Home > Consumer Reviews > JBL Northridge N26AW II Weather-Resistant Bookshelf Speakers, Pair (Off-White)

These speakers sound much better than you'd expect. Clear highs, accurate midrange, and respectable bass. Soundwise, the only complaint one can have is a lack of tightness on the low end due to the ported design and lightweight cabinet, but still very good, will satisfy most. Note that compared to a 4" woofer, this 6" woofer has twice the surface area, bass extension is significantly improved over a smaller size. It has gold binding posts that will take 12 gage wire (I'm using 14). Overall, very nice product. They do not come with a mounting bracket, I used Product ID No. 3011 (33lb bracket) from monoprice, they fit perfectly. I doubt you can find something that sounds this good in this price range.

The first thing I will comment on is that the speakers sound great. I have them mounted outdoors under an overhang pointed toward a patio area. They produce a full sound with good base throughout the area. Mounting was a little problematic. Unfortunately, the speakers did not come with any mounting hardware and buying the kit separately was a bit expensive. I couldn't find a good description or picture of the mounting hardware so I wasn't sure if it would have helped much. A little ingenuity should get the job done. There are some bolt holes and attachment points you can use. My only concern is with the weather resistant qualities. Appearance may be deceiving but visibly they don't seem to have any special weather proofing. Even though I have them mounted under the roof overhang they will get a good dose of wind blown moisture, so I'll have to wait and see. They have been up a month so far and continue to perform great.

When buying bookshelf speakers for my surround system my wife had one requirement. They had to be white - I however had a few more criteria.

1 - Sound - Always the number 1 priority for speakers. The JBL Northridge are more than adequate. They will not shake the roof, but they do are a solid job as primary speakers and a great job for use a background speaker. As expected, they suffer on the lower end of the frequency scale and really are not effective below about 70hz (my guess). Midrange performance is solid - never muffled - and you are treated with crisp high notes as high as your ears will alloy you to hear!

2- Durability - I have had the speakers for about 4 years with no problems. I like the fact that they are a hard-shell plastic as it makes them a little tougher than the old wood encased speakers.

3- Works well outdoors - mind you I would not leave these things directly exposed to a downpour, but they should be ok if exposed to some humidity.

4- Weight - a little on the heavy side - not bad - certainly not as bad as my big honking floorspeakers, but they weigh about 10lbs a piece. This means it is a bit of a chore if are continuously moving these things from indoors to out. It also means that you need to be careful if you decided to mount them to your walls - you will definitely need to either hit a stud or use screw anchors.

Final Verdict - A nice value for the price - the offer good (but not great) sound and can be used indoors and out!

4 Stars

Nice speakers. Great sound. No, the speakers are not going to rock your socks off. However, they do their job very well. Wonderful speakers for a deck or patio. They are quality made. One thing to consider is that these speakers are larger than you might think. They will need a sturdy mounting bracket to stay secure. Great product.

I bought these speakers intended to install them on my deck.

Lazy me, the speakers never leave my game room, and become the surround speakers. (I have 2 floorstanding ND310II as my main).

Plus:
Great mid range
Treble is crisp
Good sound field

Minus:
Does not include mount. Also, specialized mount is needed.

When compared to similar brands and products, these JBL N26AW II really stands out.

There are not much bass when compared to my floorstanding speakers, so you need a subwoofer if you intend to use them as your main speakers.

I already pre-wire my audio cables to my deck. Someday, I will get the mounts and install them. I'd give it a 5 if the mounts are included.