JBL Control Monitor Speakers - Gut Shots and Informal Review

I purchased these from ebay for $80 shipped (refurb from the Harman store), and wasn't sure exactly how good these speakers would be since I could find absolutely zero reviews of them even after a comprehensive scouring of google search results. Granted, I'm no audiophile and these are probably the best speakers I've purchased so far, but they sound excellent. The detail is outstanding (to me). Highs are crisp but not overly bright, mids are warm, and bass is very sufficient. I'm using these for my computer speakers with Dayton DTA-1 T-amp. The construction of the speakers includes at least 1/2" (or thicker) MDF with an outer plastic covering, metal grilles, and 5-way binding posts. They also come with sturdy mounting brackets.

Upon receiving the speakers, I was pleased to see that they had arrived in a sealed retail box, with no signs whatsoever that they were refurbished. In addition to a previous experience buying from the Harman ebay store (purchased seven Infinity TSS-SAT1200 speakers for my HT), the Harman refurbished products I received are not refubs at all, but probably just overstock. In any case, I'm extremely happy. The list on the JBL Control Monitors is $329, they sell for +/- $180 at pretty much any retailer on the web, and I got them for $80. Almost a steal as far as I can tell- I'm a bit surprised that at least one other person hasn't reviewed them.

As far as the gut shots, the crossover seems fairly robust (sorry, don't know enough to say more than that); the main driver is polypropylene with rubber surround, and it appears to have a vented backplate; the tweeter is a soft dome (feel free to look up the speaker specs for additional info).

All in all, I'm very satisfied with my purchase. I hope this is of help for anyone thinking about purchasing these.


I do have one question, if any experts have some advice: I noticed that the back of the cabinets had no batting material; I tried adding some generic polyester fill material, but that seemed to detract from the bass response. Should I try some other material, such as batting affixed to the back of the cabinet, or just leave it alone with the bare wood? Thanks for any informed advice on this.

Last pics (had to include one of our kitties playing in the speaker bag).

CT, thanks again for your response. Actually, I think the stock batting may have caved in a bit during my disassembly of the speaker. It is actually supposed to fit neatly around the sides and top of the speaker walls (diagram). I'm thinking the polyester fill stuff I used is the wrong material, and that perhaps some batting on the back wall might be better suited? The rear port is at least about 5" long, so there's not really any risk of obstructing the port (I would cut the batting to fit around the base of the port).

I guess I'm trying to figure out whether the designers/ bean counters omitted the rear batting for cost reasons, or if the speaker actually sounds best like that. In reality, perhaps I'll just have to experiment to find out. Either way, the polyfill seems to be the wrong stuff.