30 March 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
— Ultrahigh-End System Now Incorporates Improved Loudspeaker Drivers and Components; Will Be Featured in Active Demonstrations During Show Hours —
WOODBURY, NY — At Electronic House Expo 2006 (EHX), JBL, celebrating 60 years as a leading manufacturer of consumer and professional loudspeakers, will be exhibiting its upgraded JBL Synthesis Array Three complete custom-installation home theater and music system. The ultrahigh-end Synthesis Array Three now incorporates newly developed Synthesis Array Module (SAM) SAM 3VA and SAM 3HA vertical and horizontal loudspeakers, and the improved S4Ai multipolar vertical/horizontal in-wall surround-effects loudspeaker, to deliver an extraordinary level of sonic accuracy and musical realism.
The JBL Synthesis Array Three is designed for unmatched performance and operational flexibility in every respect. It features JBL’s most advanced loudspeaker technologies, in addition to THX Ultra-certified Synthesis electronics. The system will be demonstrated during show hours in a spectacular custom-installation 7.1-channel home theater setting at the Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Florida,
in Booth Demo Alley 202B (March 30 — April 1).
The JBL Synthesis Array Three system at EHX 2006 includes the following components:
• (2) SAM 3VA main vertical left and right front loudspeakers
• (1) SAM 3HA horizontal center channel loudspeaker
• (4) S4Ai multipolar in-wall surround loudspeakers
• (4) HT Series HTPS400 subwoofers
• SDP-5 surround processor/preamplifier
• SDEC2500A digital equalizer
• S7150 seven-channel power amplifier
Paul Bente, president of JBL Consumer Products, pointed out: “JBL Synthesis systems are designed to deliver nothing less than the ultimate cinema experience in the home — and our Synthesis Array Three system exemplifies our commitment to providing home entertainment solutions that offer the absolute highest levels of performance and versatility. At Electronic House Expo 2006, attendees will have a unique opportunity to experience Synthesis Array Three in an all-out, custom home theater installation that is sure to be one of the ‘must see’ highlights of the show.”
SAM 3VA and SAM 3HA Loudspeakers: Designed for Unsurpassed Sonic Performance
The SAM 3VA vertical loudspeaker and the SAM 3HA horizontal center channel loudspeaker are significantly improved from the previously available Synthesis S3VC, SHVC and S3M models. However, because they’re the same size as the older S3VC and S3HC, the SAM 3VA and SAM 3HA can easily replace them in existing installations. The SAM 3VA and SAM 3HA 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 loudspeakers. The Bi-Radial horns incorporate their midrange/high-frequency and ultrahigh-frequency transducers into a unified horn assembly. This design optimizes the horn’s dispersion pattern and tonal accuracy, both on- and off-axis. The addition of an ultrahigh-frequency transducer, which was not included in the previous models, provides extended frequency response to 40kHz for remarkably open, smooth and detailed high-frequency reproduction with a more natural quality of spaciousness and “air.”
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 woofer domes are also fabricated from Metal Matrix material, and bonded directly to the voice coil, not to the cone as in conventional woofer designs, to reduce mid-bass distortion to extremely low levels. The Metal Matrix material also helps to dissipate heat and improve power handling.
To further enhance performance, SAM 3VA and SAM 3HA woofers utilize JBL’s Symmetrical Field Geometry (SFG) circuit, a proprietary technology that lowers woofer distortion by maintaining a symmetrical magnetic field (unlike conventional woofer designs with asymmetrical magnetic fields) in the voice-coil gap. The uniform magnetic field around the voice coil ensures linear cone travel, provides high-power-handling capability, and significantly reduces harmonic distortion.
The woofers employ a unique dual-neodymium-magnet motor structure that places the magnets inside its large, 2-inch edge-wound aluminum voice coil, rather than using the conventional outside-the-voice-coil placement; this design provides increased acoustic output along with improved magnetic shielding. The motor structure also features strategically placed vents in the motor structure for highly efficient cooling.
The sonic result of these improvements is greatly increased clarity, resolution, presence and dynamic impact, a smooth, realistic tonal balance with a richly detailed midrange, and an enveloping sound field over a wider listening area.
S4Ai In-Wall Surround-Effects Loudspeaker: Upgraded Drivers and Components
The THX Ultra2-certified S4Ai multipolar vertical/horizontal in-wall surround-effects loudspeaker now includes controls on the outside of its enclosure that enable it to be easily switched to bipole, dipole or direct-radiating operation; the previous model required rewiring of the loudspeaker internally. In addition, the enclosure is now sealed. The S4Ai, when mounted vertically, can be installed between the standard 16-inch spacing that is used between most wall studs. It features three 1-inch pure-titanium tweeters operating in conjunction with JBL’s exclusive Elliptical Oblate Spheroidal (EOS) controlled-directivity waveguide, in addition to two 4-inch neodymium-magnet midrange drivers and an 8-inch dual-voice-coil inverted-dome woofer.
