ITJim
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- First ReviewNovember 23, 2013
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- First AnswerNovember 23, 2013
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Experience unparalleled audio with Bowers & Wilkins Pi6 True Wireless Earbuds, featuring a true 24-bit connection and aptX Adaptive technology for dynamic, high-resolution sound. The 12mm bio-cellulose drivers, adapted from our Px7 S2e headphones, reduce distortion and enhance high-frequency details, delivering lifelike clarity. Great for commuting, these earbuds boast advanced active noise cancelation and three microphones for crystal-clear calls. The noise cancelation adapts to your environment, ensuring uninterrupted sound. Crafted with premium materials, the Pi6 offers an ergonomic fit and features an intuitive single-button control, supporting multiple functions. Stay powered throughout the day with quick charge support, providing an extra 2 hours of use with just a 15-minute charge. Enjoy up to 8 hours of earbud battery life and an additional 24 hours with the charging case. These durable and versatile earbuds come with an IP54 rating for protection against water and dust, making them suitable for a range of activities, from running and working out to enjoying music outdoors. Use the Bowers & Wilkins Music App, compatible with iOS and Android, to stream music from services like TIDAL, Pandora, Qobuz, Deezer, and SoundCloud, ensuring you always have your favorite tunes at your fingertips.
Amazing Audio, Comfortable, Clear Calls. Almost 5*
Customer Rating
4.0
Initial Impressions:
The Bowers & Wilkins Pi6 earbuds are great with music, good with phone, about average with noise cancelation, have terrible wireless range, and are the most comfortable B&W earbuds I have had the pleasure of using. The touch controls take a little getting used to but are fully functional and easy to learn. The B&W app is disappointingly basic for such a capable product. The battery life is excellent. And the charging case fits easily and comfortably into my pocket. Overall, I think these are excellent ear buds for the money.
Music:
Musically, these earbuds are excellent! It is what the Pi6’s does the best. Bass is clear, sharp, and not bloated. Mids and highs are detailed and balanced. I started with Indigo Girl’s “Closer to Fine”. I was listening for the strums on the guitars, the decay of the notes, and guitar separation. I could even pick out some knocking on the side of one of the guitars towards the end of the song. Each string, the decay of the chords, and the separation of each guitar was excellent, clear, present in the sound stage, and much better than what I hear from most ear buds. I moved onto Air Supplies, “Every Woman in the World” for their wonderful male vocals. And the Pi6’s delivered the goods. Male vocals were clear, crips, well balanced, and simply fun to listen to. I then moved onto Megan Trainer’s, “Made you Look” the acapella version and not that gross, watered down version she released a while back. What a vocal delight. The Pi6’s did an excellent with the male and female harmonies while also doing an excellent job of properly resolving each voice. For example, there are moments when the male voices join the female voices in harmony. They sound amazing together while at the same time resolved enough that you can still pick out each voice in the sound scape. And they sound wonderful.
From here I moved onto the title piece on the original soundtrack for Pacific Rim. This is one of my new audio testing tracks. This piece has everything from screaming guitars, brass horns, drums, synthesizers, violines, and layers upon layers of musical themes all weaving in and out of each other. This is what a movie soundtrack should sound like! And it sounded every bit like the movie with the Pi6’s. This was not as big of a sound as what over ear headphones or a proper stereo or home theater system can replicate. But it’s still really good and engaging. “Drift” by Blake Periman featuring RZA is the closing credits song from the same movie. The female vocals are full of ghostly yearning and pain. The bass beat is so heavy that I could feel it in my head. Again, the Pi6’s can really deliver the bass.
For fun, I threw on Boney M’s Rasputin. What a fun song this is. It starts out with an amazing drum solo. Then is joined by what I am guessing are Turkish guitars. Followed by male and female vocals. Then by chanting men followed by a rocking 70’s rock track. I have used this track for many headphones and earbuds. Fantastic!
I finally wrapped up my musical audition with some classical music, heavy-fisted club music, and even some organ music. The Pi6’s supplied enough bass to both build a foundation and then support the rest of the music. And this was demonstrated beautifully with Bach’s “Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565. The Pi6’s handled everything wonderfully.
Voice and phone calls:
Phone calls were handled very well by the Pi6’s. Receiving voices were clear and without any audible artifacts. Transmission was a bit of a mixed bag. One caller described me as sounding far away. Other callers described me as sounding natural. Overall, I got more compliments than complaints.
Noise Canceling:
Noise canceling is also a mixed bag but seems on par with most earbuds I have owned. Steady, white noise kinds of sounds were handled the best. I work from home most days. My home office is just off the kitchen. One afternoon I had the dish washer running, a air purifier running at medium speed next to me, and my laptop’s fan blowing at full speed. The noise was slightly muted with just having the earbuds in with no noise canceling on. The noise was mostly muted with noise canceling turned on. And I heard nothing with the music on.
The Pi6’s had a more difficult time in a less steady environment such as a school bus. The noise of people talking, bumps in the road, the general groaning of the bus it bounced down the road were only slightly muted with noise cancellation turned on. I noticed that the Pi6’s overcompensated with hard hitting sounds such as the bus hitting a pothole. I eventually turned off the noise cancellation because the effect was very uncomfortable.
Pass through:
The audio pass through is good. Everything around me sounds natural. However, my own voice does take on a slight, “fingers in my ears” quality that has the effect of making me speak slightly louder than I should. Otherwise, I find it quite good. I can hear everything going on in the house with the music and voice off. Some sounds, like fan noise, are a bit off and sometimes over exaggerated. But, for the most part, I can hear what I need to hear. The pass through will allow sounds to penetrate the ear while listening to music. The Pi6’s can play loud enough to drown out the pass through. There is no function in the B&W app to adjust the volume of the pass through.
Final note. Noise cancellation increases the sound pressure in the ear. This is something that I can feel. Turning off Noise Cancellation takes me from pressure to plugged ears. Turning on the pass through strangely provides some relief to my ears from the other two settings. It is like I took my fingers out of my ears.
Wireless Range.
Wireless range is the perhaps the worst I have ever experienced with ear buds. I normally use the Pi8’s in my home office. My kitchen is the next room over. Not even 20 feet. I can risk disrupting my connection to my phone while refilling my water glass at the refrigerator. I will have disruptions if there is a wall between the Pi6’s and the phone. And I will lose connection if I move outside of 20 feet with an obstruction between us. I do not live in a big house. With clear line of site, I cannot stand at one end of my home with my phone on the other end without experiencing some audible connectivity issue. The solution to this issue is simple. Keep the phone on my person, or with me at my desk, while using the Pi6’s. However, grabbing my phone to take with me is not always top of mind or practical.
Touch Controls:
Touch controls are limited but work well. It takes no pressure to activate the touch control. Tap on either ear bud will start/pause music or answer/hang up a voice call. Tap and hold is programable between Noise Cancellation/digital assistant and volume controls. For some reason the Pi6 cannot handle both. Double trap will skip ahead on the play list and triple tap will drop back to the previous musical track.
Comfort:
I personally cannot wear earbuds, regardless of shape or comfort, for more than two hours. I get ear fatigue from most earbuds at the thirty-minute mark. I can wear the Pi6’s for the full two hours before I need to take a break.
The Pi6’s also does an excellent job of staying in my ears. I wore these for housework, moving furniture, and doing yard work for two days without any slips. They didn’t even get loose in my ears, which I find amazing since they do not have little flanges or stabilizers to speak of. The little rubber tips are just the rights size to keep these in my ears. Chewing is one action that often pushes earbuds right out of my ears. They stayed in my ears and maintained a great seal. At no time did I need to re-adjust or tighten the Pi6’s to remain in my ears. I’m not sure what Voodoo magic B&W pulled off here but it’s working.
Conclusion:
I could probably go on another few pages about the Pi6’s but I don’t have the room. Bottom line: fantastic, full range audio at all volumes and with all genres, great fit, solid noise canceling though situation dependent, solid sound pass through, clear calls, poor wireless range, and anemic but serviceable app. For ear buds, these are a lot of fun to own.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Sound worth obsessing over. VIRTUOSO MAX harnesses the passion of audio experts and the power of cutting-edge technology to produce immersive harmonics on Xbox and more. State-of-the-art Graphene drivers produce spectacularly clear and precise audio, broadening the highs and lows of every soundscape. Dolby Atmos expands the play past the screen and into your world, with each conflict, conversation, and cutscene unfolding around you. Band together with friends and strategize over voice channels with the broadcast-grade omni-directional microphone. Perfectly balance in-game sound and team chat with on-ear audio controls. Active noise cancellation eliminates all other distractions, leaving you with all-encompassing gaming audio that sounds so good.
Great performance, quality materials, comfort C-
Customer Rating
4.0
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Setup:
First, before using the Corsair Virtuoso Max Wireless Gaming Xbox Headset, be sure to download and install the latest iCUE software to your PC. iCUE will automatically prompt you to install any available updates for either the Corsair Virtuoso Max Wireless headset or the included USB transmitter. The headset and USB transmitter are compatible with both Xbox and PC.
For my Xbox One X, physical connectivity was straight forward. Plug in USB stick into a free USB port. Telling the Xbox to use the headset, which I don’t normally do, required me to follow the instructions provided by Corsair. Microsoft’s audio menu makes it harder than it should be. I was able to set the Xbox to use the Virtuoso Max as well as set the sound mode to Dolby Atmos. I then launched the Dolby Atmos Xbox application and ran 7.1.4 test tones that is included with the app. The Corsair Virtuoso Max played every test tone’s special position accurately and clearly. I was convinced that tones were coming from all seven base layer speaker positions as well as the four height positions. Unfortunately, the bass, which is omnipresent regardless of sound system or listening device, simply did not sound bassy enough. More on that soon.
Each ear cup has a rotation dial that controls volume. Each dial runs the outside edge of each ear cup. Each ring has a diamond pattern etched into the surface for grip and easy identification during headphone use. The left dial is master volume. It works with Xbox and PC. The right dial controls the volume balance between team chat and game volume. It took me about five minutes to find the correct balance between team and game volume during my first Xbox game. For some reason, the right volume control defaulted to 100% team chat which meant I got no game effects or music. I was happy once I got this figured out. The lesson here is that I should have paid more attention when I read the instructions. It would have saved me a bunch of time.
Gaming Audio:
Gaming audio is really good. The Corsair Virtuoso Max is crystal clear at all volumes. However, I would not recommend playing these at full volume for very long. These get plenty loud, with enough detail, to guarantee a satisfying gaming experience at safe hearing volumes. I could not detect any audio breakup at max volume.
I started out with Diablo 4. This game has a constant ambiance soundtrack and special effects going off every second of the game. Positional audio was a bit difficult to pick out since there is always so much going on everywhere. Demon sounds were loud and clear. Weapon attacks, spells, splat, wack, and squishes were also crystal clear and full of detail. Voice dialog was also clear and front and center. My only complaint here is that the bass is a bit thin. For example, the destructive blast wave that accompanies a character advancing to a new level is normally accompanied by a bassy thump. Corsair Virtuoso Max was more of a wimpy flap than a bassy thump.
Next up, I tried out the new Mechwarrior 5: Clans. I’m a Battletech fanboy and this game proved timely. Again, cutscene dialogue, which there is a lot of, was fantastic. Better yet, the Corsair Virtuoso Max kept up beautifully with the cacophony of lasers, machine guns, missile fire, explosions, jump jet rocket sounds, mech footfalls, and everything else that tends to saturate a sound stage which is video games. Again, here, I was disappointed with the bass reproduction. Everything else sounds fantastic.
