Review: JBL’s mighty $500/pair tower wows the Audiophiliac 

Good to see affordable stuff getting a mention for us mere mortals!

JBL has some amazing, world class 'higher end' speakers, and they've been in the business forever. Even their lower end speakers are fantastic. I just got a pair of JBL Studio 570 'mini tower' speakers, and I am blown away! I have them on wood butcher blocks in my living room setup, and I am floored by how lively, detailed, and fun they sound! I can't explain it! I bought them on sale (deal of the century?) for $398 the pair, and I can't stop listening to them!

Bought a pair of JBL 083's in 1971; they were old then (probably late 1950's) and they're a lot older now. Each box: (2) 150-4 15"; 375 midrange with 537-500 horn lens assembly; 075 ring radiators; N500 crossover and N7000 crossover. I was 26 when I bought them and still using them at age 74. Probably my LAST speaker......

Original owner of L110's and also have 4311's... Never underestimate JBL 👍

Thanks Steve for all your hard work and dedication to Hifi you are becoming a living legend !!

Steve will you ever review the JBL STAGE A190 speaker ???

Picked up the jbl arena 180 with the dual 7 inch woofers and I've listened to more music in the last 2 weeks than i have in the last 8 years. That's not an exaggeration... Its been so much fun falling in love with music again! The speakers sound great!

Price per pound, the best speaker company around.

Thanks for reviewing tower speakers. These JBL are not only affordable, but they are also available just about anywhere on earth.

Hey Steve A170 vs Emotiva Airmotiv T-Zero advise me please

399.00 per pair right now on Amazon

Thanks. I love JBL since 1971!!!! A lot.

I agree with this review, I have listened to the JBL A170 speakers and they are indeed powerful yet incredibly detailed. They are truly excellent speakers and punch well above their price!!

My powered JBL 305P MKII made me switch to only buying JBL!

Thanks Steve for inserting pictures of the amplifiers and speakers that you're talking about. It makes watching the video even more interesting.

Save your lunch money and get the Studio 580 or 590 when they go on sale instead.

"Lets take it up a little notch"... bam!!! Right back to the Pass Labs. How did I know that amp was coming back. Undeniably, you continue to confirm to the audio world that affordable amps sound great, but spend a little more and you will get amazing!!! The JBL's in my opinion have always been a great reliable brand. Glad to see JBL in the mix again and worthy of your review.

I think the Can album "Ege Bamiyasi" is awesome as well.. if you don't have it.. get it

Steve, What about reviewing the Polk Audio Lsim 705 speakers?

Been using my Northridge e90 for about 15 years now. They have the greatest soundstage and amazing low-end. The mid-bass is very refined with great imaging. They have kept me away from trying anything newer since I honestly haven’t found one to better this overall. Unless I was willing to spend probably 10 times more. Thanks Steve for your thoughts on JBL. What you’ve said is indeed the brand’s sound signature then. I feel sorry for their current range of Bluetooth speakers though.

wow, that was really good on the JBL line. Thanks for touching base on the budget line. I really have to look for a brick and morter store, but than $500 is worth it just to buy them and keep them for ever, and JBL will always sell. Great name!

Just heard a Macintosh amp recently. Hard to beat by ANY standards

Thanks to this review I discovered Can. Also, slender floorstanders are making a case against stand mounts because they occupy the same floor area. Essentially the same WAF (wife acceptance factor) but you get the scale.

The moral here, spend more on your amp than on speakers

Hope you will be reviewing some of the larger speakers in the JBL "Stage" Series. Seems like bang for the buck is amazing.

I have their predecessors, the Arena 170's. I absolutely love them and they're so much better than I expected for the price. I thought they'd be a stepping stone for me until I saved up, but honestly I've been happy with them.

Got my A170s yesterday very happy ! Thank you for pointing me in the right direction !

I just added the stage a120p sub to these…omg!!!

Would love to see a review on the Klipsch RP towers in the smaller 5” or 6” size. Nothing online in depth on the small RP towers out there.

