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The vast majority of our reviews come from verified purchases. Reviews from customers may include My Best Buy members, employees, and Tech Insider Network members (as tagged). Select reviewers may receive discounted products, promotional considerations or entries into drawings for honest, helpful reviews.

• Rated 4 out of 5 stars

  Well thought out and executed.

  • Tech Insider Network Member
  • Top 100 Contributor

  The JBL Stage 2 240H height speakers are a wedge-shaped home theater speakers used as either Atmos speakers that sit on top of a bed layer speaker or as a height speaker mounted to a wall or ceiling. The 240H does not ship with any mounting hardware. As such, I configured the 240H speakers as Atmos speakers. I can mount wall mount these speakers if I want. These speakers have both a keyhole and a mounting hole to accommodate both JBL and third-party wall mounts. The speakers ship with a black, sticky, jelly like anti-slip pad that is used to stick the 240H to the top of the Stage 2 tower or bookshelf speakers. The adhesive is strong enough to hold the 240H in place but not so strong that it creates a permanent bond. In my case, I have the 240H height speaker sitting on top of my JBL Stage 2 280F tower speakers. I can tell you for fact that the 240H will not fall off my towers if bumped, tilted, or moved. The pad serves a secondary purpose; to decouple the 240H from the host speaker. This prevents any cabinet resonance from either speaker from interacting with each other. The last thing you want to hear in the middle of a big action scene are your speakers rattling around. === Performance === For reference, my 240H height speakers are integrated into a 5.1.2 theater consisting of the JBL Stage 2 250B bookshelf speakers, 280F tower speakers, 245C center channel, Stage 220P 12-inch subwoofer, and the JBL MA710HP AVR. My test 4K movie for any new speakers or gear is Pacific Rim, Scene 2. This is the first fight between Gypsy Danger and a Kaiju. The scene has everything from rain, splashing ocean waves, stressed actuators, ship horns, distressed metal effects, angry animal roars, and screaming male voices. Sometimes all at once! Pacific Rim has a lot of height affects, which is partly why I use this movie to help test and calibrate my system. However, from my listening position, I did not feel like I was getting any Atmos effects. I did two things to prove this out. First, I unplugged all my speakers except the 240Hs. Second, I fast forwarded to the middle of chapter eight. This scene takes place on a balcony with heavy rain serving as a backdrop. This scene also shares the rain effects between the heights and the bed layer speakers. Essentially, I used the rain as a poor man’s pink noise to help with troubleshooting. The rain effect can be subtle depending on the speakers, speaker positions, number of speakers, and how much power is dedicated to those speakers. I could hear the rain clearly standing next to the speaker. Though, it seemed very quiet. From my seating position, seven feet away, the rain sounded like background static. I fast forwarded to some movie scenes where additional height effects were present. I admit that the 240Hs added some dimensionality to those scenes but I heard nothing that justified adding the 240H height speakers to the system. I figured that this may be a calibration issue with the AVR. Which prompted me to recalibrate the height speakers. The EZ Set EQ software, which JBL uses for their MA AVR room calibration, calibrates each speaker pair separately. Hence, I could focus just on the 240Hs and not worry about the rest of the system. I played through my demo scenes again and did get better results. The rain still did not sound like it was coming from the sky. And, in all honestly, I did not realize the impact the 240Hs had on the system until I demoed multi-channel stereo. With Multi-channel stereo, I got more of the 280F Tower speakers. For example, I tested multi-channel stereo with just the 280Fs and 240H height speakers plugged into the MA710HP. My musical selection was Mozart’s Piano Concerto No 21 in C Major, K 467 II. Andante. The JBL 280F Tower speakers sounded good in simple, two-channel stereo. Engaging multi-channel stereo brough the 240Hs online. The combination of 280Fs and 240Hs really delivered the WOW factor I was so desperately missing. The 240H’s made the 280Fs sound as big as the room is tall. That’s impressive! And really gets to the heart of what Atmos speakers can bring to the table. Getting back to Pacific Rim. In the past, I played this movie in a room with dedicated on-wall speakers. The rain sounds like actual rain in this configuration. Helicopter flybys