JBL Duet Speaker System for Portable Music and PC - Aluminum (Pair)

by Harman

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 12.5 x 8.9 x 5.6 inches ; 4 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0007XU370
• Item model number: DUETAL
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (393 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #82 in Electronics > Computers & Add-Ons > Computer Accessories > Computer Speakers
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 2, 2001

Product Description

Color: Aluminum

MODEL- DUETAL VENDOR- HARMAN MULTIMEDIA FEATURES- JBL Duet- Aluminum finish Sophisticated two-channel sound. The JBL Duet speaker system provides smooth and accurate sound for any portable music player or computer. Duet uses patent pending Tangential Strain Relief (TSR) technology. With TSR you get extra bass and lower distortion. The neodymium magnet creates more power and sensitivity. Duet also uses a proprietary port design which enhances the bass performance. Volume Control Knob and Power Indicator LED. -- SPECIFICATIONs -----------------------------------FREQUENCY RESPONSE - 60 Hz

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

317 of 322 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All I can say is WOW!!!!, June 20, 2005

By 

Christine Holzmann "Music junkie" (Peachtree City, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: JBL Duet Speaker System for Portable Music and PC - White (Pair) (Personal Computers)

Let me start by saying I am REALLY REALLY REALLY picky about the quality of sound. I needed a pair of speakers for my office (I have an older pair of speakers that I hook my iPod up to that I wanted to replace.) Well, I came across these and then searched for as many reviews as I could about them...most of the reviews turned out to be very good as a matter of fact! After doing a search for them, I saw they were available at Office Depot so decided to purchase them in-store...however, when I went there I did not see them and was told by a sales associate they were only available at their online store. The (very nice) gentleman then convinced me to rather go for some Logitech x-230 speakers with a sub-woofer. Very hesitantly, I decided to take a chance. Well, after plugging them in and listening to a sample of music, I unplugged them 1/2 a minute later and returned them the next day. I then decided to go ahead an purchase these JBL Duet speakers. They have just arrived, I just plugged them in...am listening to them right this very moment after sampling a variety of music (classical, heavy rock, etc.) and I must say...***WOW***...they are EXCEPTIONAL!!!!!!!!! Super crisp high notes & midtones with all the background instruments clearly coming through...listening to classical music is simply a pleasure!! On the other end of the scale, the rich, deep, full-bodied bass & undertones effortlessly carry the heavy rock & deep classical sounds giving the sound the true depth it needs to really appreciate the music for what it is. I highly highly HIGHLY recommend these!!!

152 of 153 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow! Incredibly good sound for such small, inexpensive speakers, November 28, 2006

By 

Peter V. Giansante (Far Point Station) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: JBL Duet Speaker System for Portable Music and PC - White (Pair) (Personal Computers)

I'm an audio engineer, and I'm NOT easily impressed, but these little speakers are the best-sounding personal speakers I've ever heard. In fact, they're better than many larger, pricier systems.
The bass response is the biggest surprise. It's natural-sounding and open, not stuffy or forced, yet it has a surprising amount of punch for such small speakers, without being the slightest bit "boomy". To my ears in my listening environment, they have an amazingly smooth frequency response across the entire audible range.
In case you think I'm kidding, I usually mix on a pair of Genelec tri-amped studio monitors whose price tag was more than 100 times that of the JBL Duet speakers. On several occasions, I've opened GarageBand or Logic Pro 7 to record a musical idea and ended up doing a rough mix, forgetting that I was listening to the Duet speakers rather than the big monitors. At low levels in a near-field application (...sorry, that's audio geekspeak -- for all you normal humanoids who don't have the audiogeek mutant gene, that means the speakers are close to you...like on your desktop), these little speakers are surprisingly accurate.
I've owned my Duets for almost one year. I loved them so much that I immediately bought extra sets for my kids to use with their iPods. For the money, I've never heard anything better. My thanks to the folks at JBL for creating such a terrific speaker at such a reasonable price.

44 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From an avid amateur audiophile and student, October 15, 2007

By 

TV Junkie (East Coast) - See all my reviews

This review is from: JBL Duet Speaker System for Portable Music and PC - White (Pair) (Personal Computers)

Let me preface by saying I consider myself an audiophile but not an annoying music snob or superior techie geek. I am into technology just enough to get the sound quality I want and I'm willing to pay handsomely for it. I previously had Klipsch 2.1 for my computer until my speakers blew out and have Grado SR80s and Sennheiser SR100s for listening to music in my room and a pair of closed Sennheisers for travel.

Having said all that, now that I'm a student and spend most of my time in front of a laptop or else studying, my main criteria for speakers became PORTABILITY, portability, and more portability.

I wanted something light, easy to set up, easy to throw in a bag and travel with, and not nearly as expensive as my Klipsch 2.1's but with a comparable sound value for the price.

I was going to go with 'the other' pair of portable speakers that is popular on Amazon but picked the JBL's for their bass and the fact they were specifically designed to reproduce a 'bigger' sound for their size.

I am REALLY IMPRESSED and VERY HAPPY with my purchase!

Cons:
These aren't as sleek or portable as 'the other' pair. These will NOT fit comfortably into most laptop bags and while they are small and light, with their shape they will fit awkwardly in an overnight bag.

Also these are NOT usb powered so require more cords, which I hate. However, this means you don't need a computer to listesn to your MP3 player and makes these speakers truly portable speakers for any source with the typical mini plug. And they are portable sized.

Pros:
But the sound? The sound is GREAT! I listen to a lot of bass heavy electronica and these are PERFECT. The bass is NOT muddy and the sound quality overall is clean and rich for small speakers and they differentiate tones very well.

Comparing apples to apples, these are an awesome pair of small speakers and good value for the price. These will not shake your walls, but if you want that, don't be a cheapo and invest in a pair of real speakers.

I just listened to a track I had heard many times before on my laptop speakers. On the JBLs with the volume up I was able to hear a lot of new details -- I didn't like the details and erased the track. Thanks JBL for helping me clean up my music library!

Perfect for you AND your housemates:
Also, I have 2 roommates who are light sleepers and this is PERFECT. The sound is just right for me sitting at my desk but the sound does not travel through the walls or door. I don't know what the technical term for this is, but someone else mentioned these are not 'loud' enough for group purposes.

For a home office, dorm room, and solo use, these are a perfect pair of portable speakers with a small footprint.

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