As the smallest member of the JBL Classic Series, the L52 classic delivers ‘big sound that must be heard to be believed’.
With lineage and the acoustic performance to back it up, the L52 Classic bookshelf loudspeaker is destined to live up to its Classic Series family name, says the speaker’s creator. Following on the heels on the larger L100 Classic and L82 Classic models, the compact L52 Classic boasts a size that allows it to work in a variety of applications from stand-mount, to bookshelf, to tabletop, to wall-mount. The appearance of the L52 Classic echoes that of its larger siblings with a walnut wood veneer enclosure and a Quadrex foam grille available in a choice of black, blue, or orange.
Designed as a scaled-down version of the award-winning L82 Classic, the L52 Classic is a two-way design using a 0.75in titanium dome tweeter mated to an acoustic lens waveguide and a 5.25in white cone, cast-frame woofer. A premium crossover network design is in place to offer optimum system performance, while a front panel HF level attenuator allows the sound to be tailored to its environment. Enclosure tuning is bass-reflex via a front-firing tuned port and a set of binding post speaker terminals provide a secure connection to speaker cables. The enclosure is finished in walnut wood veneer and includes a pair of threaded inserts on the rear panel for use with third-party wall mount brackets.
Big act to follow
The L100 Classic and L82 Classic have received numerous awards and accolades since their introduction. When the development team created the concept of a compact version, performance had to be first-rate. The maker says results exceeded all expectations for a product of this size—leveraging 75 years of JBL engineering prowess, the engineers at the Harman Center of Acoustics Excellence in Northridge, California, delivered on all accounts. Bass is described as powerful, sound is dynamic, and the soundstage presentation is large, allowing the loudspeakers to disappear into the room. For those who do not have the space for the larger Classic Series models, the L52 Classic doesn’t sacrifice big sound for its small size.
“The L52 Classic is such a compelling proposition with its big sound, small size, and attractive pricing”, says Jim Garrett, Sr. Director of Product Strategy and Planning for Harman’s Luxury Audio business unit. “For the music lover, you get a phenomenal sounding loudspeaker with a premium design and the legacy of 75 years of JBL as the guarantee of high-performance and quality for years of listening pleasure.”
The JBL L52 Classic is packed and sold in mirror-imaged pairs and will be available in Q4 of 2021 with a suggested retail price of £1,000/pair.