JBL Duet II High Performance Speaker System for Portable Music and PC - Black/Silver (Pair)

by JBL

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 4 x 4 x 10 inches ; 23.4 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B001OI2VAY
• Item model number: DUET2BLK
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: December 30, 2008

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Featuring an elegant and striking design, the JBL Duet™ II multimedia loudspeaker system delivers a high-performance sound experience right from your laptop or desktop computer. Thanks to a proprietary speaker design and proprietary technologies, the sound quality from the Duet II speakers is simply stunning. And with the 3.5mm mini stereo jack, great sound isn’t limited to just your computer. Flexible connectivity allows connection to other audio devices, including iPod and MP3 players. So whether you’re checking the news or playing the latest game, bring great style and exceptional sound quality to your computer experience with the JBL Duet II speaker system – it looks as good as it sounds.

JBL has been making high performance audio products for more than 60 years.

The sound professionals have chosen for more than 60 years.
Have you been to a movie or gone to a concert recently? There’s a good chance that you were enjoying the show on JBL® loudspeakers. For more than 60 years, JBL has been the loudspeaker brand of choice for recording professionals around the world. JBL engineering, power, clarity and technical accuracy are legendary. And today’s high-resolution digital media demand nothing less than a loudspeaker that can handle their sonic range. So why not enjoy the entertainment content from your computer or portable music device on loudspeakers that probably helped to mix and master them? With JBL multimedia speakers, you can enjoy the thrill of the hottest new game or your favorite music download – right in your own home.

The JBL Duet II brings high performance sound to any room. View larger.

The JBL Duet II is the perfect high performance speaker system for your laptop or desktop. View larger.

Flexible connectivity.
No one can deny that playing computer games, listening to music or just surfing the Web is much more exciting when you have great sound. Well, we hear you. The JBL Duet II system makes having great sound from your home or office computer easy. Simply plug the Duet II system into wall power, and then connect it using the 3.5mm mini jack to your computer’s headphone or line-in input. That’s it. Want your iPod, MP3 player or portable CD player to sound better? Simply connect the system’s 3.5mm mini jack to the headphone input on an external audio device and, in no time at all, you’ll be enjoying your favorite musical artist in concert-quality sound.

JBL's proprietary Phoenix transducers deliver unparalled accuracy and detail with high-output. View larger.

Advanced technology.
The JBL Duet II speaker system features a number of proprietary technologies to deliver unmatched, high-performance sound. It all starts with the proprietary Phoenix transducers, which are made out of aluminum. Aluminum is inherently strong, yet lightweight. This design allows the drivers to reproduce sound with unparalled accuracy and detail for their size. It also means that you’ll hear deep bass, a rich midrange and crystal-clear highs from whatever you choose to listen to.

Powering the Phoenix transducers is a powerful and efficient JBL amplifier that’s designed to deliver high output and minimal distortion. The combination of these technologies means a sound experience for your computer that you’ll have to hear to believe.

The Duet II's simple, touch volume controls elegantly raise and lower the volume. View larger.

Easy to set up and use.
No need to be a rocket scientist when setting up and using the JBL Duet II system. In addition to the simple 3.5mm mini jack connection, the system features touch volume controls. Just a simple touch increases or decreases the volume; a touch on both pads mutes or unmutes the system. And the Duet II system will even remember your last volume setting after the system shuts down.

What's in the Box
Two JBL Duet II Multimedia speakers, power supply and audio cable

Product Description

The JBl Duet II multimedia system provides smooth and accurate sound for any portable music player or computer. With its incredibly easy setup and operation, the JBL Duet II system is a sosphisticated approach to achieving great 2-channel sound.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent speakers, November 29, 2009

By 

Angela L. Schwartz - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: JBL Duet II High Performance Speaker System for Portable Music and PC - Black/Silver (Pair) (Personal Computers)

For someone who listens almost exclusively to classical music, I would recommend these reasonably priced speakers to listeners who do not need the exaggerated base response one hears in rock and rap music. {That may not be entirely fair to these musical genres but it sounds that way to me as cars broadcasting this music pass my way}.

