JBL ES10 manual Key Features, Bottom Line, Music Performance, ES25C $349, ES250P $599

Test Bench Full lab results at soundandvisionmag.com/jbles

surprised that its ES system handled with aplomb the soundtrack to Hero, a Chi- nese fantasy spectacle directed by Yimou

	15
	10
(dB)	5
	0
decibels
	–5
	–10
	–15
	20	100	1K	10K	20K

hertz (Hz)

L/R ■■ 46 Hz to 15 kHz ±7.6 dB	Surround ■■ 85 Hz to 17.8 kHz ±6.2 dB
Center ■■ 83 Hz to 14.8 kHz ±7.8 dB	Subwoofer ■■ 34 Hz to 103 Hz ±1.9 dB

The ES80 exhibits a 300-Hz floor-bounce notch that’s typical for tower-style speakers, along with narrow band irregularities up to 2 kHz and a 5-dB drop in level above 7 kHz. The ES25C center shows

similar irregularities between 800 Hz and 6 kHz, and its response tails off at 6 dB per octave above 6 kHz. It also has a deep (20 dB) notch centered at 3 kHz that extends from 1.6 to 6 kHz. Be assured that off-axis listeners won’t hear the same sound as someone sitting front and center. The ES250P subwoofer only has upper bandwidth of 103 Hz using the LFE input. When using the internal crossover, its response ranges from 52 to 81 Hz, even though the crossover is marked from 50 to 150 Hz. To its credit, the sub can deliver 105 dB SPL from 32 Hz upward.

—Tom Nousaine

Zhang. In one scene, the titular charac- ter swirls around a blue room, cutting ties holding bundles of sticks. The swoosh- ing sounds of our flying hero, co-mingled with the ringing of his sword, are panned throughout the surround mix. Here, the satellite speakers provided great spatial continuity instead of the blobs of localized sound I sometimes hear on other models.

The subwoofer added to the swirling sound with low-pitched whooshes — an effect that was nicely integrated with the satellites. (A lesser system might have stat- ically localized the low sounds to the sub, degrading the sense of movement.) And when the sticks crashed to the floor in all six speakers, the sense of immersion was complete. Meanwhile, dialogue — hard- panned to the center channel — sounded absolutely clean. As I expected, the cen- ter speaker’s MTM configuration produced symmetrical horizontal dispersion.

and listening positions. From experience,	ultra-high-frequency driver served up lots	BOTTOM LINE
I knew to place the ES250P in my room’s	of presence and air. The entire top end siz-
sub sweet spot, along the front wall and	zled with energy, and, in fact, it required a	In a world of tiny satellites — not to men-
between the TV and the left tower.	little getting used to. But once I got accli-	tion cute cabinets that are subwoofers in
MUSIC PERFORMANCE	mated, I was quite happy with that extreme	name only — it’s comforting to listen to
	high-frequency extension.	big, traditional speakers from a big, tradi-
I started my critical listening with stereo	Expanding my audition to other faves	tional company. JBL has a speaker-design
playback, courtesy of KT Tunstall. Her	both old and new, I worked through my	knowledge base that’s almost unrivaled. If
debut album, Eye to the Telescope, was a	evaluation checklist. Imaging was accurate,	there’s one thing it knows how to do, it’s
bona-fide hit and proved that not all new	with a good phantom-center image on pop	putting drivers in boxes and making them
stars need to be Idols. The JBLs reproduced	lead vocals, and likewise the panorama of	sound damn good.	S&V
the muscular bass guitar on “Suddenly I	orchestral instruments was continuous
See” with good musicality; the subwoofer	across the stereo arc. The soundstage was	Key Features
provided solid fundamental notes while	open and natural, undoubtedly aided by
the towers’ woofers added the attack of the	the plentiful high-frequency response.	ES80 ($549 each)
plucked strings. Likewise, the kick drum,	Turning my attention to music in sur-	:: (2) 6-in woofers; 4-in midrange; 3⁄4-in
pulled back in this mix, sounded steady	round, I listened to the 6-channel mix on	dome tweeter; 3⁄4-in ultra-high tweeter;
and strong. The sat/sub blend was seam-	the DVD-Audio edition of Led Zeppelin’s	423⁄4 in high; 461⁄4 lb
less — one of the advantages of using tow-	How the West Was Won. On this album,	ES25C ($349)
ers for the left and right front channels,	the center channel is used lightly for lead	:: (2) 5-in woofers; 3 ⁄4 -in dome tweeter;
instead of small satellite speakers.	vocals, but since the ES25C employs the	3 ⁄4 -in ultra-high tweeter; 183⁄4 in wide;
Tunstall’s lead vocal on the song was	same tweeter module as the towers, the	163⁄4 lb
clean, as was the touch of reverberation	high end sounded well matched. The center	ES10 ($349/pair)
around it. Details were clearly audible,	speaker’s 5-inch woofer falls between the
		:: 4-in woofer; 3⁄4-in dome tweeter; 3⁄4-in
such as nuances in the vocal echoes on the	towers’ 4- and 6-inchers, but its tonal qual-
		ultra-high tweeter; 12 in wide; 83⁄4 lb
line “I can see her eyes looking from a page	ity is similar enough. On other surround
		ES250P ($599)
in a magazine.” That I could hear all of this	albums, too, these drivers worked together
		:: 12-in woofer; 400-watt amplifier; 193⁄4
detail suggests good midrange clarity.	to reproduce a realistic soundstage across
		x 153⁄4 x 167⁄8 in; 43 lb
The snare sound was appropriately crisp	the front, with good image definition.	:: Finish: black or cherry
and snappy, albeit a bit brighter than what
	Movie PERFORMANCE
I’ve heard on some other systems. The com-		JBL.COM :: 516-255-4525
bination of the normal tweeter and the	JBL got its start in movie sound, so I wasn’t
		SOUND & VISION JULY/AUGUST 2008	71
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