sound like helicopter flybys. And waves breaking over the top plane of my bed layer speakers (there is no other way to describe it) sound like they are breaking over the tops of my bed layer speakers. The 240Hs in Atmos configuration, in this room, simply does not provide the same level of experience as dedicated on wall speakers can. However, the 240H’s can be mounted on a wall! They are specifically designed with an angled baffle to point at the listener from a wall position. The speakers have dedicated Atmos/Height switches to tell the speaker which configuration you are using. These are going on my wall as soon as I can get the right hardware. Placing these speakers on my front wall will take a sound track with height effects to the next level. === Construction and aesthetics === The 240H height speakers are well-constructed speakers even by high value, budget friendly standards. The vinyl espresso wood wrap is very well executed and matches my entertainment center. This unifies my front stage since my 240H’s are mounted to my 280F Towers which are right next to my entertainment center. This would not be as important to me if the 240Hs were hanging on a wall or from the ceiling. But, still, the color pallet JBL chose does a great job of unifying my whole theater. The front baffle of the 240H is matt black. Unlike the Stage 2 Towers, Center, Bookshelves, and subwoofers, the 240H’s baffle does not extend past the edges of the speaker. The 1” anodized aluminum tweeter’s wave guide is much smaller than the rest of the speakers in the Stage 2 line. In all fairness, it probably does not require the extra space due to the limited use Atmos or Height speakers play with most movies and musical content. Since the baffle is much smaller, the illusion of size afforded to the other Stage 2 speakers is missing here. The front baffle edges also do not frame the speaker grills. This is not a bad thing because the oversized baffle would make the speaker look out of place while hanging out on top of another speaker in Atmos mode. The speaker grills are smartly constructed, attractive, and really help the speakers pop. The grill frame is constructed of a single piece of JBL Orange molded plastic. Gray toned textured colored acoustic fabric is stretched across the plastic frame. JBL brand is silk screened onto the front bottom of each grill. The fabric appears machine cut and glued to the back of the frame. The design and construction are very clean and give the speaker a professional look. The grills attach to the baffle with strong magnets. Simply brushing the speaker during a walk-by will not be enough to knock the grills off. Heck! Good luck knocking the 240H off of the top of a speaker while using the black pad! The back side of the speaker grills have soft felt to protect the speaker baffle from scratching due to removing and replacing the speaker grills. In my opinion, these speakers look fantastic with grills on or off. The binding posts are as no-frills and budget as they get. They will accept bar wire, spades, and banana plugs. I use banana plugs for all my equipment because I am constantly swapping out equipment and components. For the Stage 2 speakers, in general, a small plug needs to be removed from the top of each binding post before the binding post will accept a banana plug. Please note, bare wire will make the best possible connection between your AVR/receiver and your speakers. Finally, there is an Atmos/Surround switch located next to the binding posts. The switch is set to Atmos for my setup. Overall, the fit, finish, and construction of these speakers are fantastic. === Conclusion === Normally, high-value, budget friendly speakers look slapped together and cheap. The JBL Stage 2 240H Height speakers look anything but cheap. These speakers are very well thought out, purposely stylized, professionally executed, and look fantastic in my room. JBL also thought through how these speakers will connect to, and remain stable, on top of the matching Stage 2 280F Tower speakers. The overall results are handsome, stable, and unobtrusive speaker positions that are functional and sound great. Proper positioning, calibration, clean power, and a solid AVR will allow the 240Hs to put the finishing touches on your home theater or multi-channel audio system experience. It took some work to dial these speakers in properly. And was well rewarded for my efforts. For high value, budget friendly speakers, these do a great job.

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  This review is from JBL - Stage2 240H 4.5-inch (114mm) 150W 2-Way Dolby Atmos Height Surround Sound Loudspeaker - Espresso

  Posted 1 year ago by ITJim

• Rated 5 out of 5 stars

  Truly immersive Dolby Atmos sound!

