The JBL 306P MKII, is it a hit or a miss? Let’s take a look.
When it comes to finding a quality studio monitor, the reality is that there aren’t a lot of choices out there. Yes, today there are more monitor speaker options than there were even five or 10 years ago. However, even now, if you’re trying to find something that’s good – and aren’t willing to spend an arm and a leg to get it – you’re going to be in for a rude awakening.
In most instances, you’re going to have to follow a trusted brand that has garnered a reputation for putting out impressive speaker setups, and even that isn’t a 100% guarantee.
Luckily, companies like JBL have made a name for themselves threading the needle between impressive quality and reasonable pricing. No, you don’t have to spend $800+ on a set of speakers that don’t fall apart instantly. And, while they aren’t quite the Yamahas of the monitor world, maybe that’s not such a bad thing.
Here, we’ll be taking a look at the JBL 306P MKII and just how it stacks up, both to the current existing JBL name as well as how it fares as a quality set of speakers all on its own. While hardly new, the 306P is a refinement of pretty much everything JBL Pro had done before.
And, while that is impressive already, we’re interested in seeing how the new edition of this popular studio speaker holds up after a few years of the current expectations. Were these good for their time, almost five years ago, or could they be released even today with impressive marks? Let’s find out.
Are the JBL 306P MkII speakers any good? (in short)
JBL has built up a legacy of outstanding performance, sonic accuracy, years of reliability, and all-around JBL excellence. The 3 series MK 11 really does deliver an affordable upgrade of the impressive LSR3 series.
First Impressions – The Physical Build
From the moment you pull the JBL 306P MKII out of the box, you kind of just know you’re dealing with something you weren’t expecting. Especially if you focus on the price, it’s easy to expect that this thing is going to be, essentially, a “hunk of junk”. The fact that they don’t even do anything with the box to give it that sense of special can easily put you in the, “huh. Ok, fine.” category of expectations.
Luckily this is just some long-winded ruse by JBL to trap and trick you into being completely blown away by what’s inside. Because what’s inside is kind of awesome.
I’ll go over the design in more detail later, but suffice to say that they wanted to impress. It’s got this somewhat chocolatey gloss over the black color that, while could have potentially come across as super plasticky, just looks good here.
In terms of the physical build, the 306P MKII feels impressively solid and sturdy. It’s primarily plastic, so you’re not going to want to play too rough with this guy. Still, if you’re taking care of it and treating the speakers with respect, you can expect to keep these going for quite a while.
The Specs
Taking a look under the hood, we see that the 306P comes in at around 224 watts of power, with each speaker having two 56-watt class D amps running. This gives you some impressive reach considering the size of the speakers. You won’t be filling out a stadium or anything, but the sound is enough for most studios and smaller-sized rooms.
The JBL 306P can continually put out an exceptional sound that is equal parts balanced as it is accurate. This is true at all volumes meaning you’ll be able to enjoy quality sound even when cranking your speakers to the max. The 306P has a 6.5-inch woofer with a 1-inch tweeter. With it, they have a frequency range between 39Hz and 24kHz and a frequency response that ranges from 47Hz at the lower ends and 20kHz at the higher ends. This ensures you can hear the full sound spectrum, from the lowest of lows to the highest of highs.
The Design
Now we can talk a bit more about what JBL has done here from a strictly aesthetic perspective. I’m always keen on a pair of good-looking speakers since you’re going to be looking at them almost as much as you’re going to be hearing from them.
I’m pleased to say that these not only look good, but they implement things to make their aesthetics work in their favor.
I mentioned it earlier but I’ll say it again. The MKII’s jet-black look just screams refinement. When you look at these, you’re immediately going to think you’ve got something easily two or three times the asking price.
The woofer and tweeter are both surrounded by this tuxedo-black plastic, with the JBL design sitting right along the face’s center.
The 306P also uses Control Waveguide technology around the tweeter. This not only helps give a better sound (more on that later) but it also creates this pillow cushion-like design that is unique enough to be eye-catching every time you look at it.
Taking A Deeper Look – Features & Sound Quality
Now that we’ve gone over the speakers and how they’re designed, let’s now get into some of the different features that make the 306P such a compelling buy.
Sound Quality
JBL has always been known for putting together some pretty impressive speakers.
Not only does their waveguide technology help offer an extremely wide soundstage, but with their tweeter and woofer both getting their fair share of high-quality treatment, they manage to offer an impressively flat sound, regardless of the frequency range.
