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More questions from Chris L.


Hello AudioGon people,

I'm going to begin purchasing speakers in the immediate future and found an incredible price for what would seem to be a fair set of studio JBL S312 II floor monitors. At the Best Buy I work at the really good deals we get are usually the best model of speaker or television in the line.
For instance the Studio JBL's retail for $799.oo a pair but I can get them for $243.oo, the same price I get on a pair of $400.oo shelf speakers from JBL.

Overall they seem to hit good sub freq's and are semi punchy. The mids feel accurate but a little veiled. High freq's are reminicent of bose dual sattelite speakers, clear as day. They are hooked up with 18g. demo wires that look and feel rather pathetic. The wires run through a confusing splitter used to seperate the signal for a button punch menu so customers can listen to different speakers and styles of music. The whole contrived tangle runs to a 720watt Yamaha 5590 reciever.

In a nut shell there is simply no way to find the speakers true range in this configuration. So if anyone has any experience with the history, technology, or just overall "feel" of JBL studio and what it SHOULD be connected to (amp, cables, etc.) for great 2ch. please give me a line on it - strong feelings for or against welcomed.

My budget isn't top notch by any means but I it would be my first foray into this technology as a hobby and the discount is just daunting.

Overall I listen to indie-rock and jazzy hardcore yet I have always wanted to here the prog-rock stylings of TOOL in true form - through speakers that can handles the power and innuendo (sp?) of their lengthy tracks. I also enjoy some blues and industrial, hip-hop of the Talib-kwali and Common vein and ska.

I love my movies too. Good range in both formats would be ideal to anyone but I straddle both sides of that particular juncture. Thanks for reading this far and I look forward to the usual informed and discerning responses!

-Chris L.
sol5960015e

Showing 2 responses by macrojack

macrojack
1,303 posts
 
It seems like everybody is saying what I know to be true. JBL is mass media crap. In fact, if it wasn't, Best Buy wouldn't carry it.
The attraction for you appears to be the discount and the message I'm hearing from your wise and patient respondents is uniformly this: Look for value, not discount.
As Nelson Pass once said, "The used market speaks eloquently......". You can see by the prices what something is really worth.
If you want to be taken seriously around here, you have to take serious advice seriously.
Buy a good entry level integrated and a nice pair of used monitors and by listening to them at home and the other stuff at work, you will become discerning. And you'll probably need to look for a new job.
Good Luck. You're on the right track if you listen to these guys. No one at BB from the CEO on down can run with this group.
macrojack
1,303 posts
 
Bravo -- A convert.
You needn't go for separates to start out. There are integrated amps from NAD and some of the British companies and speakers from NHT that won't cost you any more than you were planning to spend on the Best Buy option.
Where do you live? One of us probably lives close enough to help you and quite possibly someone in the group has something in a closet that would get you on the path. There is a ridiculous glut of equipment for sale these days. It's a buyer's market and we've reached a place where things a guy like you might need to launch his disease are available very cheaply.
What sources do you wish to include?
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