JBL Northridge E90 3-Way Dual 8-Inch Floorstanding Speaker, Single (Black Ash)

by JBL

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 40.3 x 9.9 x 15 inches ; 48.5 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 58 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B0000EWNWE
• Item model number: E 90
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #180,343 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

As affordable as it is all-purpose, JBL's 3-way Northridge Series E90 floorstanding speaker is capable of delivering clear, dynamic sound for both music and movies. With the E90, your program's bass and midrange frequencies--efficiently boosted by the speaker's dual 8-inch woofers--come through loud and clear, without unwanted distortion or boominess.

The Northridge E90 is sold as a single speaker. Buy two for stereo uses or pick up five--or merely three--for use in surround-sound applications; only three if you'll be using two other speakers to serve as the left/right front or surrounds. If your TV is on a high shelf or mounted on the wall, as would a flat-panel set, you can simply position the "center channel" speaker beneath it (or check out the traditional Northridge E center channel, too).

Be aware that you don't need a television to enjoy multichannel surround sound: the SACD, DVD-Audio, and DTS-CD formats all make ample use of full-range center-channel speakers, providing you have the space and the inclination to set up speakers for five- or 5.1-channel music listening. Use a powered subwoofer for the ".1" low-frequency effects channel, or configure your surround receiver to fold the ".1" signal into the audio feeding the other speakers--with the E90's 36 Hz bass rating, you'll have plenty of bass even without a subwoofer.

The speaker's Elliptical Oblate Spheroidal (EOS) waveguide imbues sound with unparalleled spaciousness and definition, and the speaker uses a titanium-laminate tweeter to reproduce high notes with extraordinary clarity. The PolyPlas (polymer-coated cellulose fiber) cone woofers feature traditional JBL engineering--the same technologies used in JBL's Professional equipment, which is found in stadiums, music halls, and movie theaters around the world.

Shielded components allow speaker placement near video monitors. A low-diffraction IsoPower baffle directs the sound power into the room, reducing distortion from cabinet vibration.

The speaker's lock-mitred, computer-designed enclosure requires no internal bracing. Its flared, FreeFlow port increases bass response without adding unwanted port noise (sometimes heard as "chuffing" when you really crank your tunes). JBL's custom-designed drivers allow the use of simple, Straight-Line Signal Path (SSP) crossover networks with high-quality electrical components that minimize processing that could degrade the signal. Finally, JBL has outfitted the E90 with all-metal, gold-plated, five-way binding-post speaker terminals for secure and flexible hookups, from bare wire to banana-plug jacks.

What's in the Box
One speaker, a speaker grille, and a user's manual.

Product Description

Wish you could afford that great pro JBL sound? The Northridge series may just satisfy your yen for audio excellence at a price you'll call "survivable"! JBL's leading edge research into sound, hearing and speaker design have allowed them to create these moderate price loudspeakers -- with anything BUT moderate performance! FreeFlow flared port Maximum recommended power - up to 225W Nominal impedance - 8 ohms Sensitivity - (2.83V/1m) - 91dB Frequency response - (-3dB) - 36Hz - 20kHz Crossover frequencies - 300Hz, 4000Hz Gold-plated, 5-way binding posts, bi-wirable Dimensions - 40-5/16H x 9-7/8W x 15D Weight per speaker - 48.5 pounds Finish - Black Ash Price is per individual speaker

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars not bad but here's the fine print..., April 22, 2005

By 

Eduardo Nietzsche (Houston) - See all my reviews

This review is from: JBL Northridge E90 3-Way Dual 8-Inch Floorstanding Speaker, Single (Black Ash) (Electronics)

JBL's Northridge line is their entry level mass market line, so you will not get the same quality of their higher level professional lines. That's why they're relatively inexpensive.

Because these are mass market speakers, the construction and internal components are not great. You can get far better quality for about the same money or maybe just a tiny bit more, by going with an Internet-only speaker company like Ascend or Axiom, which have 30 day return policies. Google them for all the glowing reviews by both consumers and professionals, especially the Ascends.

