30 March 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
— JBL Synthesis Array Three Home Theater Audio System, Audioaccess W.H.E.N. (Whole-House Entertainment Network) Among Featured Systems and Products at EHX 2006 —
WOODBURY, NY — At Electronic House Expo 2006, JBL, celebrating 60 years as a leading manufacturer of professional and consumer loudspeakers, and Audioaccess, a division of JBL that provides advanced whole-house audio/video solutions, will be showcasing a broad variety of products that offer extraordinary performance and operational versatility in home entertainment systems and multiroom applications.
In what are sure to be two of the “must-see” exhibitions at EHX 2006, JBL will be featuring its newly upgraded, ultrahigh-end JBL Synthesis Array Three complete home theater and music system in active demonstrations during show hours in a spectacular 7.1-channel home entertainment installation. Audioaccess will be displaying its groundbreaking W.H.E.N. (Whole-House Entertainment Network) integrated home theater and multiroom audio/video system in a custom-installation home theater setting; W.H.E.N. will also be connected to multiple zones to demonstrate its advanced whole-house functionality.
Other featured products and systems will include the JBL Performance Series, a full range of turnkey home theater audio systems that include electronics and loudspeakers; the ultimate-performance JBL Project Array loudspeakers; the Audioaccess aDock iPod docking station and multiroom audio interface, and many additional innovative home entertainment solutions.
Paul Bente, president of JBL Consumer Products, stated: “In 2006, JBL and Audioaccess are committed to meeting the needs of custom-installation specialists, and systems integrators, and customers, as never before. At Electronic House Expo 2006, attendees will have a unique opportunity to experience our latest products and system solutions, which set new standards in sound quality and functionality in their respective categories, and redefine the performance capabilities of home entertainment in a number of significant areas.”
Following are highlights of JBL’s products and systems that will be featured at the Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Florida, in Booth Demo Alley 202B (March 30 — April 1).
JBL Synthesis Array Three: Delivering the Ultimate Home Theater Experience
JBL’s Synthesis Array Three system now incorporates the company’s newly developed Synthesis Array Module (SAM) SAM 3VA and SAM 3HA vertical and horizontal loudspeakers, and the improved Synthesis S4Ai multipolar vertical/horizontal in-wall surround-effects loudspeaker, to deliver an astonishing level of sonic accuracy and musical realism. The JBL Synthesis Array Three installation at EHX 2006 will feature these loudspeakers along with the Synthesis SDP-5 surround
processor/preamplifier, SDEC2500A digital equalizer and S7150 seven-channel power amplifier.
The SAM 3VA vertical loudspeaker and the SAM 3HA horizontal center channel loudspeaker are significantly improved from the models used in the previous Synthesis Three system. Both now incorporate exclusive JBL Bi-Radial-horn compression drivers, which share many of the driver technologies of JBL’s ultimate-performance Project Array and K2 S9800 Special Edition loudspeakers. The Bi-Radial horns incorporate their midrange/high-frequency and ultrahigh-frequency transducers into a unified horn assembly that optimizes the horn’s dispersion pattern and tonal accuracy. The addition of an ultrahigh-frequency transducer, which was not included in the previous models, provides extended frequency response to 40kHz for remarkably open and detailed high-frequency reproduction.
The SAM 3VA and SAM 3HA now employ dual 6-inch woofers that utilize exclusive JBL Metal Matrix technology, in which aluminum woofer cones are deep-anodized, producing rigid, yet lightweight, driver cones that provide superlative transient response and articulation. The woofers incorporate a host of additional enhancements to deliver greatly increased clarity, resolution and dynamic impact, a smooth, realistic tonal balance, and an enveloping sound field over a wider listening area.
The THX Ultra2-certified S4Ai multipolar vertical/horizontal in-wall surround-effects loudspeaker now includes controls on the outside of its redesigned sealed enclosure that enable it to be easily switched to bipole, dipole or direct-radiating operation. The S4Ai’s tweeters and midrange drivers can be reconfigured to provide either a dipole or bipole dispersion pattern to deliver optimum performance for both movie soundtracks and multichannel music listening. The S4Ai can also be bi-amplified to serve as two separate speaker channels in a single enclosure, conserving installation space in a multichannel surround sound system.
Four JBL HT Series HTPS400 powered subwoofers will be used in the EHX 2006 demonstration system to deliver astonishing low-frequency impact. The THX Ultra-certified HTPS400 provides 1,000 watts of power output, and bass extension all the way down to 25Hz. The HTPS400 features a full range of setup and adjustment controls, which enables it to achieve maximum low-frequency performance in any room.
