Monitors: JBL LSR-305 or Yamaha HS5?

R

RJrules64

New member
Hi all,

I'm in the market for some studio monitors for mixing Rock and Pop under $500. I don't necessarily want the monitors to sound great, I just want them to help me make tracks that will translate well.
I've decided to go for 5" speakers because
(a) they are much cheaper
(b) I don't think I really need a lot of bass, I'm not producing EDM, and not many people that listen to my mix will have speakers that can recognise the bass clarity I will be able to get with larger speakers. (Also, I don't want to invest in a sub.)

My room is medium sized. (7mx3m/23ftx10ft) It's not acoustically treated, but I might get around do treating it one day. I mix at low volumes, so reflections aren't a MAJOR concern.

I've been browsing forums nonstop for the last couple of weeks, and initially, my impression was that HS5's will really expose all the bad things in my mix, which will help it to translate as well as possible on other systems.

After deciding to buy the HS5s, I stumbled across the LSR-305s. A lot of people say they far prefer the JBL's because they have better bass and sound better overall. And they are slightly cheaper. The extra bass is attractive, as even though I said I'm happy with the bass from a 5" speaker, I could still use a little more. However no one that I can find has commented on how the JBL's translate! Would it be worse since it doesn't highlight that bad stuff in the same way as the Yamaha's do?

Thanks a lot!

P.S Also how about Equator D5s? I see them mentioned on almost every forum, but most people seemed to say they preferred the JBL's to the D5's.

---------- Update ----------

TL;DR

Do the JBL's translate as well as the HS5's supposedly do?
 
Assume you are set up with your desk on one of the 10' walls. How far out from the wall? This is important, because the JBLs have rear-facing bass ports. I've got the JBLs and think they are great - my room is about half the size of yours and I have traps on the wall behind them.
The 305's low end is 53Hz, so that means any bass guitar notes below the open A string will not be produced fully (you'll get the harmonics). The 308's go down to 37Hz (I think) so would cover the whole bass guitar spectrum (until you get to a 5 string with a low B, of course).
Since you seem set on 5" speakers, I'd recommend the JBLs but tell you to invest the rest of your money in bass traps. I got the JBL's on a price match from Guitar Center for $225 for the set, normal price is $300/set - that still gives you $200 for acoustic treatment.
Increased bass repsonse is not going to do you any good in an untreated room.
 
Excellent info, just minor correction re: JBL low-end response

mjbphotos said:
Assume you are set up with your desk on one of the 10' walls. How far out from the wall? This is important, because the JBLs have rear-facing bass ports. I've got the JBLs and think they are great - my room is about half the size of yours and I have traps on the wall behind them.
The 305's low end is 53Hz, so that means any bass guitar notes below the open A string will not be produced fully (you'll get the harmonics). The 308's go down to 37Hz (I think) so would cover the whole bass guitar spectrum (until you get to a 5 string with a low B, of course).
Since you seem set on 5" speakers, I'd recommend the JBLs but tell you to invest the rest of your money in bass traps. I got the JBL's on a price match from Guitar Center for $225 for the set, normal price is $300/set - that still gives you $200 for acoustic treatment.
Increased bass repsonse is not going to do you any good in an untreated room.
Click to expand...

This is solid info and appreciated all-around, BUT the LSR305's low end is actually 43Hz, which should get you full bass notes just below the lowest F on the E string I'm thinking... Somewhat better but not going to compete with the 308 of course.
The issue of accuracy, and comparative accuracy for mixing - some folks like the HS5's 55hz because they (I've heard it asserted) don't over-accentuate the lows... i.e. they don't bother trying to do what a 5" speaker is not meant to do... and thus, when used for mixing, a lot of folks feel that their mixes work across a wide range of speakers/systems, because the bass was "honest".... of course for any serious low-end work these same people employ a sub or something other than nfms... or so I've heard ;-)
 
Dont rule out the Equators. Excellent speakers. I own a set and love them.
There are plenty of users over the net that have favorably reveiwed them.

I am not familiar with the newer Yamaha and JBLs, I am very familiar with the older versions of both brands.

I think one of thing they have going for them is brand longevity and the name.

For all I know they could be popular because they are the "safe" name brand of monitors such as "in and out burgers" is to burger joints.
There are plenty of burger joints with better burgers for the same price, but "in and out" is safe.
The D5s are the "other" burger joint.

While I personally prefer my ns10s, the D5s are an excellent and detailed monitor with good bass for the size and being front ported is great as well.


Edit:
Myself, I haven't seen on the net people prefering the jbl over the Equators. I'm sure is occurs, but I haven't seen it. Those that do, I wonder if they have actually used both and have compared side to side in their own listening environment.

That being said, whatever you pick, stick with them and learn the monitor and let them "burn in". Use lots of reference tracks that you know to gain familiarity with the speakers.
As long as you know your speakers and room, you could probably mix with any good monitors.

Good luck in your journey.
 
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