109ARENAX3 JBL Arena X Component System Owner’s Manual

: July 18, 2024
: JBL

Table of Contents

109ARENAX3 JBL Arena X Component System
PRODUCT OVERVIEW
WHAT’S IN THE BOX
TWEETER MOUNTING ACCESSORIES DIMENSIONS
SPECIFICATIONS
Features
Technical specifcations:
References
Read User Manual Online (PDF format)
Download This Manual (PDF format)

JBL Arena X Component System

Owner’s Manual

109ARENAX3 JBL Arena X Component System

Congratulations!
You have just purchased ARENA X 75 years in the making!
“You only live once!” Live it with Great JBL Sound

Thank you for choosing a JBL Arena X component system. To get the best performance from your new speakers, it is strongly recommended that you have a qualiﬁed professional install it. Although this manual provides general instructions about installing the speakers, it does not include enclosure construction details or exact installation methods for any particular vehicle. If you do not feel that you have the necessary experience, do not attempt the installation yourself, but instead ask your authorized JBL dealer about professional installation options.
Remember to keep your sales receipt in a safe place, along with this manual, so that both are available for future reference.

PRODUCT OVERVIEW

The JBL Arena X is our 75th Anniversary ﬂagship automotive loudspeaker and is the recipient of the 2021 CES Innovation Award. It is a 3-way system designed to be part of an active DSP system. The attractive magnetic grilles and innovative mounting rings allow for seamless, elegant installation with no visible fasteners.
JBL has long been the go to brand professionals use for recording, performing and installed sound. The JBL Arena X is JBL’s Expression of the perfect three- way component system for in-vehicle applications. Virtually every component was engineered to deliver the ﬁnest details, the highest level of performance to provide the listener with a truly immersive audio experience.
Beryllium – Element 4 on the Periodic Table – is a rare earth metal that is renowned for its remarkable physical properties that make it the ideal material for a high-frequency transducer. Compared to aluminum and titanium tweeter diaphragms, Beryllium offers 4.5 times the stiffness and three times more damping, and does so at only half of the weight. Beryllium tweeters are the centerpiece of the ARENA automotive loudspeaker series.
The 3.5-inch (90mm) midrange and 6.5-inch (165mm) aluminum basket woofers utilize woven carbon ﬁber cones for improved performance.
The stiff lightweight cones combine with optimized motor magnetics to deliver memorable mid- and low-frequency performance.
This product has been given the Hi-Resolution certiﬁcation on high-frequency bands, capability of reproducing 40 kHz or above. This is driven by the 25mm (1-inch) beryllium dome, and a powerful neodymium motor for the ultimate in lightweight performance. The powerful all-new tweeter and 6th-generation ceramic-coated, cast-aluminum acoustic lens waveguide seamlessly integrates with the directivity of the companion midrange drivers resulting unparalleled efﬁciency, improved dynamic range, reduced distortion, and increased power handling.

WHAT’S IN THE BOX

JBL ARENA X INSTALLATION
Installing the Beryllium dome tweeters.
It is important to choose a mounting location and tweeter orientation high on the door panel or A-pillar that provides optimum disbursement of the high frequencies for excellent stereo imaging and sound staging. Recommendations include:

Using your vehicle’s factory tweeter locations, if it has them, and the tweeters will ﬁt in those locations.
Mounting the tweeters at the top of the door panels or A-pillars.
Mounting the tweeters on top of the door panel, on the A-pillar, or on the dash in a custom enclosure (wood or ﬁberglass, for example) that you manufacture.

Using the tweeter-mounting accessories included in the box
The package includes an oval ring, an oval plate, and a metal plate.

The oval ring and plate should be used in custom mounting applications. Secure the oval plate to the custom mount, push the tweeter into the oval ring, then use the supplied screws to secure the tweeter to the oval plate.
The metal plate can be adapted to secure to factory tweeter locations, or welded to metal mounts in the door panel. When the metal plate is secured in the mounting location, use the included screws to secure the tweeter to the metal plate.

