JBL N26AW 6" 125 Watt 2-Way Weather-Resistant Speakers (Off-White)

Other products by JBL

Product Details

Product Manual [52kb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 10.8 x 14.5 inches ; 8.3 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 19 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00002EQC7
• Item model number: N26AW
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #205,932 in Electronics (See Bestsellers in Electronics)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: February 11, 2000

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

JBL's Northridge Series boasts the tag line "Pro Sound Comes Home." From any other company this might seem like marketing hyperbole, but with 50 years' experience building professional speakers and a 70 percent share of the worldwide market, JBL is entitled to boast a little.

The company's Northridge Series is an affordable expression of the company's theater-to-home technology. All Northridge models use 0.75-inch titanium-laminate dome tweeters and woofers made of PolyPlas, a polymer-coated cellulose fiber. The woofers in the all-weather N26AWs have been specially treated and are referred to as WeatherPlas.

JBL's N26AW speakers have many of the qualities--neutrality, detail, and dynamic range--that have made JBL so successful. They use a molded, weather-resistant cabinet with a bow-shaped back that not only looks nice but helps prevent the internal buildup of standing waves that could otherwise degrade the sound.

Other features from JBL's pro line employed here include oversized Kapton voice coils and HeatScape motor structures, which allow the drivers to endure unusually high temperatures. We're not talking a toasty summer day on the patio here, but rather the high temperatures generated by large amounts of amplifier power--hence that 125-watt power handling rating. And because simple signal paths provide the best sound, JBL uses its Straight-Line Signal Path (SSP) crossover networks to divvy up the range of musical frequencies.

Unlike the N26AW's housebound cousin, the JBL N26, which has deep gray cabinets and cloth grilles, the all-weather Northridge models come in a slightly off-white finish with matching metal grilles.

Behind these grilles, each N26AW conceals a single titanium tweeter and a 6-inch woofer that's been dyed silver to match the look of the gleaming tweeter. Pleasingly, JBL uses gold-plated five-way binding posts for its speaker terminals. These not only make for tight connections that won't tarnish, but because they accept spade lugs and banana plugs (in addition to bare wire), they let you use heavier-gauge speaker wires. (Contrary to what many might tell you, wire does makes a difference. You should use, as a minimum, a good 12-gauge oxygen-free-copper wire or consider one of the many specialty speaker cables on the market.)

JBL's vast experience with professional technology pays sonic dividends with the N26AW, which we find to be a substantial cut above most indoor/outdoor speakers. To start with, the dominant midrange frequencies, which contain 80 percent of all music, sound startlingly natural on the N26AWs. To illustrate, vocals have subtle nuances of expression, pianos can be fiercely percussive or caressingly soft, and guitars can be hollow and ringing or, if electric, crunch, moan, and wail.

The N26AWs have a remarkably natural tonal balance, good detail, and rich harmonic structure. They can also throw a wide soundstage, with well-placed sonic images and a decent sense of three-dimensionality (another unusual trait for an indoor/outdoor speaker). This is important in any situation and especially critical outdoors, where a pair of speakers is likely to be placed farther apart than they would be in a room.

Large-scale music, be it high-powered rock or a symphony orchestra, comes across with ease as well as force on the N26AWs, showing off JBL's well-known ability to handle music with wide dynamic range. The high frequencies have nice extension and decent (but not great) air and definition. The bass reaches down to 50 or 60 Hz with good detail and a reasonable sense of weight.

The N26AWs have a most impressive pedigree and many of the qualities that have made JBL so successful in the professional audio world. While by no means big speakers, they remain somewhat larger than most all-weather models, so measure carefully before committing to any installation.

That one concern aside, we love the fact that, with the N26AW, not only has JBL's pro sound come home, it's gone outdoors. --Wayne Garcia

Pros:

• Remarkable tonal balance
• Good detail and texture
• Excellent component parts
• Flexible mounting options

Cons:

• Slightly large for outdoor use

Product Description

This 2-way 6" bookshelf loudspeakers with high-impact molded enclosure reproduce sound with unmatched clarity and power. The PolyPlas (polymer-coated cellulose fiber) cone woofer features traditional JBL engineering; the same technologies used in JBL's Professional equipment that can be found in stadiums, music halls and movie theaters around the world. These speakers are also weather resistant that allows you to place them on you patio for outdoor listening enjoyment.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Sound, July 24, 2000

By	Lynne Parker (Old Bridge, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

These speakers have a really great sound for outdoor speakers. They are very well made and attractive to look at. They do not come with mounting brackets, however, which made it a little difficult to hang them. We just had an outdoor party this weekend and got many compliments on them.

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous outdoor speaker, May 1, 2003

By	Rob (Escondido, CA USA) - See all my reviews

These outdoor speakers sound absolutely fantastic. They are smooth, detailed, and have unusually good bass response for an outdoor speaker. I have listened to many other outdoor speakers and have heard none better. Highly recommended! But, potential purchasers should be aware that these speakers are quite large and require the purchase of optional mounting brackets for wall or under-eve mounting. I was disappointed that the grills on my N26AW's started rusting after a relatively short period of time, necessitating removing and spray painting them. Still, the sound is so good I feel they deserve a 5 star rating.

2.0 out of 5 stars Large size, small sound, September 13, 2000

By A Customer

Given these speakers large size and comparatively large price tag for weatherproof speakers, I expected a lot more out of them.

They have a very noticeable overemphasis in the 1Khz to 4Khz range. To hear this, imagine you're listening to a full orchestra, but hearing the sound of a sharp trumpet predominate. It's not as bad outdoors where there's no chance for harmonic resonance, but mostly unbearable in an inclosed space.

With the strength of the upper midrange, I found the speakers to be immanently locatable and provide a minimum of presence. I much prefer my sound to be as if the band or orchestra was floating around me, or at least nearby but invisible. These speakers stuffed the sound into their boxes.