Customer Ratings & Reviews

I bought these for my small home office (11 ft x 11 ft) by day man cave by night. These JBL bookshelf speakers are attractive and sound really good paired up to my Sony STR-DH590 AV Receiver. I am impressed by the level of detail and clarity. They will crank if you want to pump up the volume without any distortion whatsoever. Vocals are amazing. Bass is rich and accurate. Sure if you want heart thumping bass you may want to connect a subwoofer or consider a larger 6.5” bookshelf model. For a small room, these are ideal for my listening preferences.

Perfect for my needs. Nice sound for this size speaker.

Using with Sonos Amp and work and sound good paired with powered SVS 15” sub. Sleek and Clean design. originally bought JBL 240B and amp was too strong for those speakers.

Awesome, sound compact unbelievable good choice great value. The prize worth the price.

Great sound with good looks, perfect if you want to impress esthetically and musically.

The JBL Stage 2 250B bookshelf speakers are high value, budget friendly bookshelf speakers that provide a satisfying home theater experience when well placed, configured correctly, and paired with the right equipment. The 250B has a single 1-inch anodized aluminum dome tweeter set in a wave guide. This configuration is also known as a horn tweeter. The wave guide on the 250B takes up the whole top front of the baffle. The wave guide helps ensure the tweeter has a wide dispersion when playing higher frequency content such as female vocals, stressed metal in action movies, and instruments such as trumpets. The wave guide also helps the speakers achieve an efficiency rating of 91dB. In layman’s terms, these speakers will play louder at the same volume than speakers with lower efficiency ratings. The 250B also sports a single 5.25” Polycellulos ribbed woofer. The woofer is crossed over with the tweeter at 1.7 khz. The total frequency response of the speakers is 55hz to 25khz. The rear firing port ensures that this tiny bookshelf can reach down to the 50hz region. === Performance === I configured the 250B Bookshelf speakers as surround left and right speakers for my home theater. The theater consists of JBL Stage 2 280F Towers, 240H height speakers, a 245C center channel, and the JBL Stage 220P 12-inch subwoofer. The system is being driven by JBL’s MA710HP AVR. I calibrated the room using the MA710HP AVR’s room calibration software. During calibration I set the 250Bs crossover to 80hz. Using a measuring tape, I noted the distance from each speaker to my listening position and recorded those numbers in the AVR’s speaker configuration screen. Finally, I stuff the 250Bs rear ports with microfiber towers to limit the bass output. This is because each speaker was pushed up against a wall. This was to reduce any unwanted boomy or bloated bass. Besides, I was shunting the bass to the subwoofer so there was no need for the 250Bs to produce bass. For home theater, my test 4K movie for any new speaker 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, screaming male voices, and action music! Sometimes all at once! This scene can really stress a system. The 450B bookshelves did an admirable job of filling surround effects and the movie’s soundtrack. Occasionally, a high-pitched sound effect would pierce the sound field and hit me straight in the temple. This was after room correction and a -6 treble tone control was applied to the whole system. I ran into a similar issue during two-channel listening in my home office. I have the Technic’s SA-C600 stereo receiver in my home office. I swapped out my office speakers for the 250Bs. I ran these both in stock and after running the receiver’s room calibration software. In short, my home office is an audiophile’s nightmare. Partly because of “mystical audiophile reasons.” I am also listening near-field, about 3-feet from each speaker. The speakers are about four feet apart and three inches from the wall. They also sit on my desk, flanking my monitor, sitting on a pair of angled foam speaker pads. See included photo. I listened to a collection of Jazz, classical, rock, metal, pop, and Boston. The band, Boston. I focused mostly on Boston’s debut album, “Boston”, simply because I think it clearly illustrates the limits of the 250B. The keyboards and screaming guitars gave the tweeters a real work out. For example, the last 20 seconds of “More Than A Feeling”, the singer, Brad Delp, belts out, and holds, one of his famous high notes. All the instruments join in to hold that note with Mr. Delp. The results are a harmonious wall of sound that I swear forced tears of agony from the 250Bs tweeters! The tweeters hung in there but really sounded stressed and fatiguing. I was also hearing some ringing, across different content, whenever the tweeter got saturated in this way. I did resolve this. Keep reading. On the flip side, the woofer sounded very well controlled. The singers and instruments were very clear. However, the woofers struggled to provide the power behind the music. A good example can be found with the Indego Girl’s, “Closer to Fine.” The song starts out with a single guitar leading with the brighter, higher chords. The second guitar joins in at about the 30 second mark. This guitar is playing the mid to mid-bass notes and carries the power of the song. The bass was there but without the depth or power needed to carry the emotions of the performance. So, what fixed my setup? First, I adjusted the speakers tow-in to about 5 degrees. This equalized the interaction between the tweeters. Next, tone-controls. These tweeters need limits. I turned the treble down to -6. This really cooled off the tweeters and removed brightness. It was like a different speaker. Next, I turned the bass up as far as the receiver would allow. This restored some of the punch, depth, and power missing from my earlier listening sessions. Finally, I turned down the bass tone control to +2 from +6 and then turned on my sub. Ahhh, this was the JBL 250B performance I was chasing. To illustrate the point, I played Jacques Loussier Trio’s rendition of Bach’s “Fuge in G Minor (arrangement for Jazz Trio)”. The bass was punchy both with and without the subwoofer to support the 250Bs. Probably the best I heard up to this point. The piano chords were strong and authoritative. And the piano high notes were sharp, controlled hits without the brightness or harshness I experienced before. I even went back to Boston’s, “More Than A Feeling”, and played the last 30 seconds of the song. The tweeters did not cry for mercy this time. Things were much more controlled, even-handed, and enjoyable. Bottom line, the 250B bookshelf speakers can take some work before you can extract their best performance. === Construction and aesthetics === The 250B bookshelf speaker is a well-constructed speaker even by budget speaker standards. The vinyl espresso wood wrap is very well executed and matches my entertainment center. For the 250B’s, this is less important to me than my front stage speakers simply because the 250B’s are serving as my surround speakers behind my listening position. However, it is nice to have a single unifying theme for the whole theater. The front baffle of the 250B is matt black. The baffle’s edges extend beyond the sides and top edge of the speaker cabinet by a few millimeters. This may be to help accommodate the huge wave guide. The oversized baffle helps create the illusion that these speakers is slightly larger than they are. The baffle also gives the speaker grills some depth by framing the grey grill fabric with a recessed black boarder. This gives the bookshelf speakers an extra sharp look when the grills are on. 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. 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. I performed the knock test on the front, back, side, and top of each speaker. Essentially, knock on the sides of the speaker like you would a door. The top and sides sounded hollow as one would expect from a budget speaker. The front baffle sounds dull compared to the sides and top. This tells me that the front baffle is thicker and more inert than the sides and top. Which is what I would expect from a budget speaker. 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 250B bookshelf speakers look anything but cheap. These speakers are very well thought out, purposely stylized, professionally executed, and look fantastic in my room. The binding posts are the only thing I would call out as cheap looking. The overall results are handsome speakers that look great in my home theater. The JBL 250B speakers are fussy about positioning, room placement, calibration, and tone controls. But, when configured correctly, will provide a very satisfying experience in both stereo and home theater applications. Just keep in mind that they will need a subwoofer, like the JBL 220P, to maximize performance.

