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THX for the review! The JBL "Studio" , I think, where the predecessor to this line. They where good, for the money. Other speakers to check out: Acoustic Energy AE109 MKII tower speaker, an for the cheap BUT GOOD bookshelf the Acoustic Energy AE100 MKII !!!
I would love to hear your opinion about internet only brands such as Teufel and Nubert they’re both from Germany and i own a pair of Teufel Ultima 40’s the cheapest floor standing speakers…And they’re awesome..
Watching you from the Dominican Republic. It is so refreshing to watch "normal people" products reviews wrapped in outstanding aesthetics and production. Keep up the good work!
At $399 a pop they are probably the best values I have tried and always recommend them to people who like bass and don't want to spend a ton. You do NOT need a sub for them either thus saving even more money to put towards a better front end. The mids and highs are very good for sub $1k price. Be warned..... they are massive!
The Studio 580 is more directly comparable pricewise - $600/pair. I own a pair of 590s and like them - crazy value for money. Based on your review and my experience with the 590s, I'd say the 580s would be a much better buy. Aesthetically - depends how you feel about the monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey as your reference.
Kristi’s take is honestly one of my favorite sections of your reviews. Her opinions provide valuable insight that often isn’t exactly aligned with yours and it adds so much to your reviews. It’s enjoyable to see two different views in one review.
Yeah. So it's the JBL Studio 590 that punch WAY above their price point! And right now, they're on sale for $399/1 speaker. They have 2 8in drivers also! These are the ones I'd love for you to review. I'm gonna contact JBL/Harman TODAY and see how they can get you a pair! They're largely regarded in the HT world as one of the BEST bargains!
I really appreciate what Kristi said about these speakers as it pertains to hearing loss. It’s something rarely if ever brought up on these type of reviews across many channels. I have severe tinnitus in one ear that has profound hearing loss. No high end at all and greatly compromised mid. The other ear has moderate tinnitus and some high end loss. It’s horrible and I don’t wish it on anyone. So when it’s acknowledged that everyone is different and it could be more a part of audiophile reviews that many of us have hearing loss, it makes me feel less forgotten. Thank you for the review and thank you Kristi for the inclusion. Deafness is the forgotten or ignored disability. ❤️☮️
Another fun, entertaining review. Thanks Andrew and Kristi. Honestly so many cheap impressive speakers at present, what a time to be alive! Keep up the great work. The room in your new house is looking awesome!
Well.. i got a pair of a170, with 5.25 inch drivers and not 8 inch like the a190, and the 170 are blowing my mind. They pack such a nice punch that i had to turn off my subwoofer completely. Maybe its because my room is small, but i can imagine those pumping in bigger rooms. Awesome work by jbl
@@danemoreno88 for me they were extremely expensive, sadly cuz thats how it works in my country.. gotta pay 4 times more for the same product.. but im not regretting every penny.. even for the smallest of the floorstanding models, those don't need the help of a subwoofer, with a proper reciever ofc.
JBL speakers are terrific, up and down the line from boomboxes to home theater speakers to professional grade studio monitors. I have 5 JLB 2328 LSR speakers (active) in my home studio, as well as the L100 Century and four more floor standing JBL speakers. They are hard to beat in terms of price / quality.
I’m sure it something you won’t accept “props” for, but I have to say, one of my favorite parts of y’all’s reviews is seeing the name in the bottom right change to “Andrew Robinson + Kristi Wright” in the final segment of each review. Here’s to creating the environment that we wish existed in this ridiculous hobby and exhausting world ❤️ Thank you so much for all that you do!
I own 3 pairs of JBL Arena 170 towers, and I must say for the price they are phenomenal performers. I paid $150 a pair USD many years ago during the holidays, and you can't find anything near them for that price nowadays. Kudos JBL on amazing speakers, and great job on your review. 👍🏻
I'm starting to love these lower priced speaker reviews..mostly for the comment section though lol. The one two punch of Kristi and Andrew is in full swing and it's great. Keep em coming...I am entertained!!
Great review Andrew. I've been a fan of JBL for many years. They don't always get the notoriety of some of the other speaker lines. But they never seem to make a bad speaker either. I currently run for a front sound stage JBL 290s, a 235c center channel and two Klipsch R-110SWs subs(I was too late to get two JBL 590Ps). In essence you can't go wrong with JBL.
I have the JBL a190s and everything you said I totally agree with regarding the sound characteristics. Easy to place, easy to drive, slightly bright top end, deep boomy bass that gets a little squirrely in the nether regions. The soundstage is wide but not great. People and instrument’s can be sometimes placed and sometimes not. The speakers sometimes gives away their positions and you notice the sound is coming from them. I use these in my gigantic 3 story 30 x 20 living room and they fill the entire space even using a chi-fi dac/amp (Loxjie A30). If you want affordable room filling sound these are a good choice. I also have the JBL studio 530’s and those are tonally some of my favorite. For anything 100hz and above they smoke the stage a190s in every sound category except dispersion and ease of placement. Lastly thank you Andrew and Kristi for all that you do. I’ve bought the Kanto Yu6 3 years ago after your review and have been hooked to the channel ever since. Recently bought a full Polk reserve ht setup because of your R700 review
Great! Finally got to set up my speakers (Buchardt S400 mk2) again after a period of silence due to a move, and falling in love with them all over again.
After watching this review, I ordered a pair on sale for 2/3 the price indicated, free ship and a coupon code! Should be an interesting comparison to some costlier speakers I have. Always love Kristi's take!
