Hi there, JBL L880 or AV123 X-mtm . . . as monitors?

[ZacC]

Hi,

I'm looking for some speaker opinion on the above mentioned two. Even though I can get the much higher msrp L880's for about the same price as the X-mtms, I'd like to know which you all would recommend. After all, the x-series seems to be the new hotness right now.

Here's my unique situation . . .

First, I can't do both, I need to decide on one or the other in the very near future. I want speakers that are good for reference, so neutrality means a lot here. Sound Quality is key.

I make hip-hop beats as well as master the completed pieces. I'm moving and not taking any of my old audio equipment with me (except for my trusty sealed headphones, of course)

So, why don't I just buy some dedicated Event Electronic's TR8s near-field monitors? Because, I want these speakers to fulfill another roll with my LCD TV (connected to my computer which I do my work on) which is farther away than nearfields accurately project.

True mid or far-field monitors would be awesome for me and really get the place loud, but are way out of my price range. I'm only going to use one pair of the speakers I end up buying, along with a subwoofer (which I'll only use about half of the time if these speakers project the way I imagine they will). Even though my music is the straight cool key, I like to keep my electronics simple and multi-tasked. It makes me super cool like Inspector Gadget. This last paragraph was designed to throw in some humor.

I may also get a pair of the Onix Reference 0.5's and position them inside of the floor-standing speakers, but still run them off of a left and right channel. Any opinions on this from your schools of thought?

That all being said, which should I buy? These are going to be my primary speakers for the next year and 2 to 5 months. My prelim-research is leading me toward the L880s for their lower and higher frequency response (and higher resale value). Many of their components are directly derived from JBL's true reference monitors and it seems to show in the neutral frequency response.

That being said, the frequency response graph on the AV123 X-mtm is VERY good as well, if there is any truth to it. It's disappointing that the graph does not extend into the true low octaves, leading me to wonder why.

Thanks for any advice/opinions/bs.
Zac

 

[mazersteven]

Hi,

That being said, the frequency response graph on the AV123 X-mtm is VERY good as well, if there is any truth to it. It's disappointing that the graph does not extend into the true low octaves, leading me to wonder why.

Zac

From AV123 forum

The performance of any speaker below 200Hz is greatly affected by the room acoustics, placement, and such. So, it can be misleading to show a response chart that goes below 200Hz as what is shown is almost certainly not going to be what you get.

 

[ZacC]

Of course that's somewhat true; however, giving absolutely no indication below that is very suspicious. Room acoustics will make a significant difference, but it would be nice to easily see what the rolloff pattern is as well as take note of the frequency response in what they consider an ideal sample conditioning so that one may attempt to reproduce something similar and gain the best possible performance from the speaker.

Frequency response at any level is changed and can be greatly affected, even eliminated by room acoustics. But you're never going to see a real response graph for $10 Altec Lansing computer speakers that shows them producing easily heard levels below 80 hz. All that being said, I understand and hope you don't take my response as anything but welcoming to your added input.

Thanks,
Zac

 

[mazersteven]

You want graphs? Here are graphs.

http://av123forum.com/showthread.php?t=22894

 

[ZacC]

That's what I'm talking about; can you find one with the L880 tested in the same conditions and overlayed?

Heh, I'm just kidding . . . unless you have one.

I guess everything I've seen so far has me leaning toward the JBL's. I'll post up a proper review once I get them in and if I can get my hands on some measuring equipment.

Anyone feel free to give a different opinion until then.

Thanks

Zac