Thanks for the mention of Can - Future Days Steve! I've always heard of CAN, but I've never really listened to their stuff before. Streaming Future Days on my JBL studio 580s and really liking it. This will probably be something I hurt for on vinyl now. I love when you mention/recommend music. You've got some real gems in mention in your reviews.

Oh, and I'm a fairly new subscriber, like what you do

Just ordered a pair of these JBL Stage A170's.....can't wait to hear them!

Interesting. Makes me wonder how ALL speakers around that price point would sound with better, more expensive amps.

I don’t know if these are my last but…I have a pair of San sui S-71 U 3way speaker system…they are a GREAT pair of speakers for me..the bass is AWSOME…😎😎😎😎

@5:50 (living in an apartment): Do you have understanding neighbors? Ever get complaints about the volume? Are you curtailed to performing reviews only during the day? I have good neighbors. But I try to keep it down -- especially at night.

Steve. Love your videos. Love that you are reviewing JBL too. I grew up with them and am considering getting them as a start up system. I am looking at the Studio 509 I think they are called. But did you see the new line, the JBL NDI at the CEDIA. I think they are expected to come out Jan. 2020. Also, Please give a check to Fyne Audio. A 2 y/o Scottish company I think. They have some horn like models that are WOW Impressive. If a local store near me stocks them, I will go that route maybe instead of JBL.....Thanks

YEAH WELL I JUST BOUGHT THREE PAIR OF THE JBL STAGE A 1990S FOR $139 PER SPEAKER.. SEPTEMBER 2023 BOOM BOOM BOOM IN YOUR ROOM ROOM ROOM.. FINEST PRICE FOR A SPEAKER THAT DOES WHAT IT SAYS IT DOES THAT'S WHY THEY'RE CALLED J BELLS

Great review! Very well explained. I own several pairs of JBL Studio #270 floor standers and JBL Arena #170. Lots of quality and open midrange sound quality .

Thanks for the comparison to RP600M! 🙃 (Also, thanks for the reviews of "budget" high-end speakers!!!) Would you always include some classical music in your reviews?

I just got som JBL 530's as I don't care for tower speakers...

Hi Steve, thank you for doing this review. I have been vacillating for months on this, now I'm seriously ordering. May I ask, how would you it fare with the JBL Studio 530, it has great reviews too... Hope you can share your expert opinion.

Still use my 4350s with Audio Power Labs class A tube amps

JBL makes some of the best speakers on the market.

I remember my old Mirage 595is I had. They had a similar foot print and size. Small woofers, but man those babies rocked!

HHI Steve what are your thoughts of the jbl 250 ti speakers thanks

He Steve what about the JBL studio 530 bookshelf or the tower version that would be a good review heck man I ran out of money to keep my reviews going it's been hard to get company's to send me products to review idky I have 5 amps now down to 4 sets of speakers and have you heard the Sony sscs3 towers with super tweeters ? they'd be great if they had the low end of the pioneer fs52 But the Sony tower sounds 10x that of their bookshelf version

Is it True that the First PlayStation is Really Good In the Quality of CDs Sound?

Steve, Thanks for taking the time for JBL's i purchased the Studio 290 a few months back and couldn't agree more. Maybe if you have time would like to know what you think. Me as a lets say low budget audiophile am always thinking, am i getting the most bang for my buck? Got the 290's for half price $600.00 for the pair every once in awhile JBL has crazy deals...

DAVIO'S OFFICIAL NICKNAME GOING ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE LATE SIXTIES IS JAY BELL THEY WERE GIVEN THIS MONITOR FOR A REASON BOOM BOOM BOOM BRIGHTNESS BOOM

The big question is? Are those higher end JBL worth it?

Okay. I'm checking out Can, Future Days.

Steve, would you consider a review of the Ohm Walsh 2000. They fit your mid size tower review theme. They are also made right there in Brooklyn. I have heard one glowing review, but now that I have been watching you for a while and being familiar with your reviews and some of the equipment you have reviewed it would be great to hear your review and your experience with them.

Seems more and more. The formula is to pair inexpensive speakers with increasingly more expensive gear. Not to over simplify. What's your take?