Installing the 3.5” midrange drivers
It is important to choose a mounting location for the 3.5” midrange driver that provides good linearity and proximity to your ears.
Recommendations include:

Using your vehicle’s factory midrange locations, if it has them, and the drivers will ﬁt in those locations.
Mounting the near the top of the doors or on the A-pillar in a custom enclosure (wood or ﬁberglass, for example) that you manufacture.

To mount the midrange driver to the mounting location, place the driver against the mounting surface and use the supplied screws to secure. Take care not to overtighten the screws, to prevent damage. If mounting in the door panel, make sure the magnet protrusion does not interfere with window or door latch operation. In a custom location, if the midrange driver is visible, use the included grille to cover the screws and protect the speaker cone.

NOTE: If mounting in a custom enclosure that you manufacture, recommend that the sealed volume of the enclosure is more than 0.07 cubic feet (>2L).
TIP: It is recommended to use an insulating material between the mounting surface and the mounting ring of the midrange to absorb vibrations and help produce the cleanest sound possible.

Installing the 6.5” woofers
The woofers are typically mounted in the doors. Mounting them higher in the doors will raise the soundstage, while mounting them lower in the doors will provide excellent bass response.
Recommendations include:

Using your vehicle’s factory woofer locations, if it has them, and the drivers will ﬁt in those locations.
Mounting in the door panels using a custom enclosure (wood or ﬁberglass, for example) that you manufacture.

To mount the woofer to the mounting location, place the driver against the mounting surface and use the supplied screws to secure. Take care not to overtighten the screws, to prevent damage. If mounting in the door panel, make sure the magnet protrusion does not interfere with window or door latch operation. In a custom location, if the woofer is visible, use the included grille to cover the screws and protect the speaker cone.

NOTE: If mounting in a custom enclosure that you manufacture, recommend that the sealed volume of the enclosure is more than 0.7 cubic feet (>20L).
TIP: It is recommended to use an insulating material between the mounting surface and the mounting ring of the woofer to absorb vibrations and help produce the cleanest sound possible.

POWERING THE JBL ARENA X SPEAKERS

To power your Arena X component system, we recommend using a digital signal processor (DSP) and either a 6-channel ampliﬁer or a combination of a 4-channel and a 2-channel ampliﬁer. You can also consider using an ampliﬁer with a built-in DSP and at least 6 channels of ampliﬁcation.
NOTE: Make sure the ampliﬁer(s) you choose do not exceed or dramatically fall short of the powerhandling speciﬁcations of the drivers (see “SPECIFICATIONS”).

Use the DSP to provide each channel of the ampliﬁer the appropriate frequency range for the driver it will be powering (adjust as desired within the designated frequency range):
o Tweeters: 1kHz – 40kHz
o Midrange drivers: 200Hz – 6kHz
o Woofers: 60Hz – 6KHz
Connect each driver – tweeter, midrange, and woofer – directly to its own channel on the ampliﬁer(s). IMPORTANT: Because of the lower impedance of the JBL Arena X drivers, do not wirtwo or more of them in parallel on the same ampliﬁer channel; doing so can cause overheating and damage.
Use the appropriate wire gauge for each driver to maximize performance:
o Tweeters: 16-14 gauge.
o Midranges and woofers: 14-12 gauge.
o NOTE: use larger gauge wire for longer wire runs.

Recommended wiring diagrams
6 Channels

4 Channels & 2 Channels

DRIVER DIMENSIONS

| Woofer| Midrange| Tweeter
---|---|---|---
A. Frame Outer
Diameter| 6-15/16 in (176mm)| 4-1/8 in (104.5mm)| 3.88″ (101.49mm), 5.2″ (132.2mm)
B. Grille Tray Outer Diameter| 6-15/16 in (176mm )| 4-1/8 in (104.5mm)| N/A
C. Magnet Outer Diameter| 1-2/3 in (43.00mm)| 1-7/16 ( 37mm)| N/A
D. Front Grille Protrusion| 9/16 in (13.9mm)| 1/4 in ( 6.8mm)| N/A
E. Mounting Hole Diameter| 5-5/16 in (135mm)| 3-1/8 (79mm )| 3.88″ (101.49mm) 5.2″ (132.2mm)
F. Mounting Depth| 2-13/16 in (72mm)| 1-1/2 in (37.5mm)| 1.52″ (38.5mm)

