Great sounding speaker at an outstanding price

This is my 2nd pair of Stage A190 speakers with one pair connected to a Yamaha Aventage RX-A4A and the other pair connected to a Denon AVR-X4700H. I bought this most recent set to replace my still mint Infinity Reference Six 4-way towers I bought from Crutchfield in 1992! What I like most about the A190 speakers is the soundstage. Many times while listening to 2-channel stereo I had to double check that my center channel speaker (JBL Stage A125C on both systems) wasn't on. These speakers image really nice. With both the Yamaha and the Denon I have them setup as "flat" and I find these speakers to be very detailed with nice punchy bass, accurate vocals and clear highs. The Stage A190 speakers are not only great for 2-channel music listening, but also as part of a home theater system. I can't speak highly enough of JBL speakers. They perform great and can be had for very good prices. In the last couple years I've bought four of their subwoofers and a pair of Stage A130 speakers for surround use in addition to the speakers mentioned above. In all cases I have been happy with my choice. JBL should always be at the top of your list when considering which speakers to choose.

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Expectations Far Exceeded

Just a college kid building his first home audio system and let me tell you, these have me hooked! The goal was to light up my ~350 sqft. basement with quality audio, and bass you could feel in your chest, while spending less than $800 full system. I decided on a 2 channel system with these towers hooked up to a Sony STR-DH190. Picked up the receiver and the speakers on sale and spent less than $600! My goal and my expectations were blown out of the water. Glad I listened to the other reviews saying "no sub needed"... and trust me, I like my bass. Powerful, but clean bass, lively high end and mid range. Low volume and high volume, the detail in the audio is fantastic (keep in mind I'm not an audiophile... yet.) They have my friends going crazy at parties. I don't see how I could have done better for the money that I spent. The best part about it is I know that I will be able to use these towers for years down the road when I go to build a full AV system!

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Excellent purchase

These speakers have excellent bass. Way more than what I expected. And the mids and highs are crisp. Still breaking them in but very impressed so far. Handle all styles of music beautifully.

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Hill Billy Jim

Speaker was delivered intact , packaged well, hooked it up to my Shillt Modi and Technics SA DA 8 100w per channel sound was deep, rich, clear and with a little volume sounds wonderful , I think these speakers may be the last I will buy, may buy new amp, truley satisfied !!!

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JBL A 190

I love my JBL A 190s this is my second set of Jbl speakers first set I had for over 40 years. JBL speakers rock I am very happy with my purchase

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A Real Treat

These speakers have really surprised me. I already own the Stage A170's, the small brother to these and was quite impressed with the build and sound quality. But I saw these here on Crutchfield for $299 each and decided to take the plunge. Glad I did. These are the first pair of tower speakers that I've owned that can play perfectly fine without the use of a subwoofer. And I've owned too many to count.. They're solid, well built speakers that sound extremely good. They are a slight bit cold of neutral but not to the extent of what an online reviewer said about them. Personally, I like a speaker with a nice, lively top end. Superb mid-range and excellent, punchy bass. These speakers go deep and you can hear it.. Very impressive. I've got mine about 30 inches from the front wall and they're not boomy in any way. I don't hear any cabinet resonances either. Extremely wide soundstage that impresses.. And shipped very safely in big double boxes. Very happy with these. They are big and offer a very big sound. Just use good electronics and cables and you will be rewarded with an excellent performing loudspeaker that you got for practically a steal.. I can't recommend enough.

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JBL Stage A190

totally awesome. jbl is the best that says it all thank you.

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JBL Stage A190

Jbl perfect could not be happier 499 on jbl 299 on crutchfield

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JBL Stage A190

Good sounding speakers. Have them running off of a smaller reciever . I am using a Yamaha RN 303 on them . Good that they are high efficient speakers .

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Awesome sounds and quality

I bought my first JBL 5.1 home theater speakers set twenty-five years ago and they are still working today. I recently decided to give it an upgrade to these JBL Stage A190's along with the Stage A120P 12" Powered sub-woofer and the Stage A125C Center speaker and what a difference these made to my home entertainment configuration. The sounds are awesome and very stylish and good quality for the money. If the space in your home allow, I would highly recommend the A190 over the A180 or the A170. I love giving my business to Crutchfield because of their great customer support and service, and their 60 days satisfaction guarantee.

