Packing up

JBL’s ‘HDI’ models heralded a new direction for the US loudspeaker company. JBL is, of course, active across both the professional and hi-fi speaker markets, and it’s often been the case that its hi-fi designs have the heft of that pro background (see News p12), so that even their loving owners might be pressed to describe them as ‘décor-friendly’.

So the HDI range has been designed to be easier on the eye, with new finishes, and cabinets where the only flat surfaces are their tops and bottoms. Yet all the main speakers in the HDI range also sport JBL’s patented HDI (High Definition Imaging) waveguide technology and its associated high-frequency compression driver, of which more below.

Our first encounter with this range was with the second largest floorstander, the HDI-3600 — and we were so impressed with their smooth fluid midrange sound, lovely