JBL HDI 1600, black, ea bookshelf speaker

Engaging sound from a bookshelf speaker The JBL HDI-1600 was carefully designed and engineered in JBL's Northridge, California labs, with the intent of creating a compact speaker for discerning hi-fi enthusiasts. This stand-mount speaker is loaded with top-notch JBL technology and it comes in three elegant finishes that can complement just about any home decor. A solid foundation The speaker's 6-1/2" woofer is a lightweight, rigid Advanced Aluminum Matrix cone. It features a long-throw voice coil for high output and low distortion, serving up midrange detail and solid bass. The drivers are housed in a rounded cabinet made from 3/4"-thick MDF and heavily braced to eliminate sound-muddying vibrations. And we recommend mounting them on JBL's HDI-FS stands, to make them sound even better. My first-hand experience with JBL HDI-1600 speakers JBL demonstrated the HDI-1600 in our training room at Crutchfield HQ. I got a chance to listen to them powered by the Arcam SA20 , which provided 150 watts at 4 ohms - plenty of power to fill the high-ceilinged room, which also contained around 20 Crutchfield employees. The training representative had JBL's entire HDI line of speakers standing side by side, and the most revealing thing I can say about these impressive bookshelf speakers is that when he started playing music through them, I assumed I was hearing the floor-standing HDI-3600 . By themselves, without a subwoofer, the 1600s filled the room with full-range sound - it was difficult for my mind to reconcile the evidence provided by my eyes and ears. Given enough power, these speakers present a wide, detailed soundstage that belies their size. And I love the way they look, with rounded edges on the cabinet and three beautiful furniture-grade finishes. The way they look, and the way they sound, is just superb. You'll need a powerful amp The HDI-1600 has a nominal impedance of 4 ohms, and a relatively low sensitivity rating of 85 dB. Those two facts taken together mean that yo