The JBL Quantum Duo is JBL’s newest PC speakers that is designed for gamers in mind. The speakers has customizable lights that will seamlessly fit into your gaming rig. The JBL Quantum Duo retails for S$269.
Unboxing
In the box, you will find the following items:
- JBL Quantum Duo speakers
- Power cable (1.5m)
- Micro-USB cable (1.5m) for USB input
- Audio cable (1.5m)
- Quick start guide
Build quality and design
The JBL Quantum Duo is made mainly from plastic which is mostly matte, surrounded by a glossy piano black trim at the front of the speakers. The custom lights are situated on the sides of each speakers. All the controls are located on the right speaker unit. The front of the speakers has something like a diagonally striped design to match the lighting strips on the side of the speakers.
The drivers and tweeters are exposed, and has more of a ‘gamer’ look rather than the minimalistic design you find on the Creative T100. When the customisable lights are turned, the border surrounding the drivers also light up as well, which makes the speaker look really gorgeous in the dark.
On the right unit of the speaker, there is a volume control knob and the front, accompanied by two touch-based controls on the sides. The left one is to toggle Surround Sound, and the right one is toggle the brightness of the lights. And on the top of the speaker, there are four buttons, one for changing the lighting color, one for changing lighting effects, a Bluetooth button and a power button.
Lighting effects
You can choose from seven lighting colors – purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, pink, spectrum of colors. And as for the lighting effects, there are three you can choose from – (1) solid, (2) wave, and (3) flow.
The brightness of the lights be adjusted. And if these lighting effects ain’t your thing, you can also turn them off completely.
Tech specs
- Transducers: 2.5″ woofer, 0.75″ tweeter
- Output power: 20W RMS
- Frequency response: 60Hz – 20kHz
- Bluetooth version: 4.2
- Dimensions (W x H x D): 8.9cm x 21.0cm x 17.6cm
- Weight: Around 1.4kg for each speaker unit
Size wise, they are very similar to the Creative T100 in height and depth. The JBL Quantum is just slightly longer in terms of width.
Connectivity
There are three ways to connect to the JBL Quantum Duo – (1) USB via micro-USB, (2) Bluetooth, (3) audio in. The easiest way would be to connect the micro-USB to the speaker, then plugging in the USB to your PC. Your PC should recognize a new audio device called ‘JBL Quantum Duo’.
Bluetooth connection is stable and does not have any audio video latency lag when testing it with YouTube videos.
Back 3.5mm Front 3.5mm
As for the audio in connection, there are actually two ports that you can insert the 3.5mm audio cable. There is one at the back, and one at the front. The 3.5mm audio port at the front is particularly useful if you want to use your headphones such as the JBL Quantum 400 via the 3.5mm connection. The front 3.5mm connection will supersede the 3.5mm connection at the back.
Sound quality
The JBL Quantum Duo has incredible bass response for a speaker of its size. Of all the 2.0 desktop speakers I used to own, the JBL Quantum Duo provides the most sub-bass. Songs like The Hills by the Weekend, you will be able to the feel the reverb of the deep resonating hits during the chorus. If you’re looking for a speaker that can deliver big boomy bass, the JBL Quantum Duo does it.
As for midrange, it is warm sounding and clear but can sometimes be clouded out by the bass. And for treble, it seems that JBL has tuned it for treble to be sharp and focused. After all, the Quantum Duo was designed for gamers in mind. For music listening, the treble can sound a little bit too sharpened, with hi-hats and cymbals standing out more than they should (try The Sad Skinhead by Faust).
Imaging in the JBL Quantum Duo is impressive. You can really discern clearly which direction is the instrument and vocals coming from. This also brings me to soundstage, which is very wide and accurate.
Surround sound mode
You can enable Surround sound mode with a touch of a button. Once the Surround sound is enabled, the button will be illuminated with a white light.
In Surround sound mode, the soundstage is opened up even more, and bass is also fuller. Instruments that you used to hear coming from the left for example, will feel like they are shifted more towards the left with Surround sound mode.
Gaming performance
You can expect to discern audio cues such as footsteps and gunfire more easily then on other speakers. The direction of these audio cues are also quite accurate. Even when gunfire is coming from the left, you can kinda tell how far the shots are based on the volume of the shots.
However, I do find that audio cues like gunshots sounds seems to be much louder than other sound effects in my games such as CS:GO, Realm Royale, and the recently launched Valorant.
JBL Quantum Duo vs Creative T100
Both are similar in size but not very similar in price. The Quantum is priced at S$269, while the Creative T100 costs S$149. Let’s start with volume. As JBL Quantum Duo is rated at 20W compared to 40W on the Creative T100, the Quantum Duo does not get as loud as the Creative T100. However, at full volume, the Quantum Duo will pretty much get loud enough for your family to complain.
Top view: JBL Quantum Duo (left) vs Creative T100 (right) Front view: JBL Quantum Duo (left) vs Creative T100 (right)
As for sound quality, both sound different from each other. The JBL Quantum Duo has strong bass response especially in the sub-bass department, allowing you to feel the boomy reverb. Creative T100 on the other hand, does not deliver a heavy sub-bass but provides enough punchy and tight bass that accompanies well with any song. Where midrange is concerned, the Creative T100 has cleaner and more detailed midrange. Treble on the Quantum Duo is also sharper and more forward than the Creative T100.
Conclusion
The JBL Quantum Duo is a pretty impressive desktop speaker that is able to deliver an impactful bass response for its size. You can expect a warm, full-bodied sound thanks to its bass and wide soundstage. It is particularly better than other 2.0 PC speakers in the market when it comes to gaming as the treble is tuned and sharpened for you to better identify and discern audio cues like gunshots and footsteps.
The Surround sound mode on the Quantum Duo also works pretty well, opening up the soundstage even more for an immersive gaming session or Netflix binge. If you’re into RGB lighting, then the customizable lighting effects on the speakers will be another plus point.