JBL’s Stage 2 250B bookshelf speakers deliver great audio quality at a very reasonable price. Whether used as part of a home theater system or just to listen to music, they do not disappoint. Description The Stage 2 250B is a two-way speaker system with a 1-inch aluminum dome tweeter and a 5.25-inch ribbed cone woofer. The speaker’s +/- 3 dB frequency response is from 55 Hz to 25 kHz with a 1.7 kHz internal two-way crossover frequency. The enclosure features bass reflex tuning via a rear-firing flared tuned port. The speaker is 12.6 inches high, 7.9 inches wide and 9.5 inches deep. There is a base plate on the speaker bottom, and anti-slip pads are included that can be attached to the base plate to prevent the speaker from sliding around on a smooth surface. The speaker has a front plate that extends slightly beyond the top and sides of the speaker. The grill cover is held to the front plate with magnets that do a great job properly positioning the grill cover and hold it securely in place. If you want to position the speaker on its side, you'll probably want to elevate the speaker body with a cushion or pads to keep the edge of the front plate off of the surface the speaker is sitting on. The speaker binding posts allow speaker wire connection using bare wire, spade terminals or banana plugs. Impressions The speakers are beautiful. The espresso finish and grill covers are expensive looking and go perfectly with the bookshelves they are placed on. They look like they were designed to go there. The audio quality from these bookshelf speakers is amazing. I'm driving them from an Audio/Video Receiver that provides 75W RMS into 8 ohms, and the sound remains clean and crisp at high volume levels approaching 80 dB. I really enjoy movies, and combined with a subwoofer, the Stage 2 250B speakers produce a theater-like audio experience that I thoroughly enjoy. The only downside is that I have to be careful not to annoy the rest of the house! The AVR driving the speakers includes a Bluetooth input, so in addition to streaming music and video from a smart TV I've been enjoying listening to my digitized music collection from a tablet. I’ve listened to classical, jazz, rock, funk, blues, R&B, soul and more, and they all sound great. In particular, the acoustic instruments all sound exactly like they should. The JBL Stage 2 250B bookshelf speakers are an excellent option, delivering amazingly transparent, clear and deep audio at a great price. I really love the way they sound. They’re excellent for just listening to music, and watching movies with premium audio quality has become a new experience.

