The JBL IRX ONE is a lightweight, compact and powerful PA system that is perfect for a singer-songwriter, a small band, and educators and presenters working in a moderate size venue. Versatile and great sounding, this C-shaped array tuned system brings a lot of value for its size. Configured with an 8” Woofer with a bass-reflex design, it delivers powerful lows down to 40 Hz. and six 2” drivers cover treble, and can be mounted either in a low profile or on a stacking column a little bit higher than ear level.
Let’s start with the built-in mixer. The three channel mixer inputs sport two XLR-1/4” connectors so you can easily plug in either a microphone or a guitar type cable. The third channel is solely a 1/4” line input and in this area is also a 1/4” balanced mix output jack.
There is a Main level control that sets the overall volume output. In this area also are a few fun and interesting features that make this PA so versatile. The IRX ONE has a six position dial with EQ Presets: Flat, Speech, DJ, KTV, Café, and Bright. I found these presets to be very effective in tone shaping, and again emphasizing how this unit is designed to be fast and easy to use for both the professional and novice user.
In this area also are controls to enable Bluetooth 5.0 streaming, music ducking, and dbx Automatic Feedback Suppression, (AFS). It was fast and easy to link my iPhone the IRX ONE and it sounded great playing music off my phone and could get louder than I needed. The music ducking works nicely in conjunction with a microphone. Note: this works well with a person speaking with an “outdoor voice,” but if you have someone that speaks very softly, they will need to project in order to take advantage of this feature. The feedback suppression worked nicely as an “all in one” with no settings other than on or off. For the simplicity of this unit it is a nice feature to have.
I found another use for this great PA as an acoustic guitar amp for a band performance where I was also playing electric guitar—the acoustic did not sound good through my main amp. The JBL IRX ONE is small and light enough that is was practical to use is alongside my regular electric guitar amp with a switcher. At 34 lbs, it weighs a little less than most guitar amps.
Con: No built-in reverb or effects. As this is a great entry-level product, it would be very helpful to include a reverb for performers. For those needing more power, the JBL IRX TWO may be a more suitable product. Street price: $799
