Trust JBL to launch a Rs. 2 crore high-end audiophile reference speaker and a streaming speaker with a screen for lyrics in the same month! Launched as a China-only model as of now, it just seems too cool a concept to be limited to one market, though. The JBL Vienna doesn’t just play songs, but stages them, in fact using an 18.5in display set behind a high-transparency tempered glass. Instead of using a traditional screen, the Vienna uses moving light-and-shadow effects to give the typography real depth. The resulting illusion it creates is fascinating to watch as text appears to be floating in space rather than sitting flat on a screen.
Even without music, Vienna has 9 background themes and 11 meditation scenes that pair ambient sounds like rain, ocean waves, etc with moody visuals. Alternatively, you could also treat it like a digital photo frame if you like revisiting the 2000s and use it as an eclectic slideshow machine synced to your travel playlist.
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A window to your music
Nine background themes ship out of the box, running from calm to bold, and the panel doubles as a photo frame: users can drop in their own pictures as a backdrop, turning a holiday shot or a candid with friends into the literal stage set for whatever’s playing. Thankfully, JBL hasn’t forgotten that this is supposed to be a speaker, and the audio hardware consists of a 2.1-channel array with two 3.23-inch full-range drivers for mids and vocals, four 8.5-inch racetrack-shaped oval bass drivers and two 5-inch passive radiators. That’s some serious amount of speakers in a relatively compact chassis, powered by a 100W amplifier. JBL’s claim is deep low-end, clear vocal separation and enough top-end air to hold together denser jazz and classical passages, material that usually exposes a muddy midrange.
Finding the perfect match
Connectivity is as expected with Bluetooth 5.4, USB-C, and AUX, with wireless screen mirroring from both iOS and Android. On idling, it also does clock duty with dual-timezone standby. If it does decide to make the trip to India, the JBL Vienna will reside in its own exclusive segment, distant from the smart home speakers like Amazon Echo Show, HomePod and Google Nest Hub. Roughly priced at around US$1200 in China, if launched in India, it would sit above the Authentics 500 and target buyers looking for a statement piece rather than just another wireless speaker.
