JBL Club 64SQ and Stadium 62CF Speaker Systems Review

When it comes to car door speakers, the stock speakers are usually…lacking, made cheap. When it’s time to upgrade your car door speakers, there’s a lot of options. One name you can count on is JBL. They also have a lot of options so no matter your budget, there is a speaker for you. Up for review today is their JBL Club 64SQ $169 MSRP, and JBL Stadium 62CF MSRP $449.

 

Features and specs

JBL Club 64SQ:

General Specifications

Power Handling: 75W RMS, 225W peak

Audio Specifications

Sensitivity (@ 2.83V): 93dB

Frequency Response: 48Hz – 21kHz

Nominal Impedance: 3.0 ohms

 

JBL Stadium 62CF

General Specifications

Power Handling: 110Wrms, 330W peak

Sensitivity (@ 2.83V):  93dB

Frequency Response:  45Hz – 40kHz

Impedance:  3.0ohms

 

The JBL Club 64SQ came in a nice color printed box, with photos and specs of the speaker. Opening the box revealed a well-protected speaker, held in place by custom molded cardboard. Materials used in the construction was mostly plastic with a carbon fiber cone, rubber surround and silk tweeter. Quality of materials used, as well as fit and finish was very good. Also included in the box was the mounting brackets, grills, installation hardware, and manual.

 

The JBL Stadium 62CF also came in a nice color printed box with photos and specs of the speaker system. Opening the box revealed a well-protected speaker system, held in place by custom molded cardboard. Materials used in construction was mostly plastic, with glass fiber cones, and rubber in the surround. Quality of materials used, as well as fit and finish, was excellent. Also included in the box was the passive crossovers, tweeters, foam gasket, adapter rings, mounting hardware, and manual.

 

I really like the designs of both of the JBL Club 64SQ and Stadium 62CR, employing Plus One woofers to maximize bass. They also maximize their features at their price points. And when it comes to car door speakers, you want to get the best speaker you can up front. After all, it’s the front soundstage that is most important than the rear fill. With this package, you get good sounding Club series coaxial series speakers for the rear, and even better sounding Stadium series component speakers for the fronts.

 

The JBL Club 64SQ is designed for sound quality. The rubber surround and carbon fiber oversized cone, provide a fast-responding stiff cone for nice, tight, deep bass. The silk tweeter provides smooth highs with great resolution. Their 93db sensitivity means they will also maximize the power they receive. And while they use a plastic basket, it protects against resonance, and also provides venting.

 

The JBL Stadium 62CF component speaker system takes things to the next level. This is best for speakers in the front of the vehicle. Small differences in sound are more likely to be noticed in speakers that are right next to you. And they also provide a better sound stage.

 

The JBL Stadium 62CF component speaker system is designed for excellent sound from the ground up. And they are even designed for Hi-Res Audio. It starts with a stiff plastic basket and also provides venting. It’s stiff to reduce resonance. The plus one larger cone is made from glass fibers. This type of cone material is very rigid, keeping the cone stiff even at high volume. They are also low weight and provide a natural sound that is great for vocals. The cone material is also resistant to the harsh environment found in your vehicle.

 

The tweeter also turns up the performance. It’s aluminum that’s edge-driven with oversized voice coils. This provides great power handling and impressive resolution. They also provide extended frequency response to 40 kHz. So if you like to listen to Hi-Res Audio that provides improved resolution and extended frequency response, it’ll be nice to know that your brand-new speakers have you covered.

 

The JBL Club 64SQ and Stadium 62CF is a really good package that complements each other. As you can see, you get better features and performance with the JBL Stadium 62CF verses the JBL Club 64SQ. The JBL Stadium 62CF will give you better sound up front. But if you need to cut some cost, the JBL Club 64SQ will still give you good sound and performance in the back seat. Don’t get me wrong, the JBL Club 64SQ is a great sounding speaker. But thanks to Hi-Res Audio, there is so much music now that can sound so good! If you can stretch your budget to get the JBL Stadium 62CF up front, your ears will thank you. These are great examples of how JBL designs a great speaker, such as the Club 64SQ, but also for a bit more provides a lot more in a higher line of speakers like the Stadium 62CF. Now let’s see how they sound!

 

JBL Club 64SQ:

Disturbed: Sound of Silence – Piano sounded pleasantly natural, acoustic guitar was really crisp and clean with good resolution of the strings. Violin was also really smooth with equally good resolution of the strings. Cymbals were crisp and clean, tympani was very dynamic, with very good low-end extension, and played with good authority. Vocals were silky smooth with very good texture of the timbre.

Rush: Tom Sawyer – Guitar was nice and raw, cymbals were really crisp and clean with good resolution of the impact of the stick. Drums were an aural feast of the various toms, snare, and kick drum. All had very good dynamics. Toms has very good pitch definition of the midbass. Kick drum had very good low-end extension and played with authority. Vocals were smooth like honey.

Guns & Roses: Patience – acoustic guitar had very good resolution and definition of the strings, good enough to hear the pluck and decay. The whistling was so silky smooth with excellent harmonics. Vocals were also smooth with very good timbre.

Stadium 62CF:

Disturbed: Sound of Silence – Piano sounded really natural, acoustic guitar was extremely crisp and clean with excellent resolution of the stings. Violin was also really smooth with equal resolution of the strings. Cymbals were really crisp and clean, with tympani being very dynamic with very good low-end extension and played with great authority.  Vocals were smooth like honey with excellent texture of the timbre.

Rush: Tom Sawyer- guitar was nice and raw, cymbals were extremely crisp and clean with good resolution of the stick.  Drums were an aural smorgasbord with the snare and multitude of toms, and kick drum.  They all had excellent dynamics, toms had the sonic pitch definition I was not expecting at this price point.  Kick drum had excellent depth and played with great authority.

 Guns & Roses: Patience- acoustic guitar had excellent resolution of the strings including their pluck and decay, which was almost holographic.  The whistles were so smooth with excellent harmonics!  Vocals were smoother than a Dove bar, and had excellent texture of the timbre.  I also wasn’t expecting the width depth of soundstage. It was almost like being in the recording studio!

 

The JBL Club 64SQ proved to be a great sounding coaxial speaker. Bass was nice and tight with good low-end extension. Midrange was also nice and warm with good resolution. The silk tweeter provided a smooth detail that was nicely extended. Sound signature was neutral.

 

Even more impressive, as I expected, was the JBL Stadium 62CF. Bass response was nice and tight with excellent pitch definition of the midbass, as well as low-end extension. Midrange was nice and warm with excellent resolution. Vocals sounded nice and smooth with excellent texture. Tweeters also provided excellent resolution, plenty of air, and excellent high pitch extension. In reality, I was not ready for this level of detail that come much closer to much higher priced speakers than their price point. There was even a very noticeable soundstage that was both wide and deep. Equally impressive was their imaging, which was on a dime.

 

When it comes to upgrading your car door speakers, there are a lot of options. But with JBL, you get a company with a reputation of excellent sounding products. The JBL Club 64SQ and Stadium 62CF both support that reputation. And they are both very well made to provide years of use. Both deserve to be on your short list. Based on their design, features, quality and performance the JBL Club 64SQ has earned our Highly Recommended Award, and the JBL Stadium 62CF has earned our Editor’s Choice Award. For more info and complete specs, check out their website at www.jbl.com.