The JBL Synthesis SDP-5 Digital Surround Processor/System Controller is a THX Ultra2-certified 7.1-channel preamplifier/processor that utilizes the most sophisticated digital technologies such as 24-bit, 192kHz audio D/A converters and multiple 32-bit DSP engines to achieve the highest possible resolution and fidelity. It incorporates an extensive complement of inputs, outputs and control functions, including HDTV-compatible component-video switching, independent multizone operation, RS-232 ports that enable integrated system control and software/firmware upgradeability, multiple DC trigger control outputs and IR inputs, and many additional advanced features.
The SDEC2500A THX-certified digital equalizer is an advanced-technology audio signal processor that optimizes the performance of a Synthesis multichannel system by the application of ultraprecise 83-band digital parametric equalization and leading-edge DSP technologies. In all rooms, there are powerful room resonances that overly emphasize some frequencies and attenuate others. The SDEC2500A precisely compensates for these irregularities to achieve extremely accurate in-room response.
The seven-channel S7150 amplifier in the JBL Synthesis Three system combines superlative sound quality with versatile installation options. The S7150 provides 160 watts into each channel (into 8 ohms, <0.03% THD), and can easily re-create sound levels equal to those of the original performances in even the largest of home-listening environments. The S7150 interfaces with the other components in the Synthesis Three system for sophisticated automatic control capabilities, and is designed for reliable, foolproof operation.
Suggested retail pricing for a JBL Synthesis Array Three system begins at $35,000.
Audioaccess W.H.E.N.: Advanced Whole-House System Flexibility
Audioaccess will be featuring its groundbreaking W.H.E.N. (Whole-House Entertainment Network) system at EHX 2006. W.H.E.N. is the company’s first integrated home theater and multiroom audio/video system designed exclusively for custom residential installation; it will begin shipping in spring 2006. The Audioaccess W.H.E.N. will be employed in a 7.1-channel custom-installation home theater setting in conjunction with JBL Studio L Series loudspeakers, which incorporate design innovations and technologies directly derived from JBL’s professional recording studio monitors to deliver superlative sound.
The W.H.E.N. system is based around the AVR21EN Audio Video Receiver/System Controller. The AVR21EN is the first audio/video component to integrate a 7.1-channel A/V receiver with a multiroom system controller in a single chassis. It offers exceptional audio and video performance, in addition to sophisticated source-control functions not provided by any other component of its type. This onboard source-control functionality eliminates the need for IR routers, splitters and power supplies to control program sources in the main room. The AVR21EN also features discrete IR-output control to each
IR-connected device–a major advantage over other systems that only have a common IR output because it allows for individual control over each connected device.
The AVR21EN controls outboard A/V sources via dedicated IR outputs, a digital signal transfer bus that distributes audio and control signals, and three RS-232 ports that enable two-way control of specific high-capacity DVD/CD changers. The AVR21EN provides an extensive array of advanced features, including five HDTV-compatible component video inputs, an HDMI-compatible digital-video output, two built-in FM/AM tuners and a built-in Auto EQ function, which automatically measures the frequency-response peaks and dips in the listening room, and applies a compensating equalization curve to achieve accurate in-room frequency response. The AVR21EN can be used in either a fully integrated whole-house system or as a stand-alone audio/video receiver.
The AVR21EN connects to an outboard W.H.E.N. AVH21 Audio Video Hub via a single Cat. 5 cable. Utilizing state-of-the-art technologies, the AVH21 distributes video using coaxial cable, and distributes audio and control signals to remote locations via Cat. 5 cable. It can accommodate up to seven audio and six video remote locations, and has video-routing capability for up to six video entertainment sources and seven video security cameras. Additional hubs and power supplies can be added to expand whole-house signal distribution for up to 20 rooms.
The Multiroom Hub links to a W.H.E.N. KP21 Amplified Display Keypad located in each remote zone. Three operating modes are offered: Entertainment, Audio/Video Security and Paging. The KP21 features a large LCD and offers intuitive control of up to six audio/video sources connected to the AVR21EN, two built-in AM/FM tuners and a local-zone source. The keypad includes a 50-watt-per-channel digital stereo amplifier to power a pair of speakers, as well as a local source input and preamp outputs for use with a subwoofer or external amplifier. The keypad also includes an IR sensor, enabling control from a handheld remote, and a built-in microphone, which enables it to function as part of a whole-house paging system.
W.H.E.N. system components also include a door keypad/camera module, which can be used as part of a video security system, and a full line of high-performance in-wall, in-ceiling and indoor/outdoor speakers including an in-wall subwoofer, all derived from JBL’s high-performance, industry-standard HTi Series. The Audioaccess W.H.E.N. system is highly scalable for use in both smaller residences and more expansive homes. Suggested retail pricing ranges from approximately $3,000 for a base home theater and two remote audio zones system to more than $20,000 for a large-scale system comprising a main home theater and 20 remote room locations.
