JBL LSR 4326P

[davet]

I'm ready to upgrade my monitors. I've been using Yorkville YSM-1s for years. Powered monitors seem to the hot setup these days and the 4326s have a S/PDIF input that will work with my Lynx L22. This would free up the analog outputs on the Lynx.

I've seen a few positive posts here about these monitors. FWIW, the room EQ feature isn't all that important. If it works, great. My room is treated with Real Traps and Auralex absorbers, it's about 1300 sf in total volume. Small space thus the choice of the small model.

I know that Adam A7s and Dynaudio BM5As are popular too. They don't offer S/PDIF inputs.

I'm into the rock/pop kind of thing, it's a personal studio.

So, anyone have these? Love them, hate em.

TIA,
DaveT

[technog0d]

I have the JBL LSR 4236's and i love them... You should consider that if you use the spdif connectors on the speakers, then you are now using the d/a converters of the speakers and not the Lynx interface. The other consideration is that depending on format, the spdif could be 16bit vs 24. I suggest using the analog on the LSRs. Good look either way, they are great monitors in my opinion and they translate real well to the real world.

Mike

[Jeff Juliano]

I hate to rain on anyones parade but I bought the same JBL system in a 5.1 configuration and returned them the next day. I would have returned them in the same day but the post office had closed.

I did their "Room Correction Setup" and everything.

After setting them up, I played a few reference CD's through them and figured if I had to make mixes sound horrible in my room in order for them to translate well to the rest of the world I'd probably jump out a window.

I'd say ADAM's or the Dyn Audio's would be a much better choice. How about those Focal monitors?? I hear nothing but good things about them.

[davet]

Originally Posted by technog0d

The other consideration is that depending on format, the spdif could be 16bit vs 24. I suggest using the analog on the LSRs. Good look either way, they are great monitors in my opinion and they translate real well to the real world.

Mike

Humm, OK. Lynx and JBL list 24bit performance on the Digital I/O of the their respective products. It appears that S/PDIF supports 24/96. Hadn't considered this. Issue, non-issue? Anyone??

Thanks for the feedback.
DaveT

[manthe]

I have the LSR4328s. I don't know if there are any differences aside from cone size. If not, then I can't imagine you'll have any problems. You never know, i guess. I tried a lot of monitors in the $1000 to $2000 price range when upgrading a while back (including ADAMS and Dynaudios) and I really loved the JBLs. The 8s have great low end. Not sure about the 6s. The mids and highs are not hyped. That is what I want out of a monitor. I don't want something that is going to make a mix artificially sound better, only to carry a CD to the car and scratch my head and take a million notes!

The room correction thing, if done properly and often actually works pretty well. No substitute for good treatment, but we do not all have the luxury of ideal setups. I have a very slight bass issue on the left side in my room. I A/B the RMC all of the time and it really does a great job. My mixes translate better with it on than off every time.

I use the analog on mine. I've used the SPDIF before. No real problem with it...I just only have 1 on my interface and I like to use it for other things.

I really think they are a very solid, well built, great sounding monitor, period. Not the best available, by far, but not the worst by even further!

[gainstages]

have the speakers and the sub, love them!

my friend has the same yorkvilles you have. i can definitely tell you the jbl would be a nice upgrade.

[ToneRexx]

Originally Posted by Jeff Juliano

I hate to rain on anyones parade but I bought the same JBL system in a 5.1 configuration and returned them the next day. I would have returned them in the same day but the post office had closed.

I did their "Room Correction Setup" and everything.

After setting them up, I played a few reference CD's through them and figured if I had to make mixes sound horrible in my room in order for them to translate well to the rest of the world I'd probably jump out a window.

I'd say ADAM's or the Dyn Audio's would be a much better choice. How about those Focal monitors?? I hear nothing but good things about them.

I tried and worked in many monitors, I had Dyanaudio's and worked in ADAM S3AS's many times, Both are much better than those JBL's..for sure The Adams S3A are nicer than the Dyanaudio BM15A, but I really prefered the Focal Twin 6Be, they are amazing monitors and my mixes are better since I got them.

