JBL Stage 260W vs JBL Stage A170 Comparison

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JBL Stage 260W

Passive In-wall | 50-25kHz

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JBL Stage A170

Passive Floor-standing | 44-40k Hz

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JBL Stage 260W

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JBL Stage A170

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JBL Stage 260W

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JBL Stage A170

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JBL Stage 260W vs JBL Stage A170 Speaker Comparison

In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers by JBL. JBL Stage 260W is a In-wall speaker whereas the A170 is a Floor-standing speaker.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of JBL Stage 260W and JBL Stage A170 first before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Key Specs	JBL Stage 260W	JBL Stage A170
Brand	JBL United States · founded 1946	JBL United States · founded 1946
Design	2-way	2-way
Tweeter	1" Horn-Loaded	1" HDI (High Definition Imaging) waveguide
Woofer	6.5" Polycellulose	2 x 5.25" Polycellulose
Frequency response	50-25kHz	44-40k Hz
Sensitivity	87 dB	89 dB
Impedance	8 ohms	6 ohms
Power range	20-100 watts	20-200 watts
Weight	—	14.37kg / 31.6lbs
Dimensions (H x W x D)	12.2500" x 7.2500" x 3.5625" 312.0 x 185.0 x 91.0mm	38-7/16" x 10-1/2" x 13" 977.0 x 267.0 x 331.0mm

Stage 260W and A170 are members of JBL's Stage series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.

JBL Stage Series History

Model	Body	Frequency	Sensitivity	Impedance	Woofer
JBL A130	Bookshelf	55-40k Hz	86 dB	6Ω	1 x 5.25"
JBL A120	Bookshelf	60-40k Hz	86 dB	6Ω	1 x 4.5"
JBL Stage A190	Floor-standing	36-40k Hz	91 dB	6Ω	2 x 8"
JBL Stage A135C	Center Channel	75-40k Hz	90 dB	6Ω	6 x 3"
JBL Stage A180	Floor-standing	40-40k Hz	90 dB	6Ω	2 x 6.5"
JBL Stage A170	Floor-standing	44-40k Hz	89 dB	6Ω	2 x 5.25"
JBL Stage A125C	Center Channel	75-40k Hz	88 dB	6Ω	2 x 5.24"
JBL Stage 280W	In-wall	42-25kHz	90 dB	8Ω	1 x 8"
JBL Stage 260W	In-wall	50-25kHz	87 dB	8Ω	1 x 6.5"
JBL Stage 250WL	In-wall	52-25kHz	90 dB	8Ω	2 x 5.25"

What size room are the JBL Stage 260W and JBL Stage A170 speakers good for?

The size of the room in which you are planning to use these loudspeakers is an important decision factor. Here we have compared their suitability to various sizes of environments considering their size and max power parameters:

Listening Environment*	JBL Stage 260W	JBL Stage A170
Near-field	Average	Bad
Small Room	Good	Poor
Mid-size Room	Average	Good
Large Room	Poor	Good
Very Large Room	Bad	Poor

(* Approximate Room sizes: Small < 100sq. ft / 9 m², Mid-size: 100-220 sq. ft / 9-20 m², Large 220-400 sq. ft / 20-36 m², Very Large: > 400 sq. ft / 36 m². Average Floor Height: 9" / 2.7m. Typical room sizes differ from country to country, and the actual listening experience changes depending on floor height, room shape, surface materials, listening position, speaker locations, etc.)

The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.

**This post contains affiliate links, and we will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through our links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Drivers

Both Stage 260W and A170 are 2-way speakers.

JBL Stage 260W

JBL Stage A170

TweeterWoofer

Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.

Driver	JBL Stage 260W	JBL Stage A170
Driver Setup	2-way	2-way
Tweeter	1-inch	1-inch
Midrange	-	-
Woofer	1 x 6.5-inch	2 x 5.25-inch

Stage 260W features a 1" Horn-Loaded Tweeter and 1 x 6.5" Polycellulose Woofer. On the other hand, the A170 features a 1" aluminum HDI (High Definition Imaging) waveguide Tweeter and 2 x 5.25" Polycellulose Woofer.

Frequency Response

Stage 260W has a frequency range of 50-25kHz whereas A170 has a frequency range of 44-40k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 44Hz, the A170 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Stage 260W's min frequency of 50Hz.

The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the In-wall class in our database.

Low Frequency

In-wall Speakers

Stage 260W

A170

Min

Average

Median

Neither pair reaches down to 20Hz, the usual definition of full-range, which is normal for speakers of this size. If you want the bottom octave for movies or bass-heavy music, add a subwoofer to whichever you choose. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.

Impedance and Sensitivity

Stage 260W is a 8 ohms speaker compared to the A170 which has a nominal impedance of 6 ohms.

These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Stage 260W sensitivity is rated at 87 dB and the A170's is rated at 89 dB. This 2 dB difference makes the JBL Stage A170 a more sensitive speaker compared to JBL Stage 260W, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.

Sensitivity

In-wall Speakers

Stage 260W

A170

Min

Average

Median

Power Range

Power range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. Staying within that range gives nominal performance; driving the speaker beyond its maximum wattage can damage it.

A170 can handle a max power of 200 watts RMS, whereas Stage 260W has a max power handling value of 100 watts RMS, 100 watts less than the A170.

Note that higher power handling does not make a speaker louder: that depends mainly on sensitivity and impedance. The calculator below shows how loud each of these actually plays on a real amplifier.

Which plays louder on your amplifier?