  • Top 500 Contributor
  • Tech Insider Network Member

  The JBL Stage2 240H is an impressive set of speakers that elevate your sound, literally, to new heights with Dolby Atmos. These 2-way speakers are designed to output Dolby Atmos surround sound, and it does so really well. With the flip of a switch, you can set it up as a Dolby Atmos topper for your floor standing speakers or mount it on the wall as a height or surround speaker, adding to its versatility. This is a major pro, as it allows you to customize your setup according to your room's layout. Even better if you are somebody who moves a lot. No matter what your new living room layout is, the Stage2 240H will be a perfect fit. The sound quality of the Stage2 240H is a great addition to your speaker system. The 4.5-inch polycellulose ribbed cone woofer delivers deep, on-point bass, with the 1-inch anodized aluminum dome tweeter providing crisp and clear highs. This combination creates a balanced soundstage no matter what content you are enjoying. Whether you're watching an action-packed movie and all the sounds that come along with it, or if you’re listening to your favorite tunes. The speaker's High-Definition Imaging waveguide further enhances the audio experience, giving you smooth and natural high-frequency response even if you're not sitting directly in front of the speaker. The Stage2 240H does a great job in delivering detailed and immersive sound but it might not be the best choice if you're looking for earth-shaking bass on its own. You’ll want to pair this set of speakers with a solid subwoofer, like the Stage 200P, which can help to achieve a more complete sound experience. It’s not needed, but I do recommend it. I love the Espresso finish. It goes really well with my home decor and, IMO, it adds a touch of sophistication to the look of the speaker, making it a great fit for any modern home theater. It's also small enough that it won't dominate the room, despite its powerful performance. All in all, the JBL Stage2 240H is a versatile and high-performing speaker that delivers on its promises at a great price. I highly recommend this set of speakers to anyone who wants to add Dolby Atmos to their system.

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  This review is from JBL - Stage2 240H 4.5-inch (114mm) 150W 2-Way Dolby Atmos Height Surround Sound Loudspeaker - Espresso

  Posted 1 year ago by Orion

• Rated 5 out of 5 stars

  Excellent addition to my 7.1 set-up

  • Tech Insider Network Member

  Dolby Atmos has been around for a few years at this point, but hasn't been emphasized by me due to my ceiling structure. Most sound engineers and home theater enthusiasts believe in order to have true Dolby Atmos sound with up-firing speakers (like these JBL's 240Hs) the ceiling needs to be flat. Knowing this, I haven't delved into the full Dolby Atmos experience, but prefer Dolby Atmos sound to any other format on my home theater. That changed with these $300 pair of speakers that sit perfectly on top of my floorstanding speakers. JBL has offered an affordable, yet quality addition to their Stage2 line-up with these Dolby Atmos 4.5 inch speakers. The 240H Dolby Atmos-enabled height modules include the same woofer and horn from the 240B bookshelf model. They connect easily via binding posts on the top back of both floorstanding models or surround channels that can mount on the wall or ceiling. This creates a fluid and consistent sound that is specifically engineered with other JBL speakers and receivers in mind. For the time being, I have them hooked up to my Onkyo RZ-50 receiver, which is produces great sound, although I've had technical issues with the receiver throughout ownership. I'm excited to get my JBL MA7100 soon to complete the full JBL set-up. These speakers have can be switchable between Dolby Atmos and surround modes and possess an Atmos bypass switch to set them as height channels, which I have them set-up for. And although they include key hole slots for easy attachment to a wall and an industry standard 1/4-20 threaded insert for use with aftermarket mount systems, I have them on top of my floorstanding speakers. They come with a rubber-like sticky pad to ensure stability. These are an excellent addition to any set-up and can be used with any 5.1 set-up to create a 7.1. However, I encourage to delve into JBL's new Stage2 offerings, as I can speak from experience these are an awesome set of speakers that punch well above their weight-class and price.

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  This review is from JBL - Stage2 240H 4.5-inch (114mm) 150W 2-Way Dolby Atmos Height Surround Sound Loudspeaker - Espresso

  Posted 1 year ago by Bryan