I would strongly recommend going into Best Buy and hearing these E90s first. They are good if you do a lot of pop/rock listening and HT, not so good for more subtle and detailed music like jazz, classical, vocal-dominated or instrumental music. Some people find them "bright" and "shrill" especially when paired with a "bright" receiver like a lower-end Yamaha or Denon or (God help you) Sony.

Lastly, remember that the bigger a speaker is, the more quality power it is going to require to sound its best. If you were looking at these speakers hoping to get good bass, you would actually be better going with a cheap powered subwoofer like the Dayton 10" sub (partsexpress dot com, 150 clams shipped) and a pair of quality bookshelves like the Ascend 170s and set your receiver's crossover to send all the low frequencies to the sub and have the bookshelves handle only mids and highs which they are designed to do.

Now of course if you have an SUV-buyer's "bigger is better" mentality then that's a different issue altogether. In that case I would invest in a high quality separate amplifier or if you have less cash, a quality receiver like the Marantz 5500 or Harman Kardon 435 or 635.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent As Front Or Rear Speakers, January 12, 2004

By 

"onabudget" (Georgia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: JBL Northridge E90 3-Way Dual 8-Inch Floorstanding Speaker, Single (Black Ash) (Electronics)

A few years ago, I wrote a review of the JBL 412P's as my new front end speakers. I loved them then and I love them now. They replaced my teen-aged Bose 501's. The 412P's as front speakers have served me very well on several fronts. They are as beautiful as they are impressive esthetically. They produce clean sound that is satisfying in every range that I can perceive. The (2) 200W powered subwoofers have helped me settle the foundation of the house a few years early!

Unfortunately, just as I was ready to remove the 501's (which were now my rear speakers) and replace them with another JBL Studio series product, Harmon Kardon (which owns JBL) killed the Studio series line. Not good!

At first I was hesitatant to even consider the Northridge line for my rear speakers. I never liked the look of the Northridge line in comparison to Studio Series line. However, considering the price, quality and company reputation, my needs are very well met. The look is much closer to the Studio line now.

I'd be happy with the E90's as either front or read speakers. I would recommend them to anyone with the possible exception of high end audiophiles. If you like to listen to music, especially DVD-A or SACD, these are some beautiful and more than adequate rear speakers!

Current Surround System
Front Channel: JBL 412P 200 Watt Powered Subwoofer/speaker
Center Channel: Klipsch RC-3
Rear Channel: JBL E90
Stereo: JVC
TV: JVC
I'm waiting for the competition to gear up on these large format LCOS TV's

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good value, If you get a good price, December 12, 2005

By 

PSD (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: JBL Northridge E90 3-Way Dual 8-Inch Floorstanding Speaker, Single (Black Ash) (Electronics)

Price is all over the place on these so shop around.

I am a bit of an audio buff, but on a budget. I also believe in diminishing returns as you go higher in price. For me I hoped these hit the sweet spot. I am happy with the sound. I have JBL E10 Surrounds E90 Mains, EC35 Center, and a Velodyne DPS-12 sub paired with a Yamaha 5760. Movie experience is as good as I could hope for. Sounds fantastic! Music is great, but could be better. At high volume levels (close to 0 DB for rock CDs) they sound harsh/shrill to me, but are really great at normal and even loud levels. I tried to audition speakers and receivers but just got too frustrated, so I bought this system based on reviews and price.

If you are not going to have a sub or like tons of bass, Get the E100 with the 10" woofers. The E90s are nice with a sub and were the right size for my set up (I considered the overall hieght and position of the tweaters relative to the screen).

I cannot emphasize enough how important the Center Speaker is for movies. This was my first surround system and I am glad I bought the best center channel I could in the Northridge series (EC35). So much of the movie sound goes to the center.

The E10 surrounds were a real surprise for me: Great sound for such a little inexpensive speaker. I was going to get E20s but they are just to big to put on the wall.

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