Starting with a popular amplifier - change it to the one you own, or any you are considering, and watch both numbers move.

Amplifier - change this

Distance

Playing as

JBL Stage 260W

JBL Stage A170

Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring

A170 features 5-Way post posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. Stage 260W has a Spring clip which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.

Physical Specs

The size of a speaker can sometimes be an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare JBL Stage 260W's and JBL Stage A170's external dimensions. JBL Stage 260W has external dimensions of 312.0 x 185.0 x 91.0mm (12.2500-inch x 7.2500-inch x 3.5625-inch) whereas JBL Stage A170 has external dimensions of 977.0 x 267.0 x 331.0mm (38-7/16 x 10-1/2 x 13inch).

JBL Stage A170 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 82mm wider, 665mm taller and 240mm deeper than JBL Stage 260W.

Below you can see the front view size comparison of JBL Stage 260W and JBL Stage A170 in scale.

Comparison image of JBL Stage 260W and JBL Stage A170 Size and External Dimensions

What's in the Box of JBL Stage 260W?

Here are the items that are included inside the box of Stage 260W:

In-wall loudspeaker
Grille
Cut-Out Template
Quick Start Guide

What's in the Box of JBL Stage A170?

Here are the items that come with the A170:

Floorstanding loudspeaker
Grille
4 Outriggers
4 Rubber feet
4 Spikes
8 Screws
2 Terminal jumpers (pre-installed)
Owners Manual
Warranty Card

Reasons to choose JBL Stage 260W over JBL Stage A170

Nominal Impedance	8 ohms vs 6 ohms	Less selective with amplifiers
Woofer Size	6.5 inches vs 5.25 inches	Larger woofer
Height	312mm vs 977mm	Easier to fit in smaller spaces
Base Surface Area	168cm² vs 883cm²	Takes less floor space
Price per pair*	300USD vs 600USD	costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time)

Reasons to choose JBL Stage A170 over JBL Stage 260W

Max Input Power	200 watts vs 100 watts	Handle more power from your amplifier
Sensitivity	89 dB vs 87 dB	Play louder with same amount of amplification power
Number of Woofers	2 vs 1	More woofers
Low Frequency Response	44 Hz vs 50 Hz	Generates deeper bass
High Frequency Response	40k Hz vs 25k Hz	Generates higher frequency
Bi-Amping and Bi-Wiring	Yes vs No	Allows bi-amping and bi-wiring connections

JBL Stage 260W vs JBL Stage A170 Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	JBL Stage 260W	JBL Stage A170
Brand	JBL	JBL
Speaker Type	Passive In-wall Speaker	Floor-standing speaker
Power Range	20-100 watts	20-200 watts
Sensitivity	87 dB	89 dB
Impedance	8 ohms	6 ohms
Frequency Response	50-25kHz	44-40k Hz
Drivers
Woofer Quantity	1	2
Woofer Size	6.5"	5.25"
Woofer Composition	Polycellulose	Polycellulose
Woofer Surround Material	Rubber	Rubber
Tweeter Size	1"	1"
Tweeter Type	Horn-Loaded	HDI (High Definition Imaging) waveguide
Aimable Tweeter	No	No
Midrange Driver	No	No
Physical Specs
Height	312.0mm (12.3")	977.0mm (38.5")
Width	185.0mm (7.3")	267.0mm (10.5")
Depth	91.0mm (3.6")	331.0mm (13")
Weight	n/a	14.37kg (31.6lbs)
Enclosure	In-wall	Bass Reflex
Finish	n/a	MDF, Vinyl
Available Colors	n/a	Black
Grille	n/a	Yes
Moisture Resistancy	No	No
Connections
Biamp Inputs	No	Yes
Other
Parts Warranty	5 Years	5 Years
Labor Warranty	5 Years	5 Years

Verdict

Siblings in JBL's Stage series, so they share a family sound. It comes down to size, output and price.

Area	Better	Why
Bass	B	JBL Stage A170 digs deeper - 44Hz against 50Hz. A subwoofer would even that out.
Amplifier needs	B	JBL Stage A170 is more sensitive (89dB vs 87dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier.
Amplifier match	A	JBL Stage 260W is the easier load at 8 ohms.
Headroom	B	JBL Stage A170 takes more power (200W vs 100W) - more in hand in a big room.
Size	depends	JBL Stage 260W is easier to place; JBL Stage A170 is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides.
Type	depends	A Passive In-wall against a Passive Floor-standing - a different job rather than a better one.
Cabinet	depends	In-wall vs Ported.
Expandability	B	JBL Stage A170: bi-amping.
Price	A	JBL Stage 260W is cheaper - $300 against $600, about 50% less; arguably a different class.

A JBL Stage 260W B JBL Stage A170
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, your system or how you will use them. Only specs published for both speakers are judged; anything missing on either side is left out rather than guessed.

Which should you choose?

The usual trade-off: JBL Stage A170 measures better, JBL Stage 260W costs about about 100% more% less. Whether that gap is worth the money is the call only you can make - and in a normal room it is often smaller than the numbers suggest. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 50Hz anyway, which makes the cheaper JBL Stage 260W much easier to justify. Match it to your room: we rate JBL Stage 260W the better fit for near-field listening and a small room, and JBL Stage A170 for a mid-size room and a large room.

And remember what a spec sheet cannot show: how each looks in your room and whether the finish suits it, what dealer support and warranty are like where you live, and how they actually sound to you. If you can hear them first - ideally with your own music - that will tell you more than any number above.