My experience with PC games was about the same. iCUE does allow for different EQ settings through iCUE on the PC. However, you need to turn off Dolby Atmos if you want to take advantage of the EQ.
Music:
This will not be an audiophile type review. Just a few notes. I listened to a large array of music with the Corsair Virtuoso Max. I did this with Apple Music on my PC using Corsairs USB transmitter. The music was just as crystal clear as my games were on Xbox. However, I found myself chasing the bass.
So, I load up a song that I know has a solid, strong bass beat. Masha Ray’s “Levan Polka (Dancing Donkey Mix)”. Here, I got some good bass. I turned off Dolby Atmos and Windows Spatial Audio in Windows settings and then set iCUE EQ to Pure Direct. Yes! Bass! And really good bass. I move onto a Sturgill Simpson’s, “Sing Along” which is a wall of screaming guitars, heavy bass, distortion, vocals, and just a complete saturation of the sound scape. Again, bass was clear and tight.
My overall impression of using the Corsair Virtuoso Max for music is really a solid pass or me. They are really good for gaming on my Xbox but not my cup of tea for critical listening sessions.
Comfort:
The Corsair Virtuoso Max are very well built. The cans are all metal. Corsair did not cheap out on cans, the hinges, or the flexible headband. Even the buttons and switches are metal. The headset has a solid industrial feel to them that just screams quality. The other night, I wanted to rage quit a game and throw my headset at the TV. Except, I knew the Corsair Virtuoso Max would shatter my TV or, if I missed, leave a hole in my wall. Funny how rage quitting loses that romantic expulsion of emotions when you know that acting out that romanticism can do real harm.
Unfortunately, the padding of the Corsair Virtuoso Max follows that same hard and industrial feeling. The padding on the headband is made of soft foam but not enough of it. On my head, the foam is just shy of the top of head leaving the clamping force and my ears to keep the ear cups in place. The padding on the ear cups are even thinner. There is so little padding that the headset sits hard against my head. My ears and jaw feel fatigued after about two hours of wear. The paddings fabric also has the office chair kind of industrial feel. I would have preferred the plush, soft, and fuzzy ear pads of previous Corsair headsets.
The headband does extend to fit larger heads. Corsair built in stops along the extender arm in the headband that will ensure the custom adjustments will not move when putting on or taking off the headset. The band is also flexible enough to expand to fit even the largest of human melons.
Microphone:
I really like the microphone. The Microphone connects to the left ear cup via USB C connector that has a special shape ensuring that the Left ear cup is the only ear cup the microphone will connect to. The boom arm is a fabric covered flexible arm. The microphone itself sits at the end of the arm. There is a mute button built into the base of the mic just below the USB C connector. The other end of the microphone arm has an LED light that will illuminate red when Mute is active.
The headset will state, “Mute on”, or “Mute off” when ever the status of mute changes.
Voices are crystal clear. I spent the night playing Mechwarrior Online with my clan the other night. We use Discord to communicate. They reported that I sounded absolutely clear and was very easy to hear. iCUE offers additional options to optimize recording, including volume boost, if I ran into any issue. Nvidia also offers an optional AI voice optimization, through iCUE, for those who live in noisy environments and need some kind of voice optimization or noise cancelation.
Noise cancellation modes:
Noise cancellation is good. I generally play my Xbox in a quiet room. However, I do have an air purifier, a heater with a fan, and my furnace to deal with in the same space. I also have overhead LED lights that hum that a very high, audible frequency. I normally keep these lights off. During testing, I turned my air purifier to 100%, Jet engine, cleaning. My heater was also turned on which made quite a racket. I turned on the Corsair Virtuoso Max’s noise canceling. The fan noises were reduced to a whisper. I didn’t even hear my furnace turn on in the other room. And I could not hear the LED lights hum. All the background sounds simply vanished once I started gaming.
Passthrough also worked very well. Outside sounds sounded very natural. This includes talking, keyboard typing sounds, and I can even hear the TV in the next room. Off, or no noise cancellation or passthrough, did an ok job of isolating sound. Noise cancellation works better. Changing between modes has an audible queue. Which makes it difficult to tell what mode you are in. I would like Corsair to change this to vocal cues like Mute. Please, leave no doubt in my mind which mode I am using.
Final thoughts:
There is more to like here than not. I would be the first in line if Corsair offered a set of comfort or plushy padding for the Corsair Virtuoso Max. As is, I can game for about two hours before needing a break. That may be a good thing, but I want the choice to be mine. The construction and material are fantastic. Audio is not audiophile great but is excellent for gaming. I just wish bass was easier to adjust for on the Xbox. Connectivity options are fantastic. Dolby Atmos works very well. The mic is loud and clear. And the overall function of the Corsair Virtuoso Max is excellent.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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The Shark PowerDetect Clean & Empty (IP3251) system is the ultimate cordless solution for powerful, intelligent, whole-home deep cleaning. It features an Auto-Empty system that charges & empties your vacuum after every clean, reducing dust exposure by 1000x* vs. traditional emptying. PowerDetect is powered by Shark’s most powerful cordless suction** PLUS a redesigned DuoClean Detect nozzle with dirt-detecting intelligence and multi-directional cleaning, making it THE BEST debris cleaning*** of ANY cordless vacuum. While most vacuums push around debris in the back-stroke, the redesigned DuoClean Detect nozzle eliminates this problem by capturing more**** dirt, dust, and debris in forward AND reverse for faster cleaning*****. PowerDetect has an impressive 70min of runtime§§ and a MultiFlex wand for effortless under-furniture reach and flex storage. (*Based on third party-plume testing while emptying vs. Shark Navigator upright manual empty US/CAN NV130)(**Based on ASTM F558, measured at the hand vacuum, tested in Boost mode)(†Based on Geomean of ASTMF2607 and IEC62885-2 (5.3 & 5.5) vs cordless market)( ǂvs. original DuoClean nozzle)( §vs. Shark Stratos IZ862H)( §§measured at the handvac in ECO mode)
Unique, powerful, and aesthetically unappealing
Customer Rating
4.0
Images for this Review
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Initial Impressions:
The Shark PowerDetect is a metal and plastic monument to minimalist industrial design. The Handheld Vacuum, minus the MultiFLEX Wand and nozzle, looks like sci-fi gun straight out of Buzz Lightyear. Attaching the MultiFLEX Wand to the Handheld Vacuum transforms the Shark into a Gundam rail gun. I would look perfectly natural with this thing strapped to my back at a Halloween party. On the other hand, the Dock and Charging Post are aesthetically unpleasant.
Cleaning performance is good. It has the typical Shark multi-roller technology that you find in all modern Shark vacuums. The PowerDetect uses an automatic variable speed to auto-adjust to detected dirt level and floor type. The handheld vacuum automatically empties into the Dock’s reservoir. Emptying an independent dustbin is so much easier, and cleaner, than previous bagless vacuums I have owned.
Setup:
The PowerDetect packing material is 100% recyclable cardboard and not so recyclable plastic bags. All of which was kept to a minimum. There is a quick start guide in the box which includes a QR code to the full user’s manual.
Assembly is simple snap and click. It uses the same buttons and push levers that you will find on most modern Sharks. However, unlike previous Shark vacuums, I found some of the buttons and levers in odd places that interfere with the clean ergonomics of my previous Shark Vacuums. For example, the thumb switch that releases the MultiFLEX Wand from the floor nozzle requires me to bend over and pull the wand up while pushing the floor nozzle down with either my foot or another hand. This left me feeling off balance during the procedure.
The filters are pre-installed in the Handheld Vacuum and the Dock. The unit comes with two multi-function wand attachments. One is a narrow nozzle with a slip-on brush. The other is a pet hair removal nozzle with a removable matching brush. There is a single peg on the Dock’s base for one attachment. The PowerDetect comes with an add-on plastic part with an additional peg for the other nozzle attachment. Honestly, the addition peg looks more like a cheap afterthought than something designed to be part of the Dock.
The Quick Start Guide will get you where you need to go but it is not a substitute for reading the Instruction Manual.
Cleaning and performance:
Cleaning and performance are “different” than any other vacuum I have used. First, the vacuum has three operating modes. Eco, Detect Mode, and Boost. Eco is low power, least amount of suction mode. This is good for hardwood, cement, and tile floors. Boost is full power, high suction mode best used for heavy dirt, high traffic areas, and rugs. Detect Mode is variable an automatic variable speed mode.
Detect mode literally detects floor types and dirt level. The PowerDetect automatically activated Boost Mode on my carpets and then reduced to Eco mode when I moved from the carpet to my hardwood floors. The PowerDetect also shifted between Eco and Boost as it detected heavy areas with increased dust and pet hair and edges. There are two lights on the front of the Nozzle and two on the rear. The lights do an excellent job of highlighting dirt, dust, hair, and other debris. As soon as I could see the dirt in the lights the PowerDetect would change its power mode to address the challenge. It was pretty cool. I was able to replicate this experience on my medium pile carpet, hardwood floors, basement cement floors, and multiple low pile carpets, under and around cabinets, under tables and other furniture, and in spaces where lighting was a challenge. The PowerDetect did a great job with the exception of two carpets that cover my basement media room.
My basement carpets have a grain. Like wood has a grain. All of the fibers in the carpet line up in perfect rows like a corn field. Vacuum with the grain and all is good. Vacuum against the grain the PowerDetects digs itself a hole which stops all forward and backward movements. This happened again and again. It did not matter what the power mode was. Nor did it matter if I used a heavy or lite touch on the handle. The solution was to pick the nozzle off the floor and reposition myself to align with the grain. I could still vacuum under my futon because I could still push the vacuum at a slight angle to the grain. But, perpendicular to the grain and I’m forced to pick up the PowerDetect, reposition, and start again.
The MultiFLEX Wand:
The MultiFLEX Wand has a few neat features. First, the two nozzles that ship with the PowerDetect are interchangeable with the floor nozzle. They also attached directly to the Handheld Vacuum.
Second, the MultiFLEX Wand folds in half. This is useful for cleaning under deep furniture like beds, couches, and futons. However, the joint at the MultiFLEX Wand’s hinge and the joint at the floor nozzle lock up preventing much more than simple back and forth motions. The PowerDetect becomes inflexible and forces me to move side to side with my motions instead of allowing the vacuum to move around me.
Third, I can store the stick vacuum freestanding. The MultiFLEX Wand will fold 180 degress to allow the Hand Vacuum to rest just above the vacuum nozzle. Thus, it will stand freely in perfect balance. This means I can store the PowerDetect upright, temporarily, anyplace in my home without worrying about it sliding off a wall or laying in the middle of the floor.
Dock:
Aesthetics have that “don’t spend a cent on aesthetics” look. This wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t for the little misses. For example, the PowerDetect literally hangs from the charging post. It is obvious that the original intent was for the floor nozzle to rest on the floor. The Dock’s thin, plastic, flimsy is molded to support the floor nozzle wheels while the floor nozzle rests on the floor. This creates two issues. First, the charging post leans over slightly when the PowerDetect is in the dock due to the weight of the PowerDetect. The lean is more obvious on a carpet than on a hard surface. This is because the Dock’s flimsy base flexs more on carpet than on a hard surface. Second, the handheld vacuum can be detached from the MultiFLEX Wand hanging from the charging post. Unfortunately, you have to remove the MultiFLEX Wand from the charging post to reattach the Handheld Vacuum to the MultiFLEX Wand. Then replace the PowerDetect in the charging post.
