JBL Stage A130

Desktop: ifi zen dac v2, fiio e10k, smsl sa300, jbl stage a130 and Audio Technica ath-m40x. I´m very satisfied with the sound out of this, good amount of detail trought the speakers, and neutral on the headphones, the upgrade from the fiio dac adds a lot of body to the sound in general, the soundtage and image is clearer in this position as I tried to put them a little bit far from the wall as my little room allows.

After I grieved when my formidable large JBL speakers, which I purchased in December 1990 that were framed with beautiful warm wood and for which I paid 19 years ago $719.94. Since those JBL speakers gave me stellar performance for all those years, I decided to look again exclusively at JBL speakers...

Without a subwoofer, no bookshelf speakers are going to deliver impressive bass on their own. Even expensive models are usually out of steam by 60Hz. In terms of value, I think the JBL Stage A130 are some of the best right now. They are £200, but you get a fairly neutral frequency response, bass extension down to 60Hz, and low distortion.

Genuinely great speakers for this price point. Value is incredible. A little lacking in the low end side of things, but you can always add a sub to your setup.

I would start with passive speakers.

Like JBL Stage A130 and a Fosi BT20A amplifier. About the same price but will sound much better.

I originally purchased a pair of the JBL Arena 120 speakers back when they first came out, I returned them as I just wasn't that impressed with them. At the time I was running them with a pair of Advent Eternity speakers and the JBL's just sounded incredibly thin, especially as B speakers. After ret...

Fosi BT20A amplifier.

Aiyima A07 if you can live without BT, newer design, better quality.

JBL Stage A130 or Kanto YU Passive 5 speakers. Emotiva B1+ or KEF Q150 if you can break your budget.

Skip the DAC.

Over the years I have found that JBL never disappoints in speakers, and these are no exception to that. These sound really great, and will take on and beat speakers in the $500 range. I don't usually care for aluminum tweeters, but they made these work great! Very balanced, sound signature is just e...

If something a little smaller is better, switch the speakers to the Diamond 220, or maybe the JBL Stage A130 (especially if they go on sale for $180 a pair again). Or the Diamond 12.1, which is the current-generation version of the Diamond 220 (though unfortunately Wharfedale’s US pricing on their current models just went up). Don’t get entry level Klipsch for your desk. Those are super bright speakers with boosted energy from the upper mids through the highs.

I haven't rate anything for years. But I have to rate these little giants. Received them last Thursday and placed just besides my TV as seen on picture. They have bass punch, clarity and sweet sound. For $179 per pair they are a steal. I have Elac B2 6.2 and Klipsch RP 600M and the sound of the JBLs...