JBL Studio 190 3-1/2-Way Dual 6.5" Tower Loudspeaker, Black

2019-04-13T20:00:00

So here we are, talking about a speaker line that to me never got the positive attention it should, at least here in the USA, solely due people's unwillingness to listen to a speaker that chose to be something other than just a "box". The weave design is beautiful, very sharp. To me gives the appearance of a high class speaker not in anyway like a dutch windmill or certain part of the human body. However beauty is in the eye of the beholder as they say. My wife and I love the look, as does everyone I show them too. I've had the Studio 1 line in my home for about 7 years now in many different configurations ranging from 7.2.2, 5.0 all towers, 2.0, 2.1 3.1, 4.1, 5.2.2. and presently the text book 5.1 set up which was the best sounding configuration for my living space. During those experimental times I acquired 4 180 towers, 3 190 towers, 4 130 bookshelf's and a 120c center speaker. Subwoofer is currently a JBL 550p. The Studio one series is master jack of all trades as it does 2 channel audio, general TV, gaming and movie duties effortlessly with clarity and grace. Other speakers might have an slight edge in individual areas such as 2 channel audio reproduction, however those speakers fall short at home theater duties and certainly lack the punch that gaming requires. I have attempted several times to "upgrade" speakers over the years. At this point I have listened to most of the common retail level speakers that if the Studio 1 line was still current would be competing against and even some well above and I can say truthfully that nothing that I heard sounded "better" nor worth the $3-6k expenditure to gain little to nothing. Keep in mind the criteria here, 2 channel music, TV, movies and gaming. I know people love glossy real wood veneer and perhaps the Studio 1 series would have gained some more positive attention if it was dressed in dark cherry veneer with a super rich clear coat but the satin black/silver vinyl does something that glossy finishes can't do. Disappear. The Studio 1 speakers cast no light reflections when the lights are out for movie or gaming time and simply disappear leaving your eyes and ears focused on the screen and sound. The handful of real reviews that still exist on the Studio 1 series suggest the speakers sound better with the grills off. Which they do. However they look gorgeous with the grills installed. So naturally I snipped the plastic mesh off the sections covering the transducers leaving only the black fabric covering the transducers. Best of both worlds. I did the same operation to my 550p sub. Sounds much better. Perhaps JBL might want to consider not covering their speakers with the plastic mesh any further? I'm taking both transducers, not just the tweeter. There were only two reviews I came across that bothered to take the time to lose the stock metal jumper brackets and listen with a bi-wire cable. The Studio 190 towers shine with a quality bi-wire cable. I have Audioquest Gibraltars feeding my 190 towers and the sound the two of them produce is the reason why I still have the Studio 190 towers in service. The depth, the clarity, emotion, detail, nuances and all the other standard audiophile terminology applies here. Elton John, Steely Dan, AC/DC, Judas Priest, Fleetwood Mac, Classical solo piano and Jazz instrumental all sound life like and in the room with you. Even Pandora sounds excellent. The Studio 190's image is so superbly that during my few months living with the phantom center I didn't miss the center channel at all. In fact I preferred the phantom center for general TV dialogue but the trade off is you will lose certain dynamics in movies and gaming without a dedicated center channel operating. During 2 channel listening the center image is so powerful it sounds like the center speaker is undoubtedly operating which of course it is not. Fooling new friends with that is always fun for me ;) The 120c and 130 speakers both do the jobs asked of them with flying colors. Thinking about a center upgrade after reading through online forum feedback as I do I bought a JBL 235c with the idea the larger transducers would yield better sound. For I time I thought that was the case, however it really wasn't. The JBL 235c is a great center speaker, not knocking it one bit, but the 4 inch transducers of the 120c create a richer more realistic sound, especially with voices. Probably why the Studio 520c features 4 inch transducers despite being meant to pair with the MASSIVE Studio 590 tower speaker. A clear example of larger doesn't always mean better...if only other aspects of life were viewed in a similar manner ;) If you read into the details The Studio 1 series was designed with a purpose. That purpose was to deliver excellent sound quality in a home setting no matter what you throw at it and I can say beyond any shadow of a doubt that it does that with bells on, a bag of chips and without breaking a sweat. A lot of what the Studio 1 offered lives on in the Studio 2 line, but without the little details that make the Studio 1 line so darn good and for me, potentially irreplaceable.

MikeMc79

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