I have not heard the JBL Control 1 so really can't give a comparative opinion. Because I wanted something specifically for the Top channels, I made the compromise favoring lower cost of MX with a hope it is actually a OEM copy of JBL with different sticker on it. Well MX was just a sticker in the front and back, literally.
I did a brief listening test of the MX pair as Front LR with some movie scenes and music before installing them on my ceiling as Top channels and in my subjective opinion, found it bright in the voice/mid frequencies, lows were not great as expected for a small speaker with plastic housing and highs were decent. One thing I can say for sure is they can get really loud for the small size and price.