Forever Young
To celebrate 75 years, JBL wants to blow your hair back – again.
AMERICAN AUDIO SPECIALIST JBL turns 75 this year, which is no small feat in an industry where technology transitions faster than Chopin’s Minute Waltz. To commemorate, the brand has released a pair of components (US$5,500) that recall two of its classics, upgraded for the modern listener and scheduled to arrive in Singapore in the third quarter. One of JBL’s most iconic products is its mid-century-styled L100 loudspeaker, launched 51 years ago and made famous by the Maxell cassette-tape ad in which a listener, wearing shades and hunkered down in a Le Corbusier armchair, is blown back by the sound emanating from a single L100 on the floor. After decades out of production, that well-loved sound box was reintroduced in autumn 2018; to honour its diamond anniversary, JBL has unveiled a new version, the L100 Classic 75 loudspeaker.
While the Classic 75 resembles the 1970s original, the limited run of 750 numbered pairs is distinguished by a black Quadrex foam grille and genuine teakwood veneer.
While the Classic 75 resembles the 1970s original, the limited run of 750 numbered pairs is distinguished by a black Quadrex foam grille and genuine teakwood veneer. It also incorporates entirely different internals, including new drivers such as the one-inch titanium dome tweeter and the 5.25-inch cast-frame, pure-pulp cone midrange. Solid bass (down to 40Hz) comes from a 12-inch cast-frame woofer marked by a purepulp cone in JBL’s signature white. Technical enhancements include a revised crossover network, as well as the ability to bi-wire with dual sets of gold-plated binding posts. The new Classics are shipped in a wooden crate embellished with limited-edition artwork and include a set of dedicated JS-120 floor stands.
Also part of the milestone lineup is the new SA750 Integrated Amplifier (US$3,000). Its thick, milled-aluminium faceplate and knobs are a direct take on JBL’s integrated amplifiers from the 1960s, but the retro look conceals decidedly modern power, with the ability to deliver 120 watts into eight ohms – plenty of juice to drive the efficient L100s to rockconcert levels. Incorporating a digitalto-analogue converter with full Master Quality Authenticated file decoding, plus streaming and connectivity options, the SA750 also features a versatile phono stage. And with builtin Dirac Live room calibration, sound is further optimised so that lower frequencies aren’t lost in translation. Which means, even at 75, the hearing is better than ever.