Opened them up yesterday and played for a couple hours- very impressed. Upon unboxing, you have a choice of rubber feet or spikes- my Sonus Faber Luminas have spikes only. IMHO the plastic outriggers look pretty good and work well. In my room, my ears, my equipment, they sound very balanced in frequency- which is what Andrew's graph showed. I find the highs detailed and engaging, but not "in your face"- the Luminas are more so. Bass is good and more than I expected. I have them out in the room a ways, and closer proximity to the wall would probably help- but not too close. All-in-all, I think these are a great value for the money. I've spent a lot more and gotten less. Quibbles: one speaker came with a scuff on the front, and a couple of speaker grill pins are so tight I didn't dare remove them, for fear of breaking.
Hey man thanks for the extra info. What center channel and surrounds if you used them did you use? I am about to pull the trigger on these a190s and the “matching” 125c as a center and 120’s as surrounds. I wasn’t sure if there would be a blending issue - as so I’ve seen reviews in result of the difference in driver sizes.
@@ConnorBallin659 Hey Connor. The A190's are the only ones I purchased, but I think you'll be fine with the ones you've listed. The only center I currently have is for the Luminas I mentioned, and that has much smaller drivers than the towers (4", I believe). I was initially concerned about that, but was pleasantly surprised at how well it blended/ performed. Enjoy your purchase!
You guys have been doing a great job setting up a bank of tower reviews! Thanks for not shying away from these big things to avoid the hassle. At right around the 1000 and under price point I think the obvious to request is the Klipsch reference, especially vs the RP line, but since you asked also Emotiva, SVS, and maybe something from the non heritage KLH line up would be cool. Im also excited for that massive center channel coming up, I feel way too often centers are taken for granted. Thanks again!
Both my wife and I are happy with the four 190, four 120 and 135C we bought at 75% off MSRP back in May. They sound great for us on both music and movies.
Thanks! I was thinking about the Heco aurora 700’s. Kristi read my mind. Get out of my head! Any other comparable for 1500 or less? Thanks again. Appreciate you all for your work. Former owner of JBL 150a’s.
Thank you so much for the support! Besides what is already referenced (links in description) check out these at/around that price: amzn.to/3HKVBLr bit.ly/3PXrLYh bit.ly/2Z9rdIS / bit.ly/85Linton Hope this helps!
I have the jamo s809 and the jbl stage a190 and they are not even in the same league the jbl are better sounding and without a doubt have better build quality
So a speaker that’s almost perfectly flat in frequency response is too treble forward? I think that says more about modern recording mixing trends imo. I added a preamp with tone controls and it’s the best part of my system. Everything seems to be mastered to sound good on headphones, cellphones, and flat panel TV’s speakers.
I have a pair of A190 bi-amped. Totally agree with you. They are great for music and movies. It would be interesting to see your review of the Studio 590. They use compression driver for the high frequency. So their directivity should be at another level. Thanks for doing the A190 review😃👍🏼.
@Francisco Rivera I apologize if we missed your question during yesterday's livestream. It has been answered in the comment section here ruclips.net/video/q4jmV7JJGrA/видео.html Really appreciate the super chat support!
@@andrewrobinsonreviews No worries, you are good. I understand, is really hard to keep up with thousand of lines of comments 😉. I like your content and I look forward to see more interesting reviews. Keep the great work😎👍🏼.
I have owned a set of Roger's PS-5 towers that have been commended by several friends with far higher calibre/price systems. I am only now in the market for a replacement due to water damage. Loving your video for guidance and tips
So many of these reviews from a few years back end up discontinued on a search for them. This is yet another. I'm getting the impression that the lower priced floor speakers move to new models quickly.
@@irineusantos6298 if you want a fantastic speaker, try the triangle bro 3. they are really special...you can find them for 295.00 a pair. Amazing speakers.
Fantastic as always! This channel is probably the best source of HiFi reviews on RUclips. Those Emotiva amps make me think, why don’t you review the Airmotiv T2+ floorstanders? I’ve heard they are quite good for a grand a pair.
The JBL A130 with the same tweeter (I think) was so tinny and metallic out of the box, I couldn't believe it. Adding the grills helped, and then after some play time, it mellowed out and was all good.
Good review. And I have to agree based on my experience with the Stage A180s. I caught them on a good sale and put them in my basement connected to an old Denon AVR. I use them to listen to music (loudly) and watch the occasional TV show while I use the treadmill. It sure beats earbuds and they’re a hell of a lot of fun with or without a subwoofer.
Thanks for the review! I would really like to see you take on the JBL studio series, specifically the JBL Studio 580 or 590. They are on sale currently and pretty often through JBL.
Great review and good that you're also covering more affordable speakers as well once in awhile. I recently realized that my very affordable Retrospective bookshelf speakers from NUMAN in my backroom have been serving me well for 5 years now.
I own a pair of JBL L7 speakers from 1993 and the detail for both movies and music is incredible. Any idea if these are close to that? Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much for your awesome reviews Andrew & Kristi! It never goes unnoticed! Keep up the great work! 👍 😊 🔊
@@KristiWright Thanks for the quick reply Kristi & Andrew! I really appreciate it! If you're ever up for a pool lesson (I'm a professional pool player/Instructor) and in the South Miami area, let me know. I'll be more than happy to give you both a free pool lesson as a way of saying thank you for all that you do for the community. 👍 😊 🎱 Have a fantastic day! 👍
Have a pair of A130s for my small listening cave and love them. Snagged for $165 and punch WAY above their price. Slay my Jamo 803s, which are great for their price too so I kept them.
Enjoyed the review - thanks for the entertainment. Box, port, metal driver, horn, necessary cheap crossovers and terminals - this waste of raw materials didn't stand a chance. Yet somehow it made sense to someone at JBL - like they said, "Designer, your challenge is to make something we can sell with a combination of all the worst speaker concepts." More often than not when you see smoke there is fire, when you see a box there is cabinet resonance, when you see a port there is chuffing/inaccurate/boomy bass, when you see a round metal driver there is shrill, when you see a horn there is compression. Yet they continue travelling down these dead-end roads.
