JBL Stage A170 Review

• A BANG ON THE FOREHEAD
• MEASUREMENT LAB
• Specs
• Verdict

In the past, JBL made a mighty dent in our wallets. Meanwhile, the rules of the game have changed, dramatically even. The background story is quickly told: JBL now belongs to Samsung via the Harman group. There is still American supremacy in development and the old audiophile values. But the accumulated knowledge is also being transformed downward to win new customer groups.

The message was understood; JBL earns millions in the field of small Bluetooth standalone boxes. That is now the core business, plus significant revenues from headphones, primarily wireless in-ear models. Remarkably, we have to search a bit for the new Stage series on the official homepage. It is primarily intended for quick direct sales, but you have to click deep.

The Harman company strategists have never lost sight of the classic loudspeaker business. Under “Harman Luxury Audio” they indulge in premium brands like Revel, but JBL was positioned in the company’s philosophy more for good-value speakers, up to the pain threshold. A duo of honest floor-standing speakers for $700? That seems difficult. Nevertheless, JBL dares the step with the brand-new “Stage” series. We ordered the A170 pair into our listening room. This is the smallest floor-standing speaker; above it, there is the A180 and A190. But even with these, we stay under $1,050.

No magic powers need to be at work. It’s more of a perfectly humming machine on a global level. The chassis are manufactured in the Far East, as are the housings and the final assembly; in the USA, the long-established engineers can tinker. The Stage series was conceived multifunctionally. Of course for the stereo market, but with little money, we could also put together a fat home cinema set here, including center and subwoofer.

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But that’s not of interest to us. We want to put the smallest floor-standing speaker to the test. First, we have to talk about the finish. It’s straightforward but far from any noble material. Simple wood with foil. Available in black or a red wood tone. With that, you can neither fascinate a wife nor, as a single, talk up the visual appearance in the living room. These are Spartans.

A BANG ON THE FOREHEAD

But exactly at this point lurks the lucky purchase. The exterior is okay; the technical side impresses. The masters from Northridge, California, install a 25-millimeter dome, which lies in a large-format, square waveguide. That borders on the specifications of a horn. JBL itself calls it “High Definition Imaging”. One cannot escape the effect; we heard it immediately – it actually has the presence of a horn, fast, highly dynamic, and several meters in front of the actual speaker plane. A bang on the forehead.

The bass and mids flow from two 13-centimeter diaphragms – JBL calls the material “Poly-cellulose” – so a mix of paper fibers of different lengths. No revolution, but the best fare from their own house. Here combined in a 2.5-way design, the lower driver gently fades out at higher frequencies and hands over the mids to its sibling. The airflow is guided to the back via two bass reflex ports. The bi-wiring terminal is simple but functional. Also very nicely solved are the crossbars with their plastic cones towards the floor; that fits in almost all real living scenarios.

Interim conclusion: For this technical array, the speaker is still amazingly inexpensive, even if savings were made on the finish. Now only the sound impression has to be right.

Straight to the really heavy stuff and the bestseller on Qobuz: Metallica unleash maximum dynamics in their latest album. In “72 Seasons” the drums whip as if we are in a race on the highway, ignoring every speed limit and constantly nodding our heads back and forth. Not for older gentlemen with heart problems. You can also use this track to burn in cables. Amazing how confidently the Stage A170 performed in our test. The direct, very energy-rich panorama plus strong bass surprised us. A rather American tuning. According to our taste, no one is calling for a supporting subwoofer, although JBL offers it precisely fitting in the Stage lineup.

Then a hefty slam on the brakes. Can the A170 also be sensitive? Tip: Joe Bonamassa live with “Tales Of Time”. Everything there seeks atmosphere in the live arena. The JBL serves that up like a big one. Amazing, this sovereignty. I was afraid in view of the metal dome in the waveguide. That could have become harsh to brutal. But the effect succeeds, especially since even small amplifiers can unleash enormous pull with such a strong energy artist.

MEASUREMENT LAB

2.5-way floor-standing speaker with rear bass reflex port and crossover frequencies at 1.8 and 2.8 kHz. Frequency response with slight emphasis on bass (+4 dB) and highs (+3 dB) as well as restrained mids (–2 dB / 2 kHz), otherwise very balanced on-axis response without ripples. In the horizontal plane, wide dispersion, directivity begins only from around 10 kHz (blue, measured 30 degrees off the mid-axis). Largely uncolored sound image even when the listening position is slightly offset in the vertical; 10 degrees above the axis results in a slight dip at 1.5 kHz (green). The bass foundation is average deep with 47 Hz (–3 dB) or 42 Hz (–6 dB). Step response and waterfall measurement (without illustration) certify the JBL Stage A170 a correct driver polarity as well as clean, resonance-free, fast attack and decay. Impedance curve (black graph): uncritical for all transistor amplifiers (impedance minimum 4.3 Ω at 200 Hz). With tube amplifiers with high internal resistance, the 90 Hz peak could be reinforced due to the impedance peak present there. Distortion behavior (right): Clean play at elevated volumes except for the narrow-band distortion peak at 280 Hz. Decent efficiency of 83 dB/2 V, recommended amplifier power: With 50 W, the JBL reaches 100 dB_SPL, for the maximum level of 102 dB_SPL it needs 80 W.

Specs

• Website: jbl.com
• Price (MSRP): 660 Euros (~$720 USD)
• Warranty: 5 years
• Dimensions (W x H x D): 19 x 93 x 25.5 cm
• Weight: 14 kg
• Finish: Foil
• Colors: Black, “Wood”
• Design Principle: 2.5-way, bass reflex
• Room Adaptation: No
• Special Features: None

Verdict

Every cent is hard-earned. Nevertheless, I want strong sound with the extra push – exactly here the Stage A170 presents itself as a high-flyer and superstar. The JBL is brutally affordable, but never overdone in the sound image. To exploit the ample level reserve of rich 102 dB_SPL, the amplifier should already produce 80 watts at 4 ohms.

Audiogram (Review Summary):

• Pros:

  • Punchy, surprisingly good for the compact design, angular bass

• Cons:

  • Slightly tuned for show, but acceptable

Evaluation:

• Neutrality (2x weight): 70 → 7/10
• Detail Accuracy (2x weight): 70 → 7/10
• Localization (Sound Positioning): 80 → 8/10
• Spatiality: 75 → 7.5/10
• Microdynamics: 75 → 7.5/10
• Maximum Volume: 75 → 7.5/10
• Bass Quality: 80 → 8/10
• Bass Depth: 75 → 7.5/10
• Build Quality: Good → 8/10

Final Score:

• Sound Rating: 74 points → 7.4/10
• Price/Performance: Outstanding