Setup in the lounge

JBL Stage a130 – Introduction

Have you ever heard the story of the ugly duckling that turned out to be a beautiful swan?

Well here we yak about hifi, not so much about ducks and the like but that’s the only metaphor I could think of to describe the Stage A130.

If it quacks like a duck, more often than not it’s a duck, let’s get back to hifi speak shall we 🙂

Stage A130 – Look & Feel

Looking at these small-medium sized bookshelf speakers sitting on a pair of basic NordStone stands in my lounge room, you would be right in thinking they are budget friendly. The design is simple enough and nothing really fancy to look at. The speaker grills are the old school type that clip in and can be a challenge to remove if you’re unfamiliar with the process.

I have the combo wood veneer plus vinyl black wrap on the top section here for review. These have been purchased with my own cash as they intrigued me. Growing up with the JBL brand always seen and sometimes heard over the years I wanted to see what JBL have been up to.

Looking at these speakers makes me think of old school 90’s styling which may work for some, for those who like things a little more tame with just 1 finish all around you’ll be pleased to know there’s an all black wrap version.

Tweeters have the classic JBL wave guide design they are famous for, Woofers are white in color adding to that vintage feel, there’s a nice looking JBL badge front facing under the woofers. On the back we have some basic plastic binding posts, nothing special but very usable. The Stage A130 come with rubber feet that you need to DIY.

Performing the old knock test on the sides of the cabinet you can hear they are quiet hollow sounding not solid meaning they could probably use more cabinet bracing or different padding but hey they are a budget speaker and are good enough just as they are.

Stage A130 Picks

Semi & Real Techi Stuff

Now before we get too far into the objective technical side of things I wanted to cover some info on the Stage A130. Based on reading, watching and hearing multiple reviews, I like to understand why people think they way they do and still keep my thoughts focused on my own experience with a product.

It’s easy to be swayed by the opinions of others, for me it’s more about information gathering vs jumping on a band wagon. If review A & B have differing opinions on the same product even after putting forward objective and subjective information, I try to understand why this may be the case, might be a hangover from studying psychology at school 😉

Based on the speakers I have here in front of me and what others have put forward of their own experiences it looks like some of the A130 may have left the factory with lower QC – quality control or have been damaged in transit which can be a good indicator why as we progress through this review we see 2 different sets of data from different technical reviewers that I’ll link to below.

I respect both Amir and Erin’s technical know how, testing methodologies and experience. They are most definitely what I would consider experts in their fields and use similar if not the same tools to analyze and measure speakers.

This leads me to my previous thoughts on there being a potential QC problem or damage in transit that could account for the difference in technical data. I present to you the technical data from these two legends.

ASR – Audio Science Review

Erins Audio Corner

The pair I have here don’t show any obvious signs of resonance when played at reasonable levels approx 86 dB @1m or in my case sitting about 2.5m on the couch the speakers present nicely up to about 70 dB (checked with an SPL meter app on my trusty Android device). Once we start to push higher the small 5.25″ woofers start to distort which may also bring other enclosure resonances into play, additionally the highs start to become a little bright.

With that said if you can get your hands on a good QC pair of these speakers you’re in for a real treat. After the negatives touched on by Erin in his objective post linked above why would I still recommend the speakers

JBL Stage A130 – Let’s dive in.

My experience with the speakers align more closely to the ASR review by Amir finding the speaker a real treat to listen to and a small amount of PEQ helps knock down a little sibilance in the mid – upper treble region.

In Oz they retail for $699 AUD falling into the sub $1,000 category making them very affordable for those on tight budgets, just getting into the hobby/ hifi or looking for a set of speakers that may be used in a near field setup like desktop or small room.

The Stage A130 would benefit from a subwoofer and a high-pass filter to reduce lower frequency distortion from pushing the woofer too hard at higher volumes allowing the subwoofer to take over the majority of Bass duties. So using something like a WiiM Amp or Ultra to PEQ and tame the speakers would be a perfect match.