Andrew & Kristi 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼, this review is one reason why you guys are my favorite audio/video related channel. Andrew presents the product on it's own and instead of bashing it's weakness he relates to real world simple solutions e.g. "adjust the tone control". Other reviewers just give you the black and white, good and not so good without thinking the end users common sense enough to tailor the tone to their liking. Nothing is going to please everyone out the box and they know it but do little to advise simple tweaks. Btw... Which Sony speaker were you comparing to the JBL's or did I miss the model? As for your question: Emotiva T1+ , Monolith Encore T6 & Polk Audio Monitor 70 all for under $800. 👍🏽✊🏽
Andrew, always well spoken and articulate. Keep giving us your unadulterated thoughts on audio. Also I enjoy Kristi and her thoughts as well. Much success to you.
ISO Feel ROCK HARD!!!! My jaw dropped when I heard the difference. Who would have ever thought feet, GD FEEL, can make such a difference? First thing I heard was the clarity, just fresh stream water clear sound. Worth every penny and a must for any speaker over a grand.
I have the Sony’s and I did buy them for dirt cheap on sale. The thing that made me choose them is, front porting. It’s nice to have them close to a wall without having a ton of base boom. I do totally agree that there are better speakers for the money, but they are hard to beat in small rooms.
Yay Kristi! Love your comments on these speakers! I wouldn't buy them but your narrative is precious. Thanks. I did, however, buy the Klipsch RP8000Fs speakers on Andrews recommendation and love them.
I got the A170s for my front stage recently and absolutely love them. However, I think I'm going to save up for the A190s and use the A170s as my surrounds
Funny timing of this video...the Stage A180's were just on sale for $99 per tower on Harman's website for several weeks. It ended very recently. For that much it would be worth it even if you didn't like them, as you could just sell them for a bit of profit. I should have ordered them but I'm trying to avoid purchases of things I don't "need". Self control in this hobby can be difficult.
Please when you think of buying the JBL stage a190 or a180 or the stage a 170 9:43 jbl's prices for the speaker bounce around more often than a ping pong ball so when you find these speakers under $150 each even as low as $100 each buy them then do not pay what they're asking for them regularly which can be extraordinarily high priced wait for the price to go below $150 per speaker it happens
Andrew, I love your reviews and have followed you for some time now. I was wondering if you could review the JBL Studio 698. I like the Stage series, but am interested in going higher up the JBL chain. I also wonder how the 698 would compare to the Polk R700.
Have you ever thought about doing reviews on older speakers. Like speakers that are discontinued now. Think it would be fun to do a sort of blast from the past review just for fun. Just a thought.
Eh, probably not unless it's "vintage". People already get upset whenever we review something that ends up being out of stock. You should see some of the comments we get on our 2-3 year old videos.🤦🏻♂️
Great review andrew and Christy! Watch you all the time, surprised by how much you liked these. Not my cup of tea personally, but appreciate how you aren't snobberish. Those feet for 300 dollars tho..😳
As a husband I understand Andrew when goes Hmmm Hmmm, lol. Good review guys. You are my go to for audio reviews. I LOVE the detail in every episode. I am a Klipsch fan boy, I just wanted to hear the comparison
Great work U 2 , like your channel and enjoy both of your take on equipment (thanks) my thoughts is why spend thousands of dollars now days on speakers when most are very good at a lower cost and jbl are awesome speakers , I always wonder when the cost versus improvement stops .
Am with Kristi on this, I think basically because am a JBL fun but mostly because of their price and the said capability with what they can bring. It still goes back to, nobody has to like the sound of your system apart from you.
I have the Stage 170 and use EQ to brighten the speaker with a Crown XLS 1002. The JBLs sound as good or better than my old Thiel CS2 and Classe 70 amp high end sound for little money.
If you like the surround sound at your local movie theater or even loud rock concert, these will give you that JBL somewhat stiff but accurate sound. They do not mind being pumped loud either. For the price, great JBL sound.
Perfect timing! I've been hunting reviews of these this week since I'm just about to go shopping. I'm in the market for floorstanders that are more "full range" so I can get rid of my subwoofer (paired with Klipsch RP600M). Would also like to see reviews of the Polk R600 and ELAC Solano FS287 as well, since these are somewhat in the ballpark I think. I love the look of the 190's and hey it's JBL, they should be able to handle hard rock and electric guitars right? My room is kinda "cold" so I'd rather overdo the bass a bit. The R600 and FS287 seems to have some ridiculous amount of bass with their downfiring bassport. I like that. Give me grunt down low and sparkle at the top. I even consider the more costly JBL HDI-3600, those seems to be some beastly speakers! Thanks for the review, really helpful!
Hi Andrew and Kristi, thanks for the review - I've really been wanting to hear your take on this series. In terms of comparisons, I'd love to hear what you think about Emotiva's towers. Specifically, the Airmotive T-Zero+ (currently on clearance) and the T1+ are right in the Stage 190's range. I'm also curious to hear how they would compare to Jamo's Concert series towers.
Great review again on the JBL's, You and Kristi make it simple and concise, so even a fairly seasoned hi-fi guy like me (with no kit or money) can understand and dream, thanks for all the effort you both put into this channel 🙂
Looked at these briefly last year but the Q Acoustics 3050i I felt would be a better fit and i'm very happy with them. More finish choices also. Still need to upgrade my sub but it's better now the AccuEQ Onkyo 6100 has improved sub output quality considerably.
Will you PLEASEEEE try some 590's, I know they are old and look insane but they are so much fun for $399 each on sale. They do require a long time to run in though, so it'll take a few weeks to review them properly.
Kristi thank you for your take as well on things, it is much appreciated. Thank you for sticking to your guns as far as your opinion is concerned even when it differs to our Andrew, you definitely 'threw a spanner' into the mix and the conversation was much more rounded and balanced at the end.
for this jbl speaker an integrated amp from rotel or marantz would be a good choice along with a project combo turntable/cartridge set up,add a matching cd player from either marantz or rotel if so desired.
