JBL has launched three new pairs of high-end speakers in its flagship Summit Series: Makalu, Pumori and Ama. Appropriately launching at High End Munich 2025, these join the existing Everest and the five-star K2 speakers.
Like their forebears, each speaker is named after a Himalayan peak. And each promises a suitably large-scale performance, with heavily-braced cabinets, binding posts wrapped in carbon fibre and plated in rhodium.
They also boast JBL’s MultiCap crossover network, which promises to maintain purity and performance throughout the audio chain, and JBL IsoAcoustics adjustable isolation feet.
Let's go climbing.
Summit Makalu
The top of the range of is Summit Makalu, named after the world’s fifth-highest mountain that's just 12 miles from Everest (the mountain, not the JBL speaker).
A three-way floorstander, the Makalu is designed to "anchor large, immersive listening spaces with deep, articulate bass and soaring midrange detail", according to JBL.
Inside are a 12-inch subwoofer and an 8-inch midrange driver that both use JBL's proprietary HC4 composite cones, alongside JBL's patented D2 compression driver and precision-moulded HDI Sonoglass horn, promising "stunning dynamics and crystal-clear imaging".
It also promises to be a looker, with a contoured cabinet with a rich ebony veneer and gold accents or high-gloss piano black with platinum detailing.
Summit Makalu cost £36,998 / $44,995 (around AU$77,000) per pair.
Summit Pumori
Mount Pumori on the Nepal-China border is known as the daughter of Everest. Its namesake is another three-way floorstander whose speciality is musical balance and purity.
It boasts a 10-inch woofer and an 8-inch midrange driver, along with the same D2 compression driver and HDI horn architecture as the Summit Makalu.
It also has a softly contoured cabinet with luxurious finishes.
Summit Pumori cost £26,998 / $29,995 (around AU$56,000) per pair.
Summit Ama
Ama Dablam is one of the Himalayas' most iconic and picturesque peaks – its name translates as 'Mother's Necklace'.
The Summit Ama speaker is a two-way standmount that's more compact than its stablemates. It offers an 8-inch HC4 cone woofer, D2 compression driver and HDI horn, and promises "exceptional clarity, control, and coherence across the frequency spectrum".
It comes with a matching steel-and-aluminium stand.
Including stands, they cost £14,998 / $19,995 (around AU$31,000) per pair.
Still, that's cheaper than the K2 speakers, which cost a cool £44,000 when we reviewed them back in 2017. We considered them one of the best speakers money can buy, praising their "spellbinding combination of dynamics, insight and finesse".
Let's hope the new trio live up to such grand heights.
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