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Jbl e90s really fatiguing high frequency

1984ericfx

1984ericfx

Active Member
I've been messing with a pair of jbl e90s... i'm finding that they are extremely fatiguing in the high frequency range( though i'm not quite sure exactly where)

Currently I have them toed in a bit... should I start working them either more straight or more toed out?

Furthermore, what changes should I make as far as equalization goes?

oddly I was listening to a pair jbl s26ii and they actually sounded all right, they certainly didn't bother me on the top end

(years ago i had a paur of jbl s312ii's. At some point one of the tweeters got damaged and I could not find a proper replacement, but I did find a silk dome tweeter with appropriate specs and it pretty much just dropped in once the wave guide was slightly modified... this made them fairly pleasant to listen to)
 
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Positioning in my experience doesn't help the high frequency fatigue so much. Low end - absolutely for sure. For those JBL's the only thing that comes to mind for me is room damping or your ability to attenuate the high end. I'll be blatantly honest in my opinion.... that JBL line wasn't intended to be particularly high end. I am sure they can sound very good to some. I probably offended some here=sorry.
 
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Weird thing is they sound fine today... no fatigue... I would still say certain parts felt somewhat jarring... only slightly.

But the wife and I listened to a few tracks and compared them to the Paradigm Atom V2 that I just repaired. While listening to take five dave brubeck quartet my wife instantly mentioned the the Atoms made her feel like she was in a Jazz Lounge and the JBLs sounded like we were outside?

I noticed a great deal more detail on the Atoms, and the cymbal decay was what really blew me away... I wasnt even closer in comparison
 
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1984ericfx said:
I've been messing with a pair of jbl e90s... i'm finding that they are extremely fatiguing in the high frequency range( though i'm not quite sure exactly where)

Currently I have them toed in a bit... should I start working them either more straight or more toed out?

Furthermore, what changes should I make as far as equalization goes?

oddly I was listening to a pair jbl s26ii and they actually sounded all right, they certainly didn't bother me on the top end

(years ago i had a paur of jbl s312ii's. At some point one of the tweeters got damaged and I could not find a proper replacement, but I did find a silk dome tweeter with appropriate specs and it pretty much just dropped in once the wave guide was slightly modified... this made them fairly pleasant to listen to)
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The reason I asked for your source below is because CDs, Spotify, LP’s all sound different on my system. I’m wondering what you are listening to
 
An very old fashioned way to eq. speakers is to use a Stereophile or Sheffield Labs test cd, spl meter and a notebook to chart which eq. sliders need adjustment and by how much to achieve a somewhat flat response.

Basically what I do is find the tracks with warble tones, 20hz to 20 khz, locate the 1khz tone and adjust volume for around 75db. That is the reference level. Go through all warble tones noting how many db's the other tones are above or below the 1 khz tone and adjust accordingly.

A great improvement is not where you might expect it. For me it was female vocals in the lower registers. Julie London "Cry Me a River" is the test track I use due to the heaviness/reverb like sound sometimes present in her lower range.

I am not into using computer programs or guesswork to adjust my speakers. Just an old school method and probably not audiophile approved.
 
1984ericfx said:
Lossless spotify. Direct connect.
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So the built-in variable EQ on your system isn't enough to tame the JBL speakers' highs?

I've heard of people covering or physically muffling offending high-frequency drivers with insulation cloth when all else fails. Seems you have a double whammy. A bright Onkyo receiver and bright JBL speakers.

Sorry!
 
Mr Boochie said:
So the built-in variable EQ on your system isn't enough to tame the JBL speakers' highs?

I've heard of people covering or physically muffling offending high-frequency drivers with insulation cloth when all else fails. Seems you have a double whammy. A bright Onkyo receiver and bright JBL speakers.

Sorry!
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Not anymore.

1232.jpg
 
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