I love these more affordable speaker reviews. One question have you ever or will you ever test speakers from German Brands like Nubert(pricey) or Teufel(affordable)?
I wouldn't say no to a review of these brands but their distribution here in the US is pretty limited and 70% of our audience is based in the US so it could happen, but not likely anytime soon.
That’s a spot on review! I wish the feet were anodized metal, but we can’t have everything. It’s great for home theater, and I also lowered the treble. Powered by Emotiva BasX A2 and PT1
Hey Andrew I'm a fan of your channel so I greatly appreciate your videos. I agree with Kristi, I own the Stage A170 tower speakers and they sound awesome. Once I added acoustic treatment(diffusers/absorbers) that brightness completely disappeared. I have a Adcom GFA series 2 power amp with a Schitt Saga plus preamp fueling them with Canare speaker cables/interconnects and I'm in Hifi Hog Heaven. I'm curious Andrew why haven't added any acoustics treatment to your space, I noticed when I did it literally changed the sound of all my speaker.
Richer Sounds in the UK is currently selling the JBL A190 at £549 a pair. that a good price for people on a budget. Or get yourself a separate Emotiva BasX amp as well, to take the load of the Processor. etc.
Great content as always. Regarding you last question. I saw one of your videos about you guys going with in ceiling Klipschs. How good are inceiling or inwalls in general for a HT if you were going to use a sub. I have found some really good priced Def Tech Di 6.5lcrs. And because of door location in my room, towers are not really an option I am confused between book shelfs or inwalls. I would not be able to pace the book shelves too far apart and would sit a little lower than I would like them under the screen. Alternative is inwalls on the side of the screen and one as center. I could also go with a traditional center.
Hey Andrew do you have any plans of reviewing magnat monitor supreme 2002 towers? Your outstanding review of the transpuls 1500 really lifted magnat's popularity 😁
@@andrewrobinsonreviews I use the LSR308s for dialog mixing, and I love the soundstage. Seems like the Stage 190s are cut from the same cloth. Question: Stage 190? Or 130s with a sub? (Medium-sized room)
✅ *GET IT HERE: **bit.ly/3PUtz4j**, **amzn.to/3arBEwZ*
★ *CLICK ❤THANKS to highlight your question &/or support the channel!*
★ *QOTD: What other speakers around the 190s price should we check out?*
★ *🎵+ 🎥 + PRODUCTS SHOWN☝CLICK “SHOW MORE” in the description*
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The Polk Signature series for me has always been great value. ES50 and ES60. The 60 is a beast of a speaker.
Any interest in reviewing the Buchardt S400 MKIIs? Loved your review of the originals.
THX for the review! The JBL "Studio" , I think, where the predecessor to this line. They where good, for the money.
Other speakers to check out: Acoustic Energy AE109 MKII tower speaker, an for the cheap BUT GOOD bookshelf the Acoustic Energy AE100 MKII !!!
I would love to hear your opinion about internet only brands such as Teufel and Nubert they’re both from Germany and i own a pair of Teufel Ultima 40’s the cheapest floor standing speakers…And they’re awesome..
Watching you from the Dominican Republic. It is so refreshing to watch "normal people" products reviews wrapped in outstanding aesthetics and production. Keep up the good work!
Thanks for watching! Always nice to know we reach such a broad audience!
@@andrewrobinsonreviews you hit it with this video.
@@andrewrobinsonreviews Trinidad & Tobago here 🇹🇹
@@andrewrobinsonreviews sim, Brasil aqui também!
Good work!
El Salvador!
A lot of people are bringing up the Studio 590 - I haven't heard those yet but yes, they appear to be on sale here: bit.ly/3NdeIA1
At $399 a pop they are probably the best values I have tried and always recommend them to people who like bass and don't want to spend a ton. You do NOT need a sub for them either thus saving even more money to put towards a better front end. The mids and highs are very good for sub $1k price. Be warned..... they are massive!
Wonder if Kristi would love or hate how they look?
The Studio 580 is more directly comparable pricewise - $600/pair. I own a pair of 590s and like them - crazy value for money. Based on your review and my experience with the 590s, I'd say the 580s would be a much better buy. Aesthetically - depends how you feel about the monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey as your reference.
She does not like the look of them and would buy the A190 if forced to chose.
Kristi’s take is honestly one of my favorite sections of your reviews.
Her opinions provide valuable insight that often isn’t exactly aligned with yours and it adds so much to your reviews.
It’s enjoyable to see two different views in one review.
We appreciate your watching until the end, Billy!
@@andrewrobinsonreviews of course! I love the conversation! It’s the pièce de résistance for me haha
Yeah. So it's the JBL Studio 590 that punch WAY above their price point! And right now, they're on sale for $399/1 speaker. They have 2 8in drivers also! These are the ones I'd love for you to review. I'm gonna contact JBL/Harman TODAY and see how they can get you a pair! They're largely regarded in the HT world as one of the BEST bargains!
I really appreciate what Kristi said about these speakers as it pertains to hearing loss. It’s something rarely if ever brought up on these type of reviews across many channels. I have severe tinnitus in one ear that has profound hearing loss. No high end at all and greatly compromised mid. The other ear has moderate tinnitus and some high end loss. It’s horrible and I don’t wish it on anyone.
So when it’s acknowledged that everyone is different and it could be more a part of audiophile reviews that many of us have hearing loss, it makes me feel less forgotten. Thank you for the review and thank you Kristi for the inclusion. Deafness is the forgotten or ignored disability.
❤️☮️
For those of you who may ask, 'JBL VS HECO" we answer it here: 17:17
Another fun, entertaining review. Thanks Andrew and Kristi. Honestly so many cheap impressive speakers at present, what a time to be alive! Keep up the great work. The room in your new house is looking awesome!
