Experts recommend Yamaha HS5 more than JBL 305P MkII
As of 10 Jan 2025, experts prefer Yamaha HS5 over JBL 305P MkII, but both Studio Monitors have solid expert endorsements.
As per this month's meta ranking, Yamaha HS5 received 6 recommendations: from Hyperbits, Gearank (7 Nov 2024) Music Radar (27 Nov 2024) and 3 others. JBL 305P MkII was also endorsed 6 times: by Hyperbits, Gearank (7 Nov 2024) Music Radar (27 Nov 2024) and 3 others. However, experts generally ranked JBL 305P MkII lower than Yamaha HS5 in their articles, which caused it to rank lower in ReviewFinder ranking.
| Rank | Change | Price | Studio Monitor | higherhz.com  | Pocket-lint  |
woodandfirestudio.com  | Hyperbits  | Gearank  | Careers In Music  | Music Radar  | PianoDreamers  | Music Critic  | Popular Science  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | - | $198 |  Yamaha HS5 The Yamaha HS5 is a powerful and reliable studio monitor that delivers accurate and detailed sound reproduction, making it a great choice for home studios and small recording spaces. | - | - | - | 4 | 8 | - | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| 2 | - | Check price |  JBL 305P MkII The JBL 305P MkII is a highly recommended and affordable studio monitor that delivers accurate and detailed sound reproduction with advanced technology and excellent stereo imaging. | - | - | - | 1 | 5 | - | 7 | 5 | 3 | 6 |
Curious to see this month's entire Studio Monitors ranking? It's here
Endorsement summary:
- Hyperbits ranked JBL 305P MkII as #1 and Yamaha HS5 as #4
Rank Studio Monitor Comment #1 out of 20 JBL 305P MkII Best Entry Level Monitors (less than $400/pair)... ... ... #4 out of 20 Yamaha HS5 Best Entry Level Monitors (less than $400/pair)... ... ... Source: hyperbitsmusic.com - On 7 Nov 2024 Gearank ranked JBL 305P MkII as #5 and Yamaha HS5 as #8
Rank Studio Monitor Comment ... ... ... #5 out of 12 JBL 305P MkII Author's Pick... ... ... #8 out of 12 Yamaha HS5 ... ... ... Source: www.gearank.com - On 27 Nov 2024 Music Radar ranked Yamaha HS5 as #4 and JBL 305P MkII as #7
Rank Studio Monitor Comment ... ... ... #4 out of 9 Yamaha HS5 The best for a true representation of your recordings... ... ... #7 out of 9 JBL 305P MkII The best studio monitors for beginners... ... ... Source: www.musicradar.com - On 14 Sep 2024 PianoDreamers ranked Yamaha HS5 as #4 and JBL 305P MkII as #5
Rank Studio Monitor Comment ... ... ... #4 out of 10 Yamaha HS5 Best Studio Monitor Under $500 (for intermediate studios)#5 out of 10 JBL 305P MkII Best Studio Monitor Under $500 (for intermediate studios)... ... ... Source: www.pianodreamers.com - On 16 Feb 2024 Music Critic ranked Yamaha HS5 as #2 and JBL 305P MkII as #3
Rank Studio Monitor ... ... #2 out of 10 Yamaha HS5 #3 out of 10 JBL 305P MkII ... ... Source: musiccritic.com - On 8 Feb 2024 Popular Science ranked Yamaha HS5 as #1 and JBL 305P MkII as #6
Rank Studio Monitor Comment #1 out of 8 Yamaha HS5 Best overall... ... ... #6 out of 8 JBL 305P MkII Best for home recording studios... ... ... Source: www.popsci.com
After counting and adding up the 99 expert endorsements of the January rankings, Yamaha HS5 outranks JBL 305P MkII. This is not to say that JBL 305P MkII is a bad option. Like Yamaha HS5, it is recommended by experts, but less.
As can be seen below, Yamaha HS5 outranks JBL 305P MkII by 1 position. This indicates that, as of 10 Jan 2025, Yamaha HS5 is more critically acclaimed than JBL 305P MkII.
| Rank | Change | Price | Studio Monitor | higherhz.com | Pocket-lint | woodandfirestudio.com | Hyperbits | Gearank | Careers In Music | Music Radar | PianoDreamers | Music Critic | Popular Science |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | - | $198 | Yamaha HS5 The Yamaha HS5 is a powerful and reliable studio monitor that delivers accurate and detailed sound reproduction, making it a great choice for home studios and small recording spaces. | - | - | - | 4 | 8 | - | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| 2 | - | Check price | JBL 305P MkII The JBL 305P MkII is a highly recommended and affordable studio monitor that delivers accurate and detailed sound reproduction with advanced technology and excellent stereo imaging. | - | - | - | 1 | 5 | - | 7 | 5 | 3 | 6 |
| 3 | - | $720 |  Adam Audio A7V The Adam Audio A7V Studio Monitor is a powerful and accurate speaker that is ideal for professional recording studios, home studios, and music producers who require high-quality sound and accurate monitoring. | - | 5 | - | - | - | 1 | - | 8 | 7 | - |
| 4 | - | Check price |  Neumann KH 120 A The Neumann KH 120 A is a bi-amplified speaker system designed for accurate and detailed sound reproduction, making it ideal for critical listening applications in professional recording studios, post-production facilities, and broadcast environments. | - | - | 1 | - | 12 | 4 | - | - | 9 | - |
| Show all rows | |||||||||||||
Expert reviews [12]
Total expert reviews: 12
- with a score: 5
- without a score: 7
| Highest score by Music Critic | 100 |
| Average score based on 12 reviews | 94 |
| Lowest score by higherhz.com |
80 |
Score distribution:
| 80-100 | |
| 60-80 | |
| 40-60 | |
| 20-40 | |
| 0-20 |
Expert reviews [19]
Total expert reviews: 19
- with a score: 8
- without a score: 11
| Highest score by Home DJ Studio | 94 |
| Average score based on 19 reviews | 84 |
| Lowest score by Digital Stereophony | 70 |
Score distribution:
| 80-100 | |
| 60-80 | |
| 40-60 | |
| 20-40 | |
| 0-20 |
From Seller:
- MkII series features next-generation JBL transducers, new Boundary EQ, and a sleek new design.Waterproof : No
- Updated HF and LF transducers: new design improvements result in optimized damping for superior transient response and impressive deep bass with lower harmonic distortion
- Read more
From Seller:
- Includes (2) Yamaha HS5 studio monitors
- 2 Way bass reflex bi amplified near field studio monitor with 5 inch Cone woofer and 1 inch dome tweeter
- Has monitors emphasize sonic purity without any coloring or alternation of the original sound
- Read more