Customer Ratings & Reviews

Straight TRASH! I will never buy another JBL sub. This sub is nowhere loud enough. I had to turn it all the way up just to hear it. For the price it should be better. Don't buy!

I am writing this review for the JBL Stage 2, 200P 10” 300W Powered Subwoofer. As with all JBL products, the 200P arrived at my doorstep perfectly protected from the hazards of shipping. The intelligent and thoughtful packaging is one of the trademarks of the JBL lineage…that is, JBL adapts with the times. I say that only to point out that when the 200P arrived, the shipping box looked like it had been through some rough times. So much so that I thought it most certainly had been damaged. But no, the thoughtful and intelligent shipping design had prevented even the slightest bit of damage to this wonderful subwoofer. It is this attention to details that has been a trademark of JBL (Harman-Kardan) since their very beginning. In the box there is the cloth-mesh speaker cover, power cord, User’s Manual and spikes for placement on carpeted floors to keep it from moving during use. As you take it out of the box, the very first thing you will probably notice is the stunningly beautiful woodgrain finish. Coupled with the equally impressive front cover, it makes a great addition to any home. It is difficult to keep the review solely focused on the 200P. After all, when it is all said and done, the subwoofer is no better than the receiver, and the receiver is no better than the attached speakers. I say all that to say that I incorporated the 200P into a speaker system controlled by the JBL MA710 7.2 Channel AVR Receiver. Perfection deserves perfection, I always say. To fully understand and appreciate the remarkable quality of the 200P, it is imperative that you begin with a receiver that is comparable to the 200P’s build and performance potential. One of the first things you will notice is that the JBL 200P is not just another run-of-the-mill subwoofer. If you have ever used a soundbar system that has a subwoofer, you know that 99% of the systems “worth” is dependent upon the sound delivery of the subwoofer. If you can’t “feel” what you are watching or listening to, then it really isn’t worth watching or listening to. I have owned two higher-end soundbars whose wattages were way less than 100W, and they sounded pretty good, considering. So, I was extremely curious about how the 200P (at 300W) was going to sound and perform. It boasts a 10” low-frequency woofer along with rear-facing ports. JBL states it has a wide 28Hz-150Hz frequency response. That is impressive in anybody’s book, and for a home theater or stereo system that is even more so. I could go on and on about the superior specs of the JBL 200P, but nothing is more convincing than experience. So, it was time to see what the 200P is all about. The accompanying user’s manual goes into detail explaining proper speaker placement. This of course cannot be overstated or emphasized. If you are going to invest in a high-quality speaker such as the 200P, you sure don’t want to diminish its performance by improper placement. I chose to place the speaker on the same linear plane as the left and right loudspeakers. I would have placed it behind my sofa across the room, but this would have necessitated either running speaker wire along the floorboards or getting up in the attic and running speaker wire up the wall and across the ceiling. Connecting the 200P to the receiver was as easy as connecting an RCA cable. I began by testing out a favorite movie. There is a scene in which there is a very deep rumbling explosion. When I first saw this movie, it was at an IMAX theater. You could actually feel the deep bass rumbles. It was almost surreal. To my great joy, I once again experienced the resonant rumblings, to the point that the entire room came alive. I could feel the explosion in the floor, the walls, even the sofa. I was awe-struck. The greatest thing about it was there was zero distortion. None! We probably all have heard subwoofers that get distractingly fuzzy. But even at a very loud volume, the 200P’s bass and sound were pristine and clear, deep and sonorous. Needless to say I was hooked. And to test it out even more, I created a playlist of nothing but bass tracks to play. Listening to music is one thing, but to experience it takes it to another plane. There is nothing like feeling each pluck of a bass and feeling it resonate throughout the room completely distortion-free, to hear the rattle of a coffee cup on the coffee table and feel it in the cushions of the sofa! And this is what the JBL 200P is all about – taking the listener from the boredom of simply hearing and transporting to the place of wonderfully experiencing. Like I said before, any of us can simply hear music or the sounds in a movie, but once you truly experience it there just isn’t any going back. The 200P will be a centerpiece addition to your sound system. Not only because of its sound, but also because of its visual appeal. I have the Espresso version, and it is beautiful. The front speaker cover is ingeniously designed so that it snaps into place – there is no trying to line up pins and holes. And the woodgrain finish adds the definitive JBL signature to this masterpiece. You can be sure this is a speaker I will be recommending to all my friends and family.

Pretty solid and easy to setup, adds a good tone to movies and games

This is part of a 2.1 bookshelf speaker along with the 10 inch sub and the mid-range receiver (MA 310, all from JBL. The speakers were boxed well and protected, and mine arrived in perfect condition. The front grills are cloth-covered, and attach securely with magnets that stay in place. The cabinetry is well made and feels solid, but do not mistake it for fine furniture, because it is not. It looks good, and is obviously well constructed, but not solid wood like some of my other speakers. Perhaps this is not just for cost, but sonic purposes? Hook up is just like any other speaker with a plus and a minus post that can take banana plugs or simple stranded wire like I use. The highs are decent, but not outstanding, and the mid-ranges are good. Since this is part of a set that includes a sub, they do not need to cover bass, and I did not try them without the sub. This matched set produced a great balance of sound in every mode wit movies, TV, and some audio listening, although I have not fully evaluated them with some critical music. I would classify this set as a step-up from mid-range, but not in the audiophile category. It produces great sound that is well balanced and each speaker does it's part to contribute to the overall sound. The sub provides the deep bass and low-end punch without boominess, and the bookshelf speakers provide direction, mid-range, and highs. This is a nice set that works well together and is highly recommended.

I was a JBL fan many many years ago as a young man who had a nice Soundsystem and almost every car I had. JBL was top of the line to me because, I can buy everything from my mid speakers, my tweeters, and my bass box and it would always sound top notch! As I grew up and moved away from the soundsystem in cars, I never forgot how great JBL equipment was. So naturally when I seen the set up made by JBL, I started having flashbacks of the good old days! I definitely love the old-school feel of the bass box/ subwoofer and the look of everything once everything is hooked up! I am still so surprised at how much everything cost and how everything blends together and sound so good! I have a few different sound systems here that I thought were the best and they cost a lot more money to, but the JBL set up knocks them out the box! I'm planning on moving in the next few months, and I'm going to have more bedrooms, so I think I'm going to upgrade to the next level with JBL because of how much I love this set up I have here! You cannot go wrong with anyone of these Products from JBL!