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Great Bargain

Sandra got these for me for Christmas. They are an outstanding bargain at their list price, and even more so at their sale price. They offer excellent clarity, imaging, dynamics, and range. They have no tonal anomalies and play essentially full range. There is no need for a subwoofer. They play all kinds of music well and are great all-rounders. They are better than previous speakers at low volumes. Most surprising is their level of transparency and detail. They are not ear bleeders though. After initial break in (I'd give them 50 hours), they are nice and smooth. I use them with an 85wpc solid state amp, but I'd imagine you could use them with less power or with tubes. The speakers are larger than I imagined, being a full size floor stander. I had no problem with the bass overpowering the room. They should be excellent for HT as well. They keep getting better with better input. One of the best buys I've come across in audio (audiophile since the late 70s). Previous speakers: Elac Uni-Fi GR Research Paradox 3 w/upgrades Alon 4 Platinum Quattro Parasound Reference floorstander Sound Dynamics RTS-3 Vandersteen 2C, 2B Magnepan MG-2

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Great detailed presentation with deep bass

I was looking for a tower that could be detailed enough in the highs to satisfy me and play low enough to eliminate the need for a sub. The A190's delivered on both. I prefer the detailed presentation a metal dome tweeter provides and the A190's have an amazing level of detail that, when combined with the JBL's waveguide, provide excellent dispersion. This combo may deliver what some audiophiles derisively call a bright experience. Let me just say, you can manage highs by EQ'ing them the way you like, but you can't put detail in if it isn't there to begin with. The lows are deep if not a bit bloated, but again, manageable. The mids are neutral and not forward sounding, allowing the clarity of the tweeters to shine. The sensitivity and dispersion means they sound engaging even at low volume. Perhaps the only real negatives come down to quality control and the color/materials. In terms of quality, I noticed differences between speakers from L to R. Switching them, switching amps showed it was the speakers themselves as the issues followed the speaker. After a couple exchanges (thank you Crutchfield) we got it right. In terms of color, these are big black blocks wrapped in what appears to be a durable but not very attractive vinyl. The trade-off for sound is worth it though. I am using these strictly for 2 channel listening.

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JBL Stage A190

Not much to say. It's a good sounding party speaker. You will bother the neighbors with these. I am powering these with a Sansui 9090. It's a bit rediculous.

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JBL never a let down

Nice speakers so far. Haven't had too much time with them yet but I've tried a wide range of music and they seem to do great with anything I've thrown at them so far. Good clear sound with pretty impressive lows all the way up. For the price I would definitely recommend them for great mid range stereo set up!

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Speaker Bliss

As usual, Crutchfield Service A-1. Speakers were shipped promptly same day as ordered and arrived within two days to Alabama, well packaged and damage free. Helpful brochure inside. Speaker cabinet quality is excellent, sound quality is excellent. Great deal for the money!

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JBL Stage A190

Very happy, they are brighter sounding than my old Bose 501's very nice sound don't need my subwoofer anymore.

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JBL Stage A190

Fasr delivery.Good price Great sound.

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Floor speaker

Always loved JBL these speakers really play well

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JBL Stage A190

I bought these speakers to be the front channels in a budget home theater. I have an old infinity center and Polk TSi100 surrounds, a Denon receiver and a Hsu Vtf2 subwoofer to complete the package. The whole system is great for movies. Two channel listening is where these speakers really shine. They have a lot of clean bass and the mids and highs are clear too. I found some really demanding songs to test and they handled everything easily. I was actually surprised that my Denon turned the sub off in pure direct mode for 2 channel. I thought it was my sub putting out the bass but it was the speakers. Hsu subs go really deep and loud so I was very impressed. I don't think you could do any better for the money than these A190 speakers. If you want great bass and overall performance without breaking the bank, you need to check these out.

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JBL Stage A190

Love the speakers great price can't go wrong

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JBL Stage A190

Excellent sounding speakers. Great soundstage, imaging, and deep bass. I have a large great room with a cathedral ceiling, hard surface flooring, and a lot of glass without curtains. This can be a real challenge for speakers, but these A190s sound great in this difficult room application. I am driving them with only a 100W, 2 channel stereo amp, which is the Denon DRA800H with no subwoofers. I'd imagine they would sound even better with a higher-current amp. Also, these speakers sound great even at low volume listening levels. Often times, larger speakers sound flat until you crank them up - not these JBLs. I can achieve night-club levels of bass and volume with these speakers. They are not harsh sounding at all. You cannot go wrong with these speakers, especially at this price point. I don't think you could beat these JBLs unless you spend $4K for a pair of speakers. They exceeded my expectations so far, but it has only been 10 days. I did not install the outrigger feet on my A190s, and I think they look better without them. I put some of the adhesive round furniture pads under them, and that seems to work well. They don't move at all.

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Nice sound.