[gainstages]

Originally Posted by ToneRexx

I tried and worked in many monitors, I had Dyanaudio's and worked in ADAM S3AS's many times, Both are much better than those JBL's..for sure The Adams S3A are nicer than the Dyanaudio BM15A, but I really prefered the Focal Twin 6Be, they are amazing monitors and my mixes are better since I got them.

just remember that there is a difference between subjective opinions based on what you expect, what you like, the room, listening levels, etc. i think the jbl compete very well within their price range and even very well with some of the more expensive monitors. that doesn't mean you will actually like them better - it's your preference, but on paper, the specs are good and they do perform well. see if you can arrange for a listening test with other speakers or even get a demo/floor model to use for the weekend in your room.

good luck

[drakem]

I´ve got the 28lsr in 5.1 setup. Great speakers. They translate very good, so all my shitty mixes sound shitty elsewhere..
The room control works good, but you need to treat the room properly "in the old fashion". Nothing can replace that IMO.

I´ve got the Dyns BM6 as Stereo, and somehow since JBLs came , I didnt switch them on very often, use them only when mixing vocals and guitars somehow...

regards

[davet]

Thanks for all the replies. I would certainly expect the Focals, Adams and Dynaudios mentioned would probably sound better. For the most part, they're also twice the money. I'll check out the JBLs. As one poster pointed out, the 4326 would be a nice upgrade from what I have. :>)

Anyway, thanks again.

DaveT

[Chas3]

Originally Posted by technog0d

I have the JBL LSR 4236's and i love them... You should consider that if you use the spdif connectors on the speakers, then you are now using the d/a converters of the speakers and not the Lynx interface. The other consideration is that depending on format, the spdif could be 16bit vs 24. I suggest using the analog on the LSRs. Good look either way, they are great monitors in my opinion and they translate real well to the real world.

Mike

If you use the analog inputs are'nt you going through the speakers' a/d in addition to it's d/a? Are you sure the analog input bypasses the the speaker's digital circuitry? If so, you would not be able to use the room correction feature.

[manthe]

Originally Posted by Chas3

If you use the analog inputs are'nt you going through the speakers' a/d in addition to it's d/a? Are you sure the analog input bypasses the the speaker's digital circuitry? If so, you would not be able to use the room correction feature.

I believe you are right. That is according to the manual. it is a 24/96 oversampling converter that I find to be of extremely high quality. Opinions abound on these and any set of monitors. As such, personal listening tests are really the only way to know. I closely tried the Dynaudios, ADAM A7s and P33As, Blue Skys and many others. I did not find the LSR4328s to be a lot better than most. But I did find them to be easily on par...then I let the feature set sway my decision. I figured, RMC and an ass-load of connectivity options are a great thing to have, all else being roughly equal. I will say that in some cases I thought the JBLs sounded less 'colored' or 'hyped'. That is to say, they sounded more neutral and flat to me.

My room is treated pretty well, but not perfect at all.Either way, when I get a mix sounding good on my JBLs, I really have found that to translate quite well to a lot of playback sources straight away. It is never way off. I've used monitors that are WAY off, these aren't!

Of course, I am talking about the 4328s, not the 4326s. There may be some difference, I don't know for sure.

[technog0d]

Originally Posted by Chas3

If you use the analog inputs are'nt you going through the speakers' a/d in addition to it's d/a? Are you sure the analog input bypasses the the speaker's digital circuitry? If so, you would not be able to use the room correction feature.

It definitely does not bypass the digital interface going through the analog. It's definitely processed. My point was that it is already converted to analog. I guess when you think about it, it's being reprocessed digitally before it gets out of the speaker. I would have to know more about the speaker design to answer that. I do know that i have an apogee interface, and i would rather use that for my d/a first and then output it to analog. My other comment was on the bit rate of the spdif. I am not sure without looking at the specs whether it is 16bit or 24 bit and what the sample rate of the speaker is. That's it... Just some comments from the peanut gallery. I really do love my setup though. I like the combination of the 4236s and the lsr sub. This way I have small fast acting speakers with a good sounding sub. Again, it does translate very well for me in my home studio. I have a very untreated environment.

Good luck. Monitors are very subjective. Just find one you like.

