When it comes to car audio, there’s a lot of players in the
field, a lot of options for speakers. Some manufacturers have been at it longer
than others. Some manufacturers have a bigger name than others. JBL is about as
big of a name as you can get. For car audio, JBL’s highest top of the line is
their Arena Series. Up for review is their JBL Arena 26Be 2-way component
system.
Features and specs
1-inch Edge-Driven Pure Beryllium Dome Tweeter
Carbon Fiber
Composite Cone Body and Dustcap Woofer
Nomex Spider Woofer
Neodymium Magnet
Motor
Die-Cast Aluminum
Basket
Bi-Amp Capable
Precision Outboard
Crossover Network
Magnetic Adsorption
Design
6-1/2" (165mm) 2-way car component
speaker system
1" Beryllium dome tweeter
6.5" glass fiber cone with cast frames
Bi-Amp Capable Precision Outboard
Crossover network
Frequency Response (-6dB): 20Hz – 40kHz
Power Handling: 100Wrms, 200W peak
Crossover Frequencies: 2.5K or 3.5kHz (selectable)
Nominal Impedance: 4 ohms
Sensitivity: 90dB (2.83V @1M)
Woofer mounting depth: 2.83 in./72mm
Tweeter flush mounting depth: 0.77 in./19.5mm
The JBL Arena 26Be component system came in a nice-looking
color printed box, with photos and specs of the system. Opening the box
revealed a well-protected speaker system held in place by custom molded foam.
Materials used in the construction was mostly metal, with some carbon fiber,
plastic, glass, and rubber. Quality of materials used in the construction, as
well as the fit and finish, was excellent. Also included was the passive
crossover network, mounting hardware, grills, and manual.
The review is a little late as the JBL Arena 26Be has been
out for some time now, but I was still excited to help get the word out. And it
also got me thinking that it’s about time that JBL came out with something like
the Arena series, and they should bring out more. After all, JBL speakers can
be found in elite arenas, and luxurious concert halls, throughout the world. In
fact, after doing this for 80 years, they just announced the new generation of
their luxury JBL Summit series of home speakers that start at $20,000 a pair
and go up to $159,990 a pair. So why not bring some of that to the car? I would
love to see more!
I love the design of the JBL Arena 26Be, and it all focuses
around Beryllium. So we should first start there, and discuss what is so
special about Beryllium. After all, Beryllium can be found in some of the most
elite and exotic speakers. It’s rare because it is never found in its metallic
state and is primarily found in rare minerals and is very costly to extract.
This translate to a metal that is extremely specialized and expensive to
produce.
Beryllium also has excellent qualities that make it perfect
for audio applications. There are a lot of great sounding speakers using
materials like aluminum, and titanium, for midrange and tweeters. But to
improve on sound that already sounds excellent, you sometimes have to go to
extremes and really push the envelope. And that’s what Beryllium allows. It
offers the ultimate combination of being light as well as extremely stiff. It’s
around 7 times stiffer than aluminum or titanium for the weight. That means
that when a speaker is really working at high volumes and fast moving, it stays
stiff without any flex which would cause distortions. And as physics has taught
us…a body in motion stays in motion. The heavier the object the more energy it
takes to start it and stop it. With beryllium being so light, it is extremely
easy to get the cone to start and stop. This also translates to the driver
being able to provide the best dynamics, transients, and small details.
Beryllium also stops ringing much faster than other metals and its resonant
distortion is much higher than we can hear, so this all yields a cleaner,
transparent, and very accurate sound without coloration.
All of this explains why Beryllium is such an excellent
choice for audio speakers. We can also see that due to its cost, it’s only
found in speakers focused towards the most discerning audiophiles. Totally
makes sense for why JBL has turned into it for its tweeters in the Arena 26Be
component system. Yet it also makes sense why Beryllium also isn’t used in
lower cost speaker series.
But JBL didn’t stop with Beryllium for their ultimate car
speaker system. They also went with a glass fiber cone for the woofers, another
very stiff material with excellent audio properties. The surround is a
high-roll rubber, and the basket is die-cast aluminum to stay firm with no flux
even at high volumes. JBL has several decades of experience, and it looks like
they really tapped into their heritage to design this system. In an elegant
touch, they even used magnets to make it simple to take the grill covers on and
off.