JBL and Harman have been iconic names in professional and consumer audio for decades. Both names date back to the audio products of the 1940’s and 1950’s. By the late 1960’s and early 1970’s JBL speakers were the premier speakers in Fender guitar amplifiers and speaker cabinets as well as many stage monitors. In the mid 1970’s the Grateful Dead toured with their famous “Wall of Sound” which contained a reported 586 JBL speakers (5”, 12” and 15”). James B. Lansing was associated with a lot of great music. By the 1970’s Harman Kardon stereo receivers were a favorite among audiophiles. JBL and Harman Kardon were responsible for some of the most respected and popular professional audio equipment as well as consumer products. Through the decades the companies experienced ownership and management changes wherein fast-forward to the present day, Harman International is a subsidiary of Samsung, and includes JBL and a collective of some of the most renowned and respected audio products companies. JBL Harman just released the new product line comprised of MA (Modern Audio) series AV receivers and JBL Stage 2 series speakers. Among the factors that attracted me to these new components is that the MA AV receivers and Stage 2 speakers are matched components. From my perspective, there are several compelling advantages to using matched components, particularly as compared to cobbling together a home theater system from components from various manufacturers or even various products from a single manufacturer. First, all of the speakers share the same physical appearance characteristics, including their modern, minimalist design style, and their availability in either an Espresso (dark) or Latte (light) woodgrain speaker enclosure finish, with complimentary colored black or gray, magnetically attached removable grilles. The MA receivers are available with either a black or white face on a black cabinet. More importantly, they are matched technically. All of the speaker enclosures share the same construction and sound shaping characteristics with similar tuned rear ports, transducer design, construction and electrical characteristics, similar crossover networks and matched impedance. These speakers are also technically matched to the new MA model AV receivers, including matched power handling, with the intention of producing outstanding sound reproduction. In fact, towards those end-goals, the new MA AV receivers and the Stage 2 speakers were all designed and engineered at the JBL Harman Acoustic Engineering Center of Excellence in Northridge, California. The speakers and receivers will perform optimally together, because they are purposefully designed for perfect integration and compatibility. Another important attribute of the MA series receivers and Stage 2 series speakers is that JBL designed and engineered them for simplicity of setup/installation and simplicity of operation. People who are neither devoted audiophiles, engineers or industry professionals are able to rely on these components being the perfect accompaniments for each other. There are enough selections available to get just what you want and need, but there is no overwhelming complexity to create a difficult or intimidating experience when selecting, setting up or using these terrific components. I am extremely impressed with the performance of my JBL Harman components, all of which sound terrific. My outstanding JBL Harman home theater system is comprised of: MA7100HP – 7.2 Channel AV Receiver Stage 280F – Floorstanding (Tower) Speakers – Front Channels Stage 240H – Atmos Height Modules (Atmos Caps) – Mounted on 280F Speakers Stage 245C – Center Channel Speaker Stage 250B – Bookshelf Speakers – Rear Channels Stage 220P – 12” 250 Watt RMS Powered Subwoofer This assemblage of perfectly matched JBL Harman components is a stellar home theater system which sounds absolutely amazing! I am incredibly impressed and completely satisfied with the Stage 250B Bookshelf Speakers that I am using for the two rear surround channels. The 250B Bookshelf / Surround speakers are the larger of the two bookshelf speaker models in the JBL Stage 2 series. SPECIFICATIONS – STAGE 250B (From JBL Documentation): Type: Bookshelf Loudspeaker System Low Frequency Driver: 5.25-inch (130 mm) Polycellulose Ribbed Cone High Frequency Driver: 1-inch (25 mm) Anodized Aluminum Waveguide: Next Generation HDI™ Recommended Amplifier Power: 20-150 W RMS power: 75 W Frequency Response -6 dB: 50 Hz-25 kHz Frequency Response -3 dB: 55 Hz-25 kHz Sensitivity @ 1 M, 2.83 V: 86 dB Nominal Impedance: 6 Ohms Crossover Frequencies: 1.7 kHz Enclosure Tuning: Bass Reflex via Rear-Firing Flared Tuned Port Finish: Espresso or Latte Dimensions (H x W x D): 12.6 in x 7.9 in x 9.5 in (321 mm x 200 mm x 241 mm) Product Weight: 12.4 lbs.