We enjoyed our JBL L56's for a very long time. The Stage A190's sound way better. We didn't know what we were missing.

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JBL Stage A190

Smooth, and pleasant sounding speakers. Never been disappointed with JBL products.

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JBL Stage A190

Great set of speakers at a great price!

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JBL Stage A190

Great sounding across a large frequency range. I don't need a sub with these while listening to music. These speakers provide great value for the price. I am very pleased with them. Crutchfield went above and beyond by shipping them inside an additional layer of protective boxes. Many Thanks!

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Excellent performance Top to Bottom

If you want big and loud - don't hesitate If you want crystal clear - don't hesitate If you want a solid sweet spot - don't hesitate If you want in your face vocals - don't hesitate If you want live stage imaging - don't hesitate If you want rich life like bass - don't hesitate If you want $5k performance - don't hesitate If you want JBL rockin the house - don't hesitate If you want smooth jazz - don't hesitate If you want good bass without a sub - don't hesitate If you want intricate classical - don't hesitate If you want an excellent all rounder - don't hesitate If you want JBL established quality - don't hesitate If you want to impress a snobby audiophile- buy now

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Superb speakers! - Blew the FIRST DAY!

If you are looking for a loud in your face speaker this is it. Brand new they sound excellent playing Metallica Ride The Lightning CD. These replaced a 30 year old Bose Acoustimass 5 ii and they are so much louder. I use to play the Bose at -20 to get the sound I wanted and I'm playing these JBL at -25 and it's about to blow me out of my living room. Thanks to Cash for recommending these superb speakers and I can't wait til they are a little broke-in I'm sure they will sound even better! UPDATED 5/4/22: Well I reviewed this item earlier today and that was before one of the brand new A190 started emitting a burnt wire odor. I turned the volume down (I had not turned it past -20 on my Yamaha RS-700 receiver), turned off SPKR B that drives two Bose 301 then turned the balance R. The tweeter was not working and the two woofer sounded terrible. I turned balance L and other A190 sounds fine. I ran two new speaker wires, still no joy. Changed the wires around on the back of the receiver, now the R balance sounds terrible through the blown speaker. This has become a serious pain but I disassembled both the A190 and returned them to the shipping carton. I reconnected my Bose Acoustimass 5 ii that I was replacing with the A190s and they work perfect as always. I know it's not Crutchfield's fault but this makes me mad. I will call Monday to get them returned and I'm still considering if I want a replacement or refund.

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JBL Stage A190

Nice deep sound. More efficient than I expected. It doesn't take much power to drive them. Don't be afraid of the measurements. The width and depth are measured at the outriggers. The actual enclosure is smaller! 10-1/4" wide. 15-1/2" deep.

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Nice sound

Great speakers for the price arrived in a day and a half? With no shipping charge.

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JBL Stage A190

Great sound. Better bass response than I was expecting.

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JBL Stage A190

I spent close to two years researching for an upgrade to my then current home theater system. Budget was my biggest hurdle as I wanted a system that would fit within that budget but also have quality sound. Thankfully Crutchfield was running a special purchase on these towers. The dimensions on the product info page do not really give you an idea of just how big these speakers actually are. These things are TALL! Upon receiving them they were packed very well with no signs of damage to even the boxes they came in. They have a flat black finish that don't say, "Look at me," but are very good looking despite that. I knew going in that these speakers were going to be neutral-sounding without any emphasis on particular frequency ranges. The boosted range of 40 khz however do give these speakers an almost airy quality that really help quality recordings shine. And less than quality recordings? Well, they will show you just how bad those are too. These things play whatever you throw at them whether the recording quality is cruddy or awesome and they will let you know how bad or good they really are. Movies, on the other hand, are where I think these speakers really shine. Coupled with a Monolith 10 V2 sub these things are absolute beasts. They handle action scenes with ease and have a "growl" to them that say, "Show me what you got. We can take it." And take it they do. Every movie I have played has been like watching them all over again. I am absolutely pleased with my purchase.

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Strong competition in al segments the A-190 are really good!!

Amazing speakers!!!! WOW !!! Surprised Clarity, sensitivity, easy to drive, mid-and bass speed is amazing. They Rock !!!

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nice sound

sound good, delivery was faster than promised

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JBL, The Best

JBL, the best. I am happy with my speakers, the sound of the tweeters is excellent, just what I was missing in my sound system, since I have a couple of JVC with super tweeters that are heard well, but the presence of the high mids was absent. Elegance, presence, quality, and a brand that says it all, "JBL"

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Extremely Happy with them!

Couldn't be more pleased! The size and weight of them scream quality. Their phenomenal sound is excellent.

