JBL 306P MK II Studio Monitor

I used to have a JBL 305s to use with my Modular synth away from the main synths, but had to get rid of them for a period of time where I had no space for them.Since I had a good experience with them, I jumped at the change of getting the 306 mkII on sale. If you're looking for a completely flat response from your monitors, I don't think this would be the right set for you.The shining quality of these is that they pack quite a punch low down, so if you wanted a reasonably sized speaker setup without having to add a sub, this is what you're looking for. I think of them more as speakers I can noodle and jam with, rather than for any serious production. It's not that the JBLs are bad as monitors, you can EQ them to adjust their response, and easily use them for ... MoreI used to have a JBL 305s to use with my Modular synth away from the main synths, but had to get rid of them for a period of time where I had no space for them.Since I had a good experience with them, I jumped at the change of getting the 306 mkII on sale. If you're looking for a completely flat response from your monitors, I don't think this would be the right set for you.The shining quality of these is that they pack quite a punch low down, so if you wanted a reasonably sized speaker setup without having to add a sub, this is what you're looking for. I think of them more as speakers I can noodle and jam with, rather than for any serious production. It's not that the JBLs are bad as monitors, you can EQ them to adjust their response, and easily use them for production, but really, if you were just looking for a nice, affordable pair of speakers to noodle away with your synths or modular, away from your DAW, then you can do much worse than the 306 (or 305). I absolutely love these things!

Excellent for the price.

These speakers have been praised by many, and I think for very good reasons. JBL did almost everything right. OK, they are not the M2 and also not the series 7, but at this price point who can pretend more! Here are my positive impressions:- The sound is much bigger than the size of the speakers would suggest, with more extended bass than I would have expected. I would suggest to listen to them with some well recorded music for some time to get used to their sound before doing some work, otherwise your mixes will likely sound too thin.- The tweeter is also doing a very good job, the treble is sweet and well controlled. Don't expect the forward and aggressive 'JBL sound' (such as the 4408). Again, give them a listen before doing work, otherwise your mixes may end ... MoreThese speakers have been praised by many, and I think for very good reasons. JBL did almost everything right. OK, they are not the M2 and also not the series 7, but at this price point who can pretend more! Here are my positive impressions:- The sound is much bigger than the size of the speakers would suggest, with more extended bass than I would have expected. I would suggest to listen to them with some well recorded music for some time to get used to their sound before doing some work, otherwise your mixes will likely sound too thin.- The tweeter is also doing a very good job, the treble is sweet and well controlled. Don't expect the forward and aggressive 'JBL sound' (such as the 4408). Again, give them a listen before doing work, otherwise your mixes may end up sounding too metallic and shrill.- The very short wave-guides seem to actually work quite well. In the near field the sound stays well balanced also off-axis. In the horizontal plane, I would say up to at least 45° off axis, in the vertical plane the dispersion is much narrower (say perhaps 30°) but still well controlled. Make sure the loudspeaker are installed roughly at ear level.- Also in the far field the sound remains well balanced. Even at a distance of a few meters the sound is still clear, with good high frequencies also off axis. Again the wave-guides are working well at controlling the dispersion.And here a few negative ones:- I don't like much the bass reflex port on the back. You need to place the speakers well away from the back wall, otherwise the bass becomes boomy and somewhat less controlled. Well, not too bad.- There is some hiss coming out of the tweeter. You will hear it up to some 50cm-1m distance. Lower noise amplifiers would have been good.- At high volume the bass becomes a bit hard and distorted. Well it is to be expected, it's the usual trade-off, either you get deep bass or loudness, not both.

Exceptional value for the money

For the price you can't beat these speakers. The sound quality is great. The low end is surprisingly good, but not too "boomy". The high end is slightly weak, you can definitely tell it's not a hard dome tweeter, but it also seems to miss some of the warmness commonly associated with soft dome tweeters. There are compensation switches for both the low and high end so you can make adjustments based on the room, placement, or your preference. These switches really make a difference and allow you to dial in the sound and give you flexibility. The output is good but there's very little headroom. The amplifiers need to be much bigger. Still, these speakers are an excellent choice for the money and I still can't find a better speaker unless I spend $400-$500. I wish JBL ... MoreFor the price you can't beat these speakers. The sound quality is great. The low end is surprisingly good, but not too "boomy". The high end is slightly weak, you can definitely tell it's not a hard dome tweeter, but it also seems to miss some of the warmness commonly associated with soft dome tweeters. There are compensation switches for both the low and high end so you can make adjustments based on the room, placement, or your preference. These switches really make a difference and allow you to dial in the sound and give you flexibility. The output is good but there's very little headroom. The amplifiers need to be much bigger. Still, these speakers are an excellent choice for the money and I still can't find a better speaker unless I spend $400-$500. I wish JBL would come out with a product line that fit between this series and the Master Reference series.

