JBL Stage A130 Review (speaker)

[saulocarvalho83]

It's enough for a 'budget' start

yeah, lol
Thanks for the answer! I´ll try this!!

 

[witwald]

Hi, could you recommend a "budget" Desktop Power Amp or integrated Amp to run these Speakers?

Thank you brother! But I read that it´s a 80w Amp, is it not enough power to run a pair of 225w Speakers? (sorry for I don´t know much of these details about hi-fi engine).

How about the Yamaha PX3 power amplifier? It's rated at 2x 300W at 8Ω and 2x 500W at 4Ω.

PX Series - Overview - Yamaha - Music - Australia

The versatile PX series power amplifiers lineup combines intelligent processing with high output power to meet the requirements of a vast range of sound reinforcement environments.

au.yamaha.com

 

[Flaesh]

71 $ \ ea.:

Sealed. Cross @2.6k.
Don't know how bad (or not so bad) directivity is.

p. s.: $64 in another shop

 

[notabenem]

Just got a pair of A130 from Poland for 260 EUR incl. shipping. Small but surprisingly powerful. Imaging is better than the Elac DBR62 that I had a while ago (could not help but return them because of the fact that it was extremely obvious the sound is coming from the speakers and not from the 'room'). Yet to tune them. Right now they seem bass-heavy, without any EQ or Audyssey.
Now I am thinking of the JBL Stage A135C as a center as it would just fit under my TV. Has anyone got it? Kind of cautions with 'small' centers as their FR starts around 70-80Hz and usually a lot of the bass is in the center channel...

 

[Walter]

Loxje A30.

Great recommendation. If you already have a good DAC, then I'd suggest the Sabaj A10a or A20a, or possibly an Aiyima A07, but then you have to figure out what power supply to use.

 

[Putter]

Thank you brother! But I read that it´s a 80w Amp, is it not enough power to run a pair of 225w Speakers? (sorry for I don´t know much of these details about hi-fi engine).

It's a bit of a misconception to think you need 225 watts to adequately power the speaker. That number typically represents JBL's best guess as to the maximum power the speaker can handle without being damaged. At 86 db/watt/@1M (mfr. spec confirmed by Amir) an 80 watt amp will reach 101 db with near wall placement according this calculator at a 3 meter distance (http://www.hometheaterengineering.com/splcalculator.html) and 105 db with a 200 watt amp. Not the relatively small increase in volume increasing the power by 2.5x.

Both levels are injurious to your hearing at sustained levels, but do allow for transient sounds well above a normal listening level (say 75-80 db)

 

[saulocarvalho83]

It's a bit of a misconception to think you need 225 watts to adequately power the speaker. That number typically represents JBL's best guess as to the maximum power the speaker can handle without being damaged. At 86 db/watt/@1M (mfr. spec confirmed by Amir) an 80 watt amp will reach 101 db with near wall placement according this calculator at a 3 meter distance (http://www.hometheaterengineering.com/splcalculator.html) and 105 db with a 200 watt amp. Not the relatively small increase in volume increasing the power by 2.5x.

Both levels are injurious to your hearing at sustained levels, but do allow for transient sounds well above a normal listening level (say 75-80 db)

Thank you very much for the kind explanation @Putter ! I'm and "old newbie" in the hobby (lol), don't know much things about that technical stuff, so this kind of explanation helps me so much!! I nearly won't use more than 70db with no doubt, so I'm going on for some of the recommendations above (thank you all!!).

Best Regards,

Saulo

 

[Richard Berg]

Erin's review is up: https://www.erinsaudiocorner.com/loudspeakers/jbl_stage_a130/

 

[theyellowspecial]

Erin's review is up: https://www.erinsaudiocorner.com/loudspeakers/jbl_stage_a130/

Now everyone who bought the A130s are going to buy a microphone and confirm their measurements. I measured mine last month and they measure like Amir's, to provide another data point.

 

[amirm]

71 $ \ ea.:
View attachment 160863
Sealed. Cross @2.6k.
Don't know how bad (or not so bad) directivity is.

p. s.: $64 in another shop

Someone loaned me one for testing.

 

[Hiten]

because it's a cabinet resonance, neither of these 3.

I plugged the port and it didn't change the response there at all.

when Amir measures the nearfield response he cannot isolate the cabinet.

Now that second measurements are here. You were absolutely right the mid peak is from cabinet.
Don't understand how to compare distortion from both (Amir's and Erin's) though.
Thanks again and regards.

 

[Geezerman]

makes me wonder about QC in the Chinese factories.

 

[Presently42]

Someone loaned me one for testing.

I greatly look forward to this review!

Now everyone who bought the A130s are going to buy a microphone and confirm their measurements. I measured mine last month and they measure like Amir's, to provide another data point.

I've been wanting to try @napilopez 's quasi anechoic method on my own A130. My in-room measurements are indicating slight differences; for example, the 800 Hz resonance.

Erin's review is up: https://www.erinsaudiocorner.com/loudspeakers/jbl_stage_a130/

Very interesting, that @hardisj 's data are non-trivially different! He doesn't remark on the resonance-looking thing around 16 kHz in @amirm 's data, for example: this is not a resonance point, and his data indeed don't show it as one. Very interesting!

 

[abdo123]

Glad to see that my near-field bass measurements were correct, 100Hz BW 12dB/oct.

 

[rebbiputzmaker]

Now everyone who bought the A130s are going to buy a microphone and confirm their measurements. I measured mine last month and they measure like Amir's, to provide another data point.

I would prefer to listen to them.

Granted there has to be some samples of sample variation, it is not close to being a high-end product. Aamir‘s measurements and his, or some other’s eq suggestions here give you a pretty listenable speaker for the price. Going a bit further, add a sub for some lower bass and imo you can have a decent music system for not too too much $$$. When I think sub I’m not interested in 20 Hz but say 30 Hz with with good sonics. Imo more than enough for satisfying music listening.

 

[Richard Berg]

Erin's spins side by side:

Interesting that in a sealed configuration, the larger A130 woofer & cabinet don't actually extend any deeper. You get a couple extra dB of sensitivity, but you're still gonna be crossing over both models around 100Hz.

Put another way, this is probably why the A130s don't come with plugs -- people who don't need the port boost may as well save some space/dollars and get the A120 instead.

 

[Richard Berg]

Don't understand how to compare distortion from both (Amir's and Erin's) though.

If you look at say 96dB distortion, the line Amir drew at 50dB is equivalent to -46dB on Erin's chart.

So the results are pretty similar...maybe 1-2dB more distortion in Erin's sample.

 

[MZKM]

makes me wonder about QC in the Chinese factories.

Yeah, but even at this price point I’d expect driver tolerances to be better.

I think the Vanatoo using the like $5 Peerless tweeter has shown the most variation of any speaker measurements I have seen, some are widely different.

 

[Geezerman]

Yeah, but even at this price point I’d expect driver tolerances to be less.

I think the Vanatoo using the like $5 Peerless tweeter has shown the most variation of any speaker measurements I have seen, some are widely different.

Makes me want to consider building my own speaker from one of those prefab kits that someone else has done the design work on.
I could go hog wild and use a 20.00 tweeter

 

[notabenem]

If you look at say 96dB distortion, the line Amir drew at 50dB is equivalent to -46dB on Erin's chart.

So the results are pretty similar...maybe 1-2dB more distortion in Erin's sample.

Why is that so?