Jbl K2S9800DG, K2S9800MG, K2.S9800WG, K2 S9800SE User Manual

Project K2 S9800

CHAPTER 1
P re f a c e

J B L wishes to thank you for selecting a
P roject K2 S9800loudspeaker system.
It represents the sum total of our re­search and developmental efforts in
sound reproduction over the last half
c e n t u r y. We have labored to create a
loudspeaker system with no acoustical
or electrical limitations whatsoever.
While the P roject K2 S9800 l o u d-
speaker is itself a new development,
the goal behind it goes right back to
the earliest days of the original James
B. Lansing Sound Company.

But it is your listening pleasure that
ultimately determines how successful
we are in this endeavor. It is solely in
the interest of ensuring a perfect listen­ing experience that we ask you to
faithfully follow the set-up and opera­tion procedures outlined in the P ro j e c t

K2 S9800 Owner’s Refere n c e.

This manual exists for several purpos­es. As your owner's manual, it contains
all necessary background information
and detailed instructions for setting up
your P roject K2 S9800 l o u d s p e a k e r
system, including unpacking the loud­s p e a k e r, selecting the correct location,
speaker wire, wiring scheme and
amplification, and connecting it up to
its associated electronics. This infor­mation will be found in Chapters 4
through 8. In addition, we have includ­ed a detailed description of your
P roject K2 S9800 l o u d s p e a k e r s
(Chapter 3) so that you may become
thoroughly acquainted with its unique
design and technological features.

Although physically and materially
imposing, the set-up procedure of the
P roject K2 loudspeaker system is rela­tively simple. We strongly urge you to
read this manual thoroughly before you
begin, and consult it frequently
throughout the process. Considerations
must be made in placing the speakers;
their stature makes it imperative that
you become familiar with the entire
set-up process in advance.

Also, we believe that the historical and
technical information included will add
immeasurably to your total enjoyment
of the loudspeaker system. As a loud­s p e a k e r, P roject K2 S9800is unparal-
leled in the field of sound reproduction.
The story and principles behind it are
an interesting, informative and fitting
precursor to a lifetime of musical
e n j o y m e n t .

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Project K2 S9800

CHAPTER 2
Legacy-the historical development of

the JBL P r o j e c t l o u d s p e a ke r s

Of those few who seek perfection in
sound reproduction, only a handful have
actually achieved it. The price is always
high. It is a rare occurrence indeed
when an individual or group is able to
triumph over the constraints of econom­ic and technological reality just once.

At JBL, this has happened six times. In
each case, its engineers were told to
build the speaker system they had
always wanted to build. W h a t e v e r
resources were required would be made
available. Thus began an ongoing inves­tigation into new frontiers of sound
reproduction, beginning mid-century in
1950 and continuing to the present day.

The products that have resulted from
this venture are now known as the JBL
P ro j e c t loudspeakers. Each represents
the absolute peak of every technologi­cal, material and engineering innovation
available at that time, combined into a
single system. They are H a r t s fi e l d ,

Pa ragon, Everest, K2 S9500/7500 and
K2 S5500.The newest is K2 S9800.

Although differing in performance
details and physical attributes, each of
the P ro j e c t loudspeakers has shared a
common objective: to elevate sound
reproduction to levels defined only by
the limitations of existing materials and
t e c h n o l o g y. And despite a spread of
nearly fifty years, all P ro j e c t l o u d s p e a k-
ers have shared many common features-

testimony to their foundation on the
technology and manufacturing tech­niques upon which JBLwas built.

D e fining the P r o j e c tC o n c e p t

The H a r t s fi e l d began a tradition at JBL
that continues today. First, engineer a
product as close to perfection as pos­sible. When it reaches that level, that is
the time to make it better.

In 1954, the H a r t s fi e l d was significant
not in that it represented n ewt e c h n o l -
o g y, but rather a new level of the all­technical manufacturing approach pio­neered by James B. Lansing some
twenty years before it. Like its P ro j e c t
series successors, it was a high eff i c i e n­cy system incorporating compression
driver technology, one combining the
qualities of high output, low distortion,
exceptional stereo imaging and fatigue­