Anyone here run JBL 590’s ?

MAZ

If so is there a polk you like better?

I have the 590’s but i felt the polks i had prior were better looking /better built. The jbl were on sale half price at the time so it was my first pair of new speakers.

mhardy6647

No but I remain very curious about them.
They are highly regarded by some, dismissed by others, reviled by very few.
And, yes, cheap when on sale -- sort of like the "Persian Rug" marketing scheme that has persisted (in the US) for decades.

The problem, from my perspective, is that they're designed like high-sensitivity loudspeakers, but they're not very sensitive. Seems like the worst of both worlds to me.

pitdogg2

Personally I do not understand why companies are still magnetically shielding the drivers? ARE there still CRT TV sets that need to be shielded from the driver magnets?

mhardy6647

pitdogg2 wrote: »

Personally I do not understand why companies are still magnetically shielding the drivers? ARE there still CRT TV sets that need to be shielded from the driver magnets?

That's a very good question! Even the hipsters aren't -- generally -- using CRTs.
That said, I know there are still devotees of certain very large CRT computer monitors.
My son is one of them ... although for some reason the one monster CRT monitor he has is in my basement and he won't let me throw it out.

Well, in fairness -- and disclosure -- I have one down there, too.

pitdogg2

It just seems to be a needless cost for a company to spend money on.

mhardy6647

pitdogg2 wrote: »

It just seems to be a needless cost for a company to spend money on.

Yes.
Although -- and I can't believe anyone in 2023 would stoop to this level of redneck engineering: but...
Back in the day, Foster (Fostex) made some interesting drivers with T/S parameters (specifically, very low Qts) that made them somewhat tedious to accommodate using DIY cabinetry. Somewhere along the line, though, someone noticed that the shielded versions of those drivers had Qts values that were high enough (barely) to be accommodated in a simple bass reflex alignment and still produce some usable LF.
e.g.,
FE-206E Qts = 0.18 https://www.fostexinternational.com/docs/speaker_components/pdf/fe206erev.pdf
FE-207E Qts = 0.26 https://www.fostexinternational.com/docs/speaker_components/pdf/fe207erev.pdf
I (still) quite like my pair of FE-207E in 1ft^3 BR enclosures, although I (still) wouldn't say this approach is an engineering best practice.

pitdogg2

Well that first picture must have been right after you moved in, it's far too clean and uncluttered.....

mhardy6647

pitdogg2 wrote: »

Well that first picture must have been right after you moved in, it's far too clean and uncluttered.....

Yup. It hurts me to look at those photos every time I do.
I am such a slob.

msg

No, Doc. For once, you are entirely and unequivocally incorrect. The term is "Collector", and you've got it all well organized/stashed.

Plus, if anything, it's your son's CRT monitor that's put you over the line. It's not your fault at all. This is why I don't have kids. It was the risk of having to store his/her CRT monitor.

(I still have a nice Sony 17" flat 0.25mm. In storage. )

displayname

I had the JBL Studio 580s for a long time. I purchased them at a very significant discount while I was employed at Harman.

The build is cheap, but the design has a lot of character and can be a ton of fun. It’s not a very refined speaker, but the upper horn design has a lot of clarity and it can slam in the bass department. The classic V shape sound that draws so many into the hobby early on. If you need to fill virtually any space with room filling sound, these speakers will get you there for a very reasonable price.

My only advice would be never pay full price for them. They do on sale so often and honestly they start to lose their appeal as you go further up. But for around $600 for the 580s, you’ll have a great time and you should be able to pass them along the second hand market if you’re ready change in the future.