JBL celebrates 80 years of innovating in sound: from classic cinema to the Bluetooth era and the cutting edge of immersive sound

The company, a subsidiary of Harman, has celebrated this 80th birthday con Amsterdam (Netherlands) as a backdrop, specifically in the Club JBLthe company’s headquarters in Europe, with a immersive experience to know its entire historyfrom the 40s to the present.

This experience, called Playback Galleryis based on a traveling museum that will travel the world this year to commemorate eighty years of sound, beginning with the founding of JBL in October 1946, although the story dates back to 1927 when the engineer James B. Lansing He began working manufacturing radio speakers in Los Angeles (United States).

ITS BEGINNINGS IN INNOVATION: FROM CINEMA TO THE HOME

The history of the firm began its adventures with the arrival of sound cinema and soundtracks in the early 1990s 1930when B.Lansing joined the studio engineering group of the film and television production and distribution company Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) in 1934 to create the first two-way cinema audio systemknown as the Shearer Horn.

Under this environment of innovation, James B. Lansing launched create his own brand and founded JBL (James B.Lansing Sound Incorporated) en 1946a company designed both to innovate and create professional sound technological categories, and to transfer these technologies to the home environment.

An example of this adaptation of sound technology for the home was the Lansing Iconic launched in the 1930s, a small version of movie speakers designed for recording studios, which was also sold for the home in 1937 as the Lansing Iconic Salonbefore even creating JBL as such, as reflected in the exhibition.

However, what marked the official birth of the JBL brand was the D130 (in 1946), a versatile speaker that has also been included as a main piece in the exhibition and that allowed its use in both movie theaters and musical environments, including everything from the world of rock to home equipment, being a pioneer for its high-fidelity sound and its 15-inch size.

Already in the 50sSpecifically in 1957, JBL launched another of its key devices to bring music closer to the home. It is the case of Paragonthe first piece of stereo equipment which, with the appearance of living room furniture, was a luxury object that cost around $2,200 and was used by relevant figures such as Frank Sinatra and United States President Richard Nixon. So much so, that Only a thousand units were produced between 1957 and 1983.

Along with the Paragon, JBL also exhibits the Lancer 99 (1964), a pillar in the evolution of the company towards the modern powered speakersmaintaining the high audio quality characteristic of the brand.

Jumping into the next decade, JBL also displays the loudspeaker at the exhibition JBL 4320 (initially called D50SMS7), which continued to innovate in sound, establishing itself as the reference monitor in recording rooms during the 60s.

SETTING THE RHYTHM FROM THE 70S TO THE 90S

Following this line, during the 70’s reigned JBL L100which is also present in the exhibition. This model emerged as an evolution of the JBL 4310 studio monitor and was presented to the public in 1971. It also stands out for including a Striking design for the first time for a speaker, thanks to its central grille made of a material similar to foam rubber in orange, while all the speakers of the time were black.

As the company highlights, this speaker was not cheap at the time, with a price of $550, however, it was known as the ““best hi-fi speaker of the decade and a benchmark for the sound of ‘rock and roll'” from the west coast of Los Angeles. Thus, 125,000 pairs were sold in the 70s alone.

The it was from the 80s and 90s It also had great JBL references, such as the 250Tiwhich was presented in 1982 as a 14 inch speaker and in 1985 with a new version with a titanium dome. This speaker with a shape of torre triangular It remained during the 90s and was presented again in 1998 as the 250Ti Jubilee.

Finally, in 1998 JBL presented its first JBL Harmony portable speaker, which included for the first time a battery and CD player, as well as an AM/FM radio.

SOUND IN THE DIGITAL AND BLUETOOTH ERA

With the entry of new digital music playback devicesjust as with the era of bluetooth connection, JBL knew adapt and continue to innovate. Thus, it was one of the first companies to launch audio bases.

It is the case of On Stagea speaker with a 30-pin connector launched in 2004, just when Apple presented its new iPod device, led by Steve Jobs. Thus, it allowed connect iPod directly to speaker acting as an audio dock and reproducing the content for any space.

Later, in 2010launched the OnBeat Xtreme and was the first JBL speaker with connection Bluetooth and also portable, as it runs on four AAA batteries. Two years later, the JBL Flip family, which now has seven editions in more than 14 years of development.

All of this leads JBL to the presentwith a wide variety of products ranging from wireless headphones to outdoor speakers to portable speakers for the home. Proof of this are their latest devices for 2026 also presented during the event at Club JBL, such as the new PartyBox 330 and 130 party speakers, the new JBL Live headphones and the JBL Live 4 headphones in different formats.

A STORY OF LEADERSHIP

Taking all this into account, it can be seen that even before the founding of JBL as a company, James B. Lansing has established itself as a leader in innovation in the audio sectoroffering solutions for both recording studios professionals as for systems home entertainmentpassing through cultural moments of high importance such as Woodstock festivals in New York or Tomorrowland.

This is because the company’s engineers have been able to create technologies that have transformed the way sound is created and perceived, which has given the brand awards like the Oscar for his achievements in sound engineering. Furthermore, it has been a leading brand in design, bringing sound closer to the luxury sector, laptops and car audio, as the company has recalled.

Today, JBL continues to maintain its leadership in the audio sector, with millions of people who listen to the music they like through their portable speakers and headphones. Furthermore, JBL Professional devices continue to equipping more than 40 percent of cinemas globallyalso including stadiums, recording studios or concert halls, thanks to its quality sound.

“For 80 years, JBL’s engineering legacy has been the benchmark for high-fidelity audio, and that standard lives on in every JBL product made today,” said Harman Lifestyle Division President Dave Rogers.

Looking to the future, JBL intends continue shaping sound with a focus on cutting-edge technologiessuch as spatial audio, adaptive soundscapes and immersive listening experiences.

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