Are there better speakers in this price range?

Well there are always better speakers, but and there’s always a but or 2 or 3, there’s always a compromise and one of those will come down to the type of music you like to listen to.

5 Reasons to like the JBL Stage A130

The Stage A130 would be great for POP, Electric, Rock & Roll, classical anything really that doesn’t have a heavy Bass line when played on their own. Also if you need/ want to blast the music above 70 dB these are not the speakers for you without a high-pass filter, PEQ and a SUB.

With that said I loved my time with these speakers when played at reasonable levels not exceeding 70 dB @ 2.5m.

Now here’s the upside.

1. Very articulate mid and treble.
2. Sound Stage – If you have space to position them properly you’ll get a very immersive sound stage (left, right, center, forward and back)
3. The speakers are easy to PEQ if you get a good pair.
4. Budget – They are super budget friendly so finding a pair on the second hand market or even still boxed old stock should be relatively easy compared to other more popular speakers that may have caught more attention.
5. Multi Use – Will be a great improvement over TV speakers for HT – Home Theater and better than the vast majority of sound bars, with greater separation, clarity and definition, the A130 could also work well as rear or side surrounds.

What’s In The Box

Well its not a Dominos pizza!

Speakers, 2 of them, that’s whats in the box, plus some small rubber feet that will help when placing on a shelf to tame vibrations. Aside from those 3 items we have an instruction manual and some soft foam wrap.

Did i mention some larger molded foam blocks to help protect the speakers?

That’s it nothing else 😉

The Setup

Connected to the following kit for testing.

– WiiM Pro Plus Streamer as a Roon endpoint connected over coax.
– Playback Merlot DAC out over XLR & Fiio K11 R2R out over RCA’s (not played at the same time 🙂
– Topping Pre90 Preamp
– 2 X Sony ta-n55es bridged into mono 300w/C
– JBL Stage A130

Interested in reading more about my reference setup you can check out the link below.

– Audiophile Reference System

Speaker Placement

The Stage A130’s started off pointed off axis – straight ahead. I also tested them 20 degrees off axis pointed towards my shoulders at the centered seating position the imaging was further improved. The Sound stage and imaging are spot on very detailed Just a lovely sound from these little speakers very easy to listen to just a pleasure, you really want to spend more and more time with them.

Small PEQ adjustment due to treble being a little fatiguing. This may be due to the aluminum tweeters or just how the cross overs are set up. If you haven’t already, go and have a look at the technical data from ARS linked above for a better technical understanding of why.

I’ve often found for me at least aluminum tweeters present highs a little sharper making them a bit more fatiguing than let’s say a soft dome tweeter. With that said listening to a number of KEF speakers R3 Meta, Q11 Meta, KEF Q Concerto Meta that all use an aluminum dome tweeter and have a lot more design time put in, but cost a bucketload more in comparison to the A130, the KEF’s sound less bright so with this R&D time and better design playing a big role in how a speaker performs.

Thanks Amir from ASR who has done a great job with his objective review of the speakers. I’ve used his PEQ recommendation to make a slight adjustment to 870, 135 and 15000 Hz which takes the slight edge off nicely and makes the A130 super enjoyable.

ASR PEQ JBL Stage A130

Please take into account that your room will play a part in how the sound reaches your ears. Due to this you may not need to adjust the same PEQ or just have a play with PEQ to suit your needs.