The Dock charges the Handheld Vacuum’s removable battery when the Handheld Vacuum is hanging from the Charging post. The Handheld Vacuum’s dustbin is also automatically emptied when placed into the charging post. The charging post has a manual switch that will flip the auto discharge mechanism from auto empty to do not empty, or night mode. My recommendation is to leave the unit in Night Mode until you need to empty the PowerDetect. Otherwise, the Dock will auto empty the PowerDetect every time the PowerDetect is docked, plugged in, or your home recovers from a power outage.
The Dock’s Dustbin is a large, hollow box. There are no filters, fancy airflow raceways, or other fancy mechanisms. The Dustbin lifts away easily. The bottom of the dustbin releases with the press of a button. Be sure to hold this over your trash bin, outdoors, because everything comes out all at once when the door drops open.
Odor Neutralizer Cartridge:
The Dock has a spot for an Odor Neutralizer Cartridge. The Odor Neutralizer Cartridge freshens the exhaust air when the PowerDetect auto empties into the waste bin. It smells like Irish Spring soap. The Odor Neutralizer Cartridge has three odor intensity settings. I found this unique and novel. It beats smelling sour vacuum exhaust.
Conclusion:
It is a solid middle of the road product. It cleans well. The variable suction and vacuum nozzle lights are fantastic. I like the auto empty feature. I like that the PowerDetect can be stored upright in the Dock or folded over to free stand in a closet. I love the easily removable, long lasting, rechargeable battery. And the Irish Spring scent is pretty cool.
But there are little things with the build quality that bother me but do not interfere with the operation, or my experience, with the PowerDetect. The MultiFLEX Wand becomes frustrating to use for under furniture cleaning. The Edge Detect feature, that I did not discuss, is hit or miss depending on the dirt level. And the floor nozzle keeps getting trapped on my low pile basement carpets.
There is more to like than not with the PowerDetect. For this reason, I recommend this product.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Make your best plays and leave more room for your mouse. The CORSAIR K70 CORE TKL WIRELESS gaming keyboard offers amazing gaming and typing on a compact tenkeyless footprint, free from wires via ultra-fast SLIPSTREAM WIRELESS v1.5 or versatile Bluetooth. Enjoy silky-smooth, wobble-free keystrokes with pre-lubricated CORSAIR MLX Red v2 linear switches, lit by ultra-bright per-key RGB. The K70 CORE TKL WIRELESS typing experience is in a league of its own, as two layers of sound dampening create an ultra-satisfying sound and feel. A multi-function dial and programmable button put media control at your fingertips, while the game mode button activates settings that reduce input lag and maximize performance while competing. Your ambition starts with K70 CORE TKL WIRELESS.
Noise Damping! It's about time!
Customer Rating
5.0
The Corsair K70 Core TDK keyboard is a fantastic keyboard with excellent response, comfortable typing, A+ RGB lighting and configuration, and loaded with functionality like Bluetooth, 2.4 Ghz Slipstream low latency connectivity with included USB receiver, and onboard for up to 5 customer lighting profiles. The K70 Core TDK is quieter than previous Corsair, and mechanical gaming keyboards in general, thanks to two layers of noise damping material suppressing the clicks and pings often associated with mechanical keys. The keyboard is compatible with any Windows computer regardless if you are using Corsair’s iCUE software or not.
Setup:
The K70 Core TDK is ready to run straight out of the box. The K70 can connect via USB with the included cable, connect wirelessly over Bluetooth (up to 3 separate sync partners), and wirelessly over Corsair’s Slipstream using the 2.4Ghz USB transmitter (included). Compatible systems include Mac OS, Android, Xbox, and Playstation.
For my system, Windows automatically recognized the K70 Core and allowed it to operate like any other attached keyboard. I easily connected this wirelessly over Bluetooth to my work laptop, wired and Slipstream to my gaming desktop, and via Slipstream to my Alienware gaming laptop. I downloaded the latest version of iCUE from Corsair on my Windows gaming desktop so that I could update the firmware of the K70 and the USB adapter. The latest software also supports the K70 Core. All of my pre-existing Corsair gaming profiles, RGB, configurations, etc… from previous Corsair keyboards loaded find and were fully compatible with the K70 Core.
Profiles:
I have several pre-existing gaming profiles as well as several theme profiles I downloaded from Corsair’s website that are all compatible with the K70. My personal profiles include Type Lightening with a static backlight, Christmas Tree lighting effects, an Infernal Flames theme, Mechwarrior, Diablo 4, Fortnight, and several others. All of these profiles are three or more years old at this point. The K70 Core worked with them all. I really appreciate Corsair offering improvements to iCUE and their hardware ecosystem while maintaining generational compatibility. I cannot overstate enough how refreshing it is to see a company offer such longevity for their platform. It really makes moving from one generation of products to the next a no brainer for me.
Typing and Gaming:
I spent about a week gaming and working with this keyboard. For gaming, the keyboard is very responsive. Not once did I feel as if there was any input lag between key depression and screen response. The pre-lubricated MLX Red v2 linear mechanical switches are very smooth and easy to depress for both gaming and all day typing. For comparison, I own an older Corsair keyboard, K65 from years ago, with non-lubricated Cherry Red keys. Both the K70 Core and older K65 keys require 45 grams of force to depress. I can definitely feel the improvements that the lubrication makes. Keys are easier to depress, smoother on the down stroke and up stroke, and help to reduce typing fatigue over longer typing and gaming sessions.
Speaking of fatigue, the K70 comes with a matching wrist rest. The wrist rest provide good support, comfortable, magnetically attaches to the keyboard, and looks attractive. The wrist rest surface is parallel with the table top. Meaning the surface of the wrist rest is not sloped at an upward angle from wrist to keyboard surface. Overall, I find this design more comfortable than the angled wrist rests of Corsair keyboards past. Previous Corsair keyboards also had strange connection mechanisms between the wrist rest and keyboard. This could make it awkward when picking up the keyboard or trying to pack it away quickly. The magnets make this process simple and quick.
The K70 Core is as easy to game on as it is to type on. The keys have a little side to side play but nothing that impedes the linear actuation of each key. I have several pre-configured gaming profiles setup for my favorite games. These are mostly color coded game specific keys or game functions. The backlighting of the PBT Double shot caps are fantastic. This makes picking out keys in the heat of battle very easy. I work for a living which means I do not have time to memorize every game’s keyboard shortcuts, functions, features, or macros. Color coding the keyboard in glorious RGB lighting is not only incredibly useful to me but it looks amazing when gaming in low light settings.
iCUE and iCUE profiles are fully available to the K70 Core when physically connected via USB cable and when connected by 2.4Ghz Slipstream. The test, I created a simple profile of dim red per key backlight with a typing lightening ripple affect that activates with each keystroke. It is a super cool effect.
iCUE is not available over Bluetooth. iCUE does have memory for up to five, 20-layer profiles that are accessible when the keyboard does not have access to iCUE. There are also several pre-programed lighting effects programmed into the K70 Core for those times that you do not with to use a custom profile. Finally, Corsair finally made some much needed improvements with their hardware profile editor. It is much easier to use and much easier to move software profile effects to hardware. The caveat is that the hardware profiles can only support 20 layers where iCUE can support many more. To program and upload K70 Hardware profiles you must be connected to the computer via USB cable.
iCUE is not available over Bluetooth. iCUE does have memory for up to five, 20-layer profiles that are accessible when the keyboard does not have access to iCUE. There are also several pre-programed lighting effects programmed into the K70 Core for those times that you do not with to use a custom profile. Finally, Corsair finally made some much needed improvements with their hardware profile editor. It is much easier to use and much easier to move software profile effects to hardware. The caveat is that the hardware profiles can only support 20 layers where iCUE can support many more. To program and upload K70 Hardware profiles you must be connected to the computer via USB cable.
The K70 Core TDK has a dedicated gaming mode. There is a special button with a speedometer graphic next to the volume knob. Depressing the Game Mode button will activate RGB red mode, disables the Windows key, all power savings features are disabled, and the keyboard automatically resets to a 1000hz polling rate. This is a high performance, low latency mode. This works wired and wirelessly. I tried it in a few games but had to turn it off because I needed my pre-programmed color profiles to survive my game sessions. However, if you are a high performance gamer, meaning you don’t need the crutch of a keyboard map, then give this a shot. Reducing processing for profiles, non-gaming function keys, and increasing polling rates means the keyboard can exclusively focus on your input without distraction from other non-essential keyboard functions.
Noise:
Mechanical keyboards loud, and often obnoxious, clicking noises were novel years ago. Today, they are just plain annoying. I am so incredibly happy that Corsair is finally making a serious effort to dampen the noise of their mechanical keyboards. The K70 Core comes with two separate layers of noise damping. The unnecessary noise of high performance keyboards take notice! Your days are numbered.
The alphanumeric keys are very well damped. If I were an keyboard audiophile I would describe the sound as dull and uniform across all keys. Which is a good thing. However, the fatter keys like the tab, shift, backspace, and shift keys have a higher pitch and are a bit louder. But not distracting or bothersome. The space bar, however, makes an audible clunk when depressed. I found this distracting as a daily driver for work and, well, writing product reviews. This is not an issue for gaming since I am generally wearing headphones and communicating via voice. The keyboard, in these situations, is limited to keyboard commands. Not the rhythm associated with adding spaces between each word I type. This is also not an issue when I have the music turned up loud. However, it is very distracting when typing on quiet keys in a quiet room; which describes my workday.
Final Thoughts:
With the exception of the space bar’s audible clunk, I think this is a fantastic keyboard. The size is just right for my desktop space. The keys are stable and easy to depress. RGB is fantastic. Wireless flexibility is great. Corsair improved their hardware profile editing features in iCUE to the point that it is now useable by us common folk. And the addition of wireless connectivity across multiple platforms using either Slipstream or Bluetooth, with the inclusion of a gaming mode, is just icing on the cake. The battery life is rock solid with either RGB on or off. The multi-function knob, which I did not discuss, has some really neat features that are worth checking out. There are several onboard, pre-programed RGB profiles for those who just want a cool looking setup without much effort. Overall, I think it is a great keyboard.
If you are looking to get out of the world of super loud keyboards, then you may want to check out the Corsair K70 Core TDK. I hope you found this review helpful.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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The JBL MA7100HP is a high-performance AV Receiver that delivers stunning realism with the latest 8K HDMI specifications and native 7-channel decoding of immersive audio from Dolby Atmos and DTS:X for the ultimate home cinema experience. Seamlessly integrate your smart TV or projector with 6 HDMI inputs and 2 outputs, plus eARC. Designed with a passion for music and movies, the MA7100HP brings both to life with true high fidelity. The MA7100HP features seven channels of low-noise Class D amplification for real world power to all channels. In addition to the onboard Moving Magnet phono input for connecting a turntable, additional music content can be accessed immediately with integrated streaming using Apple Airplay2, Google Chromecast, and Bluetooth AptX Adaptive. Taking performance to the next level, the MA7100HP comes “Dirac Live Ready” for automatic room correction, assuring audiophile-quality sonics and allows integrators and power-users to optimize the system to their personal room acoustics. Featuring a secondary HDMI video output and audio Zone, content can also be made available in a secondary location. In addition to physical controls, the MA7100HP allows for IP control for third party control system integration.