Just purchased some stage A190s with the matching center and their 550p sub... it'll be my first non soundbar setup and I'm nervous and excited both! Have you had a chance to listen to the 190s? I got the pair for $700 shipped. $180 for the sub, and $120 for the center, seemed like a pretty good deal. $1100 total investment, everyone think I did okay? If I add bookshelves later is it crucial they match?

Great review, well done. I know you like Love’s “Forever Changes” but you need to hear “Four Sale” which was next. I’ve enjoyed both for decades but this one has more power, kinda acid rock. Some of the songs go on too long but I still think it’s brilliant. One of my all time favorites.

Steve, allot of us JBL guys want you to review the Studio 580 or 590's. Dude, if you can pull that off, you'll make thousands of us that own them extremely happy. We all want your opinion on these...none of the reviewers will do it for some reason except Tharbamar and Z-Reviews and they love em...

So, forget the 61/2 inch Klipsch. Got it.👍 I'll also be interested in your thoughts on the Studio line.

I have JBL Northridge speakers that most hate but they still work and rock after 18 years

I'm still enjoying my pair of JBL HP520's that were made in Germany. They are paired with a Martin Logan sub. Unique design and still sound great after 2+ decades.

love JBL their LX series in the 90s made me an audiophile started with LX-300 then went to The LX-500 they was awesome ! Just hated the foam surroundings

I am looking at the stage 180 and the psb t20. Just dunno what to pic

Did you test the JBL s3900 and what was your opinion

Thanks Steve. I had my first exposure to JBL this weekend. We rented a JBL 600watt sub to support our PA for a wedding. That got the dancefloor jumping!! Bowel-shaking goodness ;-) (The pro audio owner testified as to the brand's reliability.) My wife wants one...

where I live JBL speakers of this type are not common to find in HIFI stores. There are more things like DALI and Klipsch, but I am a huge fan of JBL headphones, earbuds and so on, and I have tried a few from expensive to cheap, and they all beat most other commercial brands for me So I am at the moment considering these speakers instead of my R 820f Klipsch. So can anyone here tell me if that sharp clean sound resides in these JBL speakers before I substitute my klipsch??? I appreciate any kind of feed back. The JBL's that I have are Tune 510BT, Club One, and RFL flow Pro. And they all sound amazing to me.

I have a pair of Pioneer SP-FS52 Andrew Jones floor speakers which cost $158 (for both), new. The sound is amazing when I play Blu-Rays through my system. Deep bass and great mid-range. Hard to believe they cost under $200. But when I play CD's on my 20-y.o. Sony CD player (through a Yamaha amp), the sound isn't quite as booming. Do I need to upgrade my speakers or just add a subwoofer?

JBL for me, thank you for the review!!

I read your Denafrips review on CNet. Ooh, I want one now.

Which amp best for jbl a170 ?

JBL makes great speakers, but has terrible marketing! Hopefully Samsung improves this.

What do you think about the JBL A180

How they compare to Dali Zensor 7?

Nice recommend on CAN. I have been listening to them on some SVS Prime Sattlites. Before that, it was JBL stage A130. Have you ever listened to Wilco ??

It would be really interesting if the gentleman we know as Steve Guttenberg should review a rather affordable, horn loaded / "waveguided", bookshelf speaker like the JBL Studio 630... God bless you, Steve!

Hey Steve, thanks for your amazing reviews, I'm in between the JBLs Stage A 190 and the B&W 606 S2 anniversary, what would be your recommendation? I have a Denon DRA800H but I was looking into an ARCAM SA-20. Thanks!

You're on the mushrooms again Steve hahha. Which pass Labs is that is that the one with the high distortion what is the THD on that. How much does it sell for How does a DAC sound like running of battery should work really well have you tried it I wonder how those JBS compared to the tannoy Revolution xt6f that would be interesting comparison about the same price. what about the Cyrus one amplifier why haven't you viewed that that's about $800 you going to?

Great video love your input on the sounding of the speakers. Now I’m having the trouble deciding on these or jamo studio s 809 what you think? Price is about the same.