Well.. i got a pair of a170, with 5.25 inch drivers and not 8 inch like the a190, and the 170 are blowing my mind. They pack such a nice punch that i had to turn off my subwoofer completely. Maybe its because my room is small, but i can imagine those pumping in bigger rooms. Awesome work by jbl
I am getting 2 pairs for l&r and surrounds with the matching center can’t wait to get them can’t believe how little they cost
@@danemoreno88 for me they were extremely expensive, sadly cuz thats how it works in my country.. gotta pay 4 times more for the same product.. but im not regretting every penny.. even for the smallest of the floorstanding models, those don't need the help of a subwoofer, with a proper reciever ofc.
JBL speakers are terrific, up and down the line from boomboxes to home theater speakers to professional grade studio monitors. I have 5 JLB 2328 LSR speakers (active) in my home studio, as well as the L100 Century and four more floor standing JBL speakers. They are hard to beat in terms of price / quality.
I’m sure it something you won’t accept “props” for, but I have to say, one of my favorite parts of y’all’s reviews is seeing the name in the bottom right change to “Andrew Robinson + Kristi Wright” in the final segment of each review. Here’s to creating the environment that we wish existed in this ridiculous hobby and exhausting world ❤️ Thank you so much for all that you do!
I own 3 pairs of JBL Arena 170 towers, and I must say for the price they are phenomenal performers. I paid $150 a pair USD many years ago during the holidays, and you can't find anything near them for that price nowadays. Kudos JBL on amazing speakers, and great job on your review. 👍🏻
I'm starting to love these lower priced speaker reviews..mostly for the comment section though lol. The one two punch of Kristi and Andrew is in full swing and it's great. Keep em coming...I am entertained!!
I got a pair of Stage A180, and they are simply amazing!!! Definitely the best bang for your buck!
Great review Andrew. I've been a fan of JBL for many years. They don't always get the notoriety of some of the other speaker lines. But they never seem to make a bad speaker either. I currently run for a front sound stage JBL 290s, a 235c center channel and two Klipsch R-110SWs subs(I was too late to get two JBL 590Ps). In essence you can't go wrong with JBL.
Been watching you guys for a long time and love how confident Kristi is getting in the bonus discussions :)
I have the JBL a190s and everything you said I totally agree with regarding the sound characteristics. Easy to place, easy to drive, slightly bright top end, deep boomy bass that gets a little squirrely in the nether regions. The soundstage is wide but not great. People and instrument’s can be sometimes placed and sometimes not. The speakers sometimes gives away their positions and you notice the sound is coming from them.
I use these in my gigantic 3 story 30 x 20 living room and they fill the entire space even using a chi-fi dac/amp (Loxjie A30). If you want affordable room filling sound these are a good choice.
I also have the JBL studio 530’s and those are tonally some of my favorite. For anything 100hz and above they smoke the stage a190s in every sound category except dispersion and ease of placement.
Lastly thank you Andrew and Kristi for all that you do. I’ve bought the Kanto Yu6 3 years ago after your review and have been hooked to the channel ever since. Recently bought a full Polk reserve ht setup because of your R700 review
Thanks so much for joining us today. How is everyone's week going?
Excellent! Waiting for my R700s to be delivered.
Great! Finally got to set up my speakers (Buchardt S400 mk2) again after a period of silence due to a move, and falling in love with them all over again.
@@carlbolterstein NICE!
@@eldloppa2 That's great! it's always nice to get your system up and running again after a dry spell.
@@carlbolterstein Fun!! Enjoy them!
After watching this review, I ordered a pair on sale for 2/3 the price indicated, free ship and a coupon code! Should be an interesting comparison to some costlier speakers I have. Always love Kristi's take!
Opened them up yesterday and played for a couple hours- very impressed. Upon unboxing, you have a choice of rubber feet or spikes- my Sonus Faber Luminas have spikes only. IMHO the plastic outriggers look pretty good and work well. In my room, my ears, my equipment, they sound very balanced in frequency- which is what Andrew's graph showed. I find the highs detailed and engaging, but not "in your face"- the Luminas are more so. Bass is good and more than I expected. I have them out in the room a ways, and closer proximity to the wall would probably help- but not too close. All-in-all, I think these are a great value for the money. I've spent a lot more and gotten less. Quibbles: one speaker came with a scuff on the front, and a couple of speaker grill pins are so tight I didn't dare remove them, for fear of breaking.
Hey man thanks for the extra info. What center channel and surrounds if you used them did you use? I am about to pull the trigger on these a190s and the “matching” 125c as a center and 120’s as surrounds. I wasn’t sure if there would be a blending issue - as so I’ve seen reviews in result of the difference in driver sizes.
@@ConnorBallin659 Hey Connor. The A190's are the only ones I purchased, but I think you'll be fine with the ones you've listed. The only center I currently have is for the Luminas I mentioned, and that has much smaller drivers than the towers (4", I believe). I was initially concerned about that, but was pleasantly surprised at how well it blended/ performed. Enjoy your purchase!
You guys have been doing a great job setting up a bank of tower reviews! Thanks for not shying away from these big things to avoid the hassle. At right around the 1000 and under price point I think the obvious to request is the Klipsch reference, especially vs the RP line, but since you asked also Emotiva, SVS, and maybe something from the non heritage KLH line up would be cool.
Im also excited for that massive center channel coming up, I feel way too often centers are taken for granted.
Thanks again!
Both my wife and I are happy with the four 190, four 120 and 135C we bought at 75% off MSRP back in May. They sound great for us on both music and movies.
Thanks! I was thinking about the Heco aurora 700’s. Kristi read my mind. Get out of my head! Any other comparable for 1500 or less? Thanks again. Appreciate you all for your work. Former owner of JBL 150a’s.
