JBL make some pretty awesome speakers. I was lucky enough to have a pair of their high-end speakers in my testing studio (or my loungeroom, as it were) back when I was editor of Australian T3 – giving up those speakers was one of the hardest decisions to make when I decided to come over to Giz…
Anyway, my point is that JBL speakers are pretty awesome, at least in my experience. And their new LS series of speakers look like they’re bringing the typical JBL audio quality to a pricepoint that’s (almost) attainable for the masses. Of course, not everyone wants a high-end surround sound setup in their loungeroom, but those people tend not to read Gizmodo and we don’t really care about them too much.
There’s a full rundown of pricing in the press release below, plus a bonus pic.
JBL LS Series Loudspeakers:
A New Expression of the Most Advanced JBL Technologies AvailableSydney, October 2008 – Loud, clear, stunningly realistic audio reproduction for public spaces and private homes has been a JBL hallmark for more than 60 years. One way JBL has achieved that distinction is by using the most innovative technologies and materials in both their professional and consumer systems, up and down the product line. It’s how flagship products become bestsellers, and how JBL Pro Sound Comes Home™.
Introducing the New JBL LS Series
The new high-performance JBL LS Series loudspeakers share the design philosophy and signature Bi-Radial®-horn/compression-driver configuration of the widely acclaimed JBL Project Series – K2 and Array – as well as of the Everest DD66000 (RRP $80,000 pr), the most uncannily lifelike musical instrument ever to bear the JBL name. Considering its lineage, you can be forgiven for expecting greatness from the LS Series. Greatness was a design spec, and it’s the very thing these remarkable new loudspeakers were born to deliver.
Advanced Engineering Meets Exquisite Craftsmanship
JBL LS Series enclosures are more than just beautiful to look at; the wedge shape and gently curving side panels prevent unwanted internal resonance. High-mass MDF construction minimises sound colouration. A curved lower baffle prevents acoustic interference with the lower woofer, while gracefully transitioning into the gloss-finish, streak-ebony side panels, which are finished in a rich mahogany shade. Inclusions such as a luxury new grille fabric and adjustable heavy-duty floor spike with coasters help set the LS Series loudspeakers apart from lesser alternatives.
Shouts and Whispers: The LS Experience
The ideal home audio system doesn’t favour music over movies, or small rooms over large ones. The ideal home audio system has the raw power to reproduce bass and midrange frequencies without any effort of distortion at any listening level, as well as the finesse to deliver brilliantly clean high and ultrahigh-frequency sound directly to your ears, undiminished by interaction with walls and furniture.
In the high frequencies, LS Series speakers employ a constant-directivity HF compression driver and UHF ring tweeter in a unique computer-optimised baffle that suppresses phase interference and signal loss. Whereas some manufactures use horn drivers to dramatically increase sensitivity, JBL engineers designed their new components to provide the optimum blend of the highest possible sensitivity and vanishingly low distortion.
The realism of low-frequency sound is heightened with high-performance dual pulp-cone woofers in a staggered network design for exceptionally rich bass response. Working together, these technologies ensure that LS Series speakers render ‘out-of-this-world’ action sequences and delicate, otherworldly musical passages with equal clarity and accuracy. Music and movies are made to be enjoyed, and LS Series speakers are engineered to ensure that you’ll enjoy them to their fullest, whatever your taste in entertainment may be. The new JBL LS Series loudspeakers will be available from November 2008.
The JBL LS Series comprises of five models, including the EISA (European Imaging and Sound Association) award winning LS80 loudspeaker:
• LS40 – Compact bookshelf loudspeaker – RRP $2,299
• LS60 – Floorstanding tower speakers – RRP $3,799
• LS80 – Floorstanding tower speakers – RRP $4,999
• LS Centre – Dedicated centre channel loudspeaker – RRP $1,499
• LS120P – 300mm (12-inch), 400-watt powered subwoofer – RRP $1,999
