1902 | James B Lansing born in Illinois. |
1927 | Lansing Manufacturing Company founded in Los Angeles |
1934 | Douglas Shearer of MGM heads team which designs first practical loudspeaker system for motion picture use. Lansing builds components for the system. |
1937 | Shearer system awarded citation by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and sciences. |
1941 | Lansing Manufacturing Company acquired by Altec Service Company. |
1943 | Lansing develops improved manufacturing methods, including flat wire milling and high-speed winding of ribbon wire voice coils. |
1943 | Lansing designs the 604 Duplex loudspeaker. |
1944 | Lansing and Hilliard redefine the state of the art for the motion picture theater with the A-4, dubbed Voice of the Theatre. |
1946 | Lansing founds a new company, James B. Lansing Sound, Incorporated, to pursue new directions in transducer and sound system design. |
1947 | JBL introduces the D-130 15″ loudspeaker, which was the first known use of a 4″ flat wire voice coil in a cone transducer. |
1949 | James. B. Lansing dies; William Thomas becomes company president. |
1954 | JBL introduces the model 375 high-frequency compression driver. This was the first commercially available 4″ diaphragm driver and afforded flat response to 9 kHz. |
1954 | JBL introduces a family of acoustic lenses, developed by Locanthi. |
1954 | Model 075 high-efficiency, high-frequency ring radiator introduced. |
1955 | Leo Fender of musical instrument fame incorporates the model D-130 into his famous guitar amplifiers, signaling JBL’s entry into the music reinforcement field. |
1958 | JBL introduces the Paragon stereophonic loudspeaker system, incorporating a cylindrical reflecting principle for superior stereophonic imaging in the home. |
1962 | JBL introduces the first two-way studio monitor using a high-frequency compression driver with acoustical lens. |
1965 | JBL introduces the-“T-circuit” output configuration for high performance solid state amplifiers. |
1968 | JBL introduces the 4310-three-way bookshelf monitor. This system lives on through the models 4311 and 4312. |
1969 | Sidney Harman acquires JBL from William Thomas. The company embarks on a period of accelerated international growth through the Harman distribution companies. |
1969 | The L-100, a consumer version of the 4311, is introduced, eventually reaching sales of 125,000 pairs during the decade of the seventies. |
1969 | JBL transducers power Woodstock and other major rock festivals. |
1973 | JBL introduces the expanded line of 4300-series monitors, including the industry’s first four-way designs. |
1975 | JBL introduces Model 4682 “Strongbox” Line Array. |
1976 | JBL’s monitors rank first in the US recording industry survey conducted by Billboard. |
1977 | JBL moves to new location in Northridge, California. |
1979 | JBL introduces patented diamond surround diaphragm technology for high frequency resonence control. |
1979 | JBL developes SFG Symetrical Field Geometry magnet structures. |
1980 | JBL introduces patented Bi-Radial© Constant-Coverage horn technology. |
1981 | Bi-Radial monitors introduced. Building on the acoustical concept of flat power response, the 4400-series monitors quickly gain acceptance by the recording industry. |
1981 | L250 four-way consumer system introduced. |
1982 | Titanium is introduced as a diaphragm material in compression drivers. |
1983 | The model 4660 defined coverage system. Based on Bi-Radial technology, the system provides tailored coverage for speech application in rectangular spaces. |
1984 | Titanium dome tweeters are introduced into consumer products, providing superlative response to 27 kHz. |
1984 | UREI acquired by JBL, bringing electronics design and manufacturing expertise to JBL’s traditional line of loudspeaker components. |
1984 | The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences selects JBL components for the new system in the Samuel Goldwyn Theater. |
1985 | The Everest DD 55000 system is selected by Japan’s Stereo Sound as Product of the Year. |
1986 | JBL introduces the first Control® Series multi-purpose molded enclosure loudspeakers. |
1988 | JBL acquires the British Soundcraft line of recording consoles for recording and reinforcement applications. |
1989 | The Directors’ Guild of America selects JBL components for the systems in their Hollywood headquarters building. |
1990 | JBL develops patented VGC (Vented Gap Cooling) for raising the thermal power limits of low frequency transducers. |
1991 | JBL’s K-2 loudspeaker system is selected by Japan’s Stereo Sound as Product of the Year. |
1991 | JBL introduces first Pro Audio Neodymium woofer debuting in JBL Array Series. |
1992 | JBL introduces new lower midrange compression driver with matching horns. |
1993 | JBL develops new “rapid flare” low distortion compression driver and matching family of horns. |
1995 | JBL introduces the revolutionary EON System powered loudspeaker, with multiple patented design technologies. |
1995 | First-ever patented dual coil Differential Drive® Loudspeaker for pro sound reinforcement. |
1996 | HLA Series with patented Space Frame® array element design, multi-band waveguide and composite subwoofer enclosure introduced. |
1999 | JBL is the official “Sound of Woodstock”. First in 1969, then in 1994 and again in 1999. |
2000 | JBL announces VERTEC™ Line Array System, which debuts at the Democratic National Convention. |
2000 | JBL introduces the EVO® intelligent loudspeaker system with DSP self-control. |
2001 | JBL VERTEC system used for Presidential Inauguration, Washington, D.C., for a crowd of 300,000 persons. |
2002 | JBL VERTEC system used for major special events including the Superbowl, the Grammy Awards and the World Cup Opening Ceremony (Seoul, Korea). |
2002 | JBL’s John Eargle, Mark Engebretsen and Don Keele receive a Scientific/Technical Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science honoring their development of cinema loudspeaker systems using constant-directivity horns and vented-box low frequency enclosures, first embodied in the JBL 4675. |
2002 | JBL’s Bernard Werner and William Gelow receive a Technical Achievement Award for “the engineering and design of filtered line arrays and screen spreading compensation as applied to motion picture speaker systems” as employed in JBL ScreenArray © cinema loudspeaker. |
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