(5.6 kg) Shipping Weight: 30 lbs. (13.6 kg) Regarding the 1-inch tweeter and horn shaped waveguide in the 250B, JBL explains that “through intense research of previous waveguide designs, JBL has developed a new complex geometry that improves directivity, reduced diffraction, and an overall neutral frequency response both on and off axis. The Stage 2 HDI Horn is coupled to an anodized aluminum dome tweeter to enhance efficiency and dynamics”. This claim is validated when listening to the 250B. The reproduction of high frequencies is spectacular. The highs are bright and crisp, clear and undistorted. Listening to music with horns demonstrates the beautiful clarity and faithful reproduction of brass instruments. The distinct timbre of all high-frequency instrumental notes is well defined and accurate. JBL also furnishes some additional details regarding what JBL describes as the “Precision two-way crossover” network of the 250B. JBL states, “premium components are used to construct the crossovers fitted to the Stage 2 line. The High frequency section features air core inductors and mylar capacitors that reduce distortion and improve sonic performance. The low frequency section includes laminate core inductors and electrolytic capacitors. These premium materials can handle more power and transmit energy faster elevating system performance.” Obviously, I cannot technically validate the JBL description of the crossover network, however listening to the 250B speakers is a genuine pleasure. When listening to a variety of source materials, including different genres of music sources, I find that the full range of audio frequencies sound pure and realistic. The highs are beautifully represented, and the mid-range frequencies, sound clear and accurate. The low, bass frequencies are deep and resonant. JBL also states that, “a flared port is featured on the 250B. This new flared design reduces the velocity of the air when exiting the speaker cabinet, eliminating any chuffing or coloration of output.” The Stage 250B speakers may be used as small front channel speakers, if desired, however I chose to use them for my rear channel surround speakers. They obviously may be placed on a bookshelf, as the name implies, however JBL also offers optional pedestal style Stage series speaker stands which match the style and the Black or White fronts of the Stage 2 speakers. I intend to purchase a pair of the 27.8” tall Stage FS floorstands for my Stage 250B speakers. When positioned on the Stage FS stands, the Stage 250B speakers will have a mounted height of 40.5” tall. The Stage 250B speakers are provided with anti-slip pads which can be used beneath the speakers to reduce vibration. The speaker cable binding posts are recessed and configured at a 45° angle making connecting bare wire challenging, especially if 12 gauge wire is used. The Stage 250B speakers are reasonably compact and look great, but are fairly heavy for their size resultant from the substantial structure of the speakers and enclosures. Even more importantly they sound absolutely fantastic with every type of source material that I have used and each music genre that I have played. They have excellent power handling capabilities, and remain clear and undistorted even at extremely high volume levels. Their large, 5.25” transducers and waveguide equipped aluminum tweeter project sound beautifully even in the large room where I am using this system. The Stage 250B speakers are mated to the JBL MA7100HP AVR which is a reasonably powerful receiver rated at 125 W RMS Rated Power @ 8Ω (20Hz – 20kHz, 2 channels driven, 0.5% THD max) and 175W RMS Rated Power @ 4Ω (20Hz – 20kHz, 2 channels driven, 0.5% THD max). The matched design and engineering of the Stage 2 series speakers and the MA series AV receivers makes it extremely simple and easy to specify and select a complete home theater system comprised of excellent, premium level components from an outstanding audio component manufacturer, with a very long and rich company heritage. Our listening and viewing experience has improved significantly with the Harman JBL home theater components. Whether playing streamed movies or music, or using my Blu-Ray player, CD changer, or turntable, we are now enjoying the experience more than we did previously. The Stage 2 speakers and MA7100HP AVR provide extraordinary, room filling, high resolution audio with incredible fidelity across the full sound spectrum. As soon as I had connected and configured the system, running Top Gun Maverick, with its powerful soundtrack and height effects, was really incredible and satisfying! A few movies and concert videos later I was beyond impressed with how outstanding the Harman JBL components are! This is really how high-performance component audio should sound. The home theater experience with these components is truly a theater experience! I am confident that the Stage 250B bookshelf speakers are the best choice for the rear channel surround speakers in this great home theater system. I am extremely impressed with them, and I am enjoying their performance without reservation.

