Features:
- Pair of weather-resistant speakers
- 6-inch PolyPlas bass driver and 0.75-inch titanium laminate dome tweeter
- High-impact, molded enclosure
- 88 dB sensitivity
- 125-watt power handling
Description:
JBL's Northridge Series boasts the tag line "Pro Sound Comes Home." From any other company this might seem like marketing hyperbole, but with 50 years' experience building professional speakers and a 70 percent share of the worldwide market, JBL is entitled to boast a little. The company's Northridge Series is an affordable expression of the company's theater-to-home technology. All Northridge models use 0.75-inch titanium-laminate dome tweeters and woofers made of PolyPlas, a polymer-coated cellulose fiber. The woofers in the all-weather N26AWs have been specially treated and are referred to as WeatherPlas. JBL's N26AW speakers have many of the qualities--neutrality, detail, and dynamic range--that have made JBL so successful. They use a molded, weather-resistant cabinet with a bow-shaped back that not only looks nice but helps prevent the internal buildup of standing waves that could otherwise degrade the sound. Other features from JBL's pro line employed here include oversized Kapton voice coils and HeatScape motor structures, which allow the drivers to endure unusually high temperatures. We're not talking a toasty summer day on the patio here, but rather the high temperatures generated by large amounts of amplifier power--hence that 125-watt power handling rating. And because simple signal paths provide the best sound, JBL uses its Straight-Line Signal Path (SSP) crossover networks to divvy up the range of musical frequencies. Unlike the N26AW's housebound cousin, the JBL N26, which has deep gray cabinets and cloth grilles, the all-weather Northridge models come in a slightly off-white finish with matching metal grilles. Behind these grilles, each N26AW conceals a single titanium tweeter and a 6-inch woofer that's been dyed silver to match the look of the gleaming tweeter. Pleasingly, JBL uses gold-plated five-way binding posts for its speaker terminals. These not only make for tight connections that won't tarnish, but because they accept spade lugs and banana plugs (in addition to bare wire), they let you use heavier-gauge speaker wires. (Contrary to what many might tell you, wire does makes a difference. You should use, as a minimum, a good 12-gauge oxygen-free-copper wire or consider one of the many specialty speaker cables on the market.) JBL's vast experience with professional technology pays sonic dividends with the N26AW, which we find to be a substantial cut above most indoor/outdoor speakers. To start with, the dominant midrange frequencies, which contain 80 percent of all music, sound startlingly natural on the N26AWs. To illustrate, vocals have subtle nuances of expression, pianos can be fiercely percussive or caressingly soft, and guitars can be hollow and ringing or, if electric, crunch, moan, and wail. The N26AWs have a remarkably natural tonal balance, good detail, and rich harmonic structure. They can also throw a wide soundstage, with well-placed sonic images and a decent sense of three-dimensionality (another unusual trait for an indoor/outdoor speaker). This is important in any situation and especially critical outdoors, where a pair of speakers is likely to be placed farther apart than they would be in a room. Large-scale music, be it high-powered rock or a symphony orchestra, comes across with ease as well as force on the N26AWs, showing off JBL's well-known ability to handle music with wide dynamic range. The high frequencies have nice extension and decent (but not great) air and definition. The bass reaches down to 50 or 60 Hz with good detail and a reasonable sense of weight. The N26AWs have a most impressive pedigree and many of the qualities that have made JBL so successful in the professional audio world. While by no means big speakers, they remain somewhat larger than most all-weather models, so measure carefully before committing to any installation. That one concern aside, we love the fact that, with the N26AW, not only has JBL's pro sound come home, it's gone outdoors. --Wayne Garcia Pros:
- Remarkable tonal balance
- Good detail and texture
- Excellent component parts
- Flexible mounting options
Cons:
- Slightly large for outdoor use
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