What It Gets Right
First and foremost, it cannot be overstated just how flat these things manage to get. Considering their price, you’d expect a pretty large amount of color to mix into your sound. Instead, the JBL 306P manages to hit its stride, regardless of the sound in question, and certainly has a room-friendly sweet spot.
The mids and highs are incredibly dynamic with a pretty astonishing amount of clarity. Instruments are both vivid as well as dynamic.
Meanwhile, the low-end frequencies are similarly incredible, with a bass response that, while won’t rattle your bones too much, is still quite strong. I’d be lying if I said that a sub would be completely unnecessary, however it would also be a lie to say that it was an outright requirement, which is not something you can always say for other speakers at this size or price range.
What It Doesn’t
On the flip side, there isn’t all that much to complain about when it comes to the downsides. No, it’s not a perfect set of speakers by any means, however, most of the issues are either too small or too sparse to bring up.
Probably the only point of contention that really “deserves” (using the term loosely) to be listed here is the fact that the speakers have a bit of an amp hiss that can be heard when the speakers are off. It’s not super loud, nor is it noticeable when playing music at any volume level. That said, it certainly did surprise me a bit when I heard it since it wasn’t necessarily something I was expecting to hear.
Features Offered
Connection Options
In terms of the different connections offered, the JBL 306P MKII speaker has a few different options to play with. At its rear, in addition to the power switch and power input, it comes with a combo port that works with either XLR or TRS input jacks.
Tuning Options
While the 306P does a lot right, it’s not perfect. I’m always on the hunt for what a speaker has in terms of tuning options. This is because, as good as the speaker’s sound and design may be, you’re pretty much handicapping yourself if you can’t set it in the right space.
Unfortunately, this is one area where the 306P MKII doesn’t pull through. The speaker comes with an EQ adjustment switch for high and low frequencies. These allow you to help tweak and adjust the sound in instances where the location isn’t the most optimal.
It works well if you’re in an area where the acoustics aren’t great or if you’ve thrown the speakers in a corner and want the bass to more easily roll off.
Both speakers also come with a volume knob that both sets and adjusts the volume as well as designate a max volume that they will never exceed. This is regardless of how hard you push them to go. While I didn’t find myself ever using this feature, the fact that it is there and available for use was pretty novel.
Outside of that, however, there isn’t much offered. I’d have been happy for at least a couple of preset options to play with, as you’ll pretty much be experimenting with the sound constantly if you aren’t an expert in the field.
Mixing Capabilities
Provided you’ve got at least a somewhat competent interface for mixing, the JBL 306P MKII offers a pretty easy time in terms of balancing out different mixing options and EQ adjustments. I found it very simple to add compression to my mixes, which made translating to other devices and settings much more streamlined.
Final Thoughts – Is it Worth Your Time?
The JBL 306P MKII, simply put, is a phenomenal speaker set that stands tall and proud even today so many years after its original unveiling. No, it isn’t a perfect speaker set, and there are some areas where its age may begin to show, however, those instances are few and far between. In reality, you’re getting a super sexy speaker set that sounds stellar. It’s got a bit of a hiss to it and there aren’t a ton of tuning or connection options, but when you think about the price and others in that ballpark, it suddenly becomes very clear just how small these issues are.
So, to answer the question, “Is the JBL 306P MKII worth your time?“
I’d have to say that it is worth your time. If you’re someone just casually interested in good and loud sound, you’re going to love these speakers.
If you’re someone that has just started an interest in music producing and content creation, these are the perfect starting studio monitor options, as they give you just enough to get your teeth wet without throwing you into the deep end of different speaker types.
If you’re someone that has been in the field for a while now and knows what’s what (i.e., a professional), you’ll find that these are a great backup studio monitor set that, while not going to have every single bell and whistle that you’re looking for, will offer incredible sound at a steal of a price.
Put simply, unlike other speakers that are good for one type of person but not so much for another, the 306P MKII manages to be the perfect option for just about everyone who listens to it.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Incredible Design
- Very, Very Affordable (Considering Everything You Get)
- Offers A Surprisingly Flat Sound
- Has A Wide Soundstage
Cons
- Amp Noise Level Is A Bit Low
JBL 306p MKII: The Verdict
Ultimately, the question surrounding the JBL 306P MKII was whether or not it had the strength and power to compare with speaker setups today.
While it was certainly impressive for its time, the hanging question was whether it was more in line with the norm of speakers today, or if it still had a lot going for it even now.
While there are areas where the speakers do show their age, it’s not nearly as big as one might have expected. In reality, the 306P still has a lot going for it and would make an invaluable set of studio monitors for pretty much anyone looking to use them.