Thank you so much for the support! Besides what is already referenced (links in description) check out these at/around that price:
amzn.to/3HKVBLr
bit.ly/3PXrLYh
bit.ly/2Z9rdIS / bit.ly/85Linton
Hope this helps!
Love the way you are now giving a sweep in your room. R700's will be deleivered tommorow. Knocking these reviews out.
Love seeing reviews for affordable gear!
We have a budget playlist you can check out for more reviews here: ruclips.net/p/PL0M9xqvUDwdxizrQVGYr2giwb_sL4fnht
Thanks so much for watching!
I have the jamo s809 and the jbl stage a190 and they are not even in the same league the jbl are better sounding and without a doubt have better build quality
This channel is awesome. Thank you for the content, and all of the work you obviously put in to these videos. Cheers !
Love your handle! Thank you for hanging out with us today.
So a speaker that’s almost perfectly flat in frequency response is too treble forward? I think that says more about modern recording mixing trends imo. I added a preamp with tone controls and it’s the best part of my system. Everything seems to be mastered to sound good on headphones, cellphones, and flat panel TV’s speakers.
True dat
Bought 4xA190, 4xA120 and A135C 3 weeks ago and still saving up for AVR-X3700H for a complete Dolby Atmos system.
I have a pair of A190 bi-amped. Totally agree with you. They are great for music and movies. It would be interesting to see your review of the Studio 590. They use compression driver for the high frequency. So their directivity should be at another level. Thanks for doing the A190 review😃👍🏼.
@Francisco Rivera I apologize if we missed your question during yesterday's livestream. It has been answered in the comment section here ruclips.net/video/q4jmV7JJGrA/видео.html
Really appreciate the super chat support!
@@andrewrobinsonreviews No worries, you are good. I understand, is really hard to keep up with thousand of lines of comments 😉. I like your content and I look forward to see more interesting reviews. Keep the great work😎👍🏼.
I have owned a set of Roger's PS-5 towers that have been commended by several friends with far higher calibre/price systems.
I am only now in the market for a replacement due to water damage.
Loving your video for guidance and tips
Kristi is ready to THROW DOWN with the L100 take. YOU GO GIRL!
🙌
Good! i was about to ask about the heco comparison and you did it, nice!
So many of these reviews from a few years back end up discontinued on a search for them. This is yet another. I'm getting the impression that the lower priced floor speakers move to new models quickly.
Omg! Kristi's comments takes your reviews from 70 to 100. Thank you both for your amazing reviews.
😍
Hi. I bought the JBL 180 and I really am surprised by the sound. They are fantastic for the money .
I also have them, and they are impressive! I can notice some details in music I never did even with headphones.
@@irineusantos6298 if you want a fantastic speaker, try the triangle bro 3. they are really special...you can find them for 295.00 a pair. Amazing speakers.
Fantastic as always! This channel is probably the best source of HiFi reviews on RUclips. Those Emotiva amps make me think, why don’t you review the Airmotiv T2+ floorstanders? I’ve heard they are quite good for a grand a pair.
The JBL A130 with the same tweeter (I think) was so tinny and metallic out of the box, I couldn't believe it. Adding the grills helped, and then after some play time, it mellowed out and was all good.
Good review. And I have to agree based on my experience with the Stage A180s.
I caught them on a good sale and put them in my basement connected to an old Denon AVR. I use them to listen to music (loudly) and watch the occasional TV show while I use the treadmill.
It sure beats earbuds and they’re a hell of a lot of fun with or without a subwoofer.
Noticed today the JBL 590 was on sale at 399. They are huge and with grills off they look like the Scream mask. Never heard them
Thanks for the review! I would really like to see you take on the JBL studio series, specifically the JBL Studio 580 or 590. They are on sale currently and pretty often through JBL.
Noted!
Yes! Happy to see that others are nudging Andrew to try the Studio line! Andrew, we're counting on you! 🙂
I would encourage viewers to reach out to any brand you would like to see more of on the channel and let them know.
@@andrewrobinsonreviews I reached out to them today. We'll see what happens. What's your email?
Great review and good that you're also covering more affordable speakers as well once in awhile. I recently realized that my very affordable Retrospective bookshelf speakers from NUMAN in my backroom have been serving me well for 5 years now.
Glad you're liking the video. Here's our budget equipment playlist in case you missed it: ruclips.net/p/PL0M9xqvUDwdxizrQVGYr2giwb_sL4fnht
I own a pair of JBL L7 speakers from 1993 and the detail for both movies and music is incredible.
Any idea if these are close to that? Any info would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks so much for your awesome reviews Andrew & Kristi! It never goes unnoticed!
Keep up the great work!
👍 😊 🔊
Thank you, Tony! Andrew said he has heard those but it's been too long to speculate.
Jumping in here. These 190s reminded me more of my old JBL G400 towers from the early 90's, so my guess is the nicer L7s would outperform these.
@@KristiWright Thanks for the quick reply Kristi & Andrew! I really appreciate it!
If you're ever up for a pool lesson (I'm a professional pool player/Instructor) and in the South Miami area, let me know.
I'll be more than happy to give you both a free pool lesson as a way of saying thank you for all that you do for the community.
👍 😊 🎱
Have a fantastic day! 👍
@@tonyrobles9070 That's a very kind offer. Thank you! I've never been to Miami!
I would love a review of the JBL 570, 580, or 590’s. It’s always on great sale
I have these, and they are awesome!
Hello Andrew and Kristi! Another amazing video as always 😊
Hey, thanks!
Have a pair of A130s for my small listening cave and love them. Snagged for $165 and punch WAY above their price. Slay my Jamo 803s, which are great for their price too so I kept them.
Enjoyed the review - thanks for the entertainment. Box, port, metal driver, horn, necessary cheap crossovers and terminals - this waste of raw materials didn't stand a chance. Yet somehow it made sense to someone at JBL - like they said, "Designer, your challenge is to make something we can sell with a combination of all the worst speaker concepts." More often than not when you see smoke there is fire, when you see a box there is cabinet resonance, when you see a port there is chuffing/inaccurate/boomy bass, when you see a round metal driver there is shrill, when you see a horn there is compression. Yet they continue travelling down these dead-end roads.
