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What is it?
Coming in at a mere £115/$159 for a single studio monitorthe JBL 305P MkIIs are a tempting option for the beginner mix engineer looking to get their first set of ‘proper’ monitors. The question is though, are they actually any good for mixing music?
For a pair they’re considerably cheaper than many of the other options from Adam Audio, M-Audio, and Kali Audio, so intrigued, and more than a little sceptical, I installed a pair into my home studio to see how they hold up against the more expensive Yamaha HS5S I normally use.
The 305Ps feature 5-inch woofers with 1-inch soft dome tweeters embedded in an image control waveguide designed to give a broader sweet spot. The front panel is predominantly glossy black with a small grey logo that houses the power light to let you know they’re on. They’re quite wide too, with the edges hanging off each side of my isolation pads once I got them positioned on my studio desk.
Moving to the back panel you’ve got a bass port, XLR and 1/4-inch balanced inputs, as well as a power switch and classic ‘kettle’ style power input. In terms of controls you’ve got an input sensitivity switch for moving between consumer devices and pro gear, a boundary EQ to help aid low end build up when placed near walls, and a HF Trim for adjusting to the sound of your room. It’s a pretty standard offering from the modern studio monitors, but useful nonetheless.
Performance
Getting the JBL 305Ps set up in my home studio alongside my UA audio interfaceI begin my testing by playing some of my favourite mixes from 2025, including Viagra Boys’ ‘Man Made of Meat’, ‘S.U’ by IDK and Denzel Curry for some low-end oomph, ‘Razor’ by ECHT! for synth sounds, and ‘Never Enough’ from the upcoming Turnstile LP for something that blends traditional instrumentation with digital.
My initial assessment is that the 305Ps are surprisingly more bassy than I expect, especially compared to my HS5s which are typically pretty light in that area. It’s not overpowering, but I definitely notice more low-end coming through than usual. They’re nicely balanced across the rest of the frequency spectrum, not quite as bright as the HS5s in the top end though.
The stereo imaging is really nice, making the panning of toms on the latest production I’m working on really move across the stereo field. Ditto with the Hendrix-inspired panning of guitar licks going from one side to another. It makes them really good for checking how hard-panned guitars are sitting with one another too, letting me get a nice balance of differing tones for extra width in the mix.
One thing I find annoying with these monitors is the auto power-off feature. An auto power off is something I’d actually find pretty useful, as I tend to leave my monitors on all day, but unfortunately, here it just doesn’t work that well. The monitors turn off fine after you leave them for twenty minutes, but getting them to turn back on just doesn’t seem to work for me.
Occasionally it works when it detects signal from the speakers, but for the most part I get either no response at all, or just one speaker – usually the left channel for some reason – comes back on. I then have to switch them off using the power switch at the back, and even then that gives me problems a few times with the speaker just not coming back on. After trying to get it to work for half a day, I just decide to turn the feature off entirely following the process in the manual, and my experience is much better from that point.
Verdict
You can absolutely craft some great mixes on these in a well-treated room, and they could double as a good set of consumer speakers if you wanted to hook them up to a vinyl player or home sound system. For beginners or those looking for a budget set of monitors, I think these are an excellent choice, for experienced mixers they might not be quite as neutral as you need.
MusicRadar verdict: Overall, I was hugely impressed with the performance of these budget studio monitorsespecially considering the price. Yes, they’re a little flattering, but if you’re looking for a beginner studio monitor I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing as it lets you hone your ear without being too unforgiving. For the money, it’s hard to find too much to fault here.
Hands-on videos
Alternatives
Specs
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Launch price |
$159 | €135 | £115 |
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Key features: |
Powered: Yes Power Configuration: Bi-amped Quantity: Single LF Driver Size: 5″ woofer LF Driver Type: Cone HF Driver Size: 1″ tweeter HF Driver Type: Soft dome LF Driver Power Amp: 41W HF Driver Power Amp: 41W Total Power: 82W Class D Frequency Range: 43Hz-24kHz Frequency Response: 49Hz-20kHz (±3dB), 43Hz-24kHz (-10dB) Crossover Frequency: 1725Hz Maximum Peak SPL: 108 dB SPL Input Types: 1 x XLR, 1 x 1/4″ Enclosure Type: Rear Ported Enclosure Material: 15mm Medium-Density Fiberboard Power Source: Standard IEC AC cable |
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Dimensions: |
29.7 (H) x 18.5 (W) x 23.1 (D) cm |
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Weight: |
4.7 kg |
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Contact |
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