First pair of studio monitors

Going from standard, good quality PC speakers to these isn't really a fair comparison. I bought some nice stands and set them up just like the instructions say to and the sound is really mesmerizing. I'l sit for hours and just play acoustic pieces with some nice delay/reverb/chorus with a good IR and sitting at the perfect reference point just puts me into a trance almost. These monitors are definitely hefty and you have to use solid stands, but they are definitely worth the money I paid, which wasn't very much since they were on sale for almost half off. The clarity is just amazing for my first pair of monitors, and I'm guessing there are better ones but I actually just now started recording at home again after about 25 years lol. I didn't want to spend too much ... MoreGoing from standard, good quality PC speakers to these isn't really a fair comparison. I bought some nice stands and set them up just like the instructions say to and the sound is really mesmerizing. I'l sit for hours and just play acoustic pieces with some nice delay/reverb/chorus with a good IR and sitting at the perfect reference point just puts me into a trance almost. These monitors are definitely hefty and you have to use solid stands, but they are definitely worth the money I paid, which wasn't very much since they were on sale for almost half off. The clarity is just amazing for my first pair of monitors, and I'm guessing there are better ones but I actually just now started recording at home again after about 25 years lol. I didn't want to spend too much right out of the gate either and my recording is going very well. I'm really happy with these monitors!

Good Value

Generally you get what you pay for. With the 306p's you get your money's worth but not the ultimate in studio monitors for which you'd have to pay more. On the plus side the output level is substantial. It takes a bit of adjusting to optimize the performance of these speakers to your listening environment. Low frequency roll off is likely needed if you place these speaker against a wall. The high frequency driver is pretty artificial with a lot of "paper" sound in the tweeter's response. Using the high frequency roll off will be essential for sustained listening. You'll need a subwoofer with these speakers, not because there is an inadequate low frequency response but because you'll want to hear the sub frequencies happening below the useful musical low end provided ... MoreGenerally you get what you pay for. With the 306p's you get your money's worth but not the ultimate in studio monitors for which you'd have to pay more. On the plus side the output level is substantial. It takes a bit of adjusting to optimize the performance of these speakers to your listening environment. Low frequency roll off is likely needed if you place these speaker against a wall. The high frequency driver is pretty artificial with a lot of "paper" sound in the tweeter's response. Using the high frequency roll off will be essential for sustained listening. You'll need a subwoofer with these speakers, not because there is an inadequate low frequency response but because you'll want to hear the sub frequencies happening below the useful musical low end provided by a 6.5" driver.that can muddy up a mix. With a sub, there's plenty of punch in the kick drum and bass guitar. Disruptive mud can be more easily identified and addressed when a subwoofer is used. One annoyance is the constant low level high frequency hiss that emanates out of the speaker from the built in amplifier. You might not notice the amplifier noise in a noisy environment but in a quiet control room the hiss can be a bother. If you're on a tight budget, these speakers are a good value.

Great Home Monitor Package!

I haven't used the speakers a lot yet, but everything so far is great! I very much appreciate having the cables, isolation pads and the Senal controller as part of the package. The cabinets are larger than I expected so I will eventually buy some floor stands and put them behind my work table to give me a bit more setback. Very happy with the purchase but I would also consider the smaller speakers.

Great Home Studio Monitors

Read a bad review stating that they're not loud enough. That to me is a joke, they crank! They're not powered PA Speakers, they're monitor speakers for mixing. Anyone having trouble with getting volume out of them is probably hooking directly up to them with something that doesn't have a preamp. I run them off the control room output on my mixer which is a pre-amp and they have no problem putting out sound. I've had them for two years and they've held up well, but I'm not running them at clip either and if the lows seem a little much from my synths during a jam and I want more volume, I switch to my PA. For the money, in this price range, they're a great value and I have no regrets buying them. They do what I intended them to do, which is monitor mixes when ... MoreRead a bad review stating that they're not loud enough. That to me is a joke, they crank! They're not powered PA Speakers, they're monitor speakers for mixing. Anyone having trouble with getting volume out of them is probably hooking directly up to them with something that doesn't have a preamp. I run them off the control room output on my mixer which is a pre-amp and they have no problem putting out sound. I've had them for two years and they've held up well, but I'm not running them at clip either and if the lows seem a little much from my synths during a jam and I want more volume, I switch to my PA. For the money, in this price range, they're a great value and I have no regrets buying them. They do what I intended them to do, which is monitor mixes when recording and minimize the amount of time I have to spend wearing headphones at all.

