JBL 308P and 708P

[Azazello]

I thought you get 708P?

I have a pair on order, but they are delayed so I got a pair of 308's until they arrive. I have a friend who will buy them when the 708's arrive.

Would it be possible to do clips comparing?Please ...

Of course!!!

[ThomasOK]

They need 1-2 hours from fully cold to warm up and perform.

every day/ every time after you switched them off?

What is this "switched them off" you speak of? :-)

[Defender]

That „switched them off“ is something you learn when you come from a Class A amp and live in Germany where Greta managed to convince our politicians that the people are fine to pay 0.35Euro per kWh

[Discodave]

Lol

[Azazello]

That „switched them off“ is something you learn when you come from a Class A amp and live in Germany where Greta managed to convince our politicians that the people are fine to pay 0.35Euro per kWh

You’re gonna have to unlearn that. :)

[FairPlayMotty]

Greta is a good kid. But I have solar panels, energy efficient house, no car. I feel like I can sleep at night with the gear switched on. Life's too short :)

[ThomasOK]

That „switched them off“ is something you learn when you come from a Class A amp and live in Germany where Greta managed to convince our politicians that the people are fine to pay 0.35Euro per kWh

Yes, I am used to dealing with local idiots and electricity. My energy company, in what is supposed to be an effort to help the environment, wastes a piece of paper and an envelope each month just to tell you how good you are doing in saving electricity. I get a note each time telling me how bad I'm doing compared to my neighbors. Somehow they have forgotten the fact that I have an electric car despite having put me on a special plan because of it that reduces my charging costs.

Of course, this is the same company that lobbied hard to make it illegal for regular consumers to sell their electricity from a solar panel setup or a small windmill, not only back to the electrical company, as some forward thinking states have mandated, but even to their neighbors. This means a group of four or five homeowners cannot go in on a small windmill and share the electricity it produces. Yet they like to tell you how green they are by putting up solar cells and windmills (but only if they get to control them and give you a nice up-charge for the electricity).

[FairPlayMotty]

I'm going to try some of my smart sockets plugged into power strips. Turn the 308s on and off via an app.

[u252agz]

Getting better …

Have you got Mk 1 308s?

Surprised you were so disappointed even when they were cold and in installed.
Not my experience at all.

Maybe you are used to a much higher level with those 3677s.

Let’s hope they keep improving until the 708s arrive.

[jajo]

They need 1-2 hours from fully cold to warm up and perform.

every day/ every time after you switched them off?

I never switch them off normally, only on a longer vacation away from home.

[Azazello]

Short update: I had the wrong setting on "input sensitivity". More listening tonight, but it's immediately clear that this was the main problem.

[Defender]

Short update: I had the wrong setting on "input sensitivity". More listening tonight, but it's immediately clear that this was the main problem.

which is the right setting? I assume the -10db setting (which is actually louder) which I think is confusing vs. the +4db setting

[Azazello]

Short update: I had the wrong setting on "input sensitivity". More listening tonight, but it's immediately clear that this was the main problem.

which is right setting? I assume the -10db setting (which is actually louder) which I think is confusing vs. the +4db setting

Exactly.

[Azazello]

Ok.

Too early for me to say that they are “better” than TM/3677. But this is by far the most ridiculous bargain ever in the hi-fi industry.

[FairPlayMotty]

Ok.

Too early for me to say that they are “better” than TM/3677. But this is by far the most ridiculous bargain ever in the hi-fi industry.

Oh yes!

[u252agz]

Ok.

Too early for me to say that they are “better” than TM/3677. But this is by far the most ridiculous bargain ever in the hi-fi industry.

Good to see that your getting there - and getting ‘it’ .

Maybe you’ll keep the 308s and sell the 708s to your friend instead.

[Defender]

are there already some general positioning conclusions for the JBL308

it seems:
hight above ground should be around 60-63cm which might depend on ceiling hight
what about distance to the back wall - round about 10cm-15cm?
what about distance between loudspeakers?

[Discodave]

Good question re ballpark measurements.
Also, any tips on the dbs setting as experienced by Azz?

[lejonklou]

The only general position that is useful is height above floor. That distance can help you decide what stands to get.

The other distances should in my opinion be found by ear, because they vary from room to room. I find that having "common numbers" will often make people doubt their own findings and limit the range they test. Trust your ears!

I do it like this:
* Position the speakers somewhere in between 100 and 150 cm apart and if possible well away from a corner or opening in the back wall.
* Position them close to the back wall. The cables sticking out at the back will prevent them from standing closer than 8-9 cm.
* Find the optimal distance from the back wall by ear. Don't expect them to end up at a certain distance. It could be 10 cm or it could be more than 25 cm. Start with big steps and make them smaller. Fine tune to less than 1 cm.
* Find the optimal distance apart, keeping the optimal distance from the back wall fixed (they are not interdependent). If possible, keep them centered between corners or openings in the rear wall. If you need to position one speaker close to a corner or opening in the rear wall, you might have more success moving and listening to one speaker at a time, starting with the one that is closest to the corner or opening. I call this the asymmetrical method and have previously described it somewhere here on the forum.
* Try toe-in using very small steps.
* Fine tune the distance to the back wall down to the last mm. This might seem excessive, but often yields the biggest improvements as the music "snaps into place".

[Discodave]

Thank you Fredrik. Does this testing also apply to the controls on the amp/speakers?

[lejonklou]

You can of course share your measurements if you want. I'm just saying that I have many times noticed how people get hung up on numbers that others share, instead of listening without preconceptions and trusting their ears.

The level setting should be -10dBV and volume set to max when using 308/708P with ordinary HiFi equipment.

I find that bass and treble should be left flat, but some have claimed to get better results with a different setting for the bass. Perhaps they have problems with the room position being boomy, but there is also a cost in musicality when using the tone controls. So I'd evaluate carefully before using them.

[Discodave]

Excellent, very helpful. Thanks.

[Azazello]

* Fine tune the distance to the back wall down to the last mm. This might seem excessive, but often yields the biggest improvements as the music "snaps into place".

Is there any point in evaluating this step separately for each speaker, or should they always have exactly the same distance?

[lejonklou]

Is there any point in evaluating this step separately for each speaker, or should they always have exactly the same distance?

Yes, good point! It's definitely worth doing this on one speaker at a time.

[El Mero Mero]

* Fine tune the distance to the back wall down to the last mm. This might seem excessive, but often yields the biggest improvements as the music "snaps into place".

Is there any point in evaluating this step separately for each speaker, or should they always have exactly the same distance?

I always tune my speakers both separately and together. The distance to the wall is never identical.