A for Effort. Not yet ready for prime time
Customer Rating
3.0
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The JBL MA710HP AVR looks more like a modern music streamer than it does a traditional AVR. The body is black metal with a glass front façade. The full color LCD screen is flanked by two oversized plastic volume and input selector knobs. There are eight buttons including the selector knobs. The back of the AVR has the traditional speaker binding posts, HDMI 4k and HDMI 8K inputs, an eARC HDMI to the TV, a phono input and grounding lug, RJ-45 plug for network integration, toslink fiberoptic input, left and right composite inputs, and two Zone 2 composite outputs so the unit can support a second audio zone with the help of an external amplifier. As an added feature, the MA710HP has an LCD color strip along the bottom of the unit that supports a number of colors.
The remote control is small and simple. The remote consists of a single navigation D-pad and 12 buttons. There is no backlighting. The remote is thin up top with a bump for the battery compartment. This uneven construction makes the remote uncomfortable to hold and clumsy to operate. Overall control of the MA710HP is easy to navigate via either remote or the front panel buttons. There is a control panel overlay that will display on the TV when viewing content from an HDMI source. The overlay menus have the same format as the MA710HP LCD controls. Unfortunately, the overly looks like an afterthought when compared to the polished LCD screen controls.
=== Setup ===
Physical setup is straight forward. JBL did a good job of simplifying the back of the MA710HP. The connections are well marked and spread out to provide plenty of room to connect multiple speakers and devices.
My system is made up of a single 4K Blu-ray player, Xbox Series X, CD Player, and 4K TV. My speakers are a full 7.1 configuration consisting of the JBL Stage 2 280F tower speakers, 250B bookshelf speakers, 245C center channel, and a pair of 240H height speakers in Atmos configuration. I am using one of the MA710HP’s two subwoofer outputs to drive a single JBL Stage 220P 12-inch subwoofer.
The system is leveraging CEC in all devices to allow interoperability via eARC. This means if I turn on the 4K player then the MA710HP and the TV will power on. If I press the volume control on my TV remote then the AVR’s volume will change. If I turn off the Xbox after playing my game then a signal will be sent throughout the system to also turn off the TV and AVR. Generally speaking, CEC and eARC are not perfect systems and have their limitations and quirks.
It took about 10 minutes for me to install the MA710HP into my existing home theater cabinet. The HDMI, Toslink (fiber optic cable), RJ-45 (home network), wireless antennas, and my subwoofer connects were tight and secure. The 14 3-way speaker binding posts were loose and improperly secured my banana plugs. A good bump or lightly adjusting the location of the AVR would cause the banana plugs to slip out. My recommendation, if this is to be a permanent solution, is to go bare wire to the binding post or use spade connectors. Avoid banana plugs for this specific build.
The software configuration proved to be a mixed bag. First, JBL needs to increase the quality and quantity of documentation. The menu system is easy to use but lacks description or reference. There is no onscreen help or descriptions. This could be frustrating for a new user. Second, room calibration is a must to extract the highest quality sound and performance from this system. Room calibration is handled via a combination of cell phone and a phone app named EZ Set EQ. The AVR does not ship with the appropriate documentation to assist with room calibration. The application has rudimentary instructions but nothing adequate to provide proper instruction. JBL’s website has a document titled EZ Set EQ_CalibrationGuide. Download and read this documentation first. It fills in all the gaps you need to extract optimum performance. Except the following. Be sure to remove your cell phone case prior to calibration. For best performance, measure around your listening position, microphone first, by slowly flying your cell phone around your listening position like a toy airplane. Slowly perform, with your phone, figure eights, loop de loops, dives, climbs, and be sure to allow the phone’s microphone to point at the walls, ceiling, front, and back walls a few times. Finally, eliminate sources of noise such as: open windows, operating LED lights, talking, washing machine, refrigerator, furnace, air conditioner, etc… Make the room as quiet as possible.
Next, using a tape measure, measure the distance from each speaker to the center of your primary listening position. Enter these numbers into the AVR’s speaker distance page. In EZ Set EQ, set all speaker crossovers to 80hz. This is a good starting point. Finally, set all your speakers to small. This is related to speaker frequency response and has nothing to do with physical size.
=== Performance ===
I would rate the performance of the JBL MA710HP about average. The unit has enough power to respond to immediate explosive action of a high impactful AAA blockbuster movie. However, the MA710HP cannot sustain this intensity over time. Ready Player 1, Scene 2’s city racing scene is a good example. We have angry car engines, explosions, a T-Rex, King Kong, exploding cars, and non-stop action that keeps things cranked to 11 for about 4 ½ minutes. The MA710HP was able to maintain volume. However, the longer all seven speakers were driven full tilt the thinner and more distressed the audio became. The climax of the scene sounded more like a cacophony than it did a fully realized and detailed scene.
Fast forward to final showdown of Ready Player 1. Nolan Sorrento, our big baddy, detonates a world ending device that generates a pressure wave rolls across the landscape and destroys everything in its path. This pressure wave builds, and builds, and builds, and seems like it just keeps getting louder and stronger over 15 or more seconds. The scene ends with the wave dissipating into the background. This is a shake the house kind of scene. Unfortunately, the MA710HP tops out quickly and sacrifices detail for volume. This example was repeated over and over again with other high octane AAA blockbuster movies that I watched.
Less demanding content such as made for TV content is easier for the MA710HP to produce a more consistent, higher quality experience. A good example is Netflix’s anime series, “Warlord”. Dialog heavy and character focused is how I would describe the season 1. The dialog is clear, concise, and textured. The ambiance, music, and effects scenes are short lived enough to avoid the behavior I experienced with AAA blockbuster action scenes. Regular TV, like the Olympics, sound clean and without any audible stress to the system.
Music was another bright spot for the MA710HP. Not audiophile quality music but still enjoyable for non-critical listening sessions. The system performed very well when running in both 2.0 and 2.1 channel stereo. The 280F towers are big enough to throw out a wide sound stage that enveloped my entire listening position. I played through my typical demo playlist such as Meghan Trainor, Boston, Indigo Girls, PSY, The B-52s, Bach, John Williams, and many others. The Dun-Dun-Dun of John Williams “Imperial March” felt menacing. The a cappella version of Megan Trainor’s “Made you Look” was rich with vocal harmonies and demonstrated that the MA710HP has good control over content when the content is not thumping the MA710HP over the head.
Multi-channel audio was a different experience entirely. At low volume, under 30 on the volume knob, the performance was like 2-channel stereo; just more of it. The system simply fell apart at louder volumes.
Movies, TV Shows, 4K Blu-rays, video games, and streaming content that leverage Dolby or DTS play well in play as native Dolby and DTS. Forcing non-native surround sound content into Dolby or DTS suffered from poor processing. I found setting each input, such as 4K Blu-ray input, to “native” produced the best experience.
Xbox games in full surround was fine. Most games are ambient noise, background music, and quick hard-hitting effects that typically last less than a second.
Finally, this is a noisy system. I can hear static on my speakers from seven feet away in a quiet room. Multiply this by 7 speakers and the room quickly fills in with a low volume static sound. A THD of .5% does not help either. In all fairness, unless you notice you, you won’t notice it. And t of us will not notice this in the middle of a movie, TV show, or music session.
=== Conclusion ===
I feel JBL made a good attempt. Overall, the MA710HP feels underpowered and supported by a not-yet-ready-for-prime-time documentation and software implementation. The shipping documentation is too thin to allow a user to get any meaningful use out of the room calibration software. And there are zero explanations of the AVR’s features, how they work together, or how to use those features to produce the best home cinema experience possible. Add on fourteen banana-plug-challenged speaker terminals and I cannot help but feel this is a “throw it out the door and we’ll fix it later kind of product.”
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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Designed and engineered at our world-famous Acoustic Engineering Center of Excellence in Northridge, California, the 240H compact multi-purpose speaker is a truly flexible Stage 2 speaker. With the flip of a switch, it can be set as a Dolby Atmos enabled add-on, or a wall mounted elevation or surround loudspeaker. The 240H features a 2-way way design with Next Generation patented High-Definition Imaging (HDI) waveguide geometry, 1-inch (25mm) Anodized Aluminum dome tweeter, and a 4.5-inch (114mm) Polycellulose ribbed cone woofer.
Well thought out and executed.
Customer Rating
4.0
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The JBL Stage 2 240H height speakers are a wedge-shaped home theater speakers used as either Atmos speakers that sit on top of a bed layer speaker or as a height speaker mounted to a wall or ceiling. The 240H does not ship with any mounting hardware. As such, I configured the 240H speakers as Atmos speakers. I can mount wall mount these speakers if I want. These speakers have both a keyhole and a mounting hole to accommodate both JBL and third-party wall mounts.
The speakers ship with a black, sticky, jelly like anti-slip pad that is used to stick the 240H to the top of the Stage 2 tower or bookshelf speakers. The adhesive is strong enough to hold the 240H in place but not so strong that it creates a permanent bond. In my case, I have the 240H height speaker sitting on top of my JBL Stage 2 280F tower speakers. I can tell you for fact that the 240H will not fall off my towers if bumped, tilted, or moved. The pad serves a secondary purpose; to decouple the 240H from the host speaker. This prevents any cabinet resonance from either speaker from interacting with each other. The last thing you want to hear in the middle of a big action scene are your speakers rattling around.
=== Performance ===
For reference, my 240H height speakers are integrated into a 5.1.2 theater consisting of the JBL Stage 2 250B bookshelf speakers, 280F tower speakers, 245C center channel, Stage 220P 12-inch subwoofer, and the JBL MA710HP AVR.
My test 4K movie for any new speakers or gear is Pacific Rim, Scene 2. This is the first fight between Gypsy Danger and a Kaiju. The scene has everything from rain, splashing ocean waves, stressed actuators, ship horns, distressed metal effects, angry animal roars, and screaming male voices. Sometimes all at once! Pacific Rim has a lot of height affects, which is partly why I use this movie to help test and calibrate my system. However, from my listening position, I did not feel like I was getting any Atmos effects. I did two things to prove this out. First, I unplugged all my speakers except the 240Hs. Second, I fast forwarded to the middle of chapter eight. This scene takes place on a balcony with heavy rain serving as a backdrop. This scene also shares the rain effects between the heights and the bed layer speakers. Essentially, I used the rain as a poor man’s pink noise to help with troubleshooting.
The rain effect can be subtle depending on the speakers, speaker positions, number of speakers, and how much power is dedicated to those speakers. I could hear the rain clearly standing next to the speaker. Though, it seemed very quiet. From my seating position, seven feet away, the rain sounded like background static. I fast forwarded to some movie scenes where additional height effects were present. I admit that the 240Hs added some dimensionality to those scenes but I heard nothing that justified adding the 240H height speakers to the system.
I figured that this may be a calibration issue with the AVR. Which prompted me to recalibrate the height speakers. The EZ Set EQ software, which JBL uses for their MA AVR room calibration, calibrates each speaker pair separately. Hence, I could focus just on the 240Hs and not worry about the rest of the system.
I played through my demo scenes again and did get better results. The rain still did not sound like it was coming from the sky. And, in all honestly, I did not realize the impact the 240Hs had on the system until I demoed multi-channel stereo.
With Multi-channel stereo, I got more of the 280F Tower speakers. For example, I tested multi-channel stereo with just the 280Fs and 240H height speakers plugged into the MA710HP. My musical selection was Mozart’s Piano Concerto No 21 in C Major, K 467 II. Andante. The JBL 280F Tower speakers sounded good in simple, two-channel stereo. Engaging multi-channel stereo brough the 240Hs online. The combination of 280Fs and 240Hs really delivered the WOW factor I was so desperately missing. The 240H’s made the 280Fs sound as big as the room is tall. That’s impressive! And really gets to the heart of what Atmos speakers can bring to the table.
