RATING
UP UNTIL a few years ago, the heart of a JBL Synthesis installation was the brand’s Synthesis SDP-75—basically a rebadged Trinnov Altitude surround preamp-processor. But in 2017, JBL’s parent company Harman International bought British audio manufacturer Arcam, and the lights went on. Could they take the already well-regarded Arcam line of AVRs and A/V processors, alter their cosmetics, maybe add a bit of Synthesis secret sauce, and rebadge them as JBL Synthesis models at prices dramatically lower than the nosebleed-level Trinnov?
In 2019, JBL Synthesis answered with the introduction of the SDP-55 preamp-processor ($6,000) and SDR-35 A/V receiver ($7,500). A couple years later, the brand released updated versions of those original products, the SDP-58 pre-pro ($6,900) and SDR-38 AVR ($8,550). The only obvious change from their predecessors is the addition of HDMI 2.1 connectivity, making this newer pair compatible with 8K video at 60Hz and 4K at 120Hz. Both these benefits (4K/120Hz in particular) are currently significant only for a limited selection of video games and consoles.
FEATURES
The SDR-38 can process up to 16 channels (to accommodate speaker configurations such as 9.1.6), but only provides seven channels of on-board amplification. I find the lack of at least nine internal amp channels to be a notable omission in an AVR at this price. For the most common type of Dolby Atmos setup (five main speakers, four Atmos height speakers, and one or more powered subwoofers) you’ll need to add two outboard amplifier channels driven by two of the JBL’s preamp outputs. The latter are rated for a peak level of 5Vrms,
