John
Sat next to much of the uber high-end hi-fi hardware on display at AXPONA 2022, JBL’s L52 Classic (US$999/pair) come on like a breath of fresh air; especially when sat on a pair of Solid Steel SS6 stands (€500/pair, as used by yours truly here in Berlin) and away from the plain white background of Harman’s promotional photos.
In the flesh, we get a much better sense of what the L52 Classic is: a scaled-down version of the L82 Classic where a 5.25″ paper-pulp mid/bass driver works in tandem with a waveguided and attenuate-able 0.75″ titanium dome tweeter. Nominal impedance comes in at 4 Ohms and sensitivity at 85dB, which is typical for a 2-way standmount of this size: 33cm x 20cm x 22cm.
Note how the bass reflex port, which helps give this loudspeaker reach (-6dB) down to 47Hz, is front-firing. That should make the L52 Classic a whole lot easier to place in tighter corners.
But we don’t just buy a pair of JBL’s L series loudspeakers for their 21st Century engineering and sound quality. We also buy them for their 20th Century looks. The L52 ship with the iconic Quadrex grille in a choice of orange, blue or black.
The amplification here also comes from JBL: the company’s new SA750 Class G streaming amplifier (US$3000) that promises 120wpc into 8 Ohms, 220wpc into the L52 Classic’s 4 Ohms, an MM/MC phono stage, a hi-res/MQA DAC, Roon Readiness and Dirac Live room compensation.
Put the JBL amplifier and loudspeakers together for a 3-box hifi system that’ll run you no more than US$4000.
Further information: JBL