Getting back to Pacific Rim. In the past, I played this movie in a room with dedicated on-wall speakers. The rain sounds like actual rain in this configuration. Helicopter flybys sound like helicopter flybys. And waves breaking over the top plane of my bed layer speakers (there is no other way to describe it) sound like they are breaking over the tops of my bed layer speakers. The 240Hs in Atmos configuration, in this room, simply does not provide the same level of experience as dedicated on wall speakers can. However, the 240H’s can be mounted on a wall! They are specifically designed with an angled baffle to point at the listener from a wall position. The speakers have dedicated Atmos/Height switches to tell the speaker which configuration you are using. These are going on my wall as soon as I can get the right hardware. Placing these speakers on my front wall will take a sound track with height effects to the next level.
=== Construction and aesthetics ===
The 240H height speakers are well-constructed speakers even by high value, budget friendly standards. The vinyl espresso wood wrap is very well executed and matches my entertainment center. This unifies my front stage since my 240H’s are mounted to my 280F Towers which are right next to my entertainment center. This would not be as important to me if the 240Hs were hanging on a wall or from the ceiling. But, still, the color pallet JBL chose does a great job of unifying my whole theater.
The front baffle of the 240H is matt black. Unlike the Stage 2 Towers, Center, Bookshelves, and subwoofers, the 240H’s baffle does not extend past the edges of the speaker. The 1” anodized aluminum tweeter’s wave guide is much smaller than the rest of the speakers in the Stage 2 line. In all fairness, it probably does not require the extra space due to the limited use Atmos or Height speakers play with most movies and musical content. Since the baffle is much smaller, the illusion of size afforded to the other Stage 2 speakers is missing here. The front baffle edges also do not frame the speaker grills. This is not a bad thing because the oversized baffle would make the speaker look out of place while hanging out on top of another speaker in Atmos mode.
The speaker grills are smartly constructed, attractive, and really help the speakers pop. The grill frame is constructed of a single piece of JBL Orange molded plastic. Gray toned textured colored acoustic fabric is stretched across the plastic frame. JBL brand is silk screened onto the front bottom of each grill. The fabric appears machine cut and glued to the back of the frame. The design and construction are very clean and give the speaker a professional look.
The grills attach to the baffle with strong magnets. Simply brushing the speaker during a walk-by will not be enough to knock the grills off. Heck! Good luck knocking the 240H off of the top of a speaker while using the black pad! The back side of the speaker grills have soft felt to protect the speaker baffle from scratching due to removing and replacing the speaker grills. In my opinion, these speakers look fantastic with grills on or off.
The binding posts are as no-frills and budget as they get. They will accept bar wire, spades, and banana plugs. I use banana plugs for all my equipment because I am constantly swapping out equipment and components. For the Stage 2 speakers, in general, a small plug needs to be removed from the top of each binding post before the binding post will accept a banana plug. Please note, bare wire will make the best possible connection between your AVR/receiver and your speakers.
Finally, there is an Atmos/Surround switch located next to the binding posts. The switch is set to Atmos for my setup.
Overall, the fit, finish, and construction of these speakers are fantastic.
=== Conclusion ===
Normally, high-value, budget friendly speakers look slapped together and cheap. The JBL Stage 2 240H Height speakers look anything but cheap. These speakers are very well thought out, purposely stylized, professionally executed, and look fantastic in my room. JBL also thought through how these speakers will connect to, and remain stable, on top of the matching Stage 2 280F Tower speakers. The overall results are handsome, stable, and unobtrusive speaker positions that are functional and sound great.
Proper positioning, calibration, clean power, and a solid AVR will allow the 240Hs to put the finishing touches on your home theater or multi-channel audio system experience. It took some work to dial these speakers in properly. And was well rewarded for my efforts. For high value, budget friendly speakers, these do a great job.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+2points
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Designed and engineered at our world-famous Acoustic Engineering Center of Excellence in Northridge, California, the Stage 245C is a center channel loudspeaker and is voiced to blend seamlessly with Stage 2 floorstanding mains, bookshelf mains, or even In-wall mains. This loudspeaker features a 2.5-way way design with Next Generation patented High-Definition Imaging (HDI) waveguide geometry, 1-inch (25mm) Anodized Aluminum dome tweeter, and quad 4.5-inch (114mm) Polycellulose ribbed cone woofers that provides deep, signature JBL bass.
Great addition to my JBL Stage 2 Home Theater
Customer Rating
4.0
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The JBL Stage 2 245C center is a high value, budget friendly center channel that will provide a satisfying experience when well placed, configured correctly, and paired with the right equipment. The 245C comes with a single, centrally located 1-inch anodized aluminum dome tweeter set back in a wave guide. The wave guide helps ensure the tweeter has a wide dispersion when playing higher frequency content such as female vocals, stressed metal in action movies, and instruments such as trumpets. The 245C also does not sound small or boxed in.
Flanking each side of the center channel are two 4.5” polycellulos cone mid-range woofers that will carry the bulk of the dialogue, special effects, and music. In total, there are five speakers running the 29-inch length of the soundbar. This should ensure even disbursement and quality of sound across multiple listening positions. In addition, the 245C has two vented ports running out the back to enhance the lower frequency response of the mid-bass drivers. Essentially, male vocals will sound deeper than the mid-bass drivers themselves can produce. However, if you want S-Tier performance from the 245C then you will pair this center channel with the second most important speaker in any home theater, a subwoofer. In my case, I have the 245C paired with the JBL Stage 220P subwoofer.
== Setup ==
The 245C is situated on top of my entertainment center directly under the TV. Next, I aligned the center lines of the TV, entertainment center, and center channel’s tweeter, with the center line of my primary listening position. I then pulled the center channel forward so that the front baffle was hanging over the front edge of the entertainment center. This is to reduce the impact of the entertainment center with the front baffle of the speaker. This should provide a better sound.
Straight out of the box, the 245C tweeters can be bright and harsh. This is especially true if you are not accustomed to horn loaded tweeters; what JBL is calling a wave guide. You must run your ARV’s room calibration software. Then test the center channel with content you are familiar with. Then adjust the treble tone control on the AVR to clean up any high end that the room calibration missed. Also check if the AVR recorded the correct distance from the center channel to the center of your primary listening position. This helps with time alignment for the rest of the speakers in your system. And finally, if you have a subwoofer, set the 245C’s crossover with the subwoofer to 80hz in your AVR’s configuration screen.
For me, I ran my ARV’s room correction software, set the 245C speaker size to “small” (meaning it is not a full range speaker), set the crossover to 80hz (THX standard), and turned the treble down to -6 to reign in the tweeter. This worked perfectly for my room. It takes a little more work than a comparable soundbar. And the results are far superior.
=== Performance ===
For reference, my 245C center channel integrated into a 5.1.2 theater consisting of the JBL Stage 2 250B bookshelf speakers, 280F tower speakers, 240H height speakers, 245C center channel, Stage 220P 12-inch subwoofer, and the JBL MA710HP AVR.
My test 4K movie for any new speakers or gear is Pacific Rim, Scene 2. This is the first fight between Gypsy Danger and a Kaiju. The scene has everything from rain, splashing ocean waves, stressed actuators, ship horns, distressed metal effects, angry animal roars, and screaming male voices. Sometimes all at once! The 245C did a good job handling the cacophony. Dialogue had a wide dispersion, special effects were clear, and male voices and the roaring kaiju sounded fierce. The movie’s quieter, dialog driven scenes were equally clear and natural sounding for movie mixed dialogue. Meaning there is always a cinematic quality applied to movie voices that you do not get with animation, TV, sports, or even TV commercials.
I switched to an Anime series on Netflix called “Overlord”. The whole first season is almost exclusively dialogue. This Anime series contains the stereotypical high pitched female voices, manly male voices, deep monster voices, and many child-like and anime teenager voices. At no time did I feel the voices were boxed in or congested. The high-pitched female characters did not stress the tweeter. And the deep male voices sounded full and convincing. What I liked about this demo is that a subwoofer was not required to extract the best performance. I unplugged the subwoofer just to prove the point. The 245C did a really good job of standing on its own for this, and other tv series I watched. For movies, however, subwoofer all the way! Why should I limit myself.
I did play some music through the system using Dolby processing. However, the other speakers of the system simply drowned out the 245C. I did notice that my center imaging was a bit fuller than it would be with just my two JBL 280F tower speakers alone. But I did not feel it added enough cause me to choose Dolby Surround over Multi-Channel stereo when enjoying my music.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with the performance the 245C was able to provide.
=== Construction and aesthetics ===
The 245C is a well-constructed speaker even by budget speaker standards. The vinyl espresso wood wrap is very well executed and matches that of my entertainment center. In my case, the center channel appears to be a natural extension of the entertainment center’s surface simply because the two vinyl wraps match each other so exactly.
The front baffle of 245C is matt black. The baffle’s edges extend beyond the sides and top edges of the speaker cabinet by a few millimeters. This may be to accommodate the huge plastic molded wave guide dead center in the center channel. The oversized baffle helps create the illusion that the speaker is slightly larger than it is. The baffle also gives the speaker grills some depth by framing the grey grill fabric with a recessed black border. This gives the center channel an extra sharp look when the grill is on.
The speaker grills are smartly constructed, attractive, and help the center channel pop. The grill frame is constructed of a single piece of JBL Orange molded plastic. Gray toned textured colored acoustic fabric is stretched across the plastic frame. JBL brand is silk screened onto the front bottom of each grill. The fabric appears machine cut and glued to the back of the frame. The design and construction are very clean and give the speaker a professional look.
The speaker grills stick to the baffle with strong magnets. Simply brushing the speaker during a walk-by will not be enough to knock the grill off. The back side of the speaker grills have soft felt to protect the speaker baffle from scratching due to removing and replacing the speaker grills. Finally, as with all speakers, the JBL Stage 2 245C speakers sound better with the grills off. In my opinion, the 245Cs look fantastic with grills on or off.
The binding posts are as no-frills and budget as they get. They will accept bar wire, spades, and banana plugs. I use banana plugs for all my equipment because I am constantly swapping out equipment and components. For the Stage 2 speakers, in general, a small plug needs to be removed from the top center of each binding post before the binding post will accept a banana plug. Please note, bare wire will make the best possible connection between your AVR/receiver and your speakers.
I performed the knock test on the front, back, side, and top of each speaker. Essentially, knock on the sides of the speaker like you would a door. The top and sides sounded hollow as one would expect from a budget speaker. The front baffle sounds dull compared to the sides and top. This tells me that the front baffle is thicker and more inert than the sides and top. Which is what I would expect from a budget speaker.
Overall, the fit, finish, and construction of these speakers are fantastic.
=== Conclusion ===
Normally, high value, budget friendly speakers look slapped together and cheap. The JBL Stage 2 245C center channel speaker looks anything but cheap. This speaker is very well thought out, purposely stylized, professionally executed, and looks fantastic in my room. The binding posts are the only thing I would call out as cheap looking. The overall result is a handsome speaker that looks great on my home entertainment center.
Sonically, the 245C’s performance is directly related to what the AVR brings to the table. The 245C is a great sounding, budget friendly center channel that will sound great anchoring any high value, budget friendly home theater system. It just needs a solid AVR with plenty of power, proper room calibration, and tone controls for the speaker to realize its full potential.
I would recommend this to a friend!
