The Million Yen, 40 / 25 / 70 kg club

[Al ears]

Altec A4. 1,650,000 Yen in 1985. 290 kgs.

Cinema refurb / closing down watchlist.

The A4's are lifestyle models compared to the A2's...

A4 back left. A2 back right.

A2's were 2,680,000 Yen 1985. 528 kg!

I can clearly see why the A2's are displayed in a barn..... The A4's are obviously designed to you to build a house around rather than fit in a room.

Speakers of this type were pivotal to the developement of hi-fi speakers but thet were built for the cinema, not for the home (or barn).

The advent of sound in cinemas at the end of the 1920s was the single most important driving force in sound reproduction. The demand was enormous and the requirements of the cinemas were what drove the industry. Power amplifiers, valve of course, were fairly modestly powered and the bandwidth of the cinema soundtrack was not wide. This lead to the kind of speakers shown in Lindsayt's post, Altec being the market leaders in the '30s and '40s.

Despite their size, they were not built for bass extension, rather for mid bass efficiency which could easily surpass 100dBw and lead to the classic 'bin and horn' loudspeaker systems that held sway in professional applications through to the end of 1970s.

High sensitivity and controlled directivity were the order of the day and of course form follows function. With the advent of 'music in the home' after the second world war these were the starting point for home speakers. Systems were mono in those days so the developement of corner horns by Paul Klipsch and James Lansing were some of the first speakers designed specifically for home use.

The advent of stereo was the first factor to drive down size to something more useable, horn loading the bass drivers gave way to more compact reflex enclosures and the latest versions of those designs can be seen in the JBL Everest models shown above. Back in the mid '70s I owned several JBL 15 inch and horn systems, most notably my 4332 studio monitors.

Yes, I know... I was attempting a joke #failed #obviously

 

[Vladimir]

The Hartsfield has to be credited with establishing JBL's reputation as builders of the finest loudspeaker available. This is not hyperbole. In a 1955 article on the hi-fi industry, Life magazine called the Hartsfield "the ultimate dream speaker". High Fidelity magazine stated in another 1955 article, "of all of the Klipsch derived family, one speaker, in my estimation, is noticeably superior - the Lansing Hartsfield."

The Hartsfield was introduced in 1954 to near universal acclaim that reached a pinnacle with the publication of the previously mentioned Life magazine article. The publicity generated by that article resulted in an immediate jump in name recognition and sales for JBL. JBL's Los Angeles location, in the center of the movie and recording industry, resulted in the sale of a number of Hartsfield systems to local celebrities. This fact was played up in subsequent marketing campaigns to great success.

In 1964, the driver configuration was changed to add the 075 ring radiator to make a three-way system. This addressed a long standing limitation of the Hartsfield -- a restricted high frequency bandwidth. The 375 driver never did extend much beyond 10Khz. In the 1950's, this was not that significant since most recordings were also restricted in high end response. However, by the 1960's it was common for recordings to contain information that reached into the highest octaves. The new 085 configuration, consisting of the 150-4C bass driver, 375 midrange, 537-509 horn, 075 tweeter, N400(or N500H) and N7000 cross-overs, could now boast a bandwidth that would extend beyond the limits of human hearing.

Unfortunately, 1964 was also the last year of production for the Hartsfield. Its discontinuance was related to the success of stereo reproduction. The requirement for a corner placement was not a significant issue when only one speaker had to be located in a monaural system. However, a stereo system required two, unobstructed, adjacent corners that were reasonably spaced. Not every home could accommodate this requirement and thus the available market was restricted.

Nonetheless, the success and impact of the Hartsfield to JBL cannot be overstated. According to Margaret Thomas, the wife of Bill Thomas and a long time JBL employee, the Hartsfield "made" JBL. It was that speaker that gave the company national recognition. It was in large part responsible for sales increases that would average over 50% a year for the next three years.

In action at Kenrick Sound 1 / 2

 

[lindsayt]

JBL Hartsfields weigh over 110 kgs. A stereo pair cost about $1470 new in the States (that's about 530,000 yen). Inflation makes it more difficult for 1950's products to get into the Million Yen club.

 

[Vladimir]

I was inspired by Dave's post. A pair of Hartsfields will set you back these days anywhere from $30K-$50K (3.5 to 6 million yen).

 

[Vladimir]

In 1954 exchange rates ¥360 = $1.

