In this review, we will be comparing Installer Series IW6 and Studio 6 Theater, two Passive In-wall speakers from MartinLogan and JBL.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of MartinLogan Installer Series IW6 and JBL Studio 6 Theater first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | MartinLogan Installer Series IW6 | JBL Studio 6 Theater |
|---|
| Brand | MartinLogan
United States · founded 1982 | JBL
United States · founded 1946 |
|---|
| Design | 2-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 0.75" Hard-Dome | 1" Horn-Loaded |
|---|
| Woofer | 6.5" Mineral-filled poly | 4 x 5.25" PolyPlas |
|---|
| Frequency response | 55-20kHz | 65-20kHz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 89 dB | 96 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 6 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 15-60 watts | 10-150 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 1.59kg / 3.5lbs | — |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 10.1250" x 7.0625" x 3.1875"
258.0 x 180.0 x 81.0mm | 25.3125" x 6.2500" x 3.7500"
643.0 x 159.0 x 96.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the MartinLogan Installer Series IW6 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* |
MartinLogan Installer Series IW6 |
JBL Studio 6 Theater |
| Near-field |
Good |
Poor |
| Small Room |
Good |
Average |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Good |
| Large Room |
Poor |
Average |
| Very Large Room |
No way |
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
Both Installer Series IW6 and Studio 6 Theater are 2-way speakers.
MartinLogan Installer Series IW6JBL 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 |
MartinLogan Installer Series IW6 |
JBL Studio 6 Theater |
|
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
0.75-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
- |
- |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 6.5-inch
|
4 x 5.25-inch
|
Installer Series IW6 features a 0.75" Hard-Dome Tweeter and 1 x 6.5" Mineral-filled poly Woofer. On the other hand, the Studio 6 Theater features a 1" Horn-Loaded Tweeter and 4 x 5.25" PolyPlas Woofer.
Frequency Response
Installer Series IW6 has a frequency range of 55-20kHz whereas Studio 6 Theater has a frequency range of 65-20kHz. With a minimum frequency of 55Hz, the Installer Series IW6 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
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
Installer Series IW6 is a 8 ohms speaker compared to the Studio 6 Theater which has a nominal impedance of 6 ohms.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Installer Series IW6 sensitivity is rated at 89 dB and the Studio 6 Theater's is rated at 96 dB. This 7 dB difference makes the JBL Studio 6 Theater a more sensitive speaker compared to MartinLogan Installer Series IW6, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
In-wall 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.
Studio 6 Theater can handle a max power of 150 watts RMS, whereas Installer Series IW6 has a max power handling value of 60 watts RMS, 90 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.
MartinLogan Installer Series IW6
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Installer Series IW6 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 MartinLogan Installer Series IW6's and JBL Studio 6 Theater's external dimensions. MartinLogan Installer Series IW6 has external dimensions of 258.0 x 180.0 x 81.0mm (10.1250-inch x 7.0625-inch x 3.1875-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).
MartinLogan Installer Series IW6 is 385mm shorter and 15mm less deeper than JBL Studio 6 Theater but it is also 21mm wider.
What's in the Box of MartinLogan Installer Series IW6?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of Installer Series IW6:
- In-wall loudspeaker
- Grille
- User-feets Manual
- Cutout Template
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