The S4Ai’s tweeters and midrange drivers are mounted in a moveable, internal subenclosure that allows the speaker to be mounted horizontally or vertically. The S4Ai’s drivers can be easily reconfigured, via electronic switching from a compatible JBL Synthesis surround processor/preamplifier, to provide either a dipole or bipole dispersion pattern (Cinema mode) or a direct-radiating dispersion pattern (Music mode). This versatility enables the S4Ai to deliver optimum performance for both movie soundtracks and multichannel music listening.
In addition, the S4Ai can be bi-amplified to serve as two separate speaker channels (the side surround and rear surround back channels) in a single enclosure, conserving installation space in a multichannel surround sound system. HTPS400 Subwoofer: Powerful, Extended Low-Frequency Response
Four JBL HT Series HTPS400 powered subwoofers will be used in the EHX 2006 demonstration system to deliver astonishing low-frequency impact to movie soundtracks and music. The THX Ultra-certified HTPS400 provides 1,000 watts of power output, and bass extension all the way down to 25Hz. It employs
a 12-inch ultrahigh-power woofer (driven by a Class D digital amplifier) in a forward-firing configuration to provide its exceptionally high-power output with high efficiency and reduced distortion. The HTPS400 features a full range of setup and adjustment controls, which enables it to achieve maximum low-frequency performance in any living environment.
SDP-5 Digital Surround Processor/System Controller: Exceptional Performance and Flexibility
The JBL Synthesis SDP-5 Digital Surround Processor/System Controller is a THX Ultra2-certified 7.1-channel preamplifier/processor that utilizes the most advanced digital technologies to achieve the highest possible resolution and fidelity. It incorporates an extensive complement of inputs, outputs and control functions, including high-bandwidth, HDTV-compatible component-video switching, independent multizone operation, advanced bass-management facilities, and RS-232 ports that enable integrated system control and software/firmware upgradeability.
The SDP-5 utilizes 24-bit, 192kHz audio D/A converters and multiple 32-bit DSP engines for the highest possible resolution, dynamic range and channel separation. It is compatible with popular surround sound formats, and includes Harman International’s proprietary Logic 7 processing, which delivers enhanced surround sound realism with movie soundtracks and music. Its other advanced features include assignable input channels, multiple DC trigger control outputs, rear-panel IR inputs, and internal upgrade slots and rear-panel access ports to accommodate possible future upgrades.
SDEC2500A Digital Equalizer: Precise Room-Acoustics Correction
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 compensates for these irregularities with far more precision than is available from traditional equalization methods, achieving extremely accurate in-room response and the highest possible sound quality. Because no two rooms are alike, JBL’s Digital Acoustic Calibration System (DACS) equalization system allows a JBL factory-trained-and-certified technician to literally custom-fit the sound of a Synthesis system to the room in which it is installed. The resulting tonal accuracy enables vocals, instruments and effects to be heard just as the recording engineers intended, with remarkable realism,
scale and placement in the surround sound mix.
The SDEC2500A offers a wealth of additional advanced features, including a 6-channel input and a 7-channel output; automatic arrival-time calibration for all the loudspeakers in a multichannel system; an Auto-Film-Screen-Compensation feature that automatically corrects for the attenuation in high-frequency output that can occur when a loudspeaker is located behind a projection screen; auto power-on; and sophisticated overload protection.
S7150 Multichannel Amplifier: Powerful, Versatile Multichannel Amplification
The S7150 amplifier in the JBL Synthesis Array Three system combines superlative sound quality with versatile installation options. The seven-channel S7150 provides a generous 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 is designed for extraordinary audio reproduction in every respect, with authoritative bass, a detailed, musically accurate midrange and pure, extended high frequencies. In particular, special attention is paid to minimizing the number of components in the audio-signal path to achieve extremely low distortion and exceptional transient response, and wide dynamic range, an element critical to realistic home cinema sound. The S710 interfaces with the other components in the Synthesis Array Three system for sophisticated automatic control capabilities, and is designed for reliable, foolproof operation under even the most demanding conditions of continuous operation at high volume levels.
JBL Synthesis systems are available exclusively from authorized JBL Synthesis dealers, all of whom are systems integration specialists. The turnkey systems are installed and calibrated by the installing dealer using a calibration kit that includes JBL’s proprietary DACS software and equipment and measurement microphones, and that interfaces with the SDEC2500A digital equalizer and computes the necessary corrections for accurate in-room frequency response. JBL Synthesis systems are covered by a two-year limited warranty for electronics, and a five-year limited warranty for loudspeakers, and are backed up with
a domestic 48-hour “no downtime” guarantee.
Suggested retail pricing for a JBL Synthesis Array Three system begins at $35,000.
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, Harman International, Bi-Radial, K2 and Logic 7 are registered trademarks, and
HT Series, Project Array, Elliptical Oblate Spheroidal, Digital Acoustic Calibration System and DACS are trademarks, of Harman International Industries, Incorporated.
THX, THX Ultra and THX Ultra2 are trademarks of THX Ltd., which may be registered in some jurisdictions.
All rights reserved.
