you really push them. The details in the tweeter is top notch, definitely the star of the speaker. Mids are also good but not a stand out over f208. The c426be is huge and it sounds the part. Dynamic and detailed with a rich presence, it’s almost 13” tall stature screams look at me. Overall an improvement over c208 but not leaps and bounds. The white drivers aren’t attractive to me but the rest of the speaker is beautiful.

Overall for the money I’d do the hdi line, has me reconsidering my revel choice. For music revel are better but movies I think the Jbl might win. He’s bringing me this weekend these same hdi we just heard to test in my house. He’s also bringing me my new in wall speakers. Surrounds and surround backs are Jbl studio 6 88lcr. Incredible 96db and has that same compression tweeter. I just need to find replacement in ceiling, studio 6 needs to make some or I’ll be using the 88lcr up there too.

Sorry got sidetracked in your 698 thread. Your thread made me really want to hear them and I left feeling extremely impressed. I felt similarly to your experience and can’t imagine a reason not to own these. In fact I’ll help my son buy the 698 and 665 for his room, when the wood option is available. All my dealer can get is dark wood. 698 dynamics and neutrality is amazing, it is a nice replacement for his Jbl l890 in cherry wood.

Never thought I’d be going back to harman speakers after buying all my canton speakers, but here I am. Back to the brand I started with in 1995. First speakers I bought myself were Jbl arc1000. Still have them almost 30 years later.

Man thanks for that I'm glad you enjoyed the thread! That was my hope that we would have a lot of fun going down this rabbit hole together.

I've heard some others whose listening experiences are matching up with mine as well. Which means a lot because you never know if bias is present when your listening. The I have a shiny new toy can have a powerful impact on our ears. So it's nice to get confirmation from other people's ears what my ears are telling me

I'm super excited for this line. They have so much they are offering in walls towers bookshelves center channels and the MSRP is very competitive for what your getting especially when you consider that they do capture a lot of the performance of the HDI line and benefit from some of the trickle down technology

 

[Timforhifi]

It’s amazing how great the in walls are in the studio 6 line. Have you ever considered doing all In walls for everything but front sound stage? I use to have all on wall or box speakers around the room but realized how great some of these custom options have gotten. I heard a quick demo of the $2600 a pair studio 6 lcr with quad 5.25” and I think it was better than the 698, but a sub was needed.

 

[Danzilla31]

It’s amazing how great the in walls are in the studio 6 line. Have you ever considered doing all In walls for everything but front sound stage? I use to have all on wall or box speakers around the room but realized how great some of these custom options have gotten. I heard a quick demo of the $2600 a pair studio 6 lcr with quad 5.25” and I think it was better than the 698, but a sub was needed.

I have but the room is not ideal and I have to make some compromises so I wouldn't be able to do rear channel in walls and in wall surrounds might be a challenge as well. My plan eventually in that theater room is to build a shelf about waist high out into the front. Big enough out that I can put 3 of the RBH SV 831R on walls into a built in enclosure behind an AT screen perfectly positioned up front. The 2 Rythmik FV18 would be concealed under AT fabric underneath.

Then use the RBH SV-821R on walls for my side surrounds and move the SV-831R's on top of the 2 RBH subs in the back positioning them perfectly as rear speakers. But my family would not go for that right now to much space taken up for them so I'm not sure when it will get done. I'm saving up for it tho!

 

[Danzilla31]

It’s amazing how great the in walls are in the studio 6 line. Have you ever considered doing all In walls for everything but front sound stage? I use to have all on wall or box speakers around the room but realized how great some of these custom options have gotten. I heard a quick demo of the $2600 a pair studio 6 lcr with quad 5.25” and I think it was better than the 698, but a sub was needed.

I'm glad the in walls are so good on the Studio 6 that's good info to know

 

[Danzilla31]

Tonight I was at my local dealers home, which I’ve known for over 10 years now. Had the opportunity to hear his theater room. Went through a bunch of harman speakers that he has showing off. It was his normal surrounds and atmos which are monitor audio, with 3 different sets of front 3 speakers he switched out.

First was Jbl 698 with 665 center, next was Jbl hdi 3800 with 4500 center and last was revel 228be and 426be center. You can definitely hear and see how great the studio 6 line is compared to the others. Hard to beat for the money. With that being said the hdi were definitely better, more top end detail, whilst staying neutral. Bass impact was deeper and speaker just felt larger. I know the 4500 isn’t well liked by some, but it was so impactful and chesty. Made voices clear and had a huge presence. 665c did 80-90% of what the hdi4500 did. One interesting thing 665c does is it turns the horn or waveguide vertically. Doesn’t match any other studio 6 speakers. I was told Jbl did that for a reason from Mark, my dealer. Gives it a wider dispersion pattern, but still gives you enough vertical dispersion while sitting. I wonder if the hdi 4500 would benefit from that? That was the biggest gripe of the 4500 was off angle listening.

Then we have the revel be line. What a speaker and shares many similarities as my newly acquired f208 and c208. Detail at low to mid volume is maybe the best I’ve ever heard. Only thing that surprised me about 228be and my f208 is the bass. It has texture and you clearly hear distinct bass notes but it lacks that slam or spl until you really push them. The details in the tweeter is top notch, definitely the star of the speaker. Mids are also good but not a stand out over f208. The c426be is huge and it sounds the part. Dynamic and detailed with a rich presence, it’s almost 13” tall stature screams look at me. Overall an improvement over c208 but not leaps and bounds. The white drivers aren’t attractive to me but the rest of the speaker is beautiful.

Overall for the money I’d do the hdi line, has me reconsidering my revel choice. For music revel are better but movies I think the Jbl might win. He’s bringing me this weekend these same hdi we just heard to test in my house. He’s also bringing me my new in wall speakers. Surrounds and surround backs are Jbl studio 6 88lcr. Incredible 96db and has that same compression tweeter. I just need to find replacement in ceiling, studio 6 needs to make some or I’ll be using the 88lcr up there too.

Sorry got sidetracked in your 698 thread. Your thread made me really want to hear them and I left feeling extremely impressed. I felt similarly to your experience and can’t imagine a reason not to own these. In fact I’ll help my son buy the 698 and 665 for his room, when the wood option is available. All my dealer can get is dark wood. 698 dynamics and neutrality is amazing, it is a nice replacement for his Jbl l890 in cherry wood.

Never thought I’d be going back to harman speakers after buying all my canton speakers, but here I am. Back to the brand I started with in 1995. First speakers I bought myself were Jbl arc1000. Still have them almost 30 years later.

I'm not suprised that all your dealer can get is the dark wood the wood finish looks so flicking awesome. That's the one that I wanted but it takes forever to get them they fly out of stock so fast. The dark wood looks awesome but the wood finish looks amazing

 

[Out-Of-Phase]

So Danzilla31, you say that the 698's bass is not quite as deep as the T6's. Meaning that the T6 sub-bass has a little more impact over the 698's.