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JBL goes Dirac Live ready and Class-D

If I could make one change, it would be to make the two subwoofer outputs on the top two receiver models independently adjustable, which would open the door for multi-sub Dirac Live Bass Control. <-- Audioholics
DLBC Single Sub is sufficient if DLART is added.
 
Genius Ads :)

This is actually amazing, assuming that it’s Gen Z approved and not seen as a straight SNL skit by the target audience or maybe it is seen as a roast of Gen Z culture and still Gen Z approved.

1) Finding light colored speakers like the JBLs is surprising hard. Being able to showcase speakers like that is great.

2) Smart to emphasize that the foundation of the experience is 2.1 and you can do floor standing or bookshelves, not a 2.0 setup. They keep it simple and I would agree that 2.1 to 5.1 to 5.1.2 is the best way to do good, better, best* when you have the Gen Z’s typical apartment and budget.

I like that they go to 5.1.2 instead of 7.1.0 for modern mixes in most rooms, even if it’s upfiring speakers.

3) SAF/WAF is a common thread in many message boards. By targeting single women from Gen Z, they are investing in the future of hifi/home theater. The joke for any US audiophile show is that if the average age of the show goer means that the hobby will die as the hobbyists age. The truth is that US audio shows are more disproportionately older men compared to audio shows in Europe or Japan.

Go to a concert or movie theater and there’s a great mix of men and women. Go to the Taylor Swift Era’s Tour, and there is a huge number of women. Go to any audiophile show or home theater showroom, and it’s disproportionately men.

4) The more wisely deployed Atmos setups are, the more Hollywood will continue to invest in making sure there are great mixes and the fewer soundbars that are out there, the more likely Hollywood will mix for larger dynamic ranges.

(Netflix, Disney+, MAX are all able to track if they are streaming Atmos or 5.1 or to a tablet/phone.)
 
Can't fault their marketing, but I think they're missing the appeal these can have outside of the non-savvy audio users. Just because I have a bit of knowledge and am not a stranger to building an audio system from individual speakers doesn't mean I want a giant black box with tons of features I'll never use. Also, this seems to be one of the only mass-market AVR lines using class-D amps.

In any case, that Audioholics article states that JBL's AVR product manager indicated these will support DLBC, even though that's not shown in the specs (or on Dirac's site for the licensing), which is an unexpected plus. Not sure how much benefit that offers for single-subwoofer setups, though.
 
this seems to be one of the only mass-market AVR lines using class-D amps.
NAD also switched to class-d a few years ago, see the T778 and now the upcoming T799, which is also due to receive DLART next year.
 
NAD also switched to class-d a few years ago, see the T778 and now the upcoming T799, which is also due to receive DLART next year.
Hm, not sure I'd call NAD "mass-market". Not well known outside the audio enthusiast community. Also, T778 is $3500, and still sports the "big black box" AVR aesthetic. The screen on the front is nice though. And I do like the ability to upgrade.

Still, I could buy two of the top-of-the-line JBLs with cash to spare for the cost of one T778.

Edit: But, I'll concede the point that these JBLs aren't the only AVR out there with class-D amps.
Edit2: And oof, just read the review/measurements of the T778 here. Not great.
 
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The vocal fry annoys the crap out of me...

Martin
and yes, I am a boomer
Freaking glottal stops bug me even more (FWIW - realizing full well that no one would ask...). :cool:
Oh, my. It's after 3pm. Time to go out and yell at some clouds. ;)
 
Coulda been worse - at least no "Bro", man. LMK. :facepalm::eek:
 
I wonder why Harman wouldn't utilise a brand like HK or Arcam for boxes of electronics? I find it interesting how they'll use the JBL brand for everything from $30 bluetooth speakers to six figure loudspeakers
 
I wonder why Harman wouldn't utilise a brand like HK or Arcam for boxes of electronics? I find it interesting how they'll use the JBL brand for everything from $30 bluetooth speakers to six figure loudspeakers
As a long time consumer here in the US Arcam is fairly unknown, HK was a thing until they got absorbed. JBL is probably their strongest home consumer brand IMO.
 
As a long time consumer here in the US Arcam is fairly unknown, HK was a thing until they got absorbed. JBL is probably their strongest home consumer brand IMO.
I understand that JBL is the biggest household name (apart from Samsung itself obviously), but - sorry to use a car analogy - it would be like VAG deciding to sell SEATs, Skodas, Scanias, Audis and Lamborghinis as Volkswagens. They already have the brands in their portfolio, if they bothered to market them properly they could be more neatly branded seperately and sold through different distribution channels
 
I understand that JBL is the biggest household name (apart from Samsung itself obviously), but - sorry to use a car analogy - it would be like VAG deciding to sell SEATs, Skodas, Scanias, Audis and Lamborghinis as Volkswagens. They already have the brands in their portfolio, if they bothered to market them properly they could be more neatly branded seperately and sold through different distribution channels
VAG etc means nothing to me....that the Volkswagen Group or something? I gave up on Volkswagen a long time ago due crap quality. I hate car analogies mostly, too.
 
I'm not really understanding the argument as to why they would use any other brand for a line of mass-market AVRs.
 
The product quality look cheap when looking at the back panel.
$1600 without full pre-out RCA!
 
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