Also, if anyone is interested - on Saturday, I got new IEMs, the Hifiman RE400. They are currently on sale for $79 from $99. They sound great and are an awesome value at the current price. They have a flat response with slight warmness. I recommend them if you are looking for good IEMs.

The last 5 days I've been listening to the LSR305 with various DACs so I think it's time for an update. First of all does the LSR305 improve with a DAC? As you might expect, it does. But I have to say the difference is definitely not night and day. The JBL sounds awesome straight from my...

I have been listening to the RE400 since Saturday and I love it. The clarity is impressive, especially vocal music is simply beautiful. The bass works for me, it's there when you need it and not overpowering in any way. It's definitely not a bass monster which is a good thing. It sounds great...

No idea, I found out about it from this thread, the post is from Nov 3 so I bet they will be on sale tomorrow. Mine are already shipped.

Just ordered the RE-400, I couldn't resist the sale price. The new version seems to be better build based on what I read here and for $79 these seem to be a fantastic deal. I already have amazing studio monitors and good full size headphones, but these are my first high quality IEMs, I can't...

I have a lot of gear coming today so I decided to update my comments on the JBL before I get the DAC. It seems that I'm updating all my audio at the same time -I decided to order 3 DACs (ODAC, Modi and Audioengine D1), see which one I like and return the rest (will update the thread again once I...

Thank you! You were the first to suggest the LSR305, you suggestion was very helpful, I appreciate it. I have been listening to them all weekend and love them more and more. I'll post a short review after a week of listening, but my impressions so far: clarity is top notch, plenty of bass for a...

BigTerminator, great post, very informative. Congrats on your new toys, I bet they are awesome. I went to Guitar Center with my wife yesterday and listened to the JBLs again. They sounded so great that I couldn't resist, I had to take them home :) I know that I could have waited and bought...

Based on what I heard at Guitar Center, I would say definitely yes. The JBL sounds way fuller and much more exciting, while still not coloring the sound. I was planning on getting the AV40 when I started this thread, but after hearing the JBL I couldn't settle for the AV40.

I heard the Mackie CR4 and would give a slight nod to the AV40. If you can find the M-Audio BX5 that sounds way better.

That sounds pretty awesome. I didn't think there's too much of anything in the audio world :D Let us know how the whole setup sounds.

If you liked them, I don't get why don't you just buy them again. Hz is not everything. I guarantee that the JBL will produce way better sound than the Promedia, but you seem to care mainly about Hz.

I wish such a setup existed, I would be all over it :) For $250, I would do what I'm doing right now - get the JBL LSR305 (when it's on sale) or perhaps the M-Audio BX5 (seems easy to get it at that price at any time). That way you are getting a pretty good 2.0 system and if you want to add a...

Good luck with that. When you find a reference system that goes to 20Hz for $250, let me know.

I think your expectations are unrealistic. These drivers are not enough to provide 20Hz and decent all around sound. Either look into 8 inch monitors or more realistically save for a separate sub that will give you those frequencies. You want too much for $250 and 5 inch drivers. If all you care...

Just out of curiosity, how would you compare the Airmotiv 4s and the JBL LSR305? To me, the JBL sounded vastly superior. I haven't heard any Audioengine speakers so I can't comment on that (my impressions on those are purely based on my research, not actual listening).

I heard some Adam monitors and while they were really good and I could tell the difference between them and the JBLs, I didn't feel like I am missing enough to justify the price difference. I actually didn't expect to be so impressed by the JBL, had really low expectations, but when I left the...

Oh and btw the JBL seems to be a good competitor for the Adam F5 so they also punch above their price point: https://www.gearslutz.com/board/low-end-theory/867409-jbl-lsr305-vs-adam-f5.html

I heard the 4S, a friend of mine has them at home. I haven't heard the 5S and I agree that based on what I read they should be better than the JBL. That's why I said that the 5S is more comparable to the JBL, not the 4S. BobM said that the 4S offers far better sound, which I disagree with. I...

I heard the Airmotiv 4s and definitely prefer the JBL. The Airmotiv is more compact and in my opinion is more of a competitor to the Audioengine A2+. The Airmotiv 5 is probably a step up from the JBL but not the 4s. I heard both and prefer the JBL. I researched the JBLs extensively and haven't...

Thanks for all the help. No $100 cables for me, that's for sure. I ordered the Auralex Mopad and Hosa dual 1/4 inch to RCA cable. With the DAC and the JBLs that will be a huge upgrade of my audio. Can't wait to hear it! :)

I'll probably get the ODAC given the glowing reviews all over the Internet. However, I have a more basic question about the best way to connect the DAC to the laptop. I have an ultrabook with just 2 USBs (3.0). I use one to connect the USB hub that's built in my LCD monitor and from there I have...

Great discussion guys, very informative. I keep researching and reading about all the various options but there doesn't seem to be an easy answer. A couple of things seem to be indisputable: 1) any modern DAC will sound better than the audio in my laptop 2) some provide less features and claim...

Hehe good point. So would you say that the AE D1 is not a good fit for the LSR305? Not revealing? I am basically looking for the DAC equivalent of the JBLs :)

Thanks for the suggestions guys, choosing a DAC seems way harder than choosing the monitors... I don't need a headphone amp, but it would be a nice addition. I mainly care about the quality of the DAC portion, I want to do justice to those JBL monitors. The Maverick Audio D1 looks quite...