I'm running 22 year old JBL studio series. S312 /S38/s26. Theses punch above there weight class. I haven't found nothing that can beat them for the $$
Greatly appreciate you guys covering entry level equipment, please keep up the good work.
We have a budget playlist you can check out here ruclips.net/p/PL0M9xqvUDwdxizrQVGYr2giwb_sL4fnht Thanks so much for watching Isaiah!
Kristi!!! You really blew Andrew's mind. LOL - It just goes to show you that there something for everyone.
Andrew & Kristi 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼, this review is one reason why you guys are my favorite audio/video related channel. Andrew presents the product on it's own and instead of bashing it's weakness he relates to real world simple solutions e.g. "adjust the tone control". Other reviewers just give you the black and white, good and not so good without thinking the end users common sense enough to tailor the tone to their liking. Nothing is going to please everyone out the box and they know it but do little to advise simple tweaks. Btw... Which Sony speaker were you comparing to the JBL's or did I miss the model? As for your question: Emotiva T1+ , Monolith Encore T6 & Polk Audio Monitor 70 all for under $800. 👍🏽✊🏽
Hey Ben, the speakers mentioned as well as other products used during testing are noted in the description.
@@KristiWright oh, my bad lol. I might have been distracted and didn't pause. Thanks for the correction Kristi 👍🏽
@@ben23a31 No problem!
Andrew, always well spoken and articulate. Keep giving us your unadulterated thoughts on audio. Also I enjoy Kristi and her thoughts as well. Much success to you.
I appreciate that!
As always a fun Review!
Cheers,
Eric
Thanks again!
I love to see a review on the JBL Studio 570's and other speakers in that lineup. 😊
ISO Feel ROCK HARD!!!! My jaw dropped when I heard the difference. Who would have ever thought feet, GD FEEL, can make such a difference? First thing I heard was the clarity, just fresh stream water clear sound. Worth every penny and a must for any speaker over a grand.
It looks like he used the Gaia II. These speakers are too light for them. Still look cool.
I have the Sony’s and I did buy them for dirt cheap on sale. The thing that made me choose them is, front porting. It’s nice to have them close to a wall without having a ton of base boom. I do totally agree that there are better speakers for the money, but they are hard to beat in small rooms.
Yay Kristi! Love your comments on these speakers! I wouldn't buy them but your narrative is precious. Thanks. I did, however, buy the Klipsch RP8000Fs speakers on Andrews recommendation and love them.
😍
I got the A170s for my front stage recently and absolutely love them. However, I think I'm going to save up for the A190s and use the A170s as my surrounds
Funny timing of this video...the Stage A180's were just on sale for $99 per tower on Harman's website for several weeks. It ended very recently. For that much it would be worth it even if you didn't like them, as you could just sell them for a bit of profit. I should have ordered them but I'm trying to avoid purchases of things I don't "need". Self control in this hobby can be difficult.
Please when you think of buying the JBL stage a190 or a180 or the stage a 170 9:43 jbl's prices for the speaker bounce around more often than a ping pong ball so when you find these speakers under $150 each even as low as $100 each buy them then do not pay what they're asking for them regularly which can be extraordinarily high priced wait for the price to go below $150 per speaker it happens
Andrew, I love your reviews and have followed you for some time now. I was wondering if you could review the JBL Studio 698. I like the Stage series, but am interested in going higher up the JBL chain. I also wonder how the 698 would compare to the Polk R700.
Have you ever thought about doing reviews on older speakers. Like speakers that are discontinued now. Think it would be fun to do a sort of blast from the past review just for fun. Just a thought.
Eh, probably not unless it's "vintage". People already get upset whenever we review something that ends up being out of stock. You should see some of the comments we get on our 2-3 year old videos.🤦🏻♂️
Great review andrew and Christy! Watch you all the time, surprised by how much you liked these. Not my cup of tea personally, but appreciate how you aren't snobberish. Those feet for 300 dollars tho..😳
As a husband I understand Andrew when goes Hmmm Hmmm, lol. Good review guys. You are my go to for audio reviews. I LOVE the detail in every episode. I am a Klipsch fan boy, I just wanted to hear the comparison
Great work U 2 , like your channel and enjoy both of your take on equipment (thanks) my thoughts is why spend thousands of dollars now days on speakers when most are very good at a lower cost and jbl are awesome speakers , I always wonder when the cost versus improvement stops .
Klipsch RF 7 mk III !! Please review those beasts Andrew !! Watching you from Romania . Keep up the good work !
i Would like to see you review the Emotiva T1+, they are a little more money but in the same ballpark
Am with Kristi on this, I think basically because am a JBL fun but mostly because of their price and the said capability with what they can bring. It still goes back to, nobody has to like the sound of your system apart from you.
Thanks for the video! Was curious about these.
I have the Stage 170 and use EQ to brighten the speaker with a Crown XLS 1002. The JBLs sound as good or better than my old Thiel CS2 and Classe 70 amp high end sound for little money.
If you like the surround sound at your local movie theater or even loud rock concert, these will give you that JBL somewhat stiff but accurate sound. They do not mind being pumped loud either. For the price, great JBL sound.
Great job bro! 😎👍
Thanks.
Perfect timing! I've been hunting reviews of these this week since I'm just about to go shopping. I'm in the market for floorstanders that are more "full range" so I can get rid of my subwoofer (paired with Klipsch RP600M). Would also like to see reviews of the Polk R600 and ELAC Solano FS287 as well, since these are somewhat in the ballpark I think. I love the look of the 190's and hey it's JBL, they should be able to handle hard rock and electric guitars right? My room is kinda "cold" so I'd rather overdo the bass a bit. The R600 and FS287 seems to have some ridiculous amount of bass with their downfiring bassport. I like that. Give me grunt down low and sparkle at the top. I even consider the more costly JBL HDI-3600, those seems to be some beastly speakers! Thanks for the review, really helpful!