Mmmh... Maybe you missed something of what Pink Floyd became after Syd Barrett ;)

Has anyone done a jbl 590 vs a svs ultra comparison? Also are they comparible, both have 2 8' inch driver's but the SvS also have 2 mids and a tweeter and the jbl's are half the price give or take . So if anyone has herd a comparison of these two speaker's I would really like to know .

Im confused,.Steve! You said the Klipsch RP600ms are really dynamic in comparison, which differs from the JBLs character?? Then yet you immediately stated thereafter that the JBLs are excellent Rock speakers??? Sooo are or aren't the JBLs dynamic , fast, and punchy sounding speakers, which do rock and heavy dynamic material well, or no? Cause im pretty sure the Klipschs DO rock well, by enlarge!

Back in the days of night clubbing, I saw a lot of JBL's!

At one time I could get NAD a C 316BEE V2 on Amazon not now. The one place close to me just doesn't have anything . So if I have to deal with the manufacture I'm going with Schiit. Your really pushing that record / group LOL .

How about the a180 & a190s?

I'm still loving my circa 1986 JBL L100t3's; yet, my true love is the 4367. I just don't see em in my future though, too expensive at $15,000.

Hell Steve! Can it hook up with PRX subwoofer, and can it use for Karaoke?

I bought a pair of brand new PSB Image 4T floorstanders in the year 2000 and they look just like these JBL towers. Stereophile people loved them back then and I continue to enjoy them every day. The bass and scale of their sound is incredible. They are great with rock music and they shake my apartment violently when I play some hip hop. It will be very hard for me to find something better for not much more money so maybe I'll wait until I can afford some much better speakers. It's meaningless to buy just a slightly better speaker. My next speakers will have to be significantly better.

best at 170, 180 or 190 for a 161 ft2 room

Cool. I just ordered Future Days (remastered) on CD. I often test my system using "Get Lucky" from Daft Punk, Random Access Memories. My son gave me that album in the form of the studio master files at 88.3kHz/24-bit. I upconverted them to 96kHz/24 and play them in my DAW.

Love CAN. Sort of reminds me of Tangerine Dream.

A190s please

Do the jbl a170 support banana wiring?

P.S. Dynafrip Ares is not directly available in U.S. (i.e. no apparent dealer)but .. does their older but refined technology really outperform Schiit Bifrost/multi-bit? Looking to upgrade my Modi 3 so ... Inquiring minds want to know!

I used to love altec-lansing in the '70s. The Santana model was horn loaded and awesome. Used to love JBL's too, wonder who's designing & making them now. A huge Can fan. More like the German Captain Beefheart

They scale up nicely, better electronics gets you better sound out of these modestly priced speakers

Oooohhhhh that DAC! That looks like the one I've been waiting for. Can't wait for the video review of it. And these speakers are very interesting too. Very efficient for little 5 inch woofers too. If the ratings are real, anyway. And not some "in room" nonsense like Klipsch does now. RP-600M is rated over 6db more then Stereophile measured them at, for instance. And 44hz at minus 3db is pretty good too. Same as my Wharfedale Denton 80th, which have pretty good bass for my small room. I've a feeling these will be even better with the larger enclosure, and the 2nd woofer to help out. Somehow I don't expect the tweeter to be anywhere near as smooth, and mellow, though. That might be exactly what many people will like though. I bet these would sound great with a nice tube amp. Something vintage might have great synergy perhaps. Thank you Steve.

How are these JBLs in comparison to Airmotiv T1+?

I love your videos Steve you are AWESOME! Also enjoy cars honking in the background :)

Vintage JBLs were known for their "boom and sizzle" west coast sound. Do these venture far from that characteristic?

Steve, how would these JBL's compare to the q acoustics 3050i?

I got my pair for $367 these speakers I think will be awesome.Will be running them off a onkyo rz50 along with the matching center and I’ll order another pair of a170s for surround duty .

I need some help, I would like to buy my first pair of floor standing speakers but have to choices about same price $ 600 to 900, talking about Polk RTi A7 AND RTi A9, preference to listen music. Of course If using the same price you recommend something better, please let me know tks