When it comes to electronics, there are lots of options: car
stereo, home theater, portable, etc. There are some companies that not only
provide great products, they are so huge they do it all. JBL is one of those
companies. Now they provide receivers for mobile. Up for review is their JBL
JAM5000N head unit. It’s a receiver designed for marine, but also works with
motorsport, such as side x side’s and golf carts. MSRP is a fair $799.
Features and specs:
LCD Display: 2.8”
color
Supports multiple audio sources: Bluetooth, USB, AM/FM/WB, DAB+ ready, iPhone/
iPad/ iPod
Audio output: RCA
& Speaker level
NMEA 2000 certified: Yes
Marine Rated: IP66
RMS Power Output: 15Wx4
2ohm Stable: Yes
Outputs: 3 zones
Pre-out: 9Ch/4V
Remote connectivity: Yes
Rear camera input: Yes
Eco-friendly Packaging:
Yes
Mounting options: Front
& Rear
The JBL JAM5000N Head unit came in a nice-looking color
printed box, with photos and specs of the receiver. Opening the box revealed a well-protected
product held in place by cardboard. Materials used in the construction was
metal and plastic. Quality of materials used as well as fit and finish, was
very good. Also included was the wiring harness, mounting bracket, screws, and
manual.
I love the design of the JBL JAM5000N Head unit. It is
basically like a car receiver in functionality. There is switching between
sources for tuner, Bluetooth and USB. There are also RCA outputs for a separate
amplifier, as well as RCA input for a rear camera. The display is a 2.8” color
LCD display. The rear is a round heatsink. It actually does double duty. And its metal and works as a heat sink to
cool the internal amplifier, and along with the included foam gasket works to
protect the internal components from water.
As a motorsport head unit, it operates in an environment
that tends to be loud due to the noise of the vehicle. Extra power from the amp
can be helpful to combat it. The internal amp is a 15 watts x 4. But it’s also
2 ohm stable. That means if you’re only going to be using a single pair of
speakers, you could use a 2 ohm pair, to get more power from your amp for increased
volume.
I know some of you may also be thinking. Why does it have a
rear camera input? If you’re using this for a boat, you aren’t going to be
backing up to park, like you would a car. But on a boat, it is actually more
useful. While you may not back-up to park, you would back up at the dock to get
the boat on your trailer to drive it back home. It’s also helpful to be able to
watch a water skier.
Installation was also straight forward. The manual was
easier to read and follow then expected. All of the mounting screws and bracket
for a successful install was provided. It even came with the foam gasket to
seal it up against your dash. Bluetooth worked great, and was really easy to
pair to my smartphone. And I also loved the USB drive so I could also listen to
my CD collection ripped to my flash drive. It has some excellent features. Now
let’s see how it performs.
Installation was fairly simple with the instructions,
bracket and included screws. Pairing with my smartphone with Bluetooth for
music was super easy. The USB for my CD collection on my flash drive also
worked well. And the color display looked great, providing good resolution.
Adjusting the sound preferences in the settings was also easy. Let’s see how it
sounds.
Nat King Cole - L-O-V-E: cymbals were crisp and clean. Piano
sounded natural. Strings were smooth with sufficient resolution of the strings.
Trumpet was really dynamic with really good harmonics. Drums were also nice and
dynamic. Bass was silky smooth with really good low-end extension and
authority.
AC/DC – Back in Black: guitar was nice and raw. Cymbals were
crisp and clean. Snare drum was really dynamic with good resolution of the
stick on the pad. Kickdrum was equally dynamic, hit really hard with good
authority and had good low-end extension. Vocals were also nice and raw with
good texture of the timbre.
Brandon Beal – Drop that Booty Down Low: vocals were smooth
like honey, with good texture. Bass beats were nice and deep, and played with
good authority. And when the booty got dropped down low, it played even deeper,
and hit hard.
I was impressed with the sound quality of the JBL JAM5000N
internal amp. It was only 15 watts from a receiver, so I wasn’t expecting a
lot. Highs still managed to be crisp and clean, mids were smooth with good
harmonics. And the motors were sufficiently well controlled for ok control of
cone for bass that was tight, dynamic, with good extension.
JBL is known for providing excellent products, and the JBL
JAM5000N Head unit is an example of it. It’s designed well for its intended application
and is built well to provide years of use. There’s also a lot of sources to choose
from for your music, such as tuner, Bluetooth and USB. It’s fairly priced at $799.
Based on its design, features, quality, and performance, the JBL JAM5000N has
earned our Highly Recommended Award. For more info and complete specs, check
out their website at www.jbl.com.
