revbobuk Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 Has anyone listened to the JBL control 1 alongside the Studiospares and/or Behringer clones? I need a couple of speakers to cover a small room which is used to extend a larger room, and I've used the Behringer 1C before (in a school) with good results. The Studiospares BG205 looks like the same speaker - and the JBL is twice the price of the other two. And I guess they're all made in the same factory in China. So has anyone compared them side-by-side? I'd be interested to know... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Riley Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 Also thomann make the total control 1 which I'd be interested to hear whether it sounds too much different. M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Hampson Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 First off, I am no sound expert, and this could just be a bad case of badge snobbery, but having listened to both the Behringer 1C and the original JBL control One I went for the Control One, the Behringer just sounded a little thin, especially at the lower end, for such a small size the JBL output is quite impressive. the Behringer was also a very lightweight unit compared with the JBL and just didn't feel as well built. But then again you do really have to look at the retail price of each of the units. Regarding price, Behringers come in at about £30 a pair, the JBL list price is just over the £100 mark. If you can cope with a the silver finish Richer sounds are currently offering the JBL's for £49 a pair (silver only) -HERE- I must add that when I was looking at for mine, only the JBL's were available in white (even more expensive), which was a deciding factor, and what enabled me to convince the wife of the additional money spent, as these speakers spend most of their life rigged in the kitchen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew C Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 Just to second something Neil writes above. I've bought both JBLs and "Look-A-Likes". Not sure where they came from, but clones they are NOT. Very lightweight, hard plastic, totally unlike to 'soft' feel on the JBLs, and the sound is thin too. OK for what I wanted as it happens, but not a patch on the Control 1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revbobuk Posted July 17, 2008 Author Share Posted July 17, 2008 Thanks guys - this is the information I was after. And the Richer Sounds offer is excellent - I'd initally passed that over because I assumed that price was 'each'. Shame about the silver colour - suppose I could always spray them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhythm Addiction Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 Just to second something Neil writes above. I've bought both JBLs and "Look-A-Likes". Not sure where they came from, but clones they are NOT. Very lightweight, hard plastic, totally unlike to 'soft' feel on the JBLs, and the sound is thin too. OK for what I wanted as it happens, but not a patch on the Control 1.I'll second that too. I've had some Control 1's for a few years now and tried a "clone" which sounded different and not to my liking so I sold them on for two bob and an orange. Am now thinking of installing the Richer sounds one in my van :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i_hate_fisicks Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 A few months ago CPC was selling pairs of Control Ones for like £40 or something. We got a load at work. I think the standard price is like £50 +VAT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 I have a pile of the Thomann units which are OK for the money BUT the threaded inserts meant for the mounting brackets are rubbish. The slightest amount of excess torque when doing up a screw will cause them to break free from the plastic and then the screw just sits there turning. Which makes removing said hardware impossible. Opening the units up to rectify the problem is a complete nightmare in itself. Oh, and the brackets you can get for wall mounting them are complete pants. I've now heavily modified all mine which involved opening them up, drilling the cases, modifying the brackets and then bolting it all together with decent bolts, washers and nylocks. But at least they are all now nicely fitted onto hook clamps with decent permanently attached safeties. If anyone want I'll take a picture. [EDIT]Someone asked about the sound of them? They sound like a far-eastern made 5" driver in a plastic box. They are not even close to being in the same league as the real, JBL, McCoy. But then they only cost £10 each. