JBL Classic Series Opinions (SA550, CD350, TT350)

I have been quite used to living with used retro HiFi gear I have found on the cheap... at thrift, on eBay, or from a local record shop. I've loved the process of switching speakers, amps, and source players around to find the ideal sound. I think out of all of the setups I've had... vintage Carver TFMs paired with big Cerwin Vegas or JBLs have been my goto system build for the big American rock&roll sound that goes boom. Only issue is, old equipment can also go bang... it can break down.

Tired of constantly using deoxit, isopropyl, and replacing components, I decided to splurge and buy a new system. Something with respectable quality that wasn't cheap, but also didn't break the bank either. Luckily, we have an Audio Advice store here in my city, so I shopped there for something new.

Whilst shopping here, I ran across the JBL Classic Series... a whole line of electronics & speakers that are designed to look retro, but also have new tech inside. Being as I am not a huge fan of how technologically advanced new gear is, plus the sterile consumer electronics look, this seemed right up my alley... so that's what I settled on.



I purchased the SA550 Amplifier, the CD350 CD player, and the TT350 Turntable. I love just how vintage these look, and they are clearly made to look like they are from the late 60s, early 70s... like the SA600 or SA660 amps (complete with glowing exclamation mark motifs). The speakers I bought have yet to arrive... but you will be surprised by my choice I think.

I'm doing a writeup on AudioKarma once my speakers get here, but I do want to talk about these in a more 'meta' way, especially because S2G is my home, AK is too big for me lol



JBL TT-350: $999US

I'd like to start out by discussing the turntable. It's a direct drive unit with an S-shaped tonearm and MDF plinth with real walnut veneer and machined aluminum front. It also has a smoked grey dust cover. Design wise, the turntable really speaks to me, and it doesn't look at all like a modern table. In fact, I think you'd have a hard time persuading uninformed folks that this isn't a true vintage table. Build quality is also very respectable; it has a good weight to it, and feels substantial when you interact with the buttons, tonearm, and platter. When using it, the motor takes a little longer than expected to spin up... and this is something I see with older 70s-80s DD players too. Also a nice hold-over from the old decks is the traditional tracking-force and anti-skate adjustments, which work exactly how you'd expect.

What I don't love about it is the included cartridge; the AT-VM95e is very warm and wet sounding, and it really starves most music of detail and brightness as it moves over the grooves. Ditto the rather skimpy set of features... this table is not automatic at all, and it misses out on fine tuning for speed or pitch adjustment... something I have come to cling to on Technics SL-1200 tables. The one area where being skimpy on features that pays off is in the table's lack of bluetooth support or built-in preamp. JBL left all of this out because this table is designed for a serious analog listener, not for a lifestyle influencer or 'hipster'. Truly, not an inkling of the present anywhere here.

What I liked:

• Great build quality and solid feel
• Retro look that doesn't remotely feel modern
• High quality direct drive motor and tonearm
• Traditional tracking force adjustment
• Power supply is built in... no DC brick needed

What I didn't like:

• Needs a better cart out of the box. included one is lacking
• No auto-return/auto-start
• Seems basic for the price
• Platter mat is a rubber that grabs dust and is hard to keep clean

The verdict: I think this is one of the more interesting new turntables you can buy now for a decent price. With a build quality that inspires confidence, and a design that looks more than $999, I think JBL absolutely nailed this piece. Just remember to also add that Ortofon 2M blue at checkout.





JBL SA550: $1999US

This amp really excited me when I saw it. As I mentioned already, I do love JBL's old offerings and this amp looks very similar to an SA600 from the late 60s. Again, the build quality is great here, with this amp having a solid chassis, machined aluminum face, and the same type of real wood walnut veneered side panels. The knobs are also very weighty and have a satisfying notched movement to them. The retro look is fooled here by the VFD display... which being orange and rather dim doesn't cause any unnecessary infiltration of modernity. In case you didn't realize it already, this is literally an Arcam SA20 amp, packaged in a different case. In fact, I took my unit apart and compared it to the photo below of an SA20's innards and found that the internals were identical down to the revisions marked on the boards. This makes sense as JBL and ARCAM are both owned by Harman group. Let me be clear, this isn't a bad thing as ARCAM have earned their stripes as a very respectable HiFi group in their own right.