I have these in the Expresso finish, a very dark brown woodgrain finish. They have magnetic grilles that are covered in a black fabric with grayish flecks in it. There is a thin spacer that is part of the grille that is done in JBL Orange that matches the trim on the MA series of AV receivers and other Stage 2 speakers. The magnetic grilles have no exposed mounts on the speaker cabinets so you can leave the grilles off if you like that look better. I prefer to have the grilles on. The 5.25” polycellulose woofer cone is matched to a 1” anodized aluminum tweeter in a patented wave guide housing. The binding posts on the back are set in flush and I had difficulty inserting 12 ga speaker wire into them. I do use crimped ferrules on my wires which probably caused the difficulty but I don’t like having loose strands of wire. The 5 way binding posts accommodate several methods of connection and would have been fine without the ferrules. Once they were hooked up I found the sound to be amazing, it’s clean and clear even at “Honey, please turn that down!” levels.

JBL's new Stage2 line-up has got me excited for home theater again. I've been a traditionalist for the last several years and have resisted the urge to go to a soundbar. It seems as if the average household uses soundbars instead of wired speakers and it's a bit of a shame because a fully wired system with a AVR receiver produces true "home theater sound" versus "good enough." Now, of course the major advantage a soundbar has is minimalism. Set-ups can look very clean with a mounted soundbar being the only speaker to be concerned with. However, when you have a unified style like JBL's Stage2 speakers and subwoofer, suddenly that minimalism gets replaced with a beautiful set-up that is pleasing to any sound enthusiast. That's where I'm at with my new set-up. I love it. And one of my favorite aspects of the new Stage2 line-up is the 220P subwoofer. It's loud, it's balanced, it's powerful, yet very nice looking. I'm coming from a Klipsch speaker 5.1 set-up and now have a full JBL Stage2 7.1 line-up. Now, the Klipsch speakers I had were not cheap, in fact, some of them were more expensive than the JBL offerings, but they lacked in the looks department. The speaker grills were the same black as the speakers themselves, which made for a very traditional set-up with the speaker grills on, and a gaudy gold style with the grills off. JBL has balanced a modern look with the espresso or latte colors, but kept it mostly traditional with the grills off. Part of me would have loved more orange highlights or even tweeters with the grills off, but I don't plan on using this set-up with the grills off anyway. The 22P offers 300-Watts RMS Amplifier (500 Watts Peak Power). The built-in high-performance 500-watt amplifier provides a very consistent and balanced sound. The 220P can be placed anywhere in the room and connects to your AVR to create a stereo or multi-channel home theater system with excellent performance. The Bass-Reflex design of the 220P use dual rear-firing flared ports. This flared design reduces the velocity of the air when exiting the woofer cabinet, eliminating any chuffing or coloration of output. And it does work well, as there were never any moments of popping or distortion or too much power, which can overwhelm the sound the rest of the speakers provide. The rear mounted controls include a variable low-pass 50-150Hz crossover, so it can be dialed in under the main channels and the power can remain on or be set to Auto to save energy. The 220P profiles complete integration with and audio system via Line Level I or LFE inputs. The LFE input bypasses the subwoofer's internal low-pass crossover. When you're connecting the subwoofer to the dedicated subwoofer output of a receiver/processor that has its own low-pass crossover network. This makes set-up super easy and you don't have to worry too much about any adjustments. I ended up adjusting a little from the factory, but it all depends on your listening environment. In the box you'll get floor spikes on the 220P provide stability when placing your speakers on a thick rug or plush carpeting. The carpet spikes can be manually screwed into each foot on the plinth of the speaker and are easily adjustable from the top, however, I'm using it on a hard floor and have a subwoofer dampener stand I have mine on. All in all, I'm impressed with this subwoofer. I know many home theater beasts out there like to have a subwoofer on both sides, and thankfully, you have the choice to add another one with the JBL MA7100 and above models, but I don't think another sub is necessary. I'd say the subwoofer, along with the center speaker are the most important pieces in a home theater set-up. And this sub performs beyond it's asking price in my opinion - especially paired with the other JBL Stage2 speakers.