JBL Studio L Series Loudspeakers: Studio-Quality Sound In the Home
The JBL Studio L Series home theater and stereo loudspeakers that will be used in the W.H.E.N. home theater demonstration incorporate design innovations and technologies directly derived from the company’s professional recording studio monitors to achieve exceptional sonic accuracy and musical realism.
The Studio L Series includes two wall-mount/bookshelf monitors (models L810 and L820); a compact bookshelf loudspeaker (model L830); two floorstanding towers (models L880 and L890); two dedicated center channel loudspeakers (models LC1 and the wall-mountable LC2); and a 12-inch, 600-watt powered subwoofer (model L8400P). Suggested retail prices for the Studio L Series range from $650 to $1,598 per pair.
A key JBL innovation that is incorporated into every Studio L Series loudspeaker (except the L8400P subwoofer) is a newly developed ultrahigh-frequency horn transducer that provides extended frequency response to 40kHz. The UHF transducer is complemented by a pure-titanium-dome tweeter housed within an exclusive Elliptical Oblate Spheroidal (EOS) waveguide. Both transducers are configured in a “room friendly” design that delivers sound that’s closer to the actual sound heard in a concert hall, and re-creates the acoustic environment captured on an original recording.
Studio L Series woofers and midrange drivers incorporate refinements such as JBL’s PolyPlas polymer-coated cellulose-fiber cones, which provide smooth frequency response with faster transients, and allow for higher playback levels without distortion. JBL Studio L Series loudspeakers also feature additional enhancements such as cabinets that are constructed to minimize the possibility of sonic coloration from internal resonances, and JBL’s Straight-Line Signal Path (SSP) crossover network, which ensures maximum sonic purity.
JBL Studio L Series models offer wall-, stand- and floor-mounting installation options to accommodate any home theater or music system. They feature a distinctively contemporary design, and are available in a cherry, beech or black-ash finish, making it easy to complement any decor.
Audioaccess aDock iPod Docking Station: Whole-House iPod Connectivity
The new Audioaccess aDock allows a compatible iPod to interface with an Audioaccess multiroom audio system, enabling the iPod to play music in any room in the system, and providing two-way operation of the iPod from a Color Audioaccess Touchscreen Controller (CATC) in a remote zone or a Web-enabled device such as a computer, Internet tablet or PDA.
The aDock is a tabletop holder that operates in conjunction with Audioaccess system interface components and the Audioaccess PX-700 Multiroom Audio Controller, a multiroom audio component that offers flexible whole-house music-distribution capabilities and exceptional sonic performance.
The aDock connects to an Audioaccess system via a single proprietary cable to either the Audioaccess CATC/2WSI Two-Way Serial Interface, or the CS-IP Audioaccess Control Server. Both products are flexible, “intelligent” two-way interface units that link an outboard home device, such as the aDock, with the PX-700 and the Color Audioaccess Touchscreen Controller, a wall-mountable touchscreen controller that provides operation of an Audioaccess PX-700-based multiroom audio system from a remote zone. Both devices interpret the data sent from the iPod and convert it for display on a CATC. In addition, the CS-IP provides an IP (Internet protocol) address and a user control display to a Web-enabled device, allowing a compatible PC, Internet tablet or other Web-compatible wired or wireless device, such as a PDA or cell phone, to control the iPod and the Audioaccess multiroom system.
The aDock provides a direct audio connection from the iPod to the system, and the iPod is also powered from the aDock. Menu information from the iPod is displayed on the CATC or Web-enabled device, and iPod music-playback functions are accessible via remote operation. The aDock can be used with all compatible iPod models featuring a docking connector.
The Audioaccess aDock will be available in spring 2006 at suggested retail pricing to be announced.
JBL Performance Series: A Complete Lineup of High-End Home Theater Audio Systems
The JBL Performance Series is a full range of high-end turnkey home theater audio systems that includes electronics and loudspeakers. The Performance Series offers a variety of multichannel home theater audio solutions, all designed to offer extraordinary sonic realism, along with unmatched operational flexibility and ease of use, in rooms of up to 5,000 cubic feet.
Each JBL Performance Series system is based around the Performance Series 7.1-channel AV1 Surround Processor/System Controller and AVA7 7-Channel Power Amplifier, both engineered to deliver state-of-the-art sound quality and connectivity in custom-installation home theater systems. JBL Performance Series systems can be configured with a broad range of matched 7.1- and 5.1-channel in-wall and on-wall speaker systems to accommodate specific customer and room applications.
