JBL HDI 5.1

This speaker package offers a timely reminder of just how the cinema should sound

Of all the things we missed out on last year, trips to the cinema rank pretty highly. On the plus side, we had plenty of time to watch more movies at home during lockdown, but there’s nothing quite like the big screen and the rumble of a great surround-sound set-up.

Perhaps that’s why we’re more excited to test this JBL HDI 5.1 speaker package than we might have been 12 months ago. If blockbuster scale and authority are your priorities when it comes to home cinema audio, there’s little chance this sextet of speakers will disappoint.

The front right and left channels are the huge HDI-3600 floorstanders (and you could go even bigger with the HDI-3800). Surround duties are handled by the HDI-1600 standmounters and HDI-4500 as the centre. An HDI-1200P subwoofer handles the lowest end of the register, just in case you haven’t yet rattled all the plaster off the walls.

The HDI here refers to JBL’S patented High-definition Imaging waveguide technology, with this set of speakers sitting below the flagship Summit Series. JBL says its HDI waveguide geometry is the result of research into the nuances of waveguide design, and aims for exceptional high-frequency detail and neutral response both on and off axis.

Lots of speaker for your money

So these JBLS are expensive, but you’re getting a lot for the money. You’ll notice the distinctive 2410H-2 high-frequency compression driver on all the speakers apart from the sub, while the woofers benefit from cast aluminium frames, cutting-edge motor structures and Advanced Aluminium Matrix cones.

The HDI-3600 floorstanders sport three of these woofers in a 2.5-way design, while the HDI-1600 are essentially just the head of that speaker with one mid/bass unit. The HDI-4500 centre is one of the bulkiest we’ve come across, with a quartet of 13cm drivers straddling its 25mm high frequency compression driver, and a footprint that is just over 31cm deep.

The sub here is similarly robust, and delivers its considerable weight with a 30cm driver powered by its 1000W amplifier. It offers the option of RCA and XLR line-level inputs, alongside a full complement of controls to tailor performance directly from the unit.

This JBL package needs a little warming up to sound its best, but quickly hits its stride. Within a couple of hours, we get an idea of the might and scale these speakers are able to deliver. You don’t choose a surround system this size if bass isn’t a primary concern, so let’s praise that first. In short, it’s difficult to know where the response from the HDI-3600 ends and where the sub takes over. That is testament not only to how much low-end is produced by the right and left channels, but also to how detailed it is overall.

It’s well balanced, too. The rumbles and blasts are exciting, but those high-frequency compression drivers are working well to make sure bass doesn’t overpower the performance. The treble is rich and unharnessed, and there’s plenty to pick out in the midrange too.

The HDI 5.1 isn’t perfect, of course. So bold and authoritative are the speakers, that it can make the standmounts producing our surround channels sound slightly lightweight. However, this can be solved by spending a little more money.

The HDI-1600 offer much of the same richness and detail, but the discrepancy in size is audible. If we’re noticing the speakers as effects travel around the room, that is not quite the immersive soundfield we’d be after for nearly £10,000. If you’re going for these JBLS, it might be worth saving up to have floorstanders in all four corners.

The main reason this system loses a star, however, is that despite all its bombastic scale and energy there is a disappointing lack of expression. Lines are delivered without the kind of verve or emotion we’d expect for this money.

It’s an issue uniform to all of the speakers in the range, not only the centre where it matters most. That’s a positive in terms of matching, but leaves us cold when it comes to overall performance. It’s not impossible to find a speaker package that pairs the huge cinematic presence of these JBLS with a more dynamically expressive presentation, but if we had to compromise we’d always go with something less authoritative if that meant better storytelling.

You certainly shouldn’t discount the JBL HDI 5.1 surround speaker system, but you will have to be careful with system matching. Any amplifier or source that lacks life will not make a good partner; you need something that can feed the JBLS with power while majoring on dynamics.

In the end, though, we have to say thank you. It has been almost a year since we last visited the cinema, and JBL has reminded us what that was like. If you’re after a home cinema experience that brings the scale of a blockbuster, this package has to be on your shortlist.