Tunes Listened To:

• Madonna – like a prayer – remix Q sound
• Supertramp – Bloody well right – (2010 Remastered)
• Van Morrison – Caravan 2013 remaster
• Eric Clapton – Tears In Heaven – acoustic live
• Phill Collins – In The Air Tonight – 2015 Remaster
• Toto – Africa – Album Version
• Michael Jackson – Thriller (Album Version)
• Michael Jackson – Billie Jean (Single Version)
• Peter Gabriel – Sledge Hammer – 2012 remastered
• Dire Straits – Money For Nothing 1996 Remastered
• PINK Floyd – Comfortably Numb – New York Philharmonic
• Tracey Chapman – Fast Car – LP Version
• David Bowie – Let’s Dance – 2018 Remastered
• Supertramp – The Logical Song – 2010 remastered
• Fleetwood Mac – Big Love
• Michael Jackson – Human Nature
• The Church – Under The Milky Way
• Fink – Berlin Sunrise – Fink Meets The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
• Fink – This Is The Thing – Fink Meets The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

Here’s the playlist in case you’re interested.

vAudio Architect Qobuz Play List

vAudio Architect iTunes Play List

Why would you get the JBL Stage A130?

They make an amazing Soundbar replacement paired with a WiiM AMP/ Pro RRP $499/ $699 all in 1 Streamer, Amp and DSP combo. The DSP will allow for parametric EQ to adjust the speakers to your room to really get the best sound out of the A130’s + sub out with bass management for future expansion.

If you’re ready to jump into a sub straight away a great option for small spaces is the REL Tzero MKIII. According to REL the mini sub can dig down to 37 Hz which is pretty good for a small 6.5″ woofer design. We’ll talk more about the REL in a future post. The Tzero MKIII is a current model selling for RRP $899 AUD but I wouldn’t be surprised if you could pick it up secondhand for about $600 or even a MKII model for less.

REL TZERO MKIII eBay

New RRP Prices

Remember to hunt around for the best deals and check out Stereo.net, FaceBook Marketplace + eBay for second hand deals or speak with your local dealers to see if they have factory seconds, open boxes/ demo units – you’ll be surprised if you just ask!

– Wiim AMP – $499

– JBL Stage A130 – $699

– REL TZero MKIII – $899

Total RRP – $2097 AUD

With a bit of shopping around you could knock approx $500 off the RRP for a decent system setup.

The JBL Stage A130 are small enough to fit on a small TV cabinet or bookshelf and with the right underlay (thin foam, blue-tack, rubber feet or iso-acoustics) to tame vibration can live there quiet happily.

If you have the space for stands and can bring them away from the wall a little you’ll benefit even more from a wider sound stage. Having them closer to the wall will help in adding a little more bass extension to the equation.

Don’t be fooled these are small bookshelf speakers that will benefit from adding a sub woofer. They don’t dig deep flattening out at about 60 Hz, officially the specifications say 55Hz but they do offer a good punch at 60-100Hz when not played over 70 dB.

If you’re looking for more flexibility with separates to be able to change up the setup you could go for the the WiiM Ultra RRP $599 that still offers all of the same software as the AMP but you get to choose your amplification and get a better DAC in the Ultra.

For amplification you can start off small with something like the Fosi V3 stereo 45v 5amp class D amplifier which will deliver enough power to fill a small-medium sized room costing approximately $135 AUD with the upgraded PS – power supply.

– Wiim Ultra – $699

– JBL Stage A130 – $699

– REL TZero MKIII – $899

– Fosi V3 – $135

Total RRP – $2,432 AUD

Parting Thoughts

The JBL Stage A130 are sleepers IMHO and a great deal if you can pick them up second hand or ex demo. Sound stage and imaging are excellent even compared to speakers around the $2,000+mark, the Stage A130 wave guides do a good job of horizontally spreading the sound but be mindful the vertical response isn’t so great so make sure the speakers are at or close to ear level for optimal results.

Great timbre throughout the mids nicely filling in where many other speakers in this price point fall short.

As an entry level speaker the Stage A130 get my approval at the sub $1,000 price point.

Links

JBL

https://www.jbl.com.au/JBLA130BLKAM.html

ASR

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/jbl-stage-a130-review-speaker.18260/

Erins Audio Corner

https://www.erinsaudiocorner.com/loudspeakers/jbl_stage_a130/

Stage A130 Price Check

No affiliation with these retailers just the 1st page of google results

BMCAV – $599

Sydney Hifi Monavale – $599

NAPF – $299