At today’s virtual HARMAN ExPLORE event, JBL is celebrating “75 years of pioneering acoustic, transducer and electronic design” with the announcement of its new SA750 Amplifier. The high-end, retro-inspired amp is inspired by vintage models produced in the 1960s and ’70s with a host of modern-day accouterments, including Apple and Google wireless streaming platforms and more. Head below for more details on the new JBL SA750 Amplifier.
Retro-inspired JBL SA750 Amplifier
First up, let’s take a look at the physical design of the new retro-inspired JBL solution. The SA750 Amplifier sports a milled aluminum face panel with what appear to be chunky, rugged knobs for volume, balance, and input alongside “hefty switches” for power, mute, direct, Dirac Live room calibration, and more. Along with teak-wood veneer side panels, 3.5mm headphone and aux input jacks adorn the front panel to the left of the 2-line orange display screen.
A Class G amplifier that delivers “120W of power per channel into 8Ω and 220W per channel into 4Ω” is at the center of the operation here. JBL says it, along with some other power-related tech under the hood, leaves customers with “incredible detail and accuracy at low levels, low crossover distortion, and high-current capability for extreme power demands.”
AirPlay 2 and Google Chromecast
But at $3,000 a pop, you can also expect to land both Google Chromecast and Apple Airplay 2 streaming protocols, as well as a high-resolution DAC, a switchable MM/MC phono input, UPnP wireless support, and USB jacks for accessing files from removable memory devices. Ethernet and Wi-Fi connectivity is complemented by a pair of optical and coaxial digital inputs, 12 (or six pairs of) analog RCA inputs, and two pairs of binding-post connectors for traditional speaker wire.
The new AirPlay 2-equipped JBL SA750 Amplifier is set for release “beginning in April 2021” at $3,000.
Electronicsforward’ Take
Well, soon as you hear terms like anniversary model, retro-inspired, and wood panels from a brand like JBL, you can pretty much assume the price tag was going to be a tough pill to swallow. While the tech on display here, not to mention the arguably gorgeous vintage aesthetic, is impressive, it’s going to be a hard sell for all but the most indulgent and fiscally-gifted of us. Having said that, this thing would look fantastic in just about any setup and provide much of the most sought-after amenities for folks looking to add a high-end, Airplay 2-ready amplifier to the home theater/audio setup.
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