These JBL 250B bookshelf speakers, like the rest of the JBL Stage series, arrived very well packed that it has to be mentioned. These speakers are very well designed and they look great in the expresso color. The built quality is high end. They come with a magnetic mesh grill that can easily come off or on based on user preference. I personally like them without the mesh grill because you can appreciate the speaker quality without any holes disrupting its look. On the back panel it has a 5 way binding post to connect them based on your preference. I connect them the easiest route, traditional bare wire. These speakers can be floor mounted using a dedicated floor stand that is sold separately. And when placed on a shelf they included anti-slip pads. In my current setup I have this 250B paired with the JBL MA710 receiver, Stage 2 series 280F floorstanding, 245C center channel, 200P sub, and the 240H Atmos. Honestly you’ll get the full surround sound effect that this system was intended for. These speakers sound clear and crisp with great mids, highs and even bass. You really notice the sound when listening to Dolby Atmos content. I have an Apple TV connected to the system, so when I listen to Dolby Atmos (Spatial Audio) music, you can really tell the difference. I listen to all kinds of genres from hip hop to Latin to electronic music. They all sound great but the Dolby Atmos and Spatial audio soundtracks really pop out. Also, when watching Dolby Atmos movies, you tend to hear sounds that you never would have heard if you did not connect these speakers. In my opinion, the best Dolby Atmos content stands out when watching animated movies. I saw the Trolls Band together movie quite a few times, but with these speakers I heard sounds that I would not have heard before. You really can’t go wrong with these speakers. They really compliment my home theater nicely. Overall these speakers not only look great but they sound great. They are very well built and easy to connect. With the 5 way binding post you can connect them in a manner that suits your style. These bookshelf speakers will blend well when paired with the other JBL speakers in the same series. In the box you get the speakers, anti-slip pad, mesh grill, and quick start guide.

These are a very good value-for-the-money pair of speakers. I was looking for a more budget-friendly, good-sounding, aesthetically pleasing option for my living room setup. I already have a dedicated HT room, but still wanted something smaller that would blend well with my living room without standing out too much. While it’s not very hard to find good-value, relatively-good sounding speakers, it seems the great majority of them come in some sort of black or dark brown color, and it makes it hard to integrate them into a more modern space. If you want a white/lighter option that still sounds good, you almost have to be ready to spend considerably more, as the great majority seem to go for $500+ per speaker. These were one of very few options of pairs of speakers with good quality, without going north of $500 dollars, and that at the same time would allow you to expand the sound into a full surround, and even Atmos, setup while staying aesthetically pleasing for a more modern living room. They have decent bass for bookshelf speakers under $500, but a dedicated sub is always better whenever possible. These 250B’s are the bigger bookshelf option in the JBL Stage 2 line of speakers. The Latte/white colors work great for a living room, common area, and/or more modern space. If budget allows, I would recommend pairing these with the sub, the center speaker, and the 240B’s speakers from the Stage 2 line to complete a 5.1 surround setup. JBL also has height speakers in the same line for a full Atmos setup. They even have floor standing options in the same colors if you want something even bigger but still in these lighter colors. I am currently using these 250B’s as the fronts, and a pair of 240B’s as the surrounds, with future plans to eventually add the sub, center, and height speakers for a full Atmos setup. One thing to note if these 250B’s do not come with the holes, nor the hardware, needed to wall mount them. So you would need some sort of stand(s) or bookshelves as it is not recommended to place them on the floor. After using my receiver’s calibration (Audyssey MultEQ XT32 with iOS app), the speakers, combined with the room correction, resulted in a very good frequency response. They won’t work miracles, but the combination of quality, price, and aesthetics is hard to beat. And the good thing about this line of speakers is that, with the right receiver to drive them, you can start small with a simple stereo setup, and little by little add more of the speakers to have a 5.1 surround sound setup, and if desired, eventually complete a full 7.1.4 surround/height speaker setup while all the speakers blend well together sound-wise, and the lighter colors makes them easier to integrate into more modern areas (which would help those with a WAF-Wife Acceptance Factor). Recommended to those looking for a good value set of speakers that (now or later) want a surround and/or Atmos setup but also have a WAF, or simply want a lighter color option for a more aesthetically pleasing look.

They JBL Stage2 bookshelf speakers are a great addition to a home theater surround sound system. They provide the necessary sounds to cover the front segment of the system and provide dynamic and crisp sounds coupled with rich, deep lows. The speakers come as a pair in a conspicuous espresso wood grain finish that blend in well to most dark colored furniture. They appear heavy but are actually quite easy to move around. It helps to add the stick-on grips included to prevent them from shifting around. Each speaker has a 5.25” woofer and a 1” tweeter. When they are in action, the lows and highs play out harmoniously and blend well with the rest of the setup. I have them calibrated with the EZ Set EQ app which connect to the receiver to discover the attached speakers and uses the phone’s speaker to understand the room’s unique acoustics. I have tried them out with numerous music genres, movies of all sorts, sports, shows, and fights, and they have added the needed richness that has been missing for years just using a soundbar. Of course, they work best when they are placed symmetrically and level since they work as a pair. When it comes to packaging, JBL really had the consumer experience in mind. The speakers come in boxes with instructions on how to properly and easily remove them from the boxes to make the process smooth and frustration free. The speakers have a 6 Ohm impedance, thus require either 12/2 or 12/4 speaker wire, which is not included. I went with the 12/2 option and used bare wire connections for the time being. The connection terminals allow bare wire, spade, or banana connections. The speakers come with a magnetically attachable fabric grill that protects the audio components of each speaker and provides an aesthetic quality. I like that I can take them off as desired and replace them when they are not in use. Since I have small children and dust settles quickly in my home, I prefer to leave them on more often than not though. They are quite delicate though and care should be taken when handling them. My surround system includes the MA710 7.2 AV Receiver, and the JBL Stage2 series of the following: 245C center channel speaker, two 250B bookshelf speakers, two 280F floorstanding speakers, two 240H height modules, and the 200P subwoofer. For reference, it took 200ft to wire my entire system as my living room is somewhat larger than average. I honestly feel that this bookshelf speakers are a necessity to a good surround sound system. They provide a vital role in filling the front sides with sound and make for an immersing listening experience. The larger size is a big plus for a living room on the larger side.