A variety of loudspeakers is offered, including the Performance P941 and P81 advanced-technology in-wall speakers, the Performance PT800 tower main/surround loudspeaker, the Performance PC600 center channel speaker, the PS1400 14-inch, 400-watt powered subwoofer, and JBL’s HTPS400 12-inch, 1000-watt powered subwoofer, which features a compact enclosure that enables it to be easily situated in any room. The modular design of the on-wall speakers allows the PT800 tower to be stacked atop the PS1400 subwoofer, mounted separately on a wall or placed on optional available stands. All the speakers have a unique shallow-profile enclosure that requires a minimum of floor space, and all models are constructed using professional-quality JBL drivers and components. The P941 and P81 in-wall speakers incorporate front-panel listener-axis, high-frequency-contour, high-frequency-level and low-frequency boundary- compensation controls that allow precise sonic tailoring in any installation.
JBL will also introduce its innovative JBL BassQ Automatic Room Mode Correction (RMC) Processor, which can be added to any Performance Series system, in 2006. The BassQ RMC processor is a low-frequency-response correction component that utilizes supplied measurement microphones and advanced DSP equalization to compensate for the peaks and dips in frequency response that are inherent in every room, to achieve smooth, accurate bass response.
Pricing for JBL Performance Series systems ranges from approximately $15,000 for JBL’s Performance System 7 5.1-channel in-wall system to $30,000 for the JBL Premier Performance 7.1-channel on-wall and in-wall packages. All Performance Series systems are currently shipping.
JBL Project Array: A Breakthrough in Ultrahigh-End Loudspeaker Design
JBL’s ultrahigh-end Project Array loudspeakers utilize JBL’s innovative compression driver technologies and state-of-the-art dynamic drivers to take advantage of the sonic strengths of both designs. Project Array loudspeakers combine the exceptional dynamic range, transient response and “effortless” sound quality of horn-loaded compression drivers with the precise imaging, three-dimensional soundstage and articulate low-frequency impact provided by the finest dynamic drivers.
JBL Project Array models include the 1400 Array and 1000 Array floorstanding loudspeakers; the 800 Array stand-mounted loudspeaker; the 880 Array center channel loudspeaker; and the 1500 Array powered subwoofer with a built-in 1000-watt amplifier.
To achieve their superlative performance, the 1400 Array, 1000 Array and 800 Array loudspeakers feature Bi-Radial-horn compression drivers mounted vertically in a freestanding configuration. This design eliminates enclosure diffraction effects to provide ultrastable imaging and an expansive soundstage. The 880 Array employs a vertically mounted Bi-Radial-horn compression driver flanked by dual woofers to deliver articulate reproduction of dialogue and effects. The Bi-Radial drivers incorporate their midrange/high-frequency and ultrahigh-frequency transducers into a unified horn assembly that optimizes the horn’s dispersion pattern and tonal accuracy, both on- and off-axis. To complement these unique transducers, Project Array loudspeakers employ ultimate-quality low-frequency drivers that are engineered to deliver extended and articulate bass response. JBL Project Array loudspeakers are constructed from only the highest grade materials and components.
Project Array loudspeakers are as distinctive in appearance as they are in performance. All models are available in an elegant lacquered-wood finish, complemented by an ultraflat, soft-touch, rubberized black finish for the top surfaces — a unique design that blends classic and high-tech elements. JBL Project Array loudspeakers are currently available with suggested retail pricing beginning at $3,000 each.
The Harman Consumer Group (HCG) is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of a wide range of high-fidelity loudspeakers, audio and video components, and multimedia systems for use in homes and automobiles, and with computers. The group’s brands include JBL, Infinity, Harman Kardon, Mark Levinson, Revel, Audioaccess and Lexicon.
HCG is a division of Harman International Industries, Incorporated. Harman International (www.harman.com) is a leading manufacturer of high-quality, high-fidelity audio products and electronic systems for the automotive, consumer and professional markets. The company’s stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “HAR.”
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For additional information, contact:
Frank Doris
FM Group Public Relations
631-385-1304 ext. 402
frank.doris@fm-group.net
JBL, Synthesis, JBL Synthesis, Audioaccess, Bi-Radial, K2 and Harman International are registered trademarks, and W.H.E.N., Performance Series, Project Array, Studio Series, HTi Series, Elliptical Oblate Spheroidal, PolyPlas, Straight-Line Signal Path, BassQ and Room Mode Correction are trademarks, of Harman International Industries, Incorporated.
iPod is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.
THX, THX Ultra and THX Ultra2 are trademarks of THX Ltd., which may be registered in some jurisdictions.
All rights reserved.