-1point
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Designed and engineered at our world-famous Acoustic Engineering Center of Excellence in Northridge, California, the Stage 220P is 500W and is the most powerful subwoofer in the Stage Series and delivers the low frequency excitement that customers crave. This subwoofer features a high excursion 12-inch (300mm) Polycellulose low-frequency woofer with dual rear firing tuned ports that provides deep, powerful, signature JBL bass. A full complement of controls provides for easy system integration.
Partners well with JBL Stage 2 Speakers
Customer Rating
4.0
Images for this Review
(click to see full-size image)
The JBL Stage 220P subwoofer is a high value, budget friendly 12-inch, dual rear-ported subwoofer that will provide a satisfying experience when well placed, configured correctly, and paired with the right equipment. The subwoofer, in my opinion, is the second most important speaker for any home theater. The subwoofer provides heft and weight to the music, dialogue, and special effects in our movies, TV shows, video games, and music.
The JBL Stage 220P subwoofer has a single 12-inch polycelullos ribbed cone with dual rear firing ports. The sub’s power supply provides 250 watts RMS which is capability of hitting 500 watts in short bursts. The 220P is not powerful enough to shake the room or scare the cat. It is powerful enough to pressurize a small to medium sized room and bring some big sound to your home theater. In my room, the 220P was able to rattle a few photos on my walls during loud, sharp base notes such as heavy footfalls or loud explosions.
The back of the subwoofer has a single input used to connect to the AVR. The 220P does not come with a cable. Meaning, you will need to purchase a cable that is long enough to comfortably accommodate your sub’s final room position. There is a volume knob, crossover control knob (which I set to 100hz), phase switch, power mode, a power mode indicator light, a main voltage selector switch, and a power input. The 220P does come with the power cord. I set the power to Auto which is JBL speak for standby mode.
I have a small room that measures 10W x 18L x 6H. I placed the 220P in the front left corner of my room next to my JBL Stage 2 280F Tower speaker. This will maximize bass output and minimize the power required to achieve my desired output levels through boundary reinforcement. However, corner loading the sub also comes with the risk of overloading the room with muddy, bloated bass. It’s a balancing act that requires some patience to get it right. My goal is beautifully integrated bass; not blow me out of the room bass.
To start, I tried to manually integrate the sub with the speakers. This did not work well for me. So, I set the subwoofer volume knob to 50% and let my JBL MA710HP AVR’s calibration routine figure it out. Long story short, I ultimately settled on 75% volume. This created the best balance between seamless integration and power. I preset the speaker crossovers to 80Hz, THX standard. Ran the calibration. Presto Magico, the subwoofer was fully integrated for music and movies. Eventually, I lowered the front left and right speaker crossovers to 40hz so I could take full advantage of the additional bass output from the huge 8” woofers of my JBL 280F Tower Speakers. The results were a well-integrated and exciting musical and cinematic experience.
=== Performance ===
For reference, my 220P subwoofer is integrated into a 5.1.2 theater consisting of the JBL Stage 2 250B bookshelf speakers, 280F tower speakers, 240H height speakers, 245C center channel, and the JBL MA710HP AVR.
My test 4K movie for any new speakers, subwoofers, or gear is Pacific Rim, Scene 2. This is the first fight between Gypsy Danger and a Kaiju. The scene has everything from thunder, metal fists punching kaiju jaw, billowing boat horns, distressed and breaking metal, and the deep roars of the kaiju. Sometimes all at once! For example, the system explodes with a wall of sound when Gypsy Danger unleashes a fist full of metal fury into her kaiju’s opponents head. The system did not skip a beat.
The 220P also performed admirably in complete isolation. For example, there is a short scene after Gypsy’s battle where she is staggering to shore. The 220P did an excellent job of keeping up with the action. And the isolated bass from the footfalls, and her final collapse on the beach, showed that the 220P had enough power to provide an emotional connection to the scene. Bass did not sound bloated or boomy. Integration with all seven speakers in my little home theater sounded good.
Next, I played Rebel Moon: The Director’s Cut Part 1 on Netflix. The movie opens with the Armies of whoever the bad guy is are mowing down civilians who are trapped in an urban environment. The laser blasts in this movie carry a lot of low-end bass. The subwoofer as literally jumping off the floor with every laser bolt. This was prior to the calibration steps above and really showed the weakness of my manual integration efforts. I calibrated the system and re-ran the same scene. This time the bass heavy laser blasts were perfectly in tune with the rest of the system. Each blast was tight, had weight, and was satisfying to listen to. The same was true with explosions, warship cannon shots, and heavy bass of rocket engines as they landed, and even the low frequency hum common associated with being on board sci-fi spaceships. It all came together with the 220P performing wonderfully.
I also ran the theater for a short time with the subwoofer turned off. The front Left and Right JBL 280F tower speakers were able to hold their own to a point. It became quickly apparent that even these behemoths needed the punch, power, and sound reinforcement that only a powered subwoofer can provide.
Music that has heavy rhythm and/or full of heavy bass drops sounded great for 2.1 channel listening. The difference in sound was obvious when I flipped between 2.1 and 2.0 listening modes. For example, John William’s “Imperial March” from Star Wars sounded great with just the two 280F tower speakers. However, adding the subwoofer provided the power and authority required to really make the Imperial March sound convincingly menacing. This was also true with Jacques Loussier Trio’s jazz rendition of Bach’s Fugue in G Minor BWV 578, Boston’s, “Amanda”, Sturgill Simpson, “Remember to breathe, and PSY’s bass heavy, “Gentleman”.
Overall, once I got the sub dialed in properly, it was a joy to listen too.
=== Construction and aesthetics ===
The 220P subwoofer is a well-constructed subwoofer even by budget subwoofer standards. The vinyl espresso wood wrap is very well executed and matches my entertainment center. This is a happy accident which helps to visually unify my front stage.
The front baffle of the 220P is matt black. The baffle’s edges extend beyond the sides and top edge of the subwoofer cabinet by a few millimeters. I believe this was done to make the 220P match the aesthetic of the rest of the Stage 2 line of speakers. The baffle also gives the subwoofer grills some depth by framing the grey grill fabric with a recessed black border. This gives the subwoofer an extra sharp look when the grills are on.
The subwoofer grills are smartly constructed, attractive, and help the subwoofers pop. The grill frame is constructed of a single piece of JBL Orange molded plastic. Gray toned textured colored acoustic fabric is stretched across the plastic frame. JBL brand is silk screened onto the front bottom of each grill. The fabric appears machine cut and glued to the back of the frame. The design and construction are very clean and give the subwoofer a professional look.
The grills stick to the baffle with strong magnets. Simply brushing the subwoofer during a walk-by will not be enough to knock the grills off. The back side of the subwoofer grills have soft felt to protect the subwoofer baffle from scratching due to removing and replacing the subwoofer grills.
I performed the knock test on the front, back, side, and top of the subwoofer. Essentially, knock on the sides of the subwoofer like you would a door. The top and sides sounded hollow as one would expect from a budget subwoofer. The front baffle sounds dull compared to the sides and top. This tells me that the front baffle is thicker and more inert than the sides and top. Which is what I would expect from a budget subwoofer.
Overall, the fit, finish, and construction of these subwoofers are fantastic.
=== Conclusion ===
Normally, budget friendly subwoofers look slapped together and cheap. The JBL Stage 220P subwoofer looks anything but cheap. This subwoofer is very well thought out, purposely stylized, professionally executed, and looks fantastic in my room.
The 220P is easy to recommend as a high value, budget friendly subwoofer. There is a lot to like here. It will sound great if it is properly integrated with the speakers and calibrated to play within the sonic limits of the room. Do not put this sub in a small room, dial it up to 11, and expect heavy metal nirvana. It does not work that way. Treat the JBL Stage 220P with respect and it will reward you with a solid cinematic and musical performance.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+1point
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Designed and engineered in our world-famous Acoustic Engineering Center of Excellence in Northridge, California, Stage 280F is the flagship of the new JBL Stage Series. This floorstanding loudspeaker features a 2.5-way design with Next Generation patented High-Definition Imaging (HDI) waveguide geometry, 1-inch (25mm) Anodized Aluminum dome tweeter, and dual 8-inch (200mm) Polycellulose cone woofers that provide deep, signature JBL bass.
Fussy, but rewarding when calibrated properly
Customer Rating
4.0
Images for this Review
(click to see full-size image)
The JBL Stage 2 280F Tower speakers are high value, budget friendly giant speakers that provide a satisfying experience when well placed, configured correctly, and paired with the right equipment. The 280F has a single 1-inch anodized aluminum dome tweeter loaded into a huge wave guide. The horn loaded tweeter is followed by two massive 8-inch Polycellulos ribbed woofers. The mid-woofer is crossed over with the tweeter to offer a smooth transition between high frequencies and mid-range frequencies. And both woofers play down to the same 33hz bass frequencies at ± 6dB. The speaker is vented out the back via two adjacent ports. The port opening is what JBL labels their “Dual Flared Racetrack Rear-Firing Tuned Ports.” Audiophile marketer speak aside, the 280Fs keep up with my favorite music and movies without the aid of a subwoofer. However, I’m getting ahead of myself…
The wave guide on the 280F is huge and takes up the whole top front of the baffle. The wave guide helps ensure the tweeter has a wide dispersion when playing higher frequency content such as female vocals, stressed metal in action movies, and instruments such as trumpets sound like trumpets. The wave guide also contributes to the speaker’s 91dB efficiency making the 280Fs easy to drive. Overall, I found the wave guide helped with imaging and provided a large sound stage that extended beyond the boundaries of the already large 280Fs.
Finally, I matched up the 280Fs with the JBL Stage 220P 12” subwoofer. This subwoofer uses the same Polycellulos ribbed cone design as the 280Fs. The 280F speakers have dual vented ports out the back. This is to allow the 280Fs to extend their bass performance down to 33hz. Integration with the 220P 12-inch subwoofer will extend the low end further to 29hz and provide some real muscle behind your sound effects and music. The overall results are an easy to drive, high value, budget friendly 2.1 stereo experience.
Oh, did I mention these were integrated into a fully loaded JBL home theater system? Keep reading.
=== Performance ===
The primary AVR for this system is my JBL MA710HP 7.1 AVR. The MA710HP is one of two flagship AVR’s in JBL’s MA lineup of affordable AVRs.
For home theater, my test 4K movie for any new speaker or gear is Pacific Rim, Scene 2. This is the first fight between Gypsy Danger and a kaiju. The scene has everything from rain, splashing ocean waves, stressed actuators, ship horns, distressed metal effects, angry animal roars, screaming male voices, and action music! Sometimes all at once! This scene can really stress a system. The 280F towers did a fantastic job managing the cacophony.
For my first run, I crossed over the subwoofer at 80Hz, the THX standard for home cinema. The speakers blended so well with the 220P that I really could not tell if the low-end action was coming from the subwoofer, the speakers, or both. For my second run with the same scene, I lowered the cross over to 40Hz and turned off the sub. Pacific Rim’s fight scenes were not quite as impactful on the low end without the sub. But, if no one told me I needed a sub then I would be blissfully happy with the performance I got. But, since I do know better, I did notice less power behind the action.
For example, without the sub, Gypsy Danger’s low pitched boat horn was distinct and had good decay but lacked authority. The mighty kaiju roar was a bit smaller without the sub but still clear and menacing. And the heavy beat of the Pacific Rim theme music was punchy but did not carry the kind of weight that a subwoofer adds to the music. Overall, I missed the subwoofer. But could live with the speakers alone if I was on a tight budget.
