Rock harder

For those about to rock, Nick Tate salutes you as he samples this punchy new wireless active mini-monitor with a Seventies vibe

- Nick Tate

DETAILS PRODUCT JBL 4305P ORIGIN USA/China TYPE Active wireless loudspeaker WEIGHT Primary: 6.8kg Secondary: 6.4kg DIMENSIONS (WxHxD) 210 x 336 x 223mm FEATURES ● 25mm annular ring compression driver ● 130mm paper cone bass driver ● Inputs: 3.5mm analogue; optical; XLR; Ethernet ● Quoted power handling: 150W RMS per speaker DISTRIBUTOR Harman UK WEBSITE jblpro.com/en

Ten years ago it was phono stages, then it was DACs, valve amps, headphone amps and head-fi. Now, the happening thing is wireless speaker systems. Given that everything else either is or is trying to go wireless, this should come as no surprise.

JBL has been a fairly early entrant into the market, one that’s going to be saturated within a year or so from now. It has done a number of wireless speakers to date, but this is the most sophisticated and expensive I’ve tried. It takes it firmly out of the portable Bluetooth speaker sector – good as its products in that sphere are.

The 4305P straddles more consumer audio-type products and the budget hi-fisector. Being a JBL speaker, it does things its own way. It has been on the edge of exciting-sounding speakers for many decades, thanks to its use of horn-loaded drivers. Its sound is all about transient speed and dynamics, plus efficiency and power.