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shez Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 If memory serves, there is more than one version of the JBL control 1. The ones that Richer sounds sell very cheaply aren't the same as the ones that proper studio supliers sell. I'll have a dig to see if I can find a reference for this though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 If memory serves, there is more than one version of the JBL control 1. The ones that Richer sounds sell very cheaply aren't the same as the ones that proper studio supliers sell. I'll have a dig to see if I can find a reference for this though...IIRC there's the 'Control 1' and the 'Control 1 Pro' [EDIT]Yep, 2 different products. It looks as though the Pro version is 4 Ohms with the standard one 8 Ohms. The standard version has a 100mmm bass unit and 12mm HF unit whilst the pro is 135mm and 19mm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Hampson Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 When I was looking around JBL also marketed the 'Control One Extreme' but I don't know of the specs. I do however remeber being asked if I wanted the 4" or 5.25" drivers though. I have just looked, the Richer sound ones are the 4" 8 ohm versions, where as mine are the 4ohm version. Sorry to mislead anyone into thinking they are going to get a bargin, however I'd like to bet that even these, lower quality JBL's would be more than a match for the Behringer's.I certianly remember having to buy the speakers individually rather than as a bundled pair, and I seem to remember they were in the region of £80 each at the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johndenim Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 Is it just playback you will be using these for? If so the budget cabs would do it, unless you want the better sound. John Denim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revbobuk Posted July 17, 2008 Author Share Posted July 17, 2008 When I was looking around JBL also marketed the 'Control One Extreme' but I don't know of the specs. I do however remeber being asked if I wanted the 4" or 5.25" drivers though. I have just looked, the Richer sound ones are the 4" 8 ohm versions, where as mine are the 4ohm version. Sorry to mislead anyone into thinking they are going to get a bargin, however I'd like to bet that even these, lower quality JBL's would be more than a match for the Behringer's.I certianly remember having to buy the speakers individually rather than as a bundled pair, and I seem to remember they were in the region of £80 each at the time. OK - just picked up a pair of the Richer Sounds ones - interesting that CPC have the 4R black and the 8R silver at the same price. They're the same size as the 1C, but the silver Control 1 has a 100mm bass driver - maybe the Pro has a bigger driver; the 1C has a 125mm. Mounting systems are completely different - a threaded bolt / ball joint for the JBL; a yoke araangement for the Behringer. Sound? The Behringer outclasses the JBL in almost every direction, IMHO. Certainly at the bottom end; the JBL has none. I'm sure the bigger driver of the Pro version would make a big impact here. But the top end is peaky and sharp, and just not nice. The enclosure is nicer on the JBL, and they weigh 600g more. But they are still plastic, and the silver colour is dreadful. They'll do the job, but I don't think they are worth any more than the Behringer. Maybe some time I'll try the Studiospares ones - the specs look identical to the Behringer. Looks like the differences between the cheap Richer Sounds Control 1s and the £100/pr Pro version are substantial. These are just my opinions - YMMV - but I don't think they should be calling them 'Control 1' when they are so different. A concurrent post has been automatically merged from this point on. Is it just playback you will be using these for? If so the budget cabs would do it, unless you want the better sound. John Denim. I think they'll probably do - but I'm not that happy! I picked up a pair of really tiny speakers from Tandy (years ago) which were in a diecast enclosure, and had 3" bass(!) drivers. I've still got them - and they sound better than the cheap JBLs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Hampson Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 ...could just be a bad case of badge snobbery... RevBobuk, Sorry to hear that you're dissapointed by the JBL's.My own experiance was several years ago, based on a side by side comparison when the Behringer's had literally only just been released, it would seem that either Behringer have picked up their game considerably, or JBL have dropped the ball. I agree that the JBL naming should make it clearer as to what you are buying, especially with the proliferation of internet stores pushing them out at silly low prices, then again can you really see the following advert; "Cheap Chinese driver in what looks like a professional cabinet, with a cool badge on the front". How many other people have bought these inferior (but still genuine) JBL's only to be dissapointed. I must admit that this is not the first time I have recomended the Control one over the 1C's. I think I need to hear another side by side comarison before I open my mouth again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Beesley Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 We stock both the Control1 Extreme from JBL Consumer and the Control1 Pro from JBL Pro. Below are links to the PDF manual/spec sheets. The Control 1 Extreme are 50W (continuous) 8R and the Control1 Pro are 150W (continuous) 4R, both feature a 5 1/4" driver with the Extreme having a 1/2" tweeter and the Pro featuring a 3/4" tweeter. Control1 Extreme Spec Control1 Pro Spec Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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