I’m always looking to lighten the load and I’m pleased to see the new JBL Professional IRX Series portable PA speakers, announced for Winter NAMM 2020. There are two models: 8″ IRX108BT and 12″ IRX112BT. More class D amplifiers, no doubt, with JBL claiming 1,300 Watts. Connectivity includes two combo XLR/TRS inputs, XLR loop-out, and Bluetooth streaming. Two speakers can be linked via Bluetooth for stereo.

Light weight is achieved through polypropylene cabinets. The 8″ is 17.4 pounds and the 12″ is 27.3 pounds. Frequency response is 54Hz-20kHz and 53Hz-20kHz, respectively. I’m guessing that’s -10dB. [Funny, the press release doesn’t list the weights after touting “lightweight.”! Also, pricing info is inconsistent with the JBL sell sheet.]

Prices are reasonable. The IRX108BT is $329 (MAP) and the IRX112BT is $379 (MAP). In case you haven’t noticed, there is a lot of action in the $200 to $300 segment of the small monitor market, e.g., Headrush and others. If you’re a keyboard player, don’t disregard the full range, flat response (FRFR) monitors favored by modelling guitarists.

These days, with a health issue, I’m looking to get even smaller and lighter. I don’t need a huge amount of SPL on the job and a spot monitor like the Behringer B205D can do the job. I don’t want to sacrifice sound quality, however, Darn it, when I play an oboe patch, I want it to sound like an oboe — not an oboe played through the speaker of a 1969 Buick. I’m still not sold on class D amplifiers although class D efficiency is the way to small and light. The class A Yamaha MSR100 (now out of production) is still my favorite sound-wise.

Speaking of small, the Roland Jupiter-Xm really impresses! Yeah, it was announced last September along with the yet-to-be-seen Jupiter X. I’m sure Roland will be showing it at Winter NAMM 2020. It’s got all of Roland’s greatest hits on board — something for everybody — plus built-in speakers and battery power for on-the-go fun. You’ll have to get over your dislike of mini-keys, however. 🙂

Copyright © 2020 Paul J. Drongowski