Charlie1 wrote: ↑2021-09-22 09:25
Very open and clear sound, especially compared to what I'm used to.
I keep having to remind myself that these are professional monitor speakers. As such they are intended to be treated as tools, designed to assist the user in completing a task. They are not meant to be recreational, listening-for-pleasure speakers. As such their tonal balance is much leaner and more "analytical" than the majority of consumer grade speakers.
Charlie1 wrote: ↑2021-09-22 09:25
Seem very musical too.
Quite! And ultimately that's the goal, so we shouldn't care if their tonal balance leans a bit lean if they get the music so right. Right? If they didn't get the music right there would be nothing redeeming about these speakers, so it is absolutely essential that they be fed a top notch musical source. As Jajo mentioned elsewhere WRT the 708P, anything less and they aren't worth listening to. I suspect (although I have no evidence to back it up) that my sources are likely a "minimum spec" needed to get satisfactory results from these speakers.
Charlie1 wrote: ↑2021-09-22 09:25
So are these passive speakers or do they have in-built amps?
Not only do they have built in amps (Class D) but they do all their signal processing (crossovers, equalization, level control, etc.) in the digital domain. So that means in the S&G clip above the analog signal from the LP12 has been converted to digital and back again before being amplified and fed to the drivers. According to our purist mindsets they do absolutely everything wrong! And yet...
V.A.MKD wrote: ↑2021-09-22 09:47
+1 and also Mk 1 or Mk 2?
Mk 1. It's easy to tell Mk1 from Mk2: The JBL logo is at the bottom of the enclosure on the Mk. 1, and in between the drivers on the Mk. 2.
Spannko wrote: ↑2021-09-22 10:43
Great musicality markiteight! I prefer them to your previous speakers.
I do too, but again I keep having to remind myself that it's not fair to compare the speakers in isolation, given that the JBLs include the power amps as well. It's possible that the Omens could perform at a higher level if they weren't being pushed around by a 20+ year old Klout. I've always felt that the Klout has a certain special *something* that I find lacking in other amps, but that doesn't change the fact that there are more musical options out there. Would a better amp push the Omen's performance beyond the JBL? Perhaps, but Klout/Omen is already one order of magnitude more expensive than the JBLs (using original retail prices) so I won't be finding out!
tokenbrit wrote: ↑2021-09-22 14:47
I've always enjoyed floor standers, so the sound is a bit (c)lean for my liking, especially compared to your DWs, but there's definitely a fun musicality there. Hopefully they'll fill in a bit with playing, which doesn't seem to be a problem :)
They do lack the warmth and pleasant tonal balance of the Omens (which themselves trend toward a fast/lean/revealing balance) but their bass performance is every bit as satisfying as the much bigger Zus. Before the speakers arrived I expected that I'd be in the market for a subwoofer again, but that just isn't necessary. I do expect that their performance will improve further as they and the new cables settle in, but if in that process the tonal balance doesn't change I won't complain!
Lego wrote: ↑2021-09-22 15:43
Any chance of comparative clips ,I really find it hard to make a judgement from one point of reference
Absolutely, but I'm going to let things settle in a bit first. ThomasOK made up a set of 2m RCA to XLR Linn Blacks for me, and assuming they follow a similar break-in pattern as other cables, they're in their "excited puppy" phase right now. I want to wait 'till they're past the "moody teenager" phase and settled into "mature adult" before I make any comparisons.
If I end up keeping them (at this stage there's no reason I wouldn't), selling on the Omens and Klout will free up funds that could be put toward improvements further upstream. Question is, where should I focus my upgrade-itis next?