Let's take a detour here for a moment and get technical. The SA20 is a class G amp rated at 90wpc into 8ohms with the first 10watts of that power rating being pure class A power. This means that for moderate listening, the SA20 will have that sweet class A sound, and it will be able to scale up to larger power levels with ease too while maintaining some level of that same sound quality. You can see the large toroidal transformer with multiple taps for the different voltages the Class G amp needs in order to scale. Ofc, this transformer is in the SA550 too... again, if you are looking at photos/specs for the SA20, you are also looking at them for the SA550 too. Another identical factor between the two amps is their inputs; the SA20/SA550 has 5 analogue inputs and 3 digital inputs. Plus, the DAC included is quite good; an ESS ES9038K2M chip.

Let's get back to the SA550. Other notable features include built in AptX bluetooth support, digital filter controls. and a convenient AUX in jack on the front. the SA20 also has the jack. So it is a touch modern, but I think bluetooth is a decent addition. What you will not find is a built in streamer, thankfully. Those features will become obsolete eventually, and JBL states in the manuals/brochures that this gear is designed to last for 'many decades of enjoyment'. Glad that I won't have a digital ghost town after this time has elapsed.

But how does it sound? The SA550 has a very warm analog sound to it, and is a bit bass heavy... just like what users of the Arcam SA20 say. I think it pairs wonderfully with JBL speakers. I've tested this with a few pairs (JBL and others) and it especially sings with the L100t's 035ti tweeters and 2214h woofers.

So it's a well built amp based on a highly rated product, with a great sound and cool look? What's wrong with it then? Well, the biggest offense I have is that the amp has no tone controls. What? No tone controls?? Yep. And this is not the only amp to delete that feature. It's honestly a trend I've seen with a few new amps. This means that the room/speakers you use is the sound you will get. No room for adjustments here. I also don't like the remote, it's insanely cheap feeling given the price of this thing. Finally, I think the feature set is very limited. The display could allow for custom input names, track info streamed over Bluetooth, and maybe a cool retro VU meter that looks like an old cassette deck horizontal L/R bar meter... but does the SA550 have any of this? Nope. Sadly none. Funny enough, the display tells me what codec I am streaming bluetooth with (APTX, AAC, MP3), but nothing else.

What I liked:

• Great build quality and solid feel
• Easy to use & simple
• Same nice retro look
• Very good sound with Class G amplification
• Some modern conveniences (Remote, Bluetooth)

What I didn't like:

• NO. TONE. CONTROLS.
• Remote is lacking in quality & design
• Arcam SA20 $1650, JBL SA550 $2000... eh?
• Missed opportunity with retro VFD display...

The verdict: The build quality and design comes out ahead here yet again, and the sound quality is very detailed & warm. Very nice overall amp, but don't buy if you are expecting oodles of customizability or modern features. If you don't care about the vintage look, and you aren't stuck on JBL as a brand, save some money and buy the ARCAM SA20.




Before discussing the last item, the CD350, let's take a moment to admire this succulent walnut veneer. It has that retro shimmer when the sun hits it just right, and you can clearly feel the grain when you run your hand over it. Yes, it's thin. Yes, it's very processed. But, you gotta admire the effort that went into this.



JBL CD350: $699

Now, let's talk about the CD player. Great build quality, retro look, VFD display, yada, yada, yada. We get it. I think it is interesting though because several companies are making retro looking amps & turntables, but to my knowledge this is the only retro looking CD player I've seen. Anyways, let's jump to the functionality. This player loads discs very quickly & quietly, and plays them reliably... what you'd expect. It has a BurrBrown DAC built in, but I am using the digital out and feeding the ESS DAC on the amp instead. This to me is a cleaner method of passing the audio. The tray is solid and the transport mech seems pretty substantial. Now, I can't really comment on the sound quality because I don't see a huge difference between new CD players. It sounds great and pleasing to the ears, but I haven't heard a new player recently that doesn't.

What don't I like? Welp, I know that these are built to a price, and at $700, it's not exactly a Luxman player, but I was rather disappointed when I cracked the lid open:



3 little boards, and a PC DVD drive. Looks very off the shelf to me. With how heavy the unit felt, I was expecting more, but it looks like the heft was all in the chassis. Still, not bad, especially for $700, but I just wanted so badly to see something a bit fancier.

