In this review, we will be comparing Studio 6 Architectural 8IW and Studio 6 Theater, two Passive In-wall speakers by JBL.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of JBL Studio 6 Architectural 8IW and JBL Studio 6 Theater first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | JBL Studio 6 Architectural 8IW | JBL Studio 6 Theater |
|---|
| Brand | JBL
United States · founded 1946 | JBL
United States · founded 1946 |
|---|
| Design | 2-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" Horn-Loaded | 1" Horn-Loaded |
|---|
| Woofer | 8" Polyplas | 4 x 5.25" PolyPlas |
|---|
| Frequency response | 43-20kHz | 65-20kHz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 93 dB | 96 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 6 ohms | 6 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 10-80 watts | 10-150 watts |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 12.5000" x 8.7500" x 3.6875"
318.0 x 223.0 x 94.0mm | 25.3125" x 6.2500" x 3.7500"
643.0 x 159.0 x 96.0mm |
|---|
Studio 6 Architectural 8IW and Studio 6 Theater are members of JBL's Studio series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
JBL Studio Series
History
What size room are the JBL Studio 6 Architectural 8IW and JBL Studio 6 Theater 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 Studio 6 Architectural 8IW |
JBL Studio 6 Theater |
| Near-field |
Average |
Poor |
| Small Room |
Good |
Average |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Good |
| Large Room |
Poor |
Average |
| 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.
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Drivers
Both Studio 6 Architectural 8IW and Studio 6 Theater are 2-way speakers.
JBL Studio 6 Architectural 8IWJBL Studio 6 Theater
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 Studio 6 Architectural 8IW |
JBL Studio 6 Theater |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
- |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 8-inch
|
4 x 5.25-inch
|
Studio 6 Architectural 8IW features a 1" Horn-Loaded Tweeter and 1 x 8" Polyplas Woofer. On the other hand, the Studio 6 Theater features a 1" Horn-Loaded Tweeter and 4 x 5.25" PolyPlas Woofer.
Frequency Response
Studio 6 Architectural 8IW has a frequency range of 43-20kHz whereas Studio 6 Theater has a frequency range of 65-20kHz. With a minimum frequency of 43Hz, the Studio 6 Architectural 8IW can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Studio 6 Theater's min frequency of 65Hz.
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
Studio 6 Architectural 8IW
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
Studio 6 Architectural 8IW and Studio 6 Theater have the same Impedance of 6 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Studio 6 Architectural 8IW sensitivity is rated at 93 dB and the Studio 6 Theater's is at 96 dB. This 3 dB difference makes the JBL Studio 6 Theater a more sensitive speaker compared to JBL Studio 6 Architectural 8IW, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
In-wall Speakers
Studio 6 Architectural 8IW
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.
Studio 6 Theater can handle a max power of 150 watts RMS, whereas Studio 6 Architectural 8IW has a max power handling value of 80 watts RMS, 70 watts less than the Studio 6 Theater.
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.
JBL Studio 6 Architectural 8IW
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Studio 6 Architectural 8IW features Spring posts type posts and Studio 6 Theater has a Spring posts type posts. None of these speakers 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 Studio 6 Architectural 8IW's and JBL Studio 6 Theater's external dimensions. JBL Studio 6 Architectural 8IW has external dimensions of 318.0 x 223.0 x 94.0mm (12.5000-inch x 8.7500-inch x 3.6875-inch) whereas JBL Studio 6 Theater has external dimensions of 643.0 x 159.0 x 96.0mm (25.3125-inch x 6.2500-inch x 3.7500-inch).
JBL Studio 6 Architectural 8IW is 325mm shorter and 2mm less deeper than JBL Studio 6 Theater but it is also 64mm wider.
What's in the Box of JBL Studio 6 Architectural 8IW?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of Studio 6 Architectural 8IW:
- In-wall loudspeaker
- Grille
- Cut-Out Template
- Quick Start Guide
What's in the Box of JBL Studio 6 Theater?
Here are the items that come with the Studio 6 Theater:
- In-wall loudspeaker
- Grille
- Cut-Out Template
- Quick Start Guide