If JBL stands for Just Be Loud, they are doing it right. These bookshelf speakers put out more sound than expected from a pair of this size. The solid enclosures resist unwanted vibrations, while the drivers and port in the back put out plenty of sound. I would say that they are a great balance between smaller size but still big enough to make music or movies fun and exciting. I tend to be a little bit of a snob when it comes to audio quality, but listening to these speakers was not disappointing. They have more bass response than I expected for speakers of their size. Almost too much bass (my partner says there’s no such thing). The frequency response is decent down to 50Hz or so, meaning that these speakers could hold their own in a small setup without a subwoofer. But JBL makes a powered subwoofer in the same product line that looks and works great with these speakers! If you do use a sub, JBL recommends a crossover frequency of 80Hz to blend the sound nicely. The upper end of the frequency range felt a bit lacking, though, with a weak response and lack of clarity in the mid and upper treble. The styling is sleek enough to be worth showing off in your living room or den. The woodgrain look and cloth grille give it a classy appearance. JBL snuck in a strip of their bright orange brand color just behind the grille, which I thought was a spiffy way to give a nod to their youthful party reputation while still being subdued enough to be appropriate for a more mature decor. The cloth grille is held in place magnetically, which is a neat touch too. My only complaint with these is that the wiring terminals are recessed into the back. I suppose this is nice if you want to wall-mount them (but would you want to, with a rear-facing port? Doubtful). But for me, it just made it really difficult to get my speaker wires positioned properly on the terminals. It was quite an awkward angle. Fortunately, this is not something I have to do very often!

Bookshelves speakers are perfect for smaller room setups where tower speakers doesn’t fit. In my case, I’m using this bookcase speakers as surround speakers in my home theater. The JBL 250B houses one 1 inch tweeter and a 5.25 inch woofer and rated for 50Hz to 25kHz. The horn design effectively helps off with off axis. Binding posts and ports are in the rear. These sound best when paired with a subwoofer and let the subwoofer handle all the lower frequencies. These sound good right out of the box but sounds even better with some room correction from your AVR. Using the bookshelves as surrounds really puts the listener right in the middle of the action in the latest movies. Do note that there isn’t any pre-drilled holes for wall mounting and meant to sit directly on a stand or a shelf. In summary, you can’t go wrong with a quality bookshelf speaker. Best suited for smaller rooms or as rear surrounds to complete your home theater. Get matching JBL Stage 2 line up speakers if you want to timbre match your system.

I’ve been using the JBL Stage2 250B bookshelf speakers for about a week now and I love them! If you are in the market for a pair of bookshelf speakers that pack a punch without taking up too much space, you should move the JBL Stage2 250B speakers to the top of your wish list. These 5.25-inch 2-way speakers deliver a rich, full sound that defies their compact size. I’m using them in my living room connected to my record player and my television, and they’ve done nothing but impress me with their ability to handle both music and movies, delivering rich, high quality sound. The speakers feature a polycellulose low-frequency woofer and an aluminum dome tweeter, which together create a balanced sound that covers a wide range of frequencies really well. My first impression was being surprised at how robust the sound quality is for being bookshelf speakers. The highs are clear and crisp, making these speakers the perfect addition to any audio setup. My living room is a midsize space and they perform exceptionally well. In a small to midsize room, their sound can fully envelop the space without overwhelming it. I imagine they work well in a larger room too, but I can’t speak to that personally. With that being said, these speakers might not deliver the same level of bass as a larger floor standing model, which is to be expected given their size. However, pairing them with a subwoofer can easily fill out the lower frequencies, providing a more complete and immersive sound. One of the things I really like about these speakers is their build quality. They are heavy enough that you know they are constructed with strong materials, and also light enough to know they feature modern technology and lightweight materials as well. The Espresso woodgrain finish looks great in my living room and matches my decor perfectly. I think these will look great on any shelf, with or without the speaker screen covers, which, btw, are very lightweight and easily removable, as they are attached with magnets. I think these speakers are going to be easy to place and integrate into most existing systems, and they’ll perform well as both standalone units or as part of a larger setup, depending on your individual needs. Overall, the JBL Stage2 250B bookshelf speakers offer excellent value for your money. They deliver high-quality sound in a compact and stylish package​ that should fit well in any room. I recommend these to anyone looking for a high quality pair of bookshelf speakers, either as a standalone for a turntable or stereo, or to add to your existing system for a fully immersive surround sound experience.

