Short answer: the Magnepan LRS+. It ranks #61 of 74 floorstanding speakers by sound quality (rated 3.5/5) at $1,300 and is still sold new; the JBL Studio 590 ranks #69 (rated 2.8/5) and is discontinued, so it is only an option used.
Buy the Magnepan LRS+. It is rated higher for sound quality and still sold new, while the JBL Studio 590 is discontinued.
Still deciding? The full Passive Home rankings cover every ranked option.
Specifications Side By Side
| Magnepan LRS+ | JBL Studio 590 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1300 per pair | $2,000 per pair Discontinued |
| Ranked | #61 of 74 in Large Size Floorstanding Speakers | #69 of 74 in Large Size Floorstanding Speakers |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 67Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 32Hz (measured, Audio Science Review) |
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 74Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 48Hz (measured, Audio Science Review) |
| Sensitivity | 85.1dB (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 90.3dB (2.83V/1m, measured by Audio Science Review) |
| Drivers | Full-range planar magnetic dipole panel (48” tall x 13.5” wide); quasi-ribbon design, two-way with separate mid/bass and tweeter ribbon sections | 2x 8” (200mm) PolyPlas cone woofers, 1x 1” (25mm) Teonex dome tweeter on Bi-Radial horn (2.5-way) |
| Weight | 30 lbs (13.6 kg) | 107.8 lbs (48.9 kg) |
| Woofer Cabinet | open baffle | ported, rear |
| Impedance | 4 ohms nominal, 3 ohms minimum (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 6 ohms nominal (5 ohms measured minimum, Audio Science Review) |
| Dimensions | 48”H x 13.5”W x 1”D (1219.2 x 342.9 x 25.4 mm) | 49.7”H x 12.7”W x 16.3”D (1263.0 x 322.0 x 413.0 mm) |
| Spinorama Preference Score | 1.27 | 4.49 |
| Spinorama Preference Score with Perfect Sub | 4.32 | 6.22 |
| DIY Kit | No | No |
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The Two Speakers In Full
Magnepan LRS+: $1300 per pair Magnepan eBay
Pros: Thin, two-way planar-magnetic open-baffle/dipole panel design (about 48” tall, just 1” deep). Delivers a uniquely dramatic and enveloping soundstage with genuinely three-dimensional depth effects that work across all music genres, not just classical or orchestral material as commonly assumed. Extremely tight, locked-in center-phantom imaging when set up correctly. Open-baffle design avoids the “boxy” enclosure coloration of conventional cabinet speakers. Multitone distortion is remarkably consistent from low to high frequency, a characteristic the reviewer hasn’t observed in conventional cone-and-dome speakers. Compression at high output stays modest (about 0.5-1dB) through the midrange and treble, giving roughly 20-26dB of usable dynamic range in that region. At its price, a strong contender for a dedicated secondary listening room, even if not a main-system replacement. Measured bass extension of 74Hz (-3dB), with a measured sensitivity of 85.1dB.
Cons: Extremely current-hungry and power-hungry: even a pair of 600W Macintosh monoblock amplifiers only averaged about 90dB output. A robust, high-power amplifier is essentially mandatory, and budget amps won’t cut it. Bass rolls off very quickly (F3 74Hz, F10 67Hz, described as falling off “like a rock”), making a subwoofer an absolute requirement for any low-end content. A roughly 3dB dip in the mid-bass (100-300Hz) region thins out vocal body and fullness compared to a conventional bookshelf speaker. A resonance/bump around 400Hz adds a mild boxy quality, though it responds well to about 2dB of EQ correction. Extraordinarily fussy about exact positioning: both seating height (must align with the acoustic reference point between the panel’s lower tie-down points) and horizontal aiming are unusually critical; moving just a couple of inches can cause treble content above roughly 500-600Hz to nearly vanish. Distinct off-axis cancellation zones exist directly to the sides of the panel, where very little sound is audible at all. Fails badly under extreme dynamic-transient testing in the bass, and the reviewer blew fuses pushing the speaker during testing: not built for high-volume or highly dynamic playback. A genuinely different category from conventional hi-fi speakers, requiring more setup patience and experimentation than a typical monopole design.
Full Magnepan LRS+ review and specifications →
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 67Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
|---|---|
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 74Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| DIY Kit | No |
| Dimensions | 48”H x 13.5”W x 1”D (1219.2 x 342.9 x 25.4 mm) |
| Drivers | Full-range planar magnetic dipole panel (48” tall x 13.5” wide); quasi-ribbon design, two-way with separate mid/bass and tweeter ribbon sections |
| Impedance | 4 ohms nominal, 3 ohms minimum (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Sensitivity | 85.1dB (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Spinorama Preference Score | 1.27 |
| Spinorama Preference Score with Perfect Sub | 4.32 |
| Weight | 30 lbs (13.6 kg) |
| Woofer Cabinet | open baffle |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
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JBL Studio 590: $2,000 per pair Discontinued eBay
Newer model: the JBL Studio 698, ranked higher, rated 4.3/5.
Pros: Pretty deep bass. CEA2034 spinorama is flat on-axis at a high level, with high sensitivity around 89-90dB. Predicted in-room response is good aside from a dip between 800Hz-1.5kHz. Distortion at 86dB SPL/1m is good outside of the 8.5kHz resonance. Measured bass extension of 48Hz (-3dB), with a measured sensitivity of 90.3dB.
Cons: 3dB peak at 1.7kHz, about a 4dB peak from 8k to 13k, going to be bright up top. Just okay vertical off axis. Really bad resonance at 8.5kHz, which shows up as a sharp distortion spike at both 86dB and 96dB SPL/1m. Cumulative spectral decay (waterfall) reveals many fine resonances across the midrange and treble. At 96dB SPL/1m the midrange and treble get notably messier, with broad distortion elevation from 2-8kHz. Discontinued.
Full JBL Studio 590 review and specifications →
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 32Hz (measured, Audio Science Review) |
|---|---|
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 48Hz (measured, Audio Science Review) |
| DIY Kit | No |
| Dimensions | 49.7”H x 12.7”W x 16.3”D (1263.0 x 322.0 x 413.0 mm) |
| Drivers | 2x 8” (200mm) PolyPlas cone woofers, 1x 1” (25mm) Teonex dome tweeter on Bi-Radial horn (2.5-way) |
| Impedance | 6 ohms nominal (5 ohms measured minimum, Audio Science Review) |
| Sensitivity | 90.3dB (2.83V/1m, measured by Audio Science Review) |
| Spinorama Preference Score | 4.49 |
| Spinorama Preference Score with Perfect Sub | 6.22 |
| Weight | 107.8 lbs (48.9 kg) |
| Woofer Cabinet | ported, rear |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- JBL Studio 590 vs Sony SS-CS3
- JBL Studio 590 vs Triangle Esprit Antal Ez
- JBL Studio 590 vs Bose 901 Series V
- JBL Studio 590 vs JBL Stage 2 280F
- JBL Studio 590 vs Infinity Reference 253
- JBL Studio 590 vs Focal Aria Evo X N°2
- JBL Studio 590 vs Polk T50
- JBL Studio 590 vs Klipsch RP-6000F II
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