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JBL outstanding sounds

JblJ let back in the day has always been a one of a kind product that is outstanding on all levels I've always been a jbl fan outstanding sound

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Excellent Sounding JBLs!!!

I was looking to upgrade from some Polk T50s. The JBL have dual 8 inch woofers and an aluminum tweeter. Most tower speakers today use 6 inch or 5 inch woofers, so the JBLs have a nice deeper sound to them because of the 8 inch woofers. These speakers fill the room with excellent high tones, mids and low bass. I am a fan of the durable black exterior coating, and like the appearance of the leg stands as well. I strongly recommend these to anyone looking for big sound!

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Excellent Value & Sound

Overall fantastic for the price paid (took advantage of a special offering $200 off each). For the list price the fit/finish could be a little bit better, e.g. the bezels around the drivers aren't completely uniform, the threads on the feet were all dinged up and had to be manually cleaned up to allow installation, but these items haven't affected the sound quality or appearance from more than a couple feet away. JBL's product team clearly made what I consider to be the better tradeoff decision between material and assembly costs vs sound reproduction quality. They got the overall design and balance between these things just right with these. Very good clarity and depth, excellent sound staging, and none of the fatiguing highs I had feared given the metal tweeter and waveguide design. Very smooth and even dispersion across all frequencies and no noticeable loss or oddities in output around the rather low crossover between upper woofer and tweeter. They really fill the room and sound great no matter the listening position. I'm driving them with the very solid Halo A23 amp from Parasound (a refurbished v1) and Cambridge Audio CXN v2 DAC/Streamer, and this setup is a great combo. One thing to note though, they are not small and need at least a couple feet from all walls so be sure you have the space.

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Exactly what I was looking for

These do a great job of filling the room. Big upgrade from my previous set up that only had bookshelf sized speakers. These sound more "full", with plenty of bass, midrange, and high frequencies. I mostly got them for music, but they work well with TV/movies too. Running them in a 2.1 set up right now with a 12" sub. I don't see the need for more speakers, these do it all.

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JBL Stage A190

This was the first time I purchased speakers without hearing them first. I do like them but they are brighter than I expected even when the treble is set low. The bass is very nice. I'm not a fan of the outriggers, only because they have the potential to be broken where the screws attache. I do recommend a powerful amplifier rated for 6 ohm speakers. Acoustic music is very enjoyable, the strings sound live.

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Auburn

Excellent sound quality, Great upgrade! Especially good at covering the lower mid range 60-120Hz.

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JBL Stage A190

Bought a pair of these two weeks ago. When I plugged them in with my Yamaha receiver 85 WPC didn't sound good. I thought that there were something wrong with the speakers. Don't know exactly but they sounded like an empty big box with some sound. I just sold a pair of Emotiva T2+ to buy this pair of JBL and I wasn't happy. After 5 or more hours of using them they started to shine. Today I spent most of the day listening to jazz, soft jazz, latin jazz and latin music. Now I can tell the difference from the first day. They sounded bigger, deeper, brighter, etc., etc. than the Emotivas...I'm very happy with this purchase for $299 each, a real bargain. Highly recommend these speakers. They sound so real when you listen to high definition/audiophile music...No doubt...

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JBL Stage A190

JBL never disappoints!!! These speakers rock the house and the cost is crazy low! JBL is the loudspeaker champion. Dollar per dollar nothing comes close.

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JBL Stage A190

Excellent sound

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Los angeles

First price is very good,each$300 is amazing. 40 years before I have enjoyed JBL speaker L166. Still I have a good memory. Stage 190 make me again fantastic sound with good price. Thank you JBL.

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JBL Rocks Likes Always

What can you say? They are JBL. Awesome speakers, especially at the sale price!

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JBL Stage A190

They need a little power from a decent amp, but really do everything I was hoping for and expecting from a larger tower. I caught them on sale, making this purchase very hard to beat.

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Intoxicating at high volume levels!

Literally the best sounding speaker I've owned. The clarity and punch at extreme levels is intoxicating. Crutchfield service has been outstanding throughout my 30+ years as a customer.

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A Bargain Without Compromise

Superbly phenomenal performance and sound quality! The Stage A190 replaced a pair of Polk Audio RTi A7, that I'd had for about six months. Paired up with a Klipsch R-120SW subwoofer, the difference was immediately evident.