$1,470 = ¥529,200

In 2011, 529,200.00 ¥ from 1954 is worth:

3,010,000.00 ¥ using the Consumer Price Index

2,750,000.00 ¥ using the GDP deflator

10,500,000.00 ¥ using the average monthly wage

22,100,000.00 ¥ using the nominal GDP per capita

4,250,000.00 ¥ using the real GDP per capita

31,900,000.00 ¥ using the nominal GDP

 

[davedotco]

The Hartsfield was a big selling speaker in it's day, it was the advent of stereo and, to a degree, the extended frequency reponse available from LP records that caused it's demise.

JBL looked to move the state of the art forward, but had two big problems. The first was easy enough, relacing the corner mounted bass horn with a reflex enclosure reduced size and freed up the speaker from the required corner location but the high frequency dispersion was more difficult.

For cinema use, controlled directivity was everything, sectoral and multicellular horns were the name of the game but these were not suited to domestic use because of their uneven, beamed response in the near field. The acoustic lense, as fitted to the Hartsfield was reasonably effective in the midband but HF 'scatter' from the folded plates was not so nice at higher frequencies.

JBL tried to solve this issue by designing speakers with a near omnidirectional approach, reflex loaded bass drivers and multiple mid and HF units with complex horn loading, built into unusual and distinctively styled enclosure. The Aquarius range was critically acclaimed in some quarters but not that successful commercially, only the elegant Aquarius 4 made it into the '70s with JBL moving to more conventional designs such as the L100 and L200 models. The very small production numbers make the Aquarius !, 2 and 3 immensly collectable, in some cases (the 3) only pre-production models were ever built.

http://www.audioheritage.org/html/profiles/jbl/aquarius.htm

 

[davedotco]

Having got this far I have to include this....

http://www.audioheritage.org/html/profiles/jbl/paragon.htm

 

[Vladimir]

That is a really big soundbar!

"

The reflective wall was an invention by Major Richard H. Ranger.

 

[lindsayt]

Ah yes, the Paragon. 1,680,000 Yen in 1965. 266kgs. Later versions were heavier and the price drifted up to 3,500,000 in 1984.

Given a choice, I'd rather try Hartsfields than Paragons. Hartsfields are one of many components that sold for 300,000 yen to 900,000 yen that are worth trying - at the right price. But that could be a story for a different thread...

It'd be interesting to compare bass transient performance of the Hartsfields against the later reflex loaded JBL's such as the 4355's.

 

[davedotco]

Ah yes, the Paragon. 1,680,000 Yen in 1965. 266kgs. Later versions were heavier and the price drifted up to 3,500,000 in 1984.

Given a choice, I'd rather try Hartsfields than Paragons. Hartsfields are one of many components that sold for 300,000 yen to 900,000 yen that are worth trying - at the right price. But that could be a story for a different thread...

It'd be interesting to compare bass transient performance of the Hartsfields against the later reflex loaded JBL's such as the 4355's.

Interesting thought that but the Paragon aside, JBL stopped production of the Hartsfield in '64 and never produced a horn loaded domestic speaker again.

The better comparison would be to compare the Hartsfieid with the 4320, the 4320 was developed at a time that the Hartsfield was reaching the end of it's life, the earliest models were finding there way into recording studios, most notably Capitol records in '62-63.

The bass drivers were rebuilt to suit reflex loading and power capability increased to compensate for the lower efficiency, the new 2420 compression driver was used and the crossover point moved upward. The 4320 had a wider bandwith than the Hartsfield, roughly similar output levels but a more 'neutral' response, the imense presence of the Hartsfield being replaced by a smoother more refined response.

The 4320 lays claim to being the first purpose built studio monitor, though both Altec and Tannoy have their own claims, it was refined over the years and a version, the L200 was released into the hi-fi market at the begining of the '70s. To finally answer your question, the 4320 was condidered too 'dry' for home use, the 2215 bass driver (LE15A) was produced with a lighter cone, (the LE15B) to improve transient response at the cost of bass extension and give the speaker a little more 'character'.

Interestingly, some studios fitted the LE15B to their 4320s, the 'unofficial' 4325, so JBL produced a pro version, the 2216. This suggests that the shift from horn loading to reflex loading was not without it's issues as you seem to suggest. The revision of the 4320 into the 4330 series used new, higher powered bass drivers to take advantage of the more powerful amplifiers becoming available and JBL monitor design started moving in a very different direction.