Mike

[manthe]

Originally Posted by technog0d

It definitely does not bypass the digital interface going through the analog. It's definitely processed. My point was that it is already converted to analog. I guess when you think about it, it's being reprocessed digitally before it gets out of the speaker. I would have to know more about the speaker design to answer that. I do know that i have an apogee interface, and i would rather use that for my d/a first and then output it to analog. My other comment was on the bit rate of the spdif. I am not sure without looking at the specs whether it is 16bit or 24 bit and what the sample rate of the speaker is. That's it... Just some comments from the peanut gallery. I really do love my setup though. I like the combination of the 4236s and the lsr sub. This way I have small fast acting speakers with a good sounding sub. Again, it does translate very well for me in my home studio. I have a very untreated environment.

Good luck. Monitors are very subjective. Just find one you like.

Mike

digital on both the AES and SPDIF are 24/96 oversampled...

[Chas3]

<Quote>My room is treated pretty well, but not perfect at all.Either way, when I get a mix sounding good on my JBLs, I really have found that to translate quite well to a lot of playback sources straight away. It is never way off. I've used monitors that are WAY off, these aren't!<Quote>

That's what counts.

[davet]

Bump... About ready to pull the trigger on these boxes. Anyone else want to weigh in?

DaveT

[davet]

I bought a set of 4326Ps. They sound fine to me, mixes translate well. The remote control is a nice feature because my monitors are behind the desk on stands. Did the RMC mode thing last night. The test tone they use is startling to say the least. They warn you stand back, ear plugs might be a good idea too.

I'm running mine off a Lynx L22 on the AES/EBU digital connection. Worked fine right out of the box.

So, thanks again to everyone who posted. Happy to be rid of the Yorkvilles.

DaveT

[Spookym15]

Go with the 8 inches they sound a lot better then the 6's. I bought the 6's at the time because of money issues and I really wish I would have gone with the 8's. The 6's work fine just not a tight on the low end as I hoped.

[manthe]

Originally Posted by Spookym15

Go with the 8 inches they sound a lot better then the 6's. I bought the 6's at the time because of money issues and I really wish I would have gone with the 8's. The 6's work fine just not a tight on the low end as I hoped.

I can vouch for this. I own the 8s...tried the 6s first. They are still great speakers and a definite upgrade from the OP's priors. The RMC might be hit or miss...it is definitely a hit in my room. Make sure you rerun the test often...ESPECIALLY if you move things around. Oh, and I recommend protecting your ears and them rerunning the test while sitting in your typical mix position, with the mic placed close to where your ears are. Essentially, make the room as close as possible to your every day, real world mix setup. This will yield a different and better curve on the test. It definitely made a difference for me.

[davet]

Mike,
I did place the mic at my listening position just as the instructions called for. I'll be moving some gear out over the weeked, so I'll run the test again. I'm surprised at the bass response thing because mine seem to have plenty. My room is small (about 1350 sq ft of volume), so maybe that's the difference.

DaveT

[manthe]

Originally Posted by davet

Mike,
I did place the mic at my listening position just as the instructions called for. I'll be moving some gear out over the weeked, so I'll run the test again. I'm surprised at the bass response thing because mine seem to have plenty. My room is small (about 1350 sq ft of volume), so maybe that's the difference.

DaveT

Your bass response might be just fine. My room is not quite as big as yours. But, given all of the corners and the setup, bass gets lost fairly easily in my room. Plus, the 8s just have a bigger sound and more volume potential. Not that I crank it a lot, but sometimes I need this power.

Anyhow, if I may recommend...and you may have done this...make sure you leave your chair where it always is. I also recommend leaving your body there too. It does make a difference. I guess what I'm saying is that my results improved dramatically when I went outside of JBL's instructions and did things a little differently. I think that in order for RMC to work, you must tailer it for your environment and do some A/B stuff before your done.

This is what I had to do. I had to run the test several times and then do a mix with and without and take that mix to other sources until I finally got a curve that was perfect. Now that I do, it is an immense improvement on my mixes. I will re-emphasize that, in my room, there WAS difference in the curve that the RMC algorithm made when I was and was not sitting in my mix chair. I used the rubber earplugs that swimmers use to protect my ears, with a pair of high ISO cans over that.

