Summary
Highlights
The reviewer begins by introducing the JBL L52 Classic speakers, noting their walnut cabinet and blue foam grill. He states his initial listening tests were conducted without the grill. He immediately expresses his dislike for the speakers, citing an erratic response. He describes how a handclap in a song sounded overly aggressive when aimed directly at him, and turning the speakers off-axis removed the sharpness but also eliminated the 'air' of the sound. Male vocals also sounded hot, grainy, and aggressive. While he appreciated the punchy bass, he noted a lack of rumble in some tracks, attributing it to a mid-Q peak around 100 Hz and a sharp roll-off below that.
The Soundstage width was inconsistent, with some instruments appearing wide and others narrow, indicating an uneven horizontal radiation pattern. Snare drums, which typically sit around 900 Hz, sounded dull, which the reviewer later connects to a boosted 1 kHz region in the measurements relative to the 800-900 Hz range. He also advises that the optimal listening height is at the midwoofer level, not the tweeter, a discovery made after reviewing the data.
The JBL L52 Classic retails for about $1,000, featuring a 5 1/4 inch mid-woofer and a 3/4 inch titanium dome tweeter. The grill is available in blue, orange, or black. It includes a treble knob on the front, but the reviewer believes adjusting this won't fix the underlying frequency response issues due to their specific nature at certain frequencies rather than an overall trend.
Using the Klippel Near-field Scanner, the data shown is without the grill, as performance is significantly worse with it on. The frequency response is shown to be inconsistent, with peaks and dips across the range, including a peak from 1-2 kHz, a dip around 3 kHz, another peak at 3-4 kHz, and a dip at 5 kHz, before flattening out. There's also a mild bass boost. The F3 is at 62 Hz and F10 at 45 Hz with 85 dB sensitivity. The reviewer suggests equalization, specifically chopping down the 1-5 kHz range, to achieve a more neutral response.
The estimated in-room response data largely confirmed the reviewer's subjective listening experiences, such as the bass punch without extension, the dull snare, and the sharp handclap. He found that positioning the speakers about 20 degrees off-axis provided the most linear and acceptable in-room response, though it was still not ideal.
The horizontal contour plot shows a non-linear and asymmetrical radiation pattern, potentially due to the treble knob and diffraction from the grill pegs. The vertical response confirms that the midwoofer level is the optimal listening axis. Distortion measurements at 86 dB and 96 dB reveal increased distortion in the lower mid-bass around 100 Hz and in the treble, particularly from 1-5 kHz. The reviewer speculates this high-frequency distortion contributed to the harsh sounds he heard, even at lower volumes.
The multi-tone distortion at 96 dB is noted as poor for a small speaker, though realistically, output capability for a 5 and 1/4 inch woofer is limited. Using a subwoofer helps reduce lower mid-range/upper mid-bass distortion but does not alleviate high-frequency distortion, suggesting issues with the tweeter or breakup modes. Compression tests reveal erratic behavior, indicating that the speaker's response changes significantly with volume, limiting its dynamic range. The reviewer concludes by re-emphasizing his disappointment with the speaker's issues in frequency response, distortion, and overall performance.