These JBL Stage 2-250B speakers pair well with the matching JBL MA 510 AVR system. If you add the JBL Stage 220 P Sub-Woofer the sound quality is terrific. This provides a very nice upgrade to a Soundbar system. The is modern look in the Espresso color also goes well in a traditional environment. When combined with the matching JBL MA 510 AVR, the system is easy to set up once you gather sources for content and the necessary wiring for speakers taking twenty to thirty minutes for a 2.1 channel, stand-alone system without permanent installation such as with hidden cables. This would certainly beef up your gaming audio if you chose to do so. Otherwise, if you are planning to install the system permanently, it obviously takes a lot more planning than I committed to. I would highly recommend opting for the Center and Surround Speakers to bring the system up to 5.1 channels. In summary, I really like these speakers paired with the JBL MA 510 system due to the quality, good looks and amazing sound! Additionally, this pair of speakers is part of a nice upgrade from a simple sound bar as a home theater starter system that you can add to over time if you choose.

This is my first time using JBL bookshelf speakers, and I have to say unpleasantly surprised with what they can do. The packaging on these was excellent besides being properly secured in foam they had this really nice mylar bag wrapped around him as an extra layer of security and it’s so nice. You can actually save it for the next time you need to do it, which is much better than those mylar slips that they used to do…this actually has a tie off. It goes without saying, but you need to provide speaker cables for these. I ended up going with a set of audio quest, X2 cables and their gold plated banana plugs. The hardest part about getting the speaker set up was getting the little plug out of the back so I could put the banana plug-in🤣🤣 Sound quality is excellent for what I needed to do. It’s crisp loud and you can hear all the nuances of the games that you’re playing. As far as volume is concerned, you can really crank these up before you lose distortion, granted this is for a very simple 2.1 set up however it’s more than enough power that if you’re playing a game you love and you wanna crank it up for a favorite scene…they can handle the power!!

I'm in the process of revamping my home theater setup and wanted some nice, reasonably good sounding speakers. Previously, I just had a rather cheap soundbar/subwoofer setup that was just OK. Upgrading my setup, I have both limited space and funds so I wanted to make sure I had some really nice speakers. My soundbar I had just wasn't cutting it anymore. It just made my TV/music just sound louder so I wanted something that actually upgrade my system. I'm not that big on what's out there on the market so I used a lot of reviews to see what's good and such. I came across this JBL speakers/setup and thought it would be a great upgrade I was looking for. The speakers are bit hefty in weight coming in at around 12 pounds each. I have these setup on my entertainment center which was glass shelves so I was a smidge concerned about the weight of these. So far, the seem to be just fine so here's hoping they'll stay that way. The wood on the speakers is very nice quality and it shows. I previously had some bluetooth speakers connected to my soundbar/subwoofer but they were somewhat shoddy. These are wired so I have no issues with sound quality/connection. The grills on these are magnetic and I find that they seem to come off somewhat easily. As such, I'm sort of debating whether to have them on or leave them off and just have the speakers showing. The speakers look nice so I might just head that route. As far a sound quality goes, huge upgrade over my last set. I have these paired with the matching JBL receiver and they sound very good. As my previous soundbar just made things louder, these you can hear the difference in sound quality. Whether I'm playing a movie, streaming music, everything just sounds clearer, more defined. Granted I had some cheap speakers before but these have been a really nice upgrade to my home theater setup.

I bought these JBL Stage2 250B speakers to replace some older, bulkier tower speakers on my Sony STR-DH190 stereo receiver. I wanted something that took up less space but still sounded great, and these are perfect. They sound amazing. The audio is so much clearer and more detailed than my old speakers. Music is rich and full, and they make games feel much more immersive. They handle the power from my Sony receiver really well and get plenty loud without any distortion. They were easy to connect with standard speaker wire. The smaller bookshelf size is a huge plus for my desk setup. They look sharp and sound even better. If you're looking to upgrade an older stereo system with modern, compact speakers that deliver excellent sound, I highly recommend these.