We swapped out our mains with speakers that cost about double. Same brand, different line. From JBL PRX to JBL SRX. From twelve-inch woofers to fifteen-inch woofers.
The question is, was it worth it? Did twice the cost make it sound twice as good?
The short answer is yes. Absolutely worth it.
But let me give you more details so you can determine if it’s time for you to upgrade. I’ll even give some tips on how you can make the most of your current system.
We are about to examine how to choose the right size woofer, how to aim speakers correctly, and how to plan for the best speaker coverage.
We used the JBL PRX twelve-inch speakers for over seven years, which all started by chance. After moving into a new building, the budget was running thin. We used the speakers as monitors at the previous location. We were going all in-ears at the new location.
Since the PRX’s no longer had a purpose, we tossed them in the ceiling as mains and hoped for the best. To my surprise, they sounded pretty good.
Then, about five years in, they were starting to sound a bit tired. We had been happy with them leading up to that point, so we swapped them out with JBLs latest version of the same speaker.
A couple of years later, we purchased a JBL SRX system for our traveling rig: two dual-eighteen-inch subs and four fifteen-inch mains. We needed way more power than our main system so it could be used for outdoor events and larger venues.
About a year later, we expanded our main auditorium. Since the PRX’s were already being pushed pretty close to their limit, we decided to swap them out with the SRX’s we already had.
Now we are wondering why we just let these things sit in storage, waiting for the next event. The difference in sound quality is shocking.
I didn’t expect it to be such a significant change. They have a warmth we could never get from the PRX speakers. You can hear more detail.
They sound like they actually enjoy their job, whereas the PRX speakers did their job but sounded like they were just drudging along.
We’ve always had a JBL SRX dual-eighteen-inch sub, even with the PRX tops, but you can tell that the SRX tops were meant to go with the sub. That crossover marries together in a way we could never achieve before.
Going from twelve-inch woofers to fifteen-inch got me wondering how much that had a part to play in the better sound quality. So I reached out to someone much smarter than me, Michael Curtis. His amazing YouTube channel is linked below.
What I learned from Michael is that a woofer’s main job is pretty straightforward: vibrate, move air, and make sound happen. The more air it can move, the louder it can get.
Now, here’s something most people don’t realize: when you go from a twelve-inch woofer to a fifteen-inch, it’s not just a small jump in size. While it’s “only” twenty-five percent bigger in diameter, you’re actually getting fifty-six percent more surface area to move air. And that surface area is the secret sauce. Why does it matter?
That bigger driver can project sound further. This makes a fifteen-inch woofer the better choice when you need to cover a longer distance, which we did in our auditorium expansion.
It’s not just about the size, though. Other factors play a huge role. What type of material the woofer is made from can change its performance.
The shape and size of the cabinet can make or break the sound. The quality of the driver and motor play a huge role in sound quality as well.
In short, go with a bigger driver if you need a longer throw or more volume. Otherwise, a smaller driver might be the right fit for the job.
In the end, the quality of the materials in the SRX series, combined with the larger driver, gave us exactly what we needed for our expanded auditorium. It sounds absolutely incredible.
Check our exact speakers here.
Before you go, let me give you a tip for making the most out of your system, whether you get new speakers or not.
This is the only way to get pleasant yet powerful sound from your speakers.
When room EQ is right, people have a heavenly experience because the entire frequency spectrum is covered at the right volume.
To do this, you’ll set up a reference mic in the middle of your listening area. Plug that mic into your computer to analyze the frequency spectrum with a real-time analyzer. Then, apply EQ to your main mix to match your RTA to my proven room EQ curve.
I’ve been working on this curve for years, and you can download it for free here.
Grab my course while you’re at it: Room EQ Made Simple. It’s a short course that gets you through the process one simple step at a time.
This used to be a technique only for professionals, but my course has made it available to anyone willing to give it a go.
