JBL Duet PC Speakers 2 SpeakerS Aluminum
If you’re spending more and more of your day in front of a computer or game box, make it quality time. JBL Duet improves any multimedia experience with clear, accurate JBL sound, from an advanced 2-channel system that fits anywhere and connects to anything. Tired of using those headphones for your portable audio player at home, or need a small set of speakers for your computer? Well look no further! The JBL Duet Stereo Speakers from Harman Multimedia are lightweight and small, taking up less room and adding a futuristic design to match your computer or audio player! Frequency Response - 60 Hz to 20,000Hz 5K Ohms input impedence 60Hz-20kHz frequency response 80dB Signal to noise Proprietary Adverse Pressure Gradient (APG) port design greatly enhances bass performance for rich, low-frequency sound Each Speaker - Unit Dimensions - Width - 3.94 x Depth - 4.93 x Height - 7.3 / 3 lbs Consists of 2 Speakers Elegant and stylish Aluminum Finish 120 Volts AC Powered Harman Multimedia 1-Year Limited Warranty
User Ratings and Reviews
4 Stars Great value on JBL PC speakers
These speakers are perfect for the audiophile on a budget. JBL long known as a top name in stereo floor speakers is now a great addition to your computer audio needs. Perfect for quality sound when listening to your iTunes collection or satellite radio. Definately worth the cost.
2 Stars Reasonable sound
These speakers have reasonable sound. The speakers are more than the average. however they are very light-weight and, the volume control is hard to turn in proportion to the weight of the speaker. You will have to hold down the speaker in order to turn up the volume.
3 Stars JBL Duet PC Speakers: Yes for some, No for others.
I was looking for a 2.0 audio system with superior sound and eventually decided to get the JBL Duet. Being a composer myself, I know what kind of bass I can expect from such small speakers, but was still disappointed a great deal. I listen mostly to symphonic works - classical as well as contemporary film scores - and unfortunately, I can barely recognize them with these speakers. They make bass instruments (most commonly bass drums, but also tubas) sound overly loud, leading to unpleasant bass-booms, while orchestrational detail, whether coming out of strings, brasses, woodwinds, percussion or chorus - is sadly lost in its entirety.
Being a contemporary classical and film music composer and orchestrator myself, I find that while these speakers are excellent (for their price!) for songs in many genres, they do no justice to symphonic music, with the only exception of the simpler works from the baroque era and fully-solo works from all eras (e.g. solo piano). The true beauty of such music comes from its musical detail, and for their low price, the JBL Duet are unable to satisfy the ears (and mind!) of true lovers of such beautiful music.
To my welcome surprise, the speakers produce no unwanted noise (e.g. buzzing, clicks, humming, etc) even if both my sound card and speakers are pushed into the maximal volume. Complete silence. However, bear in mind that this may - or may not - change depending on the sound card you use.
Wi-fi antennas placed in a range of about 8 inch from each speaker may naturally cause unwanted funny noise (the baby monitor from the movie Signs comes to mind), which I believe applies to most non-studio speakers. Keep that 8 inch distance from each speaker and the noise is completely gone.
In conclusion, if you listen to pop, rock and other rather simple songs and look for 2.0 desktop speakers, these ones may be a good option with their good sound and low price. The high notes are indeed crisp and sound nicely, which I believe is going to appeal to lovers of such music!
However, if you intend to use the JBL Duet for: symphonic music, music that relies on deep basses (e.g. most electronic and dance music, as well as chillout music) or for films, I certainly do not recommend the JBL Duet.
(For the purpose of this review, I plugged the speakers into my state-of-the-art professional sound card in my studio. I believe the sound would be even more unsatisfactory if I plugged them into my computer’s on-board sound card, as I believe most users would do for these 2.0 desktop speakers. Thanks for reading and I hope you make the right choice for your musical preferences!)
4 Stars Great for the Price!
I use it for my class, and it works really well. It is very light, but sturdy.
1 Star Crackling/Buzzing Sound
Problem #1: As others have stated, there is a horrible cracking/buzzing noise coming from both speakers when the music is soft or is not playing. This is not acceptable.
Problem #2: I’m surprised at how many people say the speakers sound so great–very mediocre in my books. It sounds like a cheap ghetto blaster from the 80’s. You definitely get what you pay for with these light, tiny speakers.
Problem #3: I agree with others–the knob is not just slightly annoying becasue it’s so slippery, you actually can’t operate it unless you have both hands free so that you can brace the speaker with one hand (for leverage) and use the other hand to control the knob.
My recommendation: I recommend trying different speakers. I’m not one to give many bad reviews, I usually have very good luck with most everything I buy, but I thought I’d put in my two cents here so that others can avoid this product, not worth it.
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