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JBL wants you to ditch your soundbar for its affordable new home theater lineup

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JBL MA/Stage 2 Series home theater products.
Derek Malcolm / Digital Trends

At a swanky rooftop launch event at the top of Hollywood’s historic Roosevelt Hotel last night, JBL pulled the veil off a shiny new lineup of affordable AV receivers and speakers that it hopes are easy enough to use and full of accessible features that even the component-phobic “next generation” of users will appreciate.

JBL’s new MA (Modern Audio) series of AV receivers and Stage 2 series loudspeakers abandon the the mix-and-match mentality of building a home theater system and are designed and engineered to work together, JBL says, right down to their matching “Espresso” and “Latte” finishes.

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“They offer consumers a unified and cohesive system that combines simplicity, design, quality, and scalability — all at an affordable price,” JBL says. And the company is hoping that this simplicity will coax younger home theater enthusiasts into exploring beyond what their soundbars are capable of.

JBL MA Series AV receivers.
Derek Malcolm / Digital Trends

The MA lineup is dizzying, and features five new AV receivers that range in price from $400 to $1,600. They all have increasingly modern features and connectivity as you move up the range, including support for 4K and/or 8K, HDMI 2.1, Dolby Audio and DTS (in the lower models), Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, and passthrough support for HDR10, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision. They also range in power from 60 to 140 watts-per-channel.

JBL Stage 2 Series subwoofers.
Derek Malcolm / Digital Trends

At the top end of the range sits the “HP” (High Performance) models, the 7.2-channel JBL MA7100HP ($1,200) and the flagship 9.2-channel MA9100HP ($1,600) that both feature large, bright color LED screens and can be outfitted with Dirac’s Live calibration software if the user wants to graduate to really dialling in the sound of their home theater.

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Among the features that JBL hopes will lure would-be soundbar buyers are a companion EZ Set EQ mobile app that makes system calibration a much easier process and “Works with SmartThings” integration for automated routines that control their other Internet of Things devices. Other features include Apple AirPlay, Google Cast, Bluetooth, and Spotify Connect.

Here’s a rundown of the full MA range of products. They’re all available starting July 18 from jbl.com.

MA Series AV receivers

JBL MA Series AV receiver.
JBL
  • JBL MA310: 60 watts, 5.2-channel 4K, HDMI 2.0 (4K/60Hz): $400
  • JBL MA510: 75 watts,  5.2-channel 8K, HDMI 2.1 (4K/120Hz): $600
  • JBL MA710: 110 watts, 7.2-channel, 8K, HDMI 2.1 (4K/120Hz): $800
  • JBL MA7100HP: 125 watts, 7.2-channel, 8K, HDMI 2.1 (4K/120Hz), Dirac Live ready: $1,200
  • JBL MA9100HP: 140 watts, up to 9.1 channels, 8K, HDMI 2.1 (4K/120Hz), Dirac Live ready: $1,600

Stage 2 Series home theater speakers

JBL MA Series AV receiver and JBL Stage 2 Series Speakers.
JBL
  • JBL Stage 260F ($500/pair) and 280F ($600/pair) floor-standing models
  • JBL Stage 240B ($300/pair) and 250B ($400/pair) bookshelf models with separate floor stands
  • JBL Stage 245Ccenter channel speaker: $400
  • JBL Stage 240H Dolby Atmos enabled height module: $300/pair
  • JBL Stage 200P subwoofer: 10-inch driver, 300 watts: $500
  • JBL Stage 220P subwoofer: 12-inch driver, 500 watts: $600

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Derek Malcolm
Derek Malcolm
Contributing Editor, A/V
Derek Malcolm is a contributing editor and evergreen lead for the A/V and Home Theater section of Digital Trends. Derek…
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