I recently had the opportunity to experience JBL’s new MA AV Receiver and Stage 2 Loudspeakers. What’s exciting about these releases is their suitability for the average consumer in terms of price, ease of setup, and features. I put them to the test by playing a track many speaker systems would struggle to do justice to, and I was pleasantly surprised by the result. More on that later.
The event was held at the Republic Studios in Manhattan, the official space for the renowned Republic Records. We took turns visiting various rooms in the facility to experience a different speaker setup. A host of models were released for both categories—five AV receivers and nine loudspeakers, to be exact—with retail prices ranging from $400 to $1,600 for the MA AVR and $300 to $1,200 per pair for the JBL Stage 2 speakers.
We enjoyed a listening party (of sorts) that included three entirely different speaker setups for a range of price points. The setups ranged from $1,000 for barebones bookshelf loudspeakers (250B) and AVR mix to the full-fledged $3,500 5.1.2 surround sound system. The latter included a single center channel loudspeaker (245C), a pair of floor standing loudspeakers (260F), a pair of bookshelf speakers (250B), two Dolby Atmos enabled height module loudspeakers (240H), a subwoofer (220P), and, of course, the AVR (MA710).
This elaborate setup may look intimidating, but it’s easily tweakable in multiple ways. You can do away with either the floor-standing or bookshelf speakers to convert this into a 3.1.2 setup or remove Dolby Atmos from the mix and make it a 5.1. Scalability works both ways to scale up to 7.1.2 or 9.1.2 setups, at the very least.
Ease of scalability is one of the biggest features of the JBL Stage 2 lineup, though that isn’t exclusive to this company or its products. Most other surround sound speaker setups can be scaled up or scaled down. A total of $3,500 for the complete five-point setup is impressive for a brand like JBL. Of course, you can manage a similar setup for around two grand, too, but a branded speaker system will set you back somewhere between $4,000 and $6,000.
A few months ago, I reviewed the JBL Spinner, its first Bluetooth-enabled turntable, and was impressed with how easily navigable it was. Being a turntable newbie, I appreciated the simple UI and was able to fully assemble and start using the Spinner within a few minutes. The company claims it’s extended the same ease of assembly, calibration, and setup on the new line.
The companion app, EZ Set EQ, offers an AR-generated calibration feature that scans the room and intelligently informs you about the optimum location of each speaker for the ideal listening experience. I didn’t get to try this myself, but JBL claims each speaker should take five minutes, totaling 25 minutes for the whole 5.1.2 setup.
The AVR carries that ease of controls, sporting just two dials (input and volume) and a 6-inch display on its front panel. The display holds information about the content being played and can be turned off with the press of a button in case you want a pitch-black room for movie night. It comes with a simple remote resembling a regular TV controller, unlike the huge, heavy slabs of plastic that usually accompany AV receivers. I liked the addition of an LED light strip running under the AVR, with customizability options on the app. I wish the LED synced with my music, though. This is an obvious feature, and I’m not sure why JBL skipped it.
Complementing the aesthetic are the two stunning colorways: espresso—a nice, deep brown—and latte—sparkling white. It was refreshing not to see black on an AVR for a change. JBL says the white colorway is to have the AVR match the PS5, which, according to its research, is the most popular gaming console on American TV stands.
After the demos, we had a chance to play tracks of our choice. I selected Jab Se Tu Ne by Khamaaj, the song I’ve been listening to on loop lately. I was blown away by how crisply Arsalan Shah’s voice cut through the bass guitars at the beginning of the song. The high notes were packed with brightness, never crossing over into tinny or sharp. The orchestra was airy, with lots of openness and depth. Though I would have loved more imaging (a better idea of the placement and position of the instruments in the orchestra), I can attribute that to the modest 2.1 speaker system we were demoing on.
The song’s chorus brings a powerful low-end that, concerned about muddiness, I was almost nervous to hear for the first time. I breathed a sigh of relief when I heard the precisely controlled but punchy bass. The JBL Stage 2 speakers obviously did the song justice, given that others in the room were soon quizzing me about the artist.