[phillysoulman]

On a similar note, I have the 6328ps and I love them.
They translate very well and my mixes sound great everywhere.

[manthe]

Originally Posted by phillysoulman

On a similar note, I have the 6328ps and I love them.
They translate very well and my mixes sound great everywhere.

I've been eyeballing those myself...how much better are they than the 43 series?

[davet]

Originally Posted by manthe

Anyhow, if I may recommend...and you may have done this...make sure you leave your chair where it always is. I also recommend leaving your body there too. It does make a difference.

I did move the chair so I'll try it again sitting in the chair wearing ear plugs.
DaveT

[lrieves]

I'm anxious to know how the jbls compare to the dynaudio bm5a's (what i own). i have heard mixed reviews, mostly from people who have never used them. maybe i've overlooked a post that's already answered this, but anyone had a chance to compare these monitors?

[superwack]

Hi, I read the manual and did a search but couldn't find the info I was looking for - I'm hoping someone who owns the JBL LSR 4326P (or 8's) can help me set the gain structure as I'm confused

I have my 4326's connected via analog to the main outs L/R of my digi003R (although, if anyone thinks it's better to use spdif I'm happy to switch)

Where I'm lost is which level(s) to set. Both the JBLs and DIGI003R have level controls and BOTH have to be turned up to pass audio. I know there has to be an "optimum" way of setting them and then only adjusting my listening volume on one or the other but not both (FYI I'm NOT talking about listening level ie 85db I'm talking about the physical settings on the JBL/Digi for the best headroom, noise, etc.)

As a point of clarification I also have Mackie HR824mkIIs in another room and those are basically just ON or OFF - the volume is adjusted on the DIGI003R only... I'm hoping to do the same thing with the JBLs.

HELP! (thanks! )

[davet]

Originally Posted by superwack

Hi, I read the manual and did a search but couldn't find the info I was looking for - I'm hoping someone who owns the JBL LSR 4326P (or 8's) can help me set the gain structure as I'm confused

I have my 4326's connected via analog to the main outs L/R of my digi003R (although, if anyone thinks it's better to use spdif I'm happy to switch)

Where I'm lost is which level(s) to set. Both the JBLs and DIGI003R have level controls and BOTH have to be turned up to pass audio. I know there has to be an "optimum" way of setting them and then only adjusting my listening volume on one or the other but not both (FYI I'm NOT talking about listening level ie 85db I'm talking about the physical settings on the JBL/Digi for the best headroom, noise, etc.)

As a point of clarification I also have Mackie HR824mkIIs in another room and those are basically just ON or OFF - the volume is adjusted on the DIGI003R only... I'm hoping to do the same thing with the JBLs.

HELP! (thanks! )

I switched my 4326s to the analog outputs on my L22. Lynx recommends setting the volume all the up on the main analog outs of the L22. That's what I do. The JBLs volume is set with the remote control for whatever level I want to work at. Simple as that, it works for me.

DaveT

[superwack]

Thanks for the info - makes sense to me... I'll give it a try!

[tenderboy]

i own the 4328 and love them. the mixes translate very well (although i tend to mix vocals a bit too loud, but thats easy to remember and change when listening on other speakers which is a must anyway)

as far as i know the signal always passes trough the dsp, so i would recommend using the spdif or aes/ebu, as otherwise you will have one DA and AD conversion more...

for level: optimal level in your daw, unity gain on audiocard (should be optimum) into the speakers...just be shure to be on the same nominal level (+4dbu or -10dbV) all the way from audiocard to speaker

[CplusE]

I have to say I do love my JBL4328- I had two people come over and buy there own in a months time. It funny thou. I been reading about AD converters. By have the RMC already I might not be able to hear the difference in getting a lavry or other DA. But I was using a Motu 2408mk3… Now I bought a Apogee Ensemble. OMG my speakers sound so much wider. It’s amazing when you get something it can change allot. I thought my speakers sounded good. But now it make me think how while they sound with a BIG bin or Rosetta 200 or Lavry or MYtek DA. What I’m hoping to get next is the tube. Would like to know if anyone has converters setup with there JBL and do they hear a difference?