JBL CBT 70J-1 Review: Rated 3.4/5

The JBL CBT 70J-1 is rated 3.4/5 for sound quality, #11 of 33 Column and Line Array PA Speakers. See all PA & Live Sound rankings for every top pick.

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Brand: JBL

#11 JBL CBT 70J-1: $1,480.00 Passive Amazon $1,480.00 B&H Photo Video $1,480.00 eBay

Same family: the JBL CBT 50LA-1 (smaller model, ranked lower, estimated 3.1/5), the JBL CBT 100LA-1 (larger model, ranked lower, estimated 3.1/5), the JBL CBT 200LA-1 (larger model, ranked lower, estimated 3.2/5) and the JBL CBT 1000 (larger model, ranked higher, rated 4.1/5).

Pros: A passive column with switchable vertical coverage for long or medium rooms, a speech or music switch, and a wall bracket included. Independently measured by Audio Science Review, with a 5.87 preference score with an ideal subwoofer and a 3.20 directivity-index deviation. Sixteen 1-inch tweeters and four 5-inch woofers give switchable 25° or 45° vertical coverage for long-throw or medium rooms, with a 131dB peak and a speech or music voicing switch. A pan and tilt wall bracket is included. Measured bass extension of 120.1Hz (-3dB).

Cons: Bass measures 120Hz at -3dB and about 62Hz at -10dB, and the standalone score is only 2.95, so it needs a subwoofer for music. A 4.0dB reference band and 0.573 listening-window deviation mean tonal balance is uneven. It is passive and needs an external amplifier.

Released	Mar 2021 (5 years ago)
AES Input	No
Amplifier Power	Passive speaker; requires external amplification
Aux Input	No
Bass Extension (-10dB)	about 61.5Hz (measured, Audio Science Review data on spinorama.org)
Bass Extension (-3dB)	120.1Hz (measured, Audio Science Review data on spinorama.org)
Bluetooth	No
Coaxial Input	No
Configuration	Passive 2-way Constant Beamwidth Technology column
Coverage	Switchable 25° or 45° vertical
DSP	No (passive)
Dimensions	27.3”H x 6.7”W x 9.3”D (694 x 170 x 237 mm)
Drivers	4x 5” neodymium woofers, 16x 1” neodymium tweeters
Frequency Response	60Hz - 20kHz (-10dB, manufacturer specified)
Guitar Input	No
HDMI Input	No
Impedance	8 ohms
Maximum SPL	131dB peak (narrow, speech mode, manufacturer specified)
Microphone Input	No
Optical Input	No
Passive	Yes
Power Handling	500W (2,000W peak)
RCA Input	No
Rigging	10 x M6 rear inserts; swivel/tilt wall bracket included
Spinorama Preference Score	2.95
Spinorama Preference Score with Perfect Sub	5.87
TRS Input	No
USB Input	No
Weight	20.9 lbs (9.5 kg)
XLR Input	No

• Links
  • JBL CBT 70J-1 Product Page
• Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
  • Audio Science Review Measurements (spinorama.org) More from Audio Science Review →
  • Audio Science Review

Head-to-Head Comparisons

9 comparisons

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• JBL CBT 70J-1 vs Danley ILE3
• JBL CBT 70J-1 vs JBL COL600
• JBL CBT 70J-1 vs JBL CBT 200LA-1
• JBL CBT 70J-1 vs JBL CBT 1000
• JBL CBT 70J-1 vs JBL CBT 100LA-1
• JBL CBT 70J-1 vs Coda Audio CoRay4

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