In addition to launching a series of wireless headsets, a Dolby Atmos Virtual soundbar and a potentially class-leading Bluetooth speaker, JBL used its prolific CES 2021 event, HARMAN EXPLORE, to reveal a new hi-fi in celebration to its 75th anniversary this year.
There is a limited edition pair of L100 Classic for JBL fans and retro-style speakers to delight your eyes (and soon your ears), for example. And here we have the new integrated amplifier JBL SA750, inspired (and a fitting tribute) to the company’s SA600 and SA660 models from the 1960s and 1970s.
The SA750 screams modern-retro with its milled aluminum facade and side panels veneered with teak wood – no doubt JBL would call its partnership with a pair of L100 Classic 75 a match made in heaven, both aesthetically and sonically. What is housed inside seems to only add to its appeal: it combines 120 watts per Class G amplification channel with intelligent streaming courtesy of Google Chromecast, Apple Airplay 2 and UPnP support.
MQA and Roon Ready are supported on this front, and on the physical side of connectivity, there are a variety of analog and digital inputs – two optical and coaxial each, six pairs of analog RCAs and a single MC / MM, 3.5 mm speaker and USB sockets. Completing the specification sheet are outputs of RCA and 3.5 mm preamp headphones, in addition to Dirac Live room calibration.
It is certainly well equipped, so we can only hope that its performance also justifies its $ 3,000 (AU $ 5,000) price. The JBL SA750 will be available from May.
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