In this review, we’ll take a look at what the JBL 305P MKii has to offer and if it can hold to its promise as being a great entryway for new and casual listeners or hobbyists while still being worth consideration for audiophiles.
Ask any audiophile, owner of a DJ studio, or creative working space, what the best speakers are, and you’re liable to get a pretty varied number of answers.
You really are entering a world of personal preferences and some might say they think large speakers are the best while others may say that the mid-sized speaker is the best.
Some might argue that sound quality is best while others will argue that bass is the most important factor.
There are so many different things you’ll need to take into consideration when looking at different speakers and deciding what aspect is or is not the most important.
And while you could make a point of listing off everything you find important, a much simpler method is to take a look at one of the established studio monitor brands, see what one of their latest options is, and determine how that speaker compares to what you want.
This is where the JBL 305P MkII powered studio monitor speaker comes into play.
The latest in the JBL lineup, the 305P MKII works to bridge the gap between casual and professional listeners.
Not only is this brand a known creator of well-established speakers, but the 305P MKII, in particular, makes a point of being easily accessible for all users, and suitable for a variety of room acoustics.
Are the JBL 305P MkII speakers any good? (in short)
From its price-point to its sound quality, to its build & appearance, its wide sweet spot, and even its ability to tune or connect, JBL 305P MkII has a lot of things that make it an appealing option. Definitely a worthwhile buying option.
First Impressions – The Physical Build
Considering JBL’s track record and the fact that they’ve been around for over 70 years now, it’s pretty safe to say that the JBL engineers understand innovation and know just how to put together a solid speaker.
When opening up the MKII for the first time, it became pretty clear that any worries or feelings of uncertainty were completely unfounded. J
BL had done it again.
The MKII sits at just over 10 pounds and has an impressive modern design and a sense of sturdiness and solidity that makes you want to kick it once or twice just to see how tough it is. (Note: Do not kick your speaker.)
And, while I did not do that (seriously, don’t kick your speaker), just holding it let me know it was safe from most bumps or tips.
The design itself, while a bit of a refreshing take on the standard all-black look, isn’t necessarily going to be the thing that sells you. Instead, it’s going to be the fact that a nice-looking speaker is built like a brick.
The Specs
Using much of what they’ve developed for their higher-end monitors, JBL has given the MKII a lot of unfair leg-ups over the competition while keeping the price competitive.
For example, the main reason that the MKII has superior bass performance than other 5-inch woofers is due to it having a double-flared port, something found in JBL’s much more expensive monitor sets.
As mentioned earlier, the MKII is a 5-inch woofer with a 1-inch tweeter. While 5-inches would normally be good for studios on the smaller side, I’ve found that I play it in a medium-sized location without too much trouble.
When playing it in my smaller studio, it was almost a bit overpowering, so you’ll want to manage your volume if you’re unsure about how your studio space stacks up (especially since it can reach up to 108dB).
It has a frequency range between 43 Hz and 24 kHz and a response range that goes from 49Hz up to 20kHz.
This means you’ll have pretty much all of your musical scope covered, even if it’s only slightly lacking when compared to some other models.
In most cases, the difference is so slight, that you’d have to put them side by side to notice.
The Design
As far as the MKii’s design is concerned, you have to understand that visuals will always be subjective. Still, I think it’s safe to say that the current design has a lot going for it as it revitalizes the standard all-black look that speakers have had.
That said, I also don’t think it’s particularly impressive.
Even despite its shiny face, the speakers are still what you’d ultimately expect from a pair of speakers and aren’t all that groundbreaking or unique.
Taking A Deeper Look – Features & Sound Quality
Now that we’ve gone over its physical look, let’s get into MKII’s different features and what it offers DJs and music producers.
Sound Quality
Ultimately, while aesthetics and durability are important, the whole point of a studio monitor is its sound quality and the ability to reveal subtle details. After all, without that, what’s the point in investing in a reference speaker set in the first place?
What It Gets Right
Thankfully, JBL has always proven itself extremely capable of achieving outstanding accuracy, often providing some pretty impressive features to its different speakers and the MKii is no different.
Using their patented Image Control Waveguide, JBL’s 305P MKII has a broad sweet spot much bigger than it normally should.
This means that, despite its size, the room-friendly sweet spot will allow you can to play the MKii in a larger space comfortably with everyone being able to hear it.
In addition, the MKII also is the direct result of JBL tweaking their lower-frequency responses and ensuring that they have a bigger and harder hit as a result.
This means that bass lovers will have a lot to fawn over and talk about when playing their tracks in the studio.
JBL 305P Mkii is a plug-in and play-type studio monitor. They are designed to jump into any production style or broadcast production right out of the box.