The speakers have very good stereo separation, especially when one is sitting at a desk. But even when one is elsewhere in the room, the sound is quite convincing. For someone like myself who is mechanically and technically challenged, setting the speakers up was without frustration and despair. The speakers have the added advantage of taking up relatively little space and are, at least for my aesthetic sensibilities, rather attractive.

Gary Schwartz

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not as great as I hoped, November 27, 2009

By 

Alan in Hawaii "Alan" (Hawaii) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: JBL Duet II High Performance Speaker System for Portable Music and PC - Black/Silver (Pair) (Personal Computers)

I bought these based on reviews by others. Overall they're fine. They look good and they hooked up fine. But I guess, based on what others said, I expected better, richer sound quality. Frankly, my old Dell speakers (with subwoofer) sounded considerably better. I got a new iMac, so I wanted new speakers to go with it. I'm just not all that impressed. Others talk about the rich sound and great bass... Really? Oh well. You win some, you lose some. Like I said, they're alright. Just not as great as I thought they would be.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Chad Perry's MyMac.com Review, April 19, 2009

By 

Tim E Robertson "Publisher MyMac" (Battle Creek, Mi United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: JBL Duet II High Performance Speaker System for Portable Music and PC - Black/Silver (Pair) (Personal Computers)

There are more iPod speaker solutions out on the market than the entire Mymac.com staff could ever cover in a reasonable time period. Obviously, there is a market out there, otherwise there wouldn't be so many solutions. So what does JBL have to offer with the Duet II Desktop Speaker System? Well, I've spent about 6 weeks trying to find that out.

So let's get the errata out of the way. Testing for the Duet II was conducted using a 1st generation iPod Touch, a 1st generation iPod Shuffle, a 1st generation Sony PSP, and a 13" Macbook. I tested the Duet II in an open room (both the bedroom and office) and in an enclosed space (bookshelf).

So first impressions: the Duet II is easy to set up and easy to use. Basically, there are only three pieces to the unit; the adaptor, the left speaker, and the right speaker.



Everything pretty much plugs into the left speaker and the system connects to the sound source with a 3.5 mm mini stereo jack compatible with just about every electronic audio device out on the market. There is only one control, also located on the left speaker. This is the power/volume dial located on the top of the left speaker. This control is well-integrated into the overall design of the unit, which is very sleek and modern. There is one LED power indicator light at the base of the speaker, in case you're like me and forget to turn off the speaker power after you've unplugged your device. The speakers are about 4" in diameter and 10" high, and while not heavy, they could double as bookends if space is at a premium.



So how's does it sound? For it's size, I was very happy with the overall performance of the Duet II. I felt that the system delivered good performance over the entire sound spectrum, and I ran it through it's paces using podcasts for normal speech, a couple of fiddle and violin concertos for the high end, and some trip hop for testing the low end base performance. In all cases the system delivered sound comparable to a good pair of headphones. More importantly, there was no distortion when the speakers were set to higher volumes, which is sometimes an issue with smaller speaker systems.



My wife, on the other hand, felt that the sound was kind of "tinny", and at lower volumes (and depending on the equalizer setting on the sound source), I can't deny that there was some of that "tinny" sound that you would normally associate with small/portable speaker systems. It was also more noticeable when the speakers were in an open environment. I found that I got the best sound performance when I had the speaker volume above mid-level, the equalizer on the sound source set to "bass boost", and the speakers placed in a bookcase where I could get a little sound reflected from the bass output located on the back of each speaker.



So what are the drawbacks? Well, the main one is the cabling - there's just enough for about an 8 foot separation between the left and right speakers. This is not a problem if you're planning on putting them in a bookcase or on a desk, but you won't be able to put one in each corner of a room (unless it's a small room). The other issue may be price. While I feel the JBL Duet II delivers good performance for the price, there are other speaker options out there for iPod users that are cheaper and will also double as a charger while you listen to your music. Of course, the systems I'm referring to are limited to iPods only, and the Duet II offers more flexibility for those looking for a small speaker system they can use with almost any audio device.

Mymac rating: 3.5 out of 5