Something else immensely disappointing was the lack of CD text. I mean C'MON!! It shows 'No Disc', 'Tray is currently opening', and 'Disc is being loaded' on the display... but not the track names? Another missed opportunity. Also, the cheap remote makes its appearance again, and it looks identical to the amp's remote, which makes life confusing.

What I liked:

• Retro look is even cooler for a CD deck and doesn't feel modern
• Feels nice to use; loading discs is especially satisfying
• Plays well & has gapless playback
• Not terribly expensive... seems more like a better value than the amp

What I didn't like:

• No CD Text?? Really???
• Lacking on the inside
• Darn remote again
• DAC built in is mediocre

The verdict: Sure, lots of folks are making vintage looking amps & turntables, but a vintage CD spinner?? This one is sure to look good aside a brand new JBL SA550 or your dad's old SX1080. It's sure to perform just as good as it looks, and it is capable of bringing out all of the detail you need from your silver disc... just make sure to keep your CD artwork around so you can see what track you are on. Also, word of advice, don't open it up


Overall, I love these components, and I am proud to have invested in a set of new audiophile components, and I feel I made a great choice for my needs and taste. Yes, the each component in this set have their drawbacks, but all components are going to have those, especially when you are directly on the doorstep of 'high-end' for 2024. What's important is the build quality, sound quality, and for me, the lack of bells/whistles. These units have all of that, and look pretty darn sexy to boot.

 

The ASUS Xonar Essence is certainly a beast of a sound card. I had some type of SoundBlaster XFI usb sound card in my last setup... wasn't as fancy as that tho. Yeah, I was surprised at the lack of 'beef' in the CD player. I think CD players are so easy to make now, and they get miniaturized. In order to get something that looks like a 90s beefy CD unit, you need to pay over 1k for an SACD unit... I didn't feel like it was worth it as I don't own any SACDs.

The Heresy IVs were on my list, as were the L100 Classics, but I didn't end up going with either of them. I was really torn though... I have heard that the heresy has a nice warm sound to them. My chosen pair is on order and will be here next week!

OH! The first song I cranked was "Seven Days In Sunny June" by Jamiroquai! That acoustic guitar at the beginning... perfection. I will say that "Panopticom" by Peter Gabriel sounded the best cranked though..

 

Neat little write up! (Tucked away in this obscure corner of the forums where hardly anyone will ever read it ) Anyway, very retro authentic look to these... especially the turntable.

The CD player is typical for the period in that its contents are... minimal.

There is a good potential here though: Finding what PC optical drive they used and stocking up on several spares would ensure an ability to prolong this players life. Theoretically, if this were the one and only player, being used daily on a large library of thousands of discs...and the user was convinced it was superb in some way... yeah. Getting a stack of replacement optical drives would be a good idea. Oiling the motor, even on a new drive, might be a good idea too. Which will fail first? The laser or toy motor?

Last year I was looking at a lot of youtube vids on those old 1990's top model Sony solid copper chassis CD players. There are some good repair videos. CD tray mechanisms problematic on some models are hours to replace belt etc., by the time I "got over that" phase I was turned off by the failure modes and expensive / rare replacement lasers. I still don't know if I will ever buy or own a full size CD deck. Think I'd rather rip the .wav's and play on various devices. Actually feel more compelled to get only 1 good solid cassette deck, a fully rebuilt and calibrated Nakamichi ZX-7, just to make great cassette recordings. Because I enjoy the process of making and perfecting. Then playback on some junk boombox somewhere It's all illogical and irrational for sure.

 

I have found that this site is very google friendly… I think users googling these units will see this site when the engine indexes this page. There is little content around these components, because of the fact that they are in a strange area of the audiophile marketplace. Too cheap for stuck up audio nuts, too expensive for most people in general. Not a great place to be. For me, they fit in a ‘just right’ category.