Great sound, great price

Currently these monitors are on my desk, horizontally configured, with signal coming from a SMSL M200. Sound is what I was expecting after reading numerous reviews on monitors. The bass at 0dB (not dampened with the switch on the back) is quite robust, all sounds are punchy/clear, and imaging is great.These were bigger than I expected, because I initially was going to buy the 305p's and didn't read the dimension specs. When they arived, the boxes for each speaker was about the size of an AC window unit box. I probably could get better sound if my desk was larger and I was further away from them. My desk is 48 wide by 24 deep and if it was any smaller I wouldn't be able to fit them. Standalone speaker stands or a couple of tall nightstands could help someone get ... MoreCurrently these monitors are on my desk, horizontally configured, with signal coming from a SMSL M200. Sound is what I was expecting after reading numerous reviews on monitors. The bass at 0dB (not dampened with the switch on the back) is quite robust, all sounds are punchy/clear, and imaging is great.These were bigger than I expected, because I initially was going to buy the 305p's and didn't read the dimension specs. When they arived, the boxes for each speaker was about the size of an AC window unit box. I probably could get better sound if my desk was larger and I was further away from them. My desk is 48 wide by 24 deep and if it was any smaller I wouldn't be able to fit them. Standalone speaker stands or a couple of tall nightstands could help someone get around that.I use Ableton and produce House music, listen to some funk and rap, everything sounds how I would want it to.There is little audio bleed to its sides or rear, which is great since I have a few roomates and little sound isolation in my room. I have not tried to really push them. I mostly keep the volume nobs on the speakers at 50%, and the DAC at -20dB. It's plenty loud for me at this point and I don't hear any artifacts. Another option I should consider is dropping the bass response to -3dB and then turn the DAC up to -15dB for more focus and clarity in the mids/highs for Classical, Folk, or other genres while minimizing noise pollution.

Incredible value, great sound

I consider myself an audiophile and have two decades of studio experience and sound engineering. After reading reviews here I made the decision to give JBL a shot as I was just building a small home studio and couldn’t spend thousands of dollars on monitoring. I feel this package is worth a few thousand in sound. The speakers are beefy and the sound is crisp and seemingly flat, not overly colored. The mixes that I have that I know are warm, are warm. I’ve heard these mixes on top of the line studio monitors and am seriously impressed at how they sound on this system. You can’t beat the value you get here for this price. I plan on taking great care of these speakers and hoping for a long life, but can’t comment on their longevity until I’ve had them for several ... MoreI consider myself an audiophile and have two decades of studio experience and sound engineering. After reading reviews here I made the decision to give JBL a shot as I was just building a small home studio and couldn’t spend thousands of dollars on monitoring. I feel this package is worth a few thousand in sound. The speakers are beefy and the sound is crisp and seemingly flat, not overly colored. The mixes that I have that I know are warm, are warm. I’ve heard these mixes on top of the line studio monitors and am seriously impressed at how they sound on this system. You can’t beat the value you get here for this price. I plan on taking great care of these speakers and hoping for a long life, but can’t comment on their longevity until I’ve had them for several years. The sub pumps out warm low frequency. The kick sounds I’m getting are very accurate to what was recorded and how the drums sounded in the room. Go for it if you’re thinking about it!

Know what you're buying.

A big complaint about these monitors is their lack of sub bass. If you're buying these to produce HipHop or electronic music these may not deliver the sub bass frequencies you need unless you couple them with a separate subwoofer which was a little unexpected given the 8 inch drivers. The only slightly annoying thing about these monitors to me personally is the mild droning between 125 and 135 mhz. That being said, Kicks are punchy, high hats sound crisp and bright, and vocals mix well with the rest of the sound. Perfect for mixing things like rock/metal, country, or voice over work.