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JBL Stage A190

I purchased these as a long-overdue upgrade to a set of bookshelf speakers I'd picked up at a thrift store several years ago. The difference is like night and day (obviously) and SO worth it. These compare very well with the last set of floor standing speakers I had (Boston Acoustics, at about 4x the cost of these). Sound is amazing, and listening to vinyl is now actually something I enjoy, rather than merely convincing myself that I did. I am powering these with a Sony receiver (about 9 years old) putting out 110 watts per channel, and I feel they could use a little more power to be at their best when I want it loud, but my house is very small and they perform excellently at normal listening volumes - they just get a little weak when I try to rattle the windows. My only complaint is the fact that the cabinets are fake wood. UPS put a ding in the back of one during shipping, and due to the fake wood cabinets, I immediately had to put tape over it, as otherwise the material just flakes into dust. Luckily it was on the back and I had some good black fabric tape, so it's almost impossible to see, but for the price (and from JBL), I would have expected at least a high quality plywood for the cabinets.

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JBL Stage A190

Great speakers purchased at a great sale price.

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JBL Stage A190

The jury's still out on these. They are intended to replace 40-year-old L100's. It's probably not apples to apples, but these are a little brighter and a little tighter. I can't tell if the brightness is because being taller than the L100's I'm simply more on-axis to the tweeters, or because they're actually brighter. Unfortunately I don't have a way of doing A-B switching. One thing for sure, these are a phenomenal bargain considering that they compare easily with L100's.

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Stage, JBL Stage!

I really like the way they sound paired with my Yamaha receiver. They are very well balanced tonally. They're awesome! I love their pure and simple aesthetics too. These speakers replaced my Cerwin Vega XLS-6 s, which had a deep horn loaded soft dome tweeter. The biggest difference I noticed with these JBLs is that the sound stage is soooo much bigger and the sweet spot for listening is enormous. Even though these speakers have aluminum dome tweeters their highs are surprisingly smooth but slightly more emphasized and detailed than previous speakers which I'm very happy about. These speakers may not be built with exotic materials and wood veneers, but their build quality and JBL's engineering truly makes up for that.

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JBL Stage A190

Very nice sounding speaker, pair with a sub woofer and it sounds like you are on stage.

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JBL Stage A190

Great performance. I've been really happy with how they sound across the whole range. Bass is really punchy and highs come through clean. Aesthetically not my favorite but knew that when buying them.

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JBL Stage A190

I don't have a ton of experience buying stereo equipment but these certainly sound nice. It's only been a few weeks so I still haven't exited the wear in period but the speakers look and sound great, good bass, great for watching sports, movies, etc. Would highly recommend, especially if on sale!

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Beautiful speakers worth every penny

Hi everyone. I purchased these a few weeks ago not really expecting much from them. At the time I was driving them with a Yamaha vx-385 receiver. I definitely wasn't pushing them hard at all and they still sounded really good. I just purchased a Yamaha RX-v6a with a Niles SL-250 amp. Let me tell you it is amazing. The niles amp drives those speakers beautifully. I am no audiophile by any stretch of the imagination, but I have been around audio enough to know these are amazing speakers. They handle 200 watts rms each without any sign of problems. Beautiful crisps, mids and lows. The base is quite impressive and along with my sub it is superb. I have a room in our basement that I use for workout and after party when we have guests. Basically it is a night club now and I am not even joking! Buy these, but make sure you drive them properly. push them to their max!

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JBL Stage A190

Start with the best sound

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Great all around speakers

Great speakers! They have a lot of bass! A lot of clarity! And a nice warm midrange that sounds like real humans are talking and not thin sounding like some horn speakers do! They are easy to drive them, so don't be worried about the 6 ohm rating they get loud quick!!!! I love these speakers!!!!!

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JBL Stage A190

Very beautiful speaker and the sound is perfect.

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OLD SCHOOL...WELL BALANCED!!!

EXCELLENT SPEAKERS!!!...JBL nailed these!...Extremely well balanced sound. Nothing over bearing on these unlike other brands I've heard. In most cases these days Old School is GOOD! New Technology does not always equal better; just more convenient and cheaper to manufacture. Watching movies and listening to audio are both well defined and natural no coloring at all. Highs are articulate, Mids well balanced, Lows accurate. I was nervous about the 2.5 way but was pleasantly surprised. They do need break in time as any speaker. Like the design ofn the feet, especially for wood floors. Only one Negative: speakers do not have any fasteners accessible from outside the cabinet. If one goes bad you will either need to buy a new one or send it in to JBL. One of my woofers went bad two weeks in and had to ship it back and have a replacement sent. Not sure if they are worth full price do to that, but if you find them on sale? Worth every penny and then some.

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JBL Stage A190

Wonderful! Crystal clear! Buy , you won't be disappointed.

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JBL Stage A190

Great, better than expected.

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