The CD player in this unit will probably outlive the expectations of the 90s units you mentioned… you see, CD technology wasn’t tried and true until the mid thousands imo, and you still have PS3s/xbox consoles going strong. The laser in this unit is apparently based on one used in a PS4. I think when you see the absence of complicated tech, you equate that with cheaper quality. But, maybe the simple tech in my new player is more reliable than a 90s tank… hope so

 

Yep, very true. It’s crazy how quickly those exotics lose value on basic (even routine) maintenance costs. I’m seeing BMW i8 and Audi R8 as prime suspects.

 

wish we had more write-ups about folks main stereos at S2G... Totally support your Arcam choice for the amp, and I'm also curious which speakers will get connected to SA550. No tone controls gets a big LIKE from me: you need them only when selecting wrong speakers or if speakers positioned in the wrong place

Another LIKE from me: each box is clearly marked by JBL
TT350 - TURNTABLE
SA550 - INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER
CD350 - CD PLAYER

This guarantees that set is Future-Proof, otherwise next gen won't know what they are looking at:

 

Nice looking setup, it's a new one on me did not know JBL make turntables.

With regards to no new CD players looking like old 60's or 70's gear, one new unit pops to my mind at the moment and that is the Leak CDT.
Like Jorge, some of what your "What I didn't like" are the things I like a lot. Don't forget less is more in my book. The fewer features you have, the fewer things to go wrong.

Like everyone else, I am interested to see your choice of speakers. You say this JBL system is on the warm sounding side, not sure a classic JBL speakers would work well with this setup. JBL speakers are on the warm side for me, so adding more warm stuff to already warm stuff will just push it over the edge then in that case you will need those tone controls which you don't have.

 

This is exactly why I need tone controls. You don’t need em or want em… until you do. I do listen to many different types of music, and I also change the positioning of my speakers depending on the song or genre, so having both that ability + tone controls is a win. For me, I want my house music to be extra boomy, but I want slow rock to be smoother. Tone controls let me do this.

Some old JBL speaker systems are very warm, and then some are incredibly bright. Take a 120ti system with 035ti titanium tweets? Very bright. The L100 is very warm and not transparent by contrast, so it really depends on the system and the era it has been built in. I have found that after the early 80s, they got too bright, but for me the 60s sets are too warm.

 

Well it will still be interesting to see what you settled on?
I just noticed, that amp does not have a tape loop or am I wrong. Do you not have a tape deck at home?

 

Lol a lot of interest around the speakers… I don’t wanna let everyone down! I do think I made a respectable choice, but you’ll have to wait and see!

No, the unit has no tape loop. You could plug in a deck, but recording out to it would be fugly. I actually don’t have a cassette deck currently in use for home audio… I don’t really love cassettes as a medium for critical listening. I have a collection of tapes and some walkmans/boomboxes that use cassettes, so my rational is that I use them for that. I actually have a lot more MDs (60?) and am looking for a good MD deck to match.

I appreciate the good vibes in this thread!

 

Recaptcha you know us on the forum, we are all interested in what everyone on this forum is doing with their audio gear. I like the suspense, keep us all guessing.
One question you can answer if you like and will still not give us a clue as to what you are getting, is it a stand mount or a floor stander?

 

lol I’m the same way, and yes, that is def the tight knit culture we have here!

Clue: it’s a stand mount speaker. You can always guess by DMing me lol

 

Great idea, its time to place some bets!!!...

I bet on Orange / oak veneer:



not sure about the stands though, cement blocks like @autoreverser has in his office may add some 'bottom weight'

 

A very good guess! … is that your final answer?

 

Whenever is see those classic looking JBL speakers, only one image comes to mind and that is the classic Maxell advert.

 

@TooCooL4 - Thank You for the info!!! I did not know its JBL. For when this below was my music room this same print, huge and framed, was on the wall behind the armchair:






@Recaptcha - Yes, JBL L52 is my first choice. L100 would fill a bigger room but would ask for a bigger amp, then separate preamp... the usual rabbit-hole of Hi-Fi.
Actually, my personal First&Final would have been Harbeth speakers. No idea how they would sound with Arcam but with Naim amplification they sound heavenly

 

We

Welp, my choice is more akin to an L100. I’ve tried the smaller speakers… they don’t sound full enough in my room.

They will be here day after tomorrow. Big reveal lol (not really? idk)... help or whatever