It has Dual integrated Class D power amplifiers, custom-designed by JBL for each transducer. These offer a generous dynamic range for any audio project.
These speakers are easily adaptable to music production, DJ monitors, gaming, and even podcasting! They pack a high output and easily enough punch for you to listen to audio in detail and at any volume.
This includes peak SPLs (sound pressure level – SPL). Simply plug in, power on, and start creating.
Let’s not forget to mention JBL’s strenuous power test which is a 100-hour full-power test potentially ensuring the user years of reliability.
What It Doesn’t
Unfortunately, some of these features do come at a slight cost. While bass lovers will certainly be happy about the additional focus put on the low frequencies and the low-end boost, audio purists and those interested in pure, flat frequencies will be disappointed in the clear imbalance.
I won’t say that the mids and highs are bad, so much as not as balanced as they could have been.
Not only that, but the volume also has some things left to be desired. At the medium and higher levels, there isn’t an issue.
However, when playing at lower volume levels, I noticed a distinct “hissing” noise that came from the speaker.
The hiss goes away when playing at mid or high volumes again.
These things are by no means deal-breakers and are more common in studio monitors than people would like to believe. That said, they are points that you’ll notice when using them.
Features Offered
Connection Options
When it comes to connectivity, the MKii gives you two options. You can either connect using the balanced XLR or the 1/4th inch TRS cable.
Both cable options are balanced, meaning that you can sit the speakers further away from the music player than with an unbalanced RCA cable.
While I do think balanced options are better than unbalanced ones, I still wish there was the option to use an RCA cable.
For the majority of casual listeners (and even many early professionals) they are going to be used to primarily using unbalanced RCA cables for their speakers. By not giving them that option, it may be a slightly jarring experience.
Tuning Options
One of the areas I always pay attention to, is if a studio monitor has any real robust tuning options, it’s pretty much immediately put in the “good” file.
This is because, by tuning your speakers, you can have them work in their most optimal way regardless of their location or placement in a room.
As such, the MKII wins out, to some degree, with just that. On its back, the MKII allows you to alter the Boundary EQ as well as the HF Trim and Input Sensitivity.
All of these things make your audio experience ideal no matter where you are or how your speaker is placed.
Final Thoughts – Is it Worth Your Time?
There is a lot to love about the JBL 305P MKII. There are also a few things that you may not love. This, unfortunately, is the challenge when you make a point to appeal to casual and professional listeners. You ultimately create something that gives both groups some things they’ll want and some things they won’t.
In the case of the MKII, while it does appeal to both groups, I do think there is, due to the price point, a bit of a stronger emphasis on making the casual listener happier.
This means that, while there are some things that an audiophile or a DJ producer may enjoy, you’ll ultimately have a better time with this set if you are just getting started or using them strictly for entertainment.
So, to answer the question, “Is the MKII worth your time?” I’d have to say that it depends.
If you are someone that strictly wants a high-quality studio monitor set that gives a balanced sound, a host of different tuning and connectivity options, and produces music in the purest way possible, then there simply aren’t the speakers for you.
Even at their price, you aren’t going to enjoy them for much more than their high volume in a smaller setting. For this person, they are not worth your time.
However, if you are more of a casual listener that isn’t so particular about having “pure sound” over “good sound” if you are someone that likes to play their music extra loud and fill up a small or medium-sized space, and if you are a fan of fatter bass music for bass drop tracks, then these are a great option.
Especially considering how much they cost, people in this camp will feel like they are getting away with an absolute steal. For these people, the MKII is worth their time.
As you can see, it does depend. While they wanted to make something that appeals to either casual or professional listeners, and I do think both sides will have things they like, there is an appeal to the more casual beginner than the seasoned veteran.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Impressive Bass Output
- Is Built To Be Quite Durable
- Has a Large Sound Stage
- Has A Good Number of Tuning Options
- Uses Advanced Technology
Cons
- Sound Quality Isn’t Very Balanced
- Has A Slight Hiss At Lower Sound Threshold
JBL 305p MkII: The Verdict
The JBL 305p MkII certainly brings some of that legendary JBL performance and impressive dynamic range into any studio setup!
While it isn’t the cheapest set of speakers at its size, it also isn’t the most expensive. When you consider just how impressive their sound can reach and its maximum volume performance despite only being a 5-inch woofer, you’ll realize this could have been priced much higher and it still seems reasonable.
With that said, the MKII isn’t a perfect speaker set either, and there are certainly times where the phrase, “You get what you pay for” really rings true.
Ultimately, you aren’t going to get the most powerful studio monitor with the most impressive design or sound quality.
Instead, you’ll get something that, as JBL wanted, is very much in the middle of the road and will fit a broader market.