I did not notice any bloated or boomy bass during this or other bass heavy scenes. This may be due to positioning the 280Fs. I placed them 1.5 feet away from the back wall and two feet from the immediate side walls. These towers need breathing room to perform at their best.
The tweeters, with the same movie, sounded distressed. There were a few times where I got some sharp, nasty, unpleasant notes. For example, the snapping of distressed metal drilled a hole in my temple. From the MA710HP, I was able to tame the tweeters by running another round of room calibration and then turning the treble down to -6. I also decreased the tow-in of the speakers to 5 degrees. This smoothed out the treble and reduced any harshness I was experiencing. Adjusting the tow-in also improved center imaging for content such as two-channel stereo and two-channel TV such as some Anime.
For music, I played through a demo playlist that consists of Metal, Classical, Jazz, easy listening, Pop, Electronica, classic Rock, and much much more. I used the same room calibration and tone controls that I set up for my movies. I played Megan Trainor’s, “Like I’m Gonna Lose You,” featuring John Legend. The sound was tight, well controlled, and spacious. John William’s, “Imperial March” from Star Wars sounded spacious, big, and menacing. The trombones were deep and meaty, and the trumpets exploded onto the sound stage with a wide and expansive sound. I also found that the 280F’s put out a good phantom center. For example, content such as Eddie Palmieri’s, “Muneca”, the 280Fs were able to vanish into the background and place phantom instruments all over my front stage. All I had to do was close my eyes and his band was in my room. The same is true for Megan Trainor’s music
Overall, I found the 280F’s a bit fussy with room positioning and tone controls. My patience with fine tuning the system was rewarded with a fun and entertaining theater and 2.1 channel experience.
=== Construction and aesthetics ===
The 280F is a well-constructed speaker even by budget speaker standards. The vinyl espresso wood wrap is very well executed and matches that of my entertainment center. This helps unify my front stage’s aesthetics.
The front baffle of the 280F is matt black. The baffle’s edges extend beyond the sides and top edge of the speaker cabinet by a few millimeters. This may be to help accommodate the huge wave guide. The oversized baffle helps create the illusion that the speaker is slightly larger than it actually is. The baffle also gives the speaker grills some depth by framing the grey grill fabric with a recessed black border. This gives the Tower speakers an extra sharp look when the grills are on.
The speaker grills are smartly constructed, attractive, and help the speakers pop. The grill frame is constructed of a single piece of JBL Orange molded plastic. Gray toned textured colored acoustic fabric is stretched across the plastic frame. JBL brand is silk screened onto the front bottom of each grill. The fabric appears machine cut and glued to the back of the frame. The design and construction are very clean and give the speaker a professional look.
The grills stick to the baffle with strong magnets. Simply brushing the speaker during a walk-by will not be enough to knock the grills off. The back side of the speaker grills have soft felt to protect the speaker baffle from scratching due to removing and replacing the speaker grills. Finally, as with all speakers, the JBL Stage 2 280F speakers sound best with grills off. In my opinion, these speakers look fantastic with the grills on or off.
The binding posts are as no-frills and budget as they get. They will accept bar wire, spades, and banana plugs. I use banana plugs for all my equipment because I am constantly swapping out equipment and components. For the Stage 2 speakers, in general, a small plug needs to be removed from the top Tower of each binding post before the binding post will accept a banana plug. Please note, bare wire will make the best possible connection between your AVR/receiver and your speakers.
I performed the knock test on the front, back, side, and top of each speaker. Essentially, knock on the sides of the speaker like you would a door. The top and sides sounded hollow as one would expect from a budget speaker. The front baffle sounds dull compared to the sides and top. This tells me that the front baffle is thicker and more inert than the sides and top. Which is what I would expect from a budget speaker.
Overall, the fit, finish, and construction of these speakers are fantastic.
=== Conclusion ===
Normally, high value, budget friendly speakers look slapped together and cheap. The JBL Stage 2 280F Tower speakers look anything but cheap. These speakers are very well thought out, purposely stylized, professionally executed, and look fantastic in my room. The binding posts are the only thing I would call out as cheap looking. The overall results are handsome speakers that look great in my home theater.
Sonically, the 280Fs are fussy speakers. At least in my room. Their performance was directly tied to how good the AVR’s room calibration worked, tone control settings, the speaker’s relationship to the walls, their degree of tow-in, and my relationship to the speakers. It may sound hard but really is not. One must put in the work to dial everything in to get the best possible performance. Even with high value, budget friendly speakers like the 280Fs. These speakers will sound great as the front stage of any budget friendly home theater system.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Designed and engineered at our world-famous Acoustic Engineering Center of Excellence in Northridge, California, the Stage 250B is largest bookshelf loudspeaker of the JBL Stage Series. It provides impressive performance from a small footprint. The 250B's are versatile enough to be used as main speakers or surrounds. This loudspeaker features a 2-way design with Next Generation patented High-Definition Imaging (HDI) waveguide geometry, 1-inch (25mm) Anodized Aluminum dome tweeter, and a 5.25-inch (130mm) Polycellulose ribbed cone woofer that provides deep, signature JBL bass.
High value, Budget Friendly Bookshelf Speakers
Customer Rating
4.0
Images for this Review
(click to see full-size image)
The JBL Stage 2 250B bookshelf speakers are high value, budget friendly bookshelf speakers that provide a satisfying home theater experience when well placed, configured correctly, and paired with the right equipment. The 250B has a single 1-inch anodized aluminum dome tweeter set in a wave guide. This configuration is also known as a horn tweeter. The wave guide on the 250B takes up the whole top front of the baffle. The wave guide helps ensure the tweeter has a wide dispersion when playing higher frequency content such as female vocals, stressed metal in action movies, and instruments such as trumpets. The wave guide also helps the speakers achieve an efficiency rating of 91dB. In layman’s terms, these speakers will play louder at the same volume than speakers with lower efficiency ratings. The 250B also sports a single 5.25” Polycellulos ribbed woofer. The woofer is crossed over with the tweeter at 1.7 khz. The total frequency response of the speakers is 55hz to 25khz. The rear firing port ensures that this tiny bookshelf can reach down to the 50hz region.
=== Performance ===
I configured the 250B Bookshelf speakers as surround left and right speakers for my home theater. The theater consists of JBL Stage 2 280F Towers, 240H height speakers, a 245C center channel, and the JBL Stage 220P 12-inch subwoofer. The system is being driven by JBL’s MA710HP AVR.
I calibrated the room using the MA710HP AVR’s room calibration software. During calibration I set the 250Bs crossover to 80hz. Using a measuring tape, I noted the distance from each speaker to my listening position and recorded those numbers in the AVR’s speaker configuration screen. Finally, I stuff the 250Bs rear ports with microfiber towers to limit the bass output. This is because each speaker was pushed up against a wall. This was to reduce any unwanted boomy or bloated bass. Besides, I was shunting the bass to the subwoofer so there was no need for the 250Bs to produce bass.
For home theater, my test 4K movie for any new speaker or gear is Pacific Rim, Scene 2. This is the first fight between Gypsy Danger and a kaiju. The scene has everything from rain, splashing ocean waves, stressed actuators, ship horns, distressed metal effects, angry animal roars, screaming male voices, and action music! Sometimes all at once! This scene can really stress a system. The 450B bookshelves did an admirable job of filling surround effects and the movie’s soundtrack. Occasionally, a high-pitched sound effect would pierce the sound field and hit me straight in the temple. This was after room correction and a -6 treble tone control was applied to the whole system. I ran into a similar issue during two-channel listening in my home office.
I have the Technic’s SA-C600 stereo receiver in my home office. I swapped out my office speakers for the 250Bs. I ran these both in stock and after running the receiver’s room calibration software. In short, my home office is an audiophile’s nightmare. Partly because of “mystical audiophile reasons.” I am also listening near-field, about 3-feet from each speaker. The speakers are about four feet apart and three inches from the wall. They also sit on my desk, flanking my monitor, sitting on a pair of angled foam speaker pads. See included photo.
I listened to a collection of Jazz, classical, rock, metal, pop, and Boston. The band, Boston. I focused mostly on Boston’s debut album, “Boston”, simply because I think it clearly illustrates the limits of the 250B. The keyboards and screaming guitars gave the tweeters a real work out. For example, the last 20 seconds of “More Than A Feeling”, the singer, Brad Delp, belts out, and holds, one of his famous high notes. All the instruments join in to hold that note with Mr. Delp. The results are a harmonious wall of sound that I swear forced tears of agony from the 250Bs tweeters! The tweeters hung in there but really sounded stressed and fatiguing. I was also hearing some ringing, across different content, whenever the tweeter got saturated in this way. I did resolve this. Keep reading.
On the flip side, the woofer sounded very well controlled. The singers and instruments were very clear. However, the woofers struggled to provide the power behind the music. A good example can be found with the Indego Girl’s, “Closer to Fine.” The song starts out with a single guitar leading with the brighter, higher chords. The second guitar joins in at about the 30 second mark. This guitar is playing the mid to mid-bass notes and carries the power of the song. The bass was there but without the depth or power needed to carry the emotions of the performance.
So, what fixed my setup? First, I adjusted the speakers tow-in to about 5 degrees. This equalized the interaction between the tweeters. Next, tone-controls. These tweeters need limits. I turned the treble down to -6. This really cooled off the tweeters and removed brightness. It was like a different speaker. Next, I turned the bass up as far as the receiver would allow. This restored some of the punch, depth, and power missing from my earlier listening sessions. Finally, I turned down the bass tone control to +2 from +6 and then turned on my sub. Ahhh, this was the JBL 250B performance I was chasing.
To illustrate the point, I played Jacques Loussier Trio’s rendition of Bach’s “Fuge in G Minor (arrangement for Jazz Trio)”. The bass was punchy both with and without the subwoofer to support the 250Bs. Probably the best I heard up to this point. The piano chords were strong and authoritative. And the piano high notes were sharp, controlled hits without the brightness or harshness I experienced before. I even went back to Boston’s, “More Than A Feeling”, and played the last 30 seconds of the song. The tweeters did not cry for mercy this time. Things were much more controlled, even-handed, and enjoyable.
Bottom line, the 250B bookshelf speakers can take some work before you can extract their best performance.
=== Construction and aesthetics ===
The 250B bookshelf speaker is a well-constructed speaker even by budget speaker standards. The vinyl espresso wood wrap is very well executed and matches my entertainment center. For the 250B’s, this is less important to me than my front stage speakers simply because the 250B’s are serving as my surround speakers behind my listening position. However, it is nice to have a single unifying theme for the whole theater.
The front baffle of the 250B is matt black. The baffle’s edges extend beyond the sides and top edge of the speaker cabinet by a few millimeters. This may be to help accommodate the huge wave guide. The oversized baffle helps create the illusion that these speakers is slightly larger than they are. The baffle also gives the speaker grills some depth by framing the grey grill fabric with a recessed black boarder. This gives the bookshelf speakers an extra sharp look when the grills are on.
The speaker grills are smartly constructed, attractive, and really help the speakers pop. The grill frame is constructed of a single piece of JBL Orange molded plastic. Gray toned textured colored acoustic fabric is stretched across the plastic frame. JBL brand is silk screened onto the front bottom of each grill. The fabric appears machine cut and glued to the back of the frame. The design and construction are very clean and give the speaker a professional look.
The grills attach to the baffle with strong magnets. Simply brushing the speaker during a walk-by will not be enough to knock the grills off. The back side of the speaker grills have soft felt to protect the speaker baffle from scratching due to removing and replacing the speaker grills. In my opinion, these speakers look fantastic with grills on or off.
