In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers by JBL. JBL Summit Ama is a Bookshelf speaker whereas the Summit Everest is a Floor-standing speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of JBL Summit Ama and JBL Summit Everest first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | JBL Summit Ama | JBL Summit Everest |
|---|
| Brand | JBL
United States · founded 1946 | JBL
United States · founded 1946 |
|---|
| Design | 2-way | 3-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1.5" Compression Driver | 2" Compression Driver |
|---|
| Midrange | — | 2 x 10" |
|---|
| Woofer | 8" Hybrid Carbon Cellulose Composite (HC4) | 2 x 15" Hybrid Carbon Cellulose Composite (HC4) |
|---|
| Frequency response | 34-25k Hz | 20-23k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 84 dB | 96 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 4 ohms | 4 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 25-200 watts | 25-1200 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 26.30kg / 57.9lbs | 237.20kg / 521.8lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 18-3/4" x 12-1/8" x 13-1/4"
476.3 x 308.0 x 336.0mm | 56-13/16" x 39-1/16" x 27-5/16"
1443.0 x 992.0 x 694.5mm |
|---|
Summit Ama and Summit Everest are members of JBL's Summit series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
JBL Summit Series
History
What size room are the JBL Summit Ama and JBL Summit Everest 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 Summit Ama |
JBL Summit Everest |
| Near-field |
Poor |
Are you nuts? |
| Small Room |
Average |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Average |
| Large Room |
Average |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Poor |
Good |
(* 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.
Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Summit Ama is a 2-way design whereas the Summit Everest is a 3-way speaker. 3-way designs utilize a midrange driver in addition to the tweeter and woofer on 2-way designs. Designing a crossover for a 3-way speaker is a complicated process and generally increases the overall cost of the speaker.
JBL Summit AmaJBL Summit Everest
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Drivers drawn to scale and directly comparable. Cabinet outlines are indicative: full dimensions are not published for both. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
JBL Summit Ama |
JBL Summit Everest |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
3-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.5-inch
|
2-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
2 x 10-inch |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 8-inch
|
2 x 15-inch
|
Summit Ama features a 1.5" Teonex Compression Driver Tweeter and 1 x 8" Hybrid Carbon Cellulose Composite (HC4) Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 1600 Hz. On the other hand, the Summit Everest features a 2" Teonex Compression Driver Tweeter, a 10" Midrange and 2 x 15" Hybrid Carbon Cellulose Composite (HC4) Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 270 Hz / 550 Hz / 850 Hz.
Frequency Response
Summit Ama has a frequency range of 34-25k Hz whereas Summit Everest has a frequency range of 20-23k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 20Hz, the Summit Everest can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Summit Ama's min frequency of 34Hz.
The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Bookshelf class in our database.
Low Frequency
Bookshelf Speakers
Impedance and Sensitivity
Summit Ama and Summit Everest have the same Impedance of 4 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Summit Ama sensitivity is rated at 84 dB and the Summit Everest's is at 96 dB. This 12 dB difference makes the JBL Summit Everest a more sensitive speaker compared to JBL Summit Ama, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
One thing to keep in mind that the lower impedance speakers, especially the ones that are rated at 4 ohms may put more pressure on the amplifier unit comared to higher impedance speakers especially at high volume levels, so make sure the amp you pair with the Summit Ama and the Summit Ama can provide this impedance level.
Sensitivity
Bookshelf Speakers
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.
Summit Everest can handle a max power of 1200 watts RMS, whereas Summit Ama has a max power handling value of 200 watts RMS, 1000 watts less than the Summit Everest.
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.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Both Summit Ama and Summit Everest features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both Summit Ama and Summit Everest have rear firing ports. Rear ported speakers generally need more room between the backside of the speaker and the wall compared to sealed and front/bottom ported speakers. Placing the speakers too close to the walls may cause the bass to sound boomy.
If you are limited in space and can't get the speakers away from the backwall, check our Speakers with Front Firing Ports page.
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 Summit Ama's and JBL Summit Everest's external dimensions. JBL Summit Ama has external dimensions of 476.3 x 308.0 x 336.0mm (18-3/4 x 12-1/8 x 13-1/4inch) whereas JBL Summit Everest has external dimensions of 1443.0 x 992.0 x 694.5mm (56-13/16 x 39-1/16 x 27-5/16inch).
JBL Summit Everest is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 684mm wider, 966.7mm taller and 358.5mm deeper than JBL Summit Ama.
Size, drawn to scale
Both speakers and both views share one scale, so everything here is directly comparable. Hover a box for its dimensions.
One scale for both, standing on the same surface and pushed back to the same wall, so the deeper one visibly sticks out further.
JBL Summit Everest needs about 566% more floor or shelf area. JBL Summit Everest is 359mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. JBL Summit Everest is 967mm taller.
Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited.
The base surface area of the JBL Summit Ama is approximately 1034.9cm2 / 160.4inch2 and base area of the JBL Summit Everest is approximately 6889.4cm2 / 1,067.9inch2. The Summit Ama requires 85% less surface area than the Summit Everest which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.