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JBL Studio 690 towers, 2.5-way with Compression Driver tweeter and dual 8” Woofers $499 each at IQ Home Entertainment via Amazon
$499
$825
39% off
Amazon
AmazonDeal Details
Get these before they're gone for good! Samsung now owns Harman International, which owns JBL and Revel and is doing some massive reorganizing by phasing out its mid-level product lines (the highest price-to-performance but probably lower-profit) speaker series, leaving only the basic entry level (JBL Stage series) and high-dollar professional (JBL Synthesis) series.
The 690 can stand alone in a 2.0 music system, or as part of a surround sound HT system. It will particularly excel at movies/TV due to the CD tweeter.
https://www.amazon.com/JBL-Studio...0BJTQR
The 690 can stand alone in a 2.0 music system, or as part of a surround sound HT system. It will particularly excel at movies/TV due to the CD tweeter.
- Dual 8" PolyPlas Low-Frequency Woofer provides satisfying bass down to 36Hz = no subwoofer needed for music, and in a pinch (e.g. you live in an apartment with thin walls/floors) even for movies
- High Definition Imaging (HDI) Waveguide with 1" (25mm) High Frequency Compression Driver (not a metal dome tweeter as found in Klipsch) = this is the magic sauce!
- Sensitivity: 90dB @ 1M, 2.83V = very dynamic and easy to drive to high levels cleanly even by entry-level receivers, rather than needing an expensive external amplifier.
- Rear-ported bass-reflex enclosure
https://www.amazon.com/JBL-Studio...0BJTQR
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Get these before they're gone for good! Samsung now owns Harman International, which owns JBL and Revel and is doing some massive reorganizing by phasing out its mid-level product lines (the highest price-to-performance but probably lower-profit) speaker series, leaving only the basic entry level (JBL Stage series) and high-dollar professional (JBL Synthesis) series.
The 690 can stand alone in a 2.0 music system, or as part of a surround sound HT system. It will particularly excel at movies/TV due to the CD tweeter.
https://www.amazon.com/JBL-Studio...0BJTQR
The 690 can stand alone in a 2.0 music system, or as part of a surround sound HT system. It will particularly excel at movies/TV due to the CD tweeter.
- Dual 8" PolyPlas Low-Frequency Woofer provides satisfying bass down to 36Hz = no subwoofer needed for music, and in a pinch (e.g. you live in an apartment with thin walls/floors) even for movies
- High Definition Imaging (HDI) Waveguide with 1" (25mm) High Frequency Compression Driver (not a metal dome tweeter as found in Klipsch) = this is the magic sauce!
- Sensitivity: 90dB @ 1M, 2.83V = very dynamic and easy to drive to high levels cleanly even by entry-level receivers, rather than needing an expensive external amplifier.
- Rear-ported bass-reflex enclosure
https://www.amazon.com/JBL-Studio...0BJTQR
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JBL Studio 690 towers are framed as big, bassy speakers that make the most sense for farther listening distances, louder playback, or two channel music without a subwoofer. The compression driver tweeter is described as a bit more refined than the Studio 5 series, and the cabinet is seen as less polarizing than older JBL designs. For home theater surrounds, the towers are widely treated as overkill, with placement and line of sight mattering more than the extra woofer size. The deal also lands about $100 below Crutchfield, though several alternatives are viewed as stronger value or more dynamic.
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Further, the 8000Fii has the same 90db sensitivity as this JBL. Klipsch sneakily makes you click here to see its spec sheet: https://d2um2qdswy1tb0.
In that spec sheet, there is a sneaky little asterisk next to its "98db sensitivity" spec which, at the BOTTOM of the page, in small print, it explains is a HALF-space measurement not the industry-standard FULL-space. Which means that you have to subtract 8db to get its real sensitivity. Now, Joe Blow consumer knows nothing about this, and vendors (e.g. the otherwise not-too-sleazy Crutchfield) will post the 98db number without the footnote, so JB thinks he's getting something PSA-like ... which of course he isn't. 🤣
In a nutshell, the 8000Fii is not "way better"---you could argue it's "close enough" and I'd agree that WHEN you can find them for $100 less apiece on sale (I've seen that Adorama $800/pr price only once this calendar year and it lasted just a couple days), they are a slightly better value.
There is nothing special about these, except for the overthinking nerds.
Same happened with the 5 series, people bought into that marketing also!
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I would agree that some could easily find the RP 8000F IIs way better than these AND they're $200 less to boot!
There is nothing special about these, except for the overthinking nerds.
Same happened with the 5 series, people bought into that marketing also!
I don't doubt that many people love them, and maybe they're better on HT duty, but I was truly shocked at how unimpressive they sounded for music.
I don't doubt that many people love them, and maybe they're better on HT duty, but I was truly shocked at how unimpressive they sounded for music.
For same or less than the $700/pr price of the SVS Prime bookshelves there are any number of far better options: Wharfedale 12.2, ELAC DB62/63 or DBR62, Ascend 170SE (these would need a sub though), Cambridge Audio SX60, Klipsch RP600M/Mii, Martin Logan B2, Emotiva XB2, Dali Oberon 3, Polk R100, etc. The SVS Ultras are far less obnoxious than the Primes, but even more overpriced. The only decent price-to-performance speakers that SVS makes are their center speakers.
Started with 5(590) now 6(690) series 9 channel setup.
In my experience, unfortunately it's not any better with HT!
Luckily for 3 others (and counting), after listening they realized not for them either.
I agree SVS Primes are way better than these.
Their Evolution Series are a significant step up, a good cost for the performance you get ime.
Now, if someone had 5 mediocre-yet-hideously-overpriced Monitor Audio towers (bought only because they naively assumed that inflated pricetags mean superior performance) and replaced them with 5 JBL 590 or 690 towers, YES that would indeed be an audible improvement during HT! 😆
But more likely, the person who owns those 5 paper-tiger MA towers would get defensive at the mere thought that speakers costing a fraction as much could easily crush them in an AB comparison, to ever actually do such a thing. That's how audio snobs are born: terror of buyer's remorse and realizing that one has simply been an easy mark. 😆
I'm probably keeping them. I've never owned anything but the pack-in bookshelf set that came with a Sony disc player circa 2004. These are probably better than I need by a huge margin, and I don't see beating the 40% off value proposition.
It looks like you could shop for speakers literally forever. Time to roll with something.
I'm probably keeping them. I've never owned anything but the pack-in bookshelf set that came with a Sony disc player circa 2004. These are probably better than I need by a huge margin, and I don't see beating the 40% off value proposition.
It looks like you could shop for speakers literally forever. Time to roll with something.
Your wife is very likely not gonna like the sound and definitely not the looks.
Keep the grills on, it helps.
For some reason wife's do not like their sound.
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I'm probably keeping them. I've never owned anything but the pack-in bookshelf set that came with a Sony disc player circa 2004. These are probably better than I need by a huge margin, and I don't see beating the 40% off value proposition.
It looks like you could shop for speakers literally forever. Time to roll with something.
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