The binding posts are as no-frills and budget as they get. They will accept bar wire, spades, and banana plugs. I use banana plugs for all my equipment because I am constantly swapping out equipment and components. For the Stage 2 speakers, in general, a small plug needs to be removed from the top of each binding post before the binding post will accept a banana plug. Please note, bare wire will make the best possible connection between your AVR/receiver and your speakers.
I performed the knock test on the front, back, side, and top of each speaker. Essentially, knock on the sides of the speaker like you would a door. The top and sides sounded hollow as one would expect from a budget speaker. The front baffle sounds dull compared to the sides and top. This tells me that the front baffle is thicker and more inert than the sides and top. Which is what I would expect from a budget speaker.
Overall, the fit, finish, and construction of these speakers are fantastic.
=== Conclusion ===
Normally, high value, budget friendly speakers look slapped together and cheap. The JBL Stage 2 250B bookshelf speakers look anything but cheap. These speakers are very well thought out, purposely stylized, professionally executed, and look fantastic in my room. The binding posts are the only thing I would call out as cheap looking. The overall results are handsome speakers that look great in my home theater.
The JBL 250B speakers are fussy about positioning, room placement, calibration, and tone controls. But, when configured correctly, will provide a very satisfying experience in both stereo and home theater applications. Just keep in mind that they will need a subwoofer, like the JBL 220P, to maximize performance.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+1point
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JBL - FREE True Wireless In-Ear Headphones Gen 2 - Black
Perceive every detail of your music with this pair of JBL wireless headphones. The 10Hz to 22kHz frequency response lets you enjoy the full range of sound, while the in-line microphone provides an effortless switch to hands-free calls. Featuring 5.6mm dynamic drivers, these JBL wireless headphones supply rich, resonant bass for your enjoyment.
Are these noise cancelling for gyms that play really loud music?
No, they are not noise cancelling. They do come with three silicon ear canal adapters: small, medium, and Large. You can block out some sound if you use a connector that fits snuggly in the ear canal. This will muffle and not canceling outside noise.
6 years, 5 months ago
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ITJim
Acer - Nitro 5 15.6" Gaming Laptop - AMD Ryzen 5 - 8GB Memory - AMD Radeon RX 560X - 1TB Hard Drive
Enjoy engaging simulations and immersive visuals with this Acer Nitro 5 gaming laptop. The Radeon graphics card offers 4GB of dedicated video memory for efficient rendering performance, and the 2.GHz AMD Ryzen processor and 8GB of RAM provide ample computing power. This Acer Nitro 5 gaming laptop has a 1TB hard drive for your collection.
Not computer savvy. Love playing games but also surfing the web and photos. Just looking for a "standalone" that I can take anywhere...outside or in my room with no wires and connections. Is this good for that? And can I connect to a printer? Thanks!
If I understand you correctly, you want to know if you can surf the web, view photos, and connect to a wireless printer. Correct?
You can use this computer to surf the web, view photos, and connect to a wireless printer. You will need to a wireless network, of some kind, in order to surf the web without a wired connection. The printer could be connected to your wireless network or you could connect over bluetooth. It depends on your printer. My Acer Nitro 5 is connected wirelessly to my network, the internet, and my printer. If you are unsure of how to setup a wireless network, connect your laptop, or connect wirelessly to your printer, then I you will want to speak with your local Best Buy Geek Squad representative. They should be able to get you going. Hope this helps!
You can use this computer to surf the web, view photos, and connect to a wireless printer. You will need to a wireless network, of some kind, in order to surf the web without a wired connection. The printer could be connected to your wireless network or you could connect over bluetooth. It depends on your printer. My Acer Nitro 5 is connected wirelessly to my network, the internet, and my printer. If you are unsure of how to setup a wireless network, connect your laptop, or connect wirelessly to your printer, then I you will want to speak with your local Best Buy Geek Squad representative. They should be able to get you going. Hope this helps!
6 years, 8 months ago
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ITJim
Envy x360 2-in-1 15.6" Touch-Screen Laptop - AMD Ryzen 5 - 8GB Memory - 1TB Hard Drive - HP Finish In Dark Ash Silver
Optimize your productivity and entertainment experience with this 15.6-inch HP Envy convertible laptop. Its AMD Ryzen 5 processor and 8GB of RAM provide smooth performance, and its AMD Radeon graphics loads stunning gaming visuals. This HP Envy convertible laptop has 1TB of storage, and its Windows Ink feature lets you work with a digital pen. Learn more.
What is the full name of the cpu?
The CPU is a Ryzen 5 2500u. It is a four core, eight thread CPU with integrated Vega Graphics in a 15W TDP. You can find more information from AMD's website here: https://www.amd.com/en/products/apu/amd-ryzen-5-2500u
7 years, 6 months ago
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ITJim
Envy x360 2-in-1 15.6" Touch-Screen Laptop - AMD Ryzen 5 - 8GB Memory - 1TB Hard Drive - HP Finish In Dark Ash Silver
Optimize your productivity and entertainment experience with this 15.6-inch HP Envy convertible laptop. Its AMD Ryzen 5 processor and 8GB of RAM provide smooth performance, and its AMD Radeon graphics loads stunning gaming visuals. This HP Envy convertible laptop has 1TB of storage, and its Windows Ink feature lets you work with a digital pen. Learn more.
Does this laptop have a display port?
No. It has an HDMI output and a USB C connector that can do video with the right connector. Do a search on BB's site for: USB C to display port. There are several options listed.
7 years, 6 months ago
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Posted by:
ITJim
Pioneer - 980W 7.2-Ch. Network-Ready 4K Ultra HD and 3D Pass-Through A/V Home Theater Receiver - Black
Learn moreabout Magnolia PremiumInstallation Connect to a range of Web-based music services via this Pioneer Elite VSX-44 receiver's built-in Ethernet LAN. Includes HDMI 4K Ultra HD and 3D pass-through technologies for compatibility with 3D TVs, Blu-ray players and gaming consoles and 4K Ultra HD TVs.
What sub woofer matches up well with Pioneer Elite VSX-44?
That really depends on your other speakers and your room. I'm using the ESW-C10 with B&W 685 Bookshelf speakers and couldn't be happier with the arrangement. The ESW-C10 is a bit big for my small room so I keep the volume turned down but it does a great job shaking the room during movies and mixes well with any music or TV programs I've thrown at them.
10 years, 4 months ago
by
Posted by:
ITJim
from
Maine
Microsoft - Surface - 32GB - Black
Microsoft Surface Tablet: Do more on the go with the productivity of a laptop in the compact size of a tablet. Create documents with Microsoft Office RT, sync files between Windows devices and video chat with friends and family. The built-in kickstand props up your tablet at just the right angle for easy viewing.
do i have to get a network package to buy the surface?
ive been told i need to buy a network plan with a monthly charge. Or can i just use wifi?
No Surface product has native support for a Cell carrier such as ATT, Sprint, etc.... All you have is WiFi. If you have internet in your home with a WiFi router or some other device to server your WiFi enabled devices, then you have everything you need. Just make sure your connection is password protected and encrypted. You can also turn off the WiFi on the tablet, Airplane mode, and use it offline. I hope that answers your question.
11 years, 6 months ago
by
Posted by:
ITJim
from
Maine
Microsoft - Surface - 32GB - Black
Microsoft Surface Tablet: Do more on the go with the productivity of a laptop in the compact size of a tablet. Create documents with Microsoft Office RT, sync files between Windows devices and video chat with friends and family. The built-in kickstand props up your tablet at just the right angle for easy viewing.
Can I download PFD files from Internet Explorer to the Microsoft Surface RT?
Can I download PFD files from Internet Explorer to the Microsoft Surface RT, then view them without internet connection?
Yes you can. First go to the Microsoft Store and pick up the Free Adobe Acrobat Reader application. Then you can open PDFs from your flash drive, desktop, network locations, or even the web. Do keep in mind that your ability to open some PDFs from the web is also dependent upon the source of your PDFs. Finally, the surface, as I have experienced with most tablets, do have a difficult time with very large PDF files sizes and very complex PDFs. This is typically an issue with the small amount of RAM you have on a tablet as compared to a modern PC. (2GB on Surface RT and up to 64 GB on a PC). The amount of RAM does make a difference.
11 years, 6 months ago
by
Posted by:
ITJim
from
Maine
Samsung - Galaxy Note 2014 Edition - 10.1" - 16GB - Black
Samsung Galaxy Note 2014 Edition - 10.1" - 16GB: This sleek, stylish tablet comes with a 10.1" Full HD touch screen to display movies, Web sites and more with impressive visual fidelity. The included S Pen is pressure sensitive and allows you to draw, write, edit and more as easily as if you were using a real pen.
Syncing with a Windows 7 Laptop.
Will this version of Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition be able to sync with my laptop and thus allow me to control it from the laptop, like the Samsung Tab 2 allows? This also mean I would be able to view content like pics and music from my laptop to my tablet and vice or verser.
I've found that the Galaxy 2014 edition doesn't sync well with anything. Or I haven't found the app or the feature or the best kept secret desktop app that will allow it. I'm thinking of something like iTunes that will sync everything for me and backup my device.
I have found a few work arounds the may interest you.
1) You can upload all of your photos and files to an SD card. You can then move the SD card between the computer and the tablet. Kind of 10 years go I know but there you go.
2) You can plug your tablet directly into the laptop with the USB cable that is connected to your power cord. Then you can easily move items between the tablet and your Laptop using the very useful Windows Explorer App. Thank you Microsoft.
3) If you want to take control of your laptop from your tablet then you can download another nifty Microsoft tool called Microsoft Remote Desktop. You will also have to allow remote connections in Windows on our laptop to make this work. I've already taken over my desktop to edit photos from my tablet. It works very well. However, there is no pinch and zoom. So if you can't read a word when you pull it up on the screen then there isn't anything you are going to do about it. There are other remote desktop apps that may give you additional features. X2 is one I used for my Ipad and is also available on Google Play.
4)Laptop taking control of the Tablet? I haven't heard anything about this. I do know, however, that Samsung saved all the best software for this own devices. Sync easily between your Samsung laptop and your device. However, this is only software and Samsung could be a hero and release it to the rest of their paying customers. I've seen the Samsung Laptops. I won't be buying one anytime soon.
I have found a few work arounds the may interest you.
1) You can upload all of your photos and files to an SD card. You can then move the SD card between the computer and the tablet. Kind of 10 years go I know but there you go.
2) You can plug your tablet directly into the laptop with the USB cable that is connected to your power cord. Then you can easily move items between the tablet and your Laptop using the very useful Windows Explorer App. Thank you Microsoft.
3) If you want to take control of your laptop from your tablet then you can download another nifty Microsoft tool called Microsoft Remote Desktop. You will also have to allow remote connections in Windows on our laptop to make this work. I've already taken over my desktop to edit photos from my tablet. It works very well. However, there is no pinch and zoom. So if you can't read a word when you pull it up on the screen then there isn't anything you are going to do about it. There are other remote desktop apps that may give you additional features. X2 is one I used for my Ipad and is also available on Google Play.
4)Laptop taking control of the Tablet? I haven't heard anything about this. I do know, however, that Samsung saved all the best software for this own devices. Sync easily between your Samsung laptop and your device. However, this is only software and Samsung could be a hero and release it to the rest of their paying customers. I've seen the Samsung Laptops. I won't be buying one anytime soon.
11 years, 7 months ago
by
Posted by:
ITJim
from
Maine