From seeing the design and images on the box, to opening the
box and seeing the amount of thought and details put into the presentation, I
knew this was a special product. Everything was well laid out, well protected,
and even the passive crossover was very meticulous. The clear cover was
amazingly made of glass and showed off the excellent quality of caps, inductors,
and resistors. And unlike most passive crossovers that may just provide tweeter
attention, the JBL Arena also provides frequency selection for the tweeter
crossover point, as well as ability to bi-amp. Bi-amp allows you to use a
separate amplifier channer for the tweeter and woofer without having to use a
fully active system. And they provided just about everything you would need to
install the system. All of the mounting hardware was included, even tweeter
brackets for both flush or surface mount. It’s an excellent design with
excellent materials, and with a tweeter that can handle 50 watts RMS, and
woofer 100 watts RMS. They are designed to provide aural sonic excellence at
high volumes. It’s also solidly made to provide many years of use. Now let’s
see how it sounds.
Listening
Junior Wells: Why Are
People Like That – vocals were smoother than a Dove bar, with excellent
resolution of the texture of the timbre. Piano provided excellent dynamics and
harmonics and transparency. Cymbals were really crisp and clean with excellent
resolution to reveal the decay. Drums were equally dynamic with excellent pitch
definition of the mid bass. But it was the harmonica that really stole the
show, whose dynamics and harmonics were an aural feast. Imaging was spot-on and
soundstage was both deep and wide.
Earth, Wind, & Fire:
September – wood block had excellent texture and the woodiness came
though great. Snaps were so crisp and dynamic. Tambourine had nice dynamics
with excellent crispness. Kick drum had great low-end extension and played with
great dynamics and authority. Cymbals were also extremely crisp and clean with
great resolution of the decay. Vocals were smooth like honey with excellent
resolution of the texture. Trumpet was so dynamic with excellent harmonics and
not to brassy. There were so many instruments and they were all resolved very
well! Soundstage again was really deep and wide. And imaging was on a dime.
Disturbed: Sound of
Silence – excellent resolution of the impact of the hammer on the strings of
the piano with excellent resolution to capture its decay. Vocals were so smooth
yet at the same time sounded nice and raw, with excellent resolution of the
texture of the timbre. Violins had great resolution of the strings with
excellent harmonics. Tympani had really good low-end extension and dynamics
with good authority and resolution of the impact of the mallet on the pad. Acoustic
guitar was so so crisp and clean, with excellent resolution of the plucking of
the strings and their decay. Cymbals were so crisp and clean and dynamic.
Another example of a lot of instruments that can be extremely difficult to
resolve, especially with detail, and they not only did so in spades, it did so
with all of their resolution as well as showcase the depth and size of the
recording studio. Imaging was equally showcased.
Rush:
Tom Sawyer – so
for so much has made of the beyond stellar Beryllium tweeters, and their
performance off the charts continued. Cymbals were incredibly crisp and clean,
and each impact on the hi-hat in fast intervals was easily portrayed in full
resolution. Vocals were smoother than honey, with excellent resolution of the
texture. But this track also showcased how impressive the woofer is as well.
The drummer put on a clinic to be remembered for all time. Soundstage was so good,
I felt like I was in the drummer’s seat. It was almost holographic! With each
strike of the pad, whether it was the snare, or any one of the multiple toms,
dynamics were impressive. And the resolution of the impact on each of the pads,
as well as pitch definition of each tom, and the authority and depth that was
portrayed…..WOW!
Having reviewed home speakers worth several thousand dollars
per pair, as well as car component speakers and headphones also worth in the
thousands of dollars, I have been able to get intimately acquainted with some
of my favorite tracks. And that made this review very difficult. I kept going
from track to track, and hearing all of the minute intricate details that I
knew were there. I needed to stay focused on listening for the review. But
before I could do so, I kept having to catch myself from just enjoying the
music and put myself back to task listening for the details. And I guess that’s
probably the best compliment I can give. I kept getting goosebumps with what I
was hearing, along with the accompanying ear to ear smile!
As Hanibal Smith used to say in The A-Team, “I love it when
a plan comes together.” That’s exactly what the end results are with the JBL
Arena 25Be component system. JBL set out to tap into their legendary, decades
long audio heritage to provide maximum aural smorgasbord experience that your
ears will feast on for years. The end result is a synergy that screams from the
rooftops project success, and may subject you to a permanent ear to ear smile.
It’s original MSRP of $2500 was worth every penny. But for what you can find it
for now online, you’ll feel like you stole them. There should be zero
hesitation for dropping serious coin for the JBL brand in car audio. Based on
their design, features, quality and performance, the JBL Arena 26Be has earned
our Editor’s Choice Award. For more info and complete specs, check out their
website at www.jbl.com.
