JBL sets the Stage 2: New lineup lets you easily assemble a modern home theater setup

Imagine you’ve finally received the new two-channel setup or complete immersive audio system you finally committed to after weeks of researching and deliberating. You’re getting more wired as you plug in each cable. You can’t wait to fire up your favorite film and bump some new album. The one thing left to do after you test them is throw out the boxes, but then you hit play and it sounds … boxy. We feel you, and JBL wants to heal you.

Revealed at a premiere held July 17 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, the new JBL Modern Audio AV Receivers and Stage 2 Loudspeakers introduce easily integrated and optimized home cinema sound systems at approachable price points. In a way, debuting these mix-and-match products at the oldest continually operating hotel in Los Angeles—a Golden Era icon opened in 1927—could signal a return to the fundamentals approach behind JBL’s new lines. After all, company namesake James B. Lansing registered his first company the same year the Hotel Roosevelt opened and cemented his reputation for sound reinforcement helping develop the Shearer Horn cinema speaker system in the 1930s, followed by the Voice of the Theatre standard bearers in the 1940s. Even though the goal with the new series is high-quality systems with low set-up complexity, JBL has designed a lot of compression drivers and custom waveguides in the last century, so any “back-to-basics” nod is accompanying components are anything but basic.

The first new products to take the, well, stage are the JBL Stage 2 Loudspeakers, which include eight models available in both Latte and Espresso woodgrain finishes so you can assemble an array that fits your room and budget. The lineup includes the 260F and 280F floor-standing models, 240B and 250B bookshelf models (as well as matching floor stands, sold separately), the 245C center channel speaker, the 240H Dolby Atmos-enabled height module, and the 200P and 220P powered subwoofers. The name, meanwhile, borrows from JBL’s architectural series of speakers designed to blend into the environment so that only effortless music stands out.

Designed at the JBL Acoustic Engineering Center of Excellence in Northridge, Calif., the bookshelf, floor-standing, and center speakers share a 1-inch anodized aluminum dome tweeter mounted in a next-generation HDI [High-Definition Imaging] Horn to ensure a wide but still accurate soundstage and that all the speakers are voice-matched in the 25kHz highs. Beyond that, they also all feature polycellulose ribbed cone woofers, but of varying sizes and quantities—from one 4.5-inch driver in the 250B up to two 8-inch drivers in the 280F. All but the bookshelf speakers come with some iteration of rear-firing tuned ports to extend the bass response (down to 33Hz on the 280F). Though if it’s rumble you seek, you’ll want to pick up either the high-excursion 10-inch/150W sub or the 12-inch/250W one, both of which come with crossover, level, and phase control. In addition, the towers include dedicated ATMOS 5-Way binding posts with integrated wire management so that you can easily add the height module.

The thing about speakers is that they need power. Or they need to be powered speakers, but in the case of the Stage 2 lineup, they require an amp. Luckily, JBL has plenty of experience in that area, as well. (And it doesn’t hurt that the greater HARMAN Luxury Audio Group has other amplification engineers, such as ARCAM, to bring to the drawing board if needed.)

So, to address the need for wattage and signal routing for all the cinephiles and audiophiles out there, the Modern Audio (MA) AV receiver product line matches them with five models: The 60W JBL MA310 5.2-channel 4K AV receiver, 75W JBL MA510 5.2-channel 8K AV receiver, 110W / 125W MA710 / MA710HP 7.2-channel 8K (High Performance) AV receiver, and 140W JBL MA9100HP 9.2-channel AV receiver. Shared features include Class D amplification to power all channels, Dolby and DTS decoding (up to 7.1.2- or 5.1.4-channel ATMOS/DTS:X configurations), high-resolution 192kHz 24-bit DACs, and a plethora of digital and analog RCA connections. You can stream music via Bluetooth (5.1 LE or 5.3 w/ aptX Adaptive, depending on model), as well as Apple AirPlay 2 and Google Chromecast over Wi-Fi (except on the JBL MA310). The Wi-Fi-enabled receivers can be automated alongside other smart-home devices thanks to “Works with SmartThings” integration. Plus, the top models have Bluetooth transmitters for wireless headphones/speakers, are Roon Ready for audiophile music servers, and have an onboard Moving Magnet phono input for connecting a turntable.

Most models have four HDMI inputs, but the MA71000HP and MA9100HP feature six with eARC plug HDR10+/Dolby Vision support—for all those high-resolution streaming and physical media sources you’ll want to feed to, say, a new Samsung TV. All models except the MA310 have HDMI 2.1 with enhanced gaming features: VRR, ALLM, QFT, HFR (4K@120Hz) for all PlayStation 5 fans. An EZ Set EQ app—compatible with all models—collects room acoustics data from a two-minute test cycle to equalize speaker groups for any space. Additionally, the MA7100HP and MA9100HP come Dirac Live Ready for automatic room correction and are equipped with IP control and additional optimization tools for integrators/power users. As for the name of the AVRs, the Modern Audio series is designed with a contemporary look that blends into modern interiors.

We’re long-time fans of JBL’s party speakers and studio monitors and their ability to deliver both presence and power from compact form factors, using imaging horns to establish broad sweet spots endowed with speedy transient response. JBL speakers can handle nimble pacing while pushing air, so we expect lively dynamics and plentiful authority from these new ones. We’ll have more to say about the MA AV receivers and Stage 2 Loudspeakers once we’ve spent additional time in front of them and examined the tech behind them as part of an upcoming visit to the HARMAN Experience Center in Northridge, Calif. For now, we can share that the products will be available starting from July 2024 with pricing from $399 to $1,599 for the JBL MA AV Receivers and $299.95 to $1,199.95 per pair for the JBL Stage 2 Loudspeakers. In the meantime, you can visit www.JBL.com for more details.