In some respects, the direct descendent of the Hartsfield were the early Westlake TM1. essentially two way designs like the Hartsfield the bass horn was replaced by twin reflex loaded 15 inch drivers, same mid/high compression driver but with a custom built 'diffraction' horn replacing the horn/lense of the Hartsfield. The TM1 had the 2405 super tweeter, derived from the 075 (2402) ring radiator that was fitted to later Hartsfields.

 

[lindsayt]

JBL 4320, 390,000 Yen in 1973 (410,000 Yen for 4320WX). 39kgs. Making them rather less expensive and much lighter than the Hartsfields.

 

[davedotco]

JBL 4320, 390,000 Yen in 1973 (410,000 Yen for 4320WX). 39kgs. Making them rather less expensive and much lighter than the Hartsfields.

As I said above though in many ways the direct descendant, the 4320 was a very different speaker. It was a much less sensitive design but had a smoother response and greater bandwidth. It did not have the character of the Hartsfield but it was able to handle the new generation of high powered amplifiers which the Hartsfield could not.

The 4320 was of course the pro solution, the hi-fi equivelents were the Sovereign and the Olympus series, which were, in effect enclosures only both of similar size but different styles.

They were mostly configured with the S7 and S8 speaker sets, pretty much to order. The S7 included the LE15A bass driver, 85 compression driver with the short horn and lense. These units were identical to those used in the 4320 by the mid '60s. The S8 used twin bass drivers, the massive 375 compression driver and the 075 supertweeter. There were variations too as they could be ordered with dfferent combinations including, rare for JBL, passive radiators in place of the second bass driver.

These are Olympus models with the full S8 system fitted, probably fit your price/weight criteria. The sovereign was identical but with a more 'traditional' styling.

 

[Vladimir]

 

[steve_1979]

Nice bumps.

 

[lindsayt]

I don't know (and can't find) the original selling price or weight of either of those RCA speakers.

There's a school of thought that speakers can sound better - at least in some ways - if the wadding is removed and the cabinet walls are beefed up.

 

[Vladimir]

¥1,480,000 / 42kg for the XX power amp alone and the XXP preamp additional ¥750,000 / 11.5kg. Developed by Matti Otala, this was Harman's "The Ultimate Amplifier" project.

Here is a copy of the Citation XX White Paper. An interesting read IMO.

 

[lindsayt]

Probably priced over 1 million yen new in 1966. 400kg active speakers.

 

[lindsayt]

3 million pounds. Not sure of the weight. I'm assuming it's in excess of 70kgs?

This the first item mentioned in this thread for which I wouldn't have high expectations for the sound quality on offer.

 

[matt49]

3 million pounds. Not sure of the weight. I'm assuming it's in excess of 70kgs?

This the first item mentioned in this thread for which I wouldn't have high expectations for the sound quality on offer.

I have to congratulate you on finding a picture of what must be among the ugliest speakers ever made. Well done!

 

[DocG]

3 million pounds. Not sure of the weight. I'm assuming it's in excess of 70kgs?

This the first item mentioned in this thread for which I wouldn't have high expectations for the sound quality on offer.

I have to congratulate you on finding a picture of what must be among the ugliest speakers ever made. Well done!

They look like sumo-wrestlers!

I guess they don't depreciate much over time though, their cabinets being solid gold, IIRC.

 

[lindsayt]

With gold costing £25,000 per kg, we just need to find out how much the cabinets weigh. Plus a check that they are solid 24 carat gold.

 

[lindsayt]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-PAIR-JBL-4350-SPEAKER-SYSTEM-/141676697778?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20fc96d8b2

This is a good example of the sort of item I'd buy if I weren't already speakered up. About a million yen when new. 120 kg's. At least £1000 below the usual going rate for this model, due to scruffy cabinets.

 

[lindsayt]

On US ebay at the moment there's 85 kgs / 1.3 million yens worth of JBL 6290 high end, high powered solid state amplification for $339.

You'd want to either sound proof the rack or place it in a different room to your speakers. US mains voltage too.

 

[chebby]

On US ebay at the moment there's 85 kgs / 1.3 million yens worth of JBL 6290 high end, high powered solid state amplification for $339.

You'd want to either sound proof the rack or place it in a different room to your speakers. US mains voltage too.

clicky

It specifies "May not ship to United Kingdom"

and ...

"Can not ship Local Pick up only" (from Seattle)

He'll only deliver if you actually live in Seattle!