TWEETER MOUNTING ACCESSORIES DIMENSIONS

| Oval ring| Oval plate| Metal Plate
---|---|---|---
Fixture Outer
Diameter (A)| 5.88″ (149.6mm) 4.67″
(118.8mm)| 5.18″ (131.8mm) 3.99″
(101.4mm)| 5.20″ (132.3mm) 4.16″
(105.7mm)
Fixture
Mounting Hole
Diameter (B)| 5.25″ (133.6mm) 4.08″ (103.8mm)| 4.08″ (103.8mm) 3.62″ (92.2mm)| 5.20″ (132.3mm) 4″ (101.6mm)
Fixture Mounting
Depth (C)| 0.76″ (19.5mm)| 0.31″ (8mm)| 2.2″ (56mm)

SPECIFICATIONS

| Arena X 1″ Tweeter| Arena X 3.5″ Midrange| Arena X 6.5″ woofer
---|---|---|---
Dome/ Cone material| Beryllium dome| Coated Carbon
Fiber| Coated Carbon
Fiber
Wave guide / Grille| Aluminum Die-casting| SPCC| SPCC
Basket material| Aluminum Die-casting| Aluminum Die-casting| Aluminum Die- casting
Power Handling| 50Wrms| 50Wrms| 100Wrms
Frequency Response| 1KHz – 40kHz| 200Hz – 6kHz| 60Hz – 6kHz
Sensitivity (2.83V/1m)| 96dB| 87dB| 91dB
Impedance| 4ohm| 4ohm| 4ohm
Fs| 1.35KHz| 125Hz| 60Hz
Vas| | 0.78L| 8L
Mounting depth/cutout| 38mm/101mm *132mm| 37mm/80mm| 70mm /140mm

NOTES OF CAUTION

Because of the nature of Beryllium, do not touch the tweeter domes with your ﬁnger or any other body part.
Do not expose the Beryllium tweeters to open ﬂame, to avoid the possibility of poisoning by inhalation.
We have meticulously chosen certain glues for their adhesive and more importantly their acoustic properties. Over time some reddening can occur to the glue edge at the dust cap, depending on your environment.

HARMAN International Industries,
Incorporated 8500 Balboa Boulevard, Northridge, CA 91329 USA
www.jbl.com

© 2021 HARMAN International Industries, Incorporated. All rights reserved.
JBL is a trademark of HARMAN International Industries, Incorporated, registered in the United States and/or other countries. Features, speciﬁcations and appearance are subject to change without notice.
CA_JBL_Arena X components_Owners Manual_EN+FR+ES+CN_CR_V9

ARENA X
1″, 3-1/2″ and 6-1/2″ (165mm) 3-way active component speaker system

The Ultimate Music Experience. Dare to Listen!
The JBL Arena X is the flagship automotive loudspeaker from our Arena Series. It includes a 25mm (1-inch) beryllium tweeter driven by a powerful neodymium motor structure for the ultimate in lightweight performance. The powerful all- new tweeter and 6th-generation ceramic-coated, cast-aluminum Acoustic Lens waveguide seamlessly integrate with the directivity of the companion midrange drivers resulting in greater efficiency, improved dynamic range, reduced distortion, and increased power handling compared to aluminum or titanium tweeters. Beryllium Element 4 on the Periodic Table is a rare earth metal that is renowned for its remarkable physical properties that make it the ideal material for a high-frequency transducer. Compared to aluminum and titanium tweeter diaphragms, Beryllium offers 4.5 times the stiffness and three times more damping, and does so at only half of the weight. Beryllium tweeters are the centerpiece of the ARENA automotive loudspeaker series. The 3.5-inch (90mm) midrange and 6.5-inch (165mm) aluminum basket woofers utilize woven carbon fiber cones for improved performance. The stiff lightweight cones combine with optimized motor magnetics to deliver memorable midand low- frequency performance and specially formulated acoustic adhesive chosen to provide superior strength and sound quality.

Features

1-inch Edge-Driven Pure Beryllium Dome Tweeter
Proprietary Acoustic Lens Waveguide Geometry Tweeter
Carbon Fiber Composite Cone Midrange and Woofers
Nomex Spider Midrange and Woofers
Seamless Perfect Active Speaker System
Neodymium Magnet Motor
Die-Cast Aluminum Basket
Bi-Amp Capable Precision Outboard Crossover network
Magnetic Absorption Design

Features and Benefts
1-inch Edge-Driven Pure Beryllium Dome Tweeter
Beryllium offers 4.5 times the stiffness and three times more damping than more commonly used Aluminum and Titanium diaphragms, delivering extended high- frequency performance out to 40kHz.
This benefts the listener by virtually eliminating all harshness in the audio band, delivering a smooth, precise and detailed performance, even at high output levels.
Proprietary Acoustic Lens Waveguide Geometry Tweeter
Ceramic-coated, cast-aluminum Acoustic Lens waveguide engineered to seamlessly integrate with the directivity of the companion midrange driver.
Carbon Fiber Composite Cone Midrange and Woofers
The ultra-rigid carbon fber dustcap and cone body minimize unwanted cone fexing, ensuring smooth frequency response.
Nomex Spider Midrange and Woofers
Spider is specifcally designed to ensure linear motion in both forward and rearward directions.
This minimizes distortion caused by the speaker’s suspension.
Seamless Perfect Active Speaker System
Seamless transducer integration design for use with high-quality DSP to eliminate technical compromises, allowing for the use of delay, crossover parameters, and precise equalization to adjust for speaker placement, cabin acoustics and target response.
Neodymium Magnet Motor
Provides high fux density and allows more room for larger steel motor components, providing critical heatsink mass for the voice coil.
Die-Cast Aluminum Basket
Rigid support for the motor structure allows for tighter tolerances, yielding reduced distortion and acoustic anomalies.
Bi-Amp Capable Precision Outboard Crossover Network
High tolerance components are used to ensure purity and low distortion with a 12dB per octave alignment on the mid/woofer and 24dB per octave alignment on the tweeter. It is also set up for bi-amping if so desired and a three position tweeter output is also included to optimize performance based on location and vehicle materials.
Magnetic Absorption Design
Strong magnetic feld adsorption technology take you to the new case era. From now on, grille installing became a pleasure. It makes your loudspeakers stand out among crowd. Magnetic absorption technology makes installation a breeze.

What’s in the box:

1 pair woofers
1 pair tweeters
1 pair midrange
1 pair woofer grille
1 pair midrange grille
1 pair woofer decoration ring
1 pair midrange decoration ring
1 pair tweeter plastic ring 1 fxture under tweeter
1 pair tweeter plastic ring 2 fxture around tweeter
1 pair metal plate bracket
1 pair woofer gaskets
1 pair of midrange gaskets Screws bag
User Manual

Technical specifcations:

6-1/2″ (165mm) 3-way active car component speaker system
1″ Beryllium dome tweeter with 6th-generation ceramic-coated acoustic lens waveguide
3.5″ Carbon fiber cone midrange with cast frames
6.5″ Carbon fiber cone woofer with cast frames
Frequency Response (-6dB): 20Hz – 40kHz
Power Handling: 100Wrms, 200W peak
Crossover Frequencies: 250Hz; 3.5kHz
Nominal Impedance: 4 ohms
Sensitivity: 90dB (2.83V @1M)
Woofer mounting depth: 2.83 in./72mm
Midrange mounting depth: 1.47 in./37.5mm
Tweeter flush mounting depth: 1.52 in./38.5mm

HARMAN International Industries, Incorporated
8500 Balboa Boulevard, Northridge, CA 91329 USA
www.jbl.com

© 2021 HARMAN International Industries, Incorporated. All rights reserved. JBL is a trademark of HARMAN International Industries, Incorporated, registered in the United States and/or other countries. Features, specifcations and appearance are subject to change without notice.