JBL Northridge E50 Bookshelf speakers
JBL Northridge e50 is an unusual participant of our testing. Firstly, this is a complete three-way construction. Secondly, by their sizes they bring us back to those good times when speaker systems (and shelves filled with LPs) take the dominated placement in the interior of the room. And thirdly, being alone with them, you fell like a sound producer in a Studio - the tradition to put stereo pair horizontally was saved only in studio acoustics. Yes, the construction of JBL Northridge E50 is optimized in such a way that the correct dispersion occurs exactly in horizontal placement of speakers. Considering big sizes of the monitors, you understand that they will take a lot of place in a room.
A powerful faceplate has three speakers: titanium tweeter, loaded on a small waveguide, midrange head with a diffuser on a hard cloth suspension and long-stroke woofer with profiled membrane made of the branded material - Polyplass. A double-type bass-reflex port also looks forward. The cabinet is finished with vinyl film and the connectors are designed for the connection of only one acoustic cable.
The main problem for the owner of JBL Northridge E50 will be the question of its correct installation in home conditions. Due to the fact that an optimal sound is achieved exactly in horizontal position, you need to choose such stands, which will provide the loudspeakers the required stability. Beside this, you should listen to JBL Northbridge E50 in the near field, otherwise the images will slightly lose clarity because of early reflections - the wide faceplate is evident. But with all above-mentioned conditions the speaker systems will please you by legible and punchy sound in the best traditions of inexpensive studio acoustics. Classical music sounds brightly, but slightly simplistically, especially in the area of high frequencies. The scene shows an impressive width, but it is read quite badly in depth. Strings need more shine; their tone seems to be a bit slick. The songs of AC/DC are played powerfully, but not as weighty as I expected. However, JBL Northbridge E50 significantly excels competitors by the depth of bass. In order to reach its potential completely, it most likely needs a more powerful amplifier - apparently, the device from Cambridge Audio, at all its outstanding talents, is not enough for the full groove of this pair.
Upper middle and HF are definitely colored in these monitors, what is mostly notable at how they play timbre of piano and acoustic instruments, and obviously there is not enough air in the sound of drums. And at the same time it is hard to make any claims - everything is clear and detailed.
The try to revive the classical sound of 1970s was largely succeed - JBL Northbridge E50 operates much better than its competitors by class, but some misses in the area of midranges deprive its sound transparency inherent to the best of competitors.