Hi Andrew and Kristi, thanks for the review - I've really been wanting to hear your take on this series. In terms of comparisons, I'd love to hear what you think about Emotiva's towers. Specifically, the Airmotive T-Zero+ (currently on clearance) and the T1+ are right in the Stage 190's range. I'm also curious to hear how they would compare to Jamo's Concert series towers.
I was just about to ask this same question lol
We haven't heard those but will keep them in mind.
I was thinking about that same question ?
Thanks
Thank you, Tony! We appreciate the support!
Great review again on the JBL's, You and Kristi make it simple and concise, so even a fairly seasoned hi-fi guy like me (with no kit or money) can understand and dream, thanks for all the effort you both put into this channel 🙂
So happy to know what we do is helpful and fun. We look forward to seeing you around these parts soon!
All the way from the UK, Someday I hope we can🙂
Cape Verde Islands checking in!!
Welcome!!
Looked at these briefly last year but the Q Acoustics 3050i I felt would be a better fit and i'm very happy with them. More finish choices also. Still need to upgrade my sub but it's better now the AccuEQ Onkyo 6100 has improved sub output quality considerably.
Will you PLEASEEEE try some 590's, I know they are old and look insane but they are so much fun for $399 each on sale. They do require a long time to run in though, so it'll take a few weeks to review them properly.
I paid $1000 shipped for 5 JBL 570's
Thanks!
Woo hoo! Thank you, Kent!
Thank you so much Kent!
Hi Andrew, great reviews, really helpful. Help me decide between JBL A180/190 and Q3050i please. Which one to pick? Thanks.
Kristi thank you for your take as well on things, it is much appreciated. Thank you for sticking to your guns as far as your opinion is concerned even when it differs to our Andrew, you definitely 'threw a spanner' into the mix and the conversation was much more rounded and balanced at the end.
yes, My parents have a Bose Acoustimas 10 5.1 system and a Yamaha TXH receiver. wanted good mid grade speakers for mains.
Great review! So, which one is best to get, JBL Stage 190 or the Polk Monitor XT60??
Another great review. Did you ever consider reviewing emotiva T1+. Similarly priced
for this jbl speaker an integrated amp from rotel or marantz would be a good choice along with a project combo turntable/cartridge set up,add a matching cd player from either marantz or rotel if so desired.
If you'd rather not cough up $300 for Iso Acoustic Feet, consider a set of heavy-duty Anti Vibration Feet or Adjustable Leveling Feet for about $15.
I'm sure there are other options. This is just what we had on hand.
I love these more affordable speaker reviews. One question have you ever or will you ever test speakers from German Brands like Nubert(pricey) or Teufel(affordable)?
I wouldn't say no to a review of these brands but their distribution here in the US is pretty limited and 70% of our audience is based in the US so it could happen, but not likely anytime soon.
That’s a spot on review! I wish the feet were anodized metal, but we can’t have everything. It’s great for home theater, and I also lowered the treble. Powered by Emotiva BasX A2 and PT1
Love to see a pair of JPW Ruby 3 done on here for historic reasons or TDL RTL 3 or 4 reviewed again on historic reason
Please could you review some of Axiom's speakers, especially their omni-directional speakers. Thanks for your honest reviews and views.
Great review... your opinion about the bass of this line is very accurate. Thanks!!!
Muito bom review! Cirurgico e com otima definiçao, minha próxima compra, obrigado!
Hey Andrew I'm a fan of your channel so I greatly appreciate your videos. I agree with Kristi, I own the Stage A170 tower speakers and they sound awesome. Once I added acoustic treatment(diffusers/absorbers) that brightness completely disappeared. I have a Adcom GFA series 2 power amp with a Schitt Saga plus preamp fueling them with Canare speaker cables/interconnects and I'm in Hifi Hog Heaven. I'm curious Andrew why haven't added any acoustics treatment to your space, I noticed when I did it literally changed the sound of all my speaker.
Great Review. I would request you to review the BIC America Venturi DV84 as it comes in this range
JBL Stage A190 or Polk XT60 for movies?
Hi guys
The jbl cost 1217usd in Denmark. The Wharfedahl Evo 4.4 is 1100 usd. I would love to hear a comparison of the two 😊
Richer Sounds in the UK is currently selling the JBL A190 at £549 a pair. that a good price for people on a budget. Or get yourself a separate Emotiva BasX amp as well, to take the load of the Processor. etc.
Great content as always. Regarding you last question. I saw one of your videos about you guys going with in ceiling Klipschs. How good are inceiling or inwalls in general for a HT if you were going to use a sub. I have found some really good priced Def Tech Di 6.5lcrs. And because of door location in my room, towers are not really an option I am confused between book shelfs or inwalls. I would not be able to pace the book shelves too far apart and would sit a little lower than I would like them under the screen. Alternative is inwalls on the side of the screen and one as center. I could also go with a traditional center.
Hey Andrew do you have any plans of reviewing magnat monitor supreme 2002 towers? Your outstanding review of the transpuls 1500 really lifted magnat's popularity 😁
Love JBL!! I've been looking at these for HT with the Studio 590s for music.
I love my 590s; but these are so appealing!
What is enticing you to consider the Stage 190?
@@andrewrobinsonreviews I use the LSR308s for dialog mixing, and I love the soundstage. Seems like the Stage 190s are cut from the same cloth.
Question: Stage 190? Or 130s with a sub? (Medium-sized room)
What, Kristi loves the look of these speakers? 😀It wasn't until @5:32 that I understood why. They do have a Hamilton Panda Chronograph feel to them.