Looking to buy powered speakers for laptop ~$200 USD. JBL any good? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Jwalling
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 05, 2018, 04:05:52 pm
content: I'm looking to spend about $200 and I've been looking at this one:https://www.ebay.com/itm/263433686404?Anyone have any opinions on this setup, or perhaps a better one for about the same price?Needs to be on Ebay - I got $425 in Ebucks to burn.This is to connect to my laptop to have some nice quality sound out on the front porch. Mostly rock music...I'm currently using an Altec Lansing VS2421, and the sound is underwhelming to say the least. Bought it for $10 at a yard sale a few years ago, and wasn't expecting much.I haven't bought speakers in a long time - when the good brands were Infinity, Ohm, etc. Maybe Altec Lansing is crap these days...JBL brochurehttp://www.jblpro.com/www/products/recording-broadcast/control-2p#.Wz46_8Inbiw

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 05, 2018, 07:13:01 pm
content: Do they have to be that small of a size? If not you are sacrificing on bass.Can either get a sub or something with 6-8" drivers.Some reviews and similar related products:https://www.amazon.com/JBL-C2PS-Control-Compact-Powered/dp/B001EDVB14

author: rdl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 05, 2018, 10:06:49 pm
content: JBL LSR305 are $200 each, but there's some for $122 on ebay right now.

author: Jwalling
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 05, 2018, 10:07:29 pm
content: Quote from: thm_w on July 05, 2018, 07:13:01 pmA little bigger would be OK, but not too much more.

author: Jwalling
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 05, 2018, 10:12:32 pm
content: Quote from: rdl on July 05, 2018, 10:06:49 pmThose are balanced inputs though, can a laptop drive them OK? I know nothing about audio...

author: Jwalling
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 05, 2018, 10:18:36 pm
content: This bugs me though.http://www.jblpro.com/www/products/recording-broadcast/control-2p#In the manual:Amplifier Power: 35 Watts continuous per-channelPower Requirements: 19 VDC / 3.42 A - use only supplied power supplyThe slave doesn't have an amp. This is just about 100% efficiency.

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 05, 2018, 10:53:59 pm
content: Quote from: Jwalling on July 05, 2018, 10:12:32 pmI believe this type of adapter is the right one:https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/CMP159--hosa-cmp-159-10-foot-3.5mm-trs-to-dual-1-4-inch-ts-cableAlthough you lose the benefit of it being balanced. Optical/coax is the best but usually not available on a laptop.Quote from: Jwalling on July 05, 2018, 10:18:36 pmIts "music" power, which is always overstated. I wouldn't be concerned about the power limit, power at 0.1% THD might be useful. Even then I'm using a 12W supply to my amp and its more than enough for PC use.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 05, 2018, 11:35:22 pm
content: Quote from: rdl on July 05, 2018, 10:06:49 pmThose are quite highly rated monitor speakers. Great for video and music mixing, but probably not the best choice for music playback (subjective of course).Aren't Bluetooth speaker all the rage for laptops and phones?

author: LeonR
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 06, 2018, 01:08:08 am
content: There are some cool audio monitors from Microlab and Edifier too. I'd suggest you to take a look at them. I'm prolly going to pick a B77 (note that are two versions, one with 2 physical inputs and lower power and one with one cabled input and bluetooth at slightly higher power), seems quite the deal for the price.

author: tekmunki
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: July 06, 2018, 06:42:47 am
content: I picked up a pair ofhttps://www.ebay.com/itm/Presonus-Ceres-C4-5BT-2-Way-Powered-Bluetooth-Speaker-Pair-Brand-New-Sealed-/273168692338?a few years ago and love the sound out of them. I don't think I've ever turned them passed 50% volume at about 4ft distance and they have a balanced sub out and bluetooth all for ~$200.

author: frozenfrogz
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 06, 2018, 07:05:23 am
content: For 425€ you could also get a pair of Adam Audio T5V or KRK VXT6.I would go for active studio monitors any day compared to active hifi or let alone "gaming" speakers, so the LSR305 that were already mentioned should be a decent pick (reviews seem to fancy them).There are some nice options in the price range of $200 - $400 a pair.I am using the KRK Rokit5 gen.1 on my home desk setup and I really like them - never had an issue with them, though Dave does not seem to be a big fan of KRK after the teardown / repair xD.These are all near-field monitors though!

author: Jwalling
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 06, 2018, 05:31:15 pm
content: In the end, and after looking at the reviews here and there, I decided on the JBL LSR305 speakers. I got a good price at $244USD with free shipping for the pair. The cable that thm_w mentioned I got for about $8.Many thanks to everyone who contributed!Jay

author: frozenfrogz
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 06, 2018, 08:38:24 pm
content: Congrats! I think you'll enjoy them!

author: Jwalling
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 06, 2018, 08:44:35 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on July 05, 2018, 11:35:22 pmI'm curious why you say that. Why great for mixing, but not for listening?Quote from: EEVblog on July 05, 2018, 11:35:22 pmI'm old school. I like wires. No compatibility or other issues and easy to troubleshoot if it's not working.

author: frozenfrogz
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 06, 2018, 09:11:13 pm
content: Quote from: Jwalling on July 06, 2018, 08:44:35 pmMonitor speakers are designed to have a flat frequency response over the full spectrum and good phase alignment at the optimal listening position (works only in a well treated room though). Hifi speakers are usually a bit more biased with pronounced bass and high frequencies. This makes music more "pleasant" and "crisp" to the casual listening preferences of a lot of people. Listening to loud "hifi" music feels less aggressive than with "ideal" speakers, because of the less pronounced mid-range.Also, near-field monitors project the sound a little differently than hifi speakers.On the other hand, you will be amazed about the detail of things you can hear on studio monitors that gets swept under the rug otherwise. This has to do with the fact, that the mid-frequency spectrum is what the human ear is trained to focus on most (speech, animal noises,...).I would go for studio monitors any day. You will be fine.

author: Jwalling
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 06, 2018, 10:29:53 pm
content: Quote from: frozenfrogz on July 06, 2018, 09:11:13 pmGreat answer - thanks for that. I'm looking forward to getting them!

author: frozenfrogz
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 07, 2018, 12:23:01 am
content: One more thing: I saw, that the JBLs do not have RCA input jacks, so to connect them to your laptop soundcard you need a Y-cable with TRS 3.5mm stereo plug to two TS 6.3mm mono plugs (or XLR). But I guess you already know that.

author: Jwalling
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 07, 2018, 01:57:26 pm
content: Quote from: frozenfrogz on July 07, 2018, 12:23:01 amYep, I knew that, thanks to thm_w.Speakers arrived today. Cable still shows no tracking #. What a cruel joke.