In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers by JBL. JBL Summit Makalu is a Floor-standing speaker whereas the Summit Ama is a Bookshelf speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of JBL Summit Makalu and JBL Summit Ama first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | JBL Summit Makalu | JBL Summit Ama |
|---|
| Brand | JBL
United States · founded 1946 | JBL
United States · founded 1946 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 3" Compression Driver | 1.5" Compression Driver |
|---|
| Midrange | 8" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 12" Hybrid Carbon Cellulose Composite (HC4) | 8" Hybrid Carbon Cellulose Composite (HC4) |
|---|
| Frequency response | 23-33k Hz | 34-25k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 88 dB | 84 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 4 ohms | 4 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 25-300 watts | 25-200 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 69.20kg / 152.2lbs | 26.30kg / 57.9lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 43-3/8" x 18-1/4" x 15-1/2"
1102.3 x 464.3 x 393.0mm | 18-3/4" x 12-1/8" x 13-1/4"
476.3 x 308.0 x 336.0mm |
|---|
Summit Makalu and Summit Ama 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 Makalu and JBL Summit Ama 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 Makalu |
JBL Summit Ama |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Poor |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Average |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Good |
| Large Room |
Good |
Average |
| Very Large Room |
Average |
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.
Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Summit Makalu is a 3-way design whereas the Summit Ama is a 2-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 MakaluJBL Summit Ama
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
JBL Summit Makalu |
JBL Summit Ama |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
3-inch
|
1.5-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 8-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 12-inch
|
1 x 8-inch
|
Summit Makalu features a 3" Teonex Compression Driver Tweeter, a 8" Midrange and 1 x 12" Hybrid Carbon Cellulose Composite (HC4) Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 285 Hz / 1100 Hz. On the other hand, the 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.
Frequency Response
Summit Makalu has a frequency range of 23-33k Hz whereas Summit Ama has a frequency range of 34-25k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 23Hz, the Summit Makalu 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 Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
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
Summit Makalu and Summit Ama have the same Impedance of 4 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Summit Makalu sensitivity is rated at 88 dB and the Summit Ama's is at 84 dB. This 4 dB difference makes the JBL Summit Makalu 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 Makalu and the Summit Makalu can provide this impedance level.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing 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 Makalu can handle a max power of 300 watts RMS, whereas Summit Ama has a max power handling value of 200 watts RMS, 100 watts less than the Summit Makalu.
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 Makalu and Summit Ama features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both Summit Makalu and Summit Ama 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 Makalu's and JBL Summit Ama's external dimensions. JBL Summit Makalu has external dimensions of 1102.3 x 464.3 x 393.0mm (43-3/8 x 18-1/4 x 15-1/2inch) whereas 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).
JBL Summit Makalu is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 156.3mm wider, 626mm taller and 57mm 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 Makalu needs about 76% more floor or shelf area. JBL Summit Makalu is 57mm deeper, so it stands that much further out from the wall. JBL Summit Makalu is 626mm 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 Makalu is approximately 1824.7cm2 / 282.8inch2 and base area of the JBL Summit Ama is approximately 1034.9cm2 / 160.4inch2. The Summit Makalu requires 76% more surface area than the Summit Ama which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.