If anyone is looking for an update as of 2024 for the differences between the JBL Car Audio speaker series and which ones are newer, I accidentally spent hours going down internet rabbit holes for information on the most recent releases.
JBL and Harmon Kardon are great at speakers, and hair-tearingly terrible at providing up-to-date brochures, information and SEO on their websites (the AUS car audio website is 5+ YEARS out of date!!).
Anyway, here's a summary of what I found...
JBL CAR SPEAKER SERIES (not including amp or subwoofer info):
STAGE - Entry level. Designed for the average person to replace factory speakers or build a rudimentary audio system. Predominantly coaxial speakers in this series. Able to run on most factory head units, but has the ability to be paired with amps and subs. Most recent release: Stage3, 2018
CLUB - "Mid" level. Designed for music enthusiasts that want better sound quality and/or know basics of building audio systems. Predominantly coaxial speakers in this series. Able to run on most factory head units, but sound better when running via amp with support from subs. Most recent release: Club Gen 3, 2023
CLUB SQ - Add-on to the Club series in 2020. "SQ" stands for Sound Quality with speakers optimised for better sound quality than regular Club series. Can run on most factory head units, but recommended to pair with amp and sub to get the most out of them. (Based on a few YT videos I could find, the difference between Club and Club SQ seems to be a noticeable step up in clarity of mids and highs and a step up in price). Most recent release: Club Gen 3 (SQ Models), 2023
STADIUM - Pro level. Designed for auto audio enthusiasts and seasoned audio system builders, (or anyone who wants a top-of-the-range installation). More speaker configurations possible for two-way and three-way component builds with midranges available in this series. The smaller and less powerful speakers in this range may run on factory head units, but going further up in size and power while trying to use without amp or subs will NOT have desired quality or volume for the cost. Most recent release: Stadium, 2020
ARENA - Luxury level. Component-only systems. (According to a YT video from the Crutchfield channel, no expense spared in manufacturing materials with rare-earth material Beryllium used in tweeter domes, carbon fiber cones and glass fiber cones in mids and woofers). Appears only two component speakers have been released in this series: the Arena 26Be two-way component speaker with bi-amp capable outboard crossover in 2020 (glass-fiber woofer cone), and the Arena X (36Be) three-way component speaker in 2021 (carbon-fiber midrange and woofer cones). Arena X designed to be run in multi-amp builds with DSP.
Hope this helps someone else so they don't accidentally spend 5 hours researching old models before stumbling ass-first into the recent ones they were actually looking for.
Sources: busted-ass google search, broken-ass JBL AU Car Audio website, stupid JBL US website, incomplete Harmon Kardon US Customer Support Website, 2-6yo YT videos.
Would not be surprised if some of this is wrong. Please feel free to update if the mood takes you. Just wanted to put a summary and dates in one place instead of it being shit-splattered across 69 different websites and 420 brochures.
TL;DR:
Stage - Entry level. Mostly coaxial options.
Club - Mid level. Mostly coaxial with some component options.
Club SQ - Premium mid-level, added later. Coaxial and component options.
Stadium - Pro level. Mostly component options.
Arena - Luxury level. Component-only. 2 options.
Videos
This is JBL GTO609C two way component system.
The JBL Speaker specs are listed below: RMS @ 90w Peak Power @ 270w Ohm @ 3 Recommended Amp RMS @ 5-200w
2 choices of AMP: Amp JBL GX-A604, 60w RMS x4 at 4 ohms / 85w RMS x2 at 2 ohms / 170 watts RMS x2 bridged at 4 ohms
Amp JBL Club A764, 75w RMS x4 at 4 ohms / 100w RMS x4 at 2 ohms / 200w RMS x2 bridged at 4 ohms
Question 1 is, how much RMS per channel I should get to run this set of speaker component system?
Question 2, I should wired the speaker at 2 or 4 ohms?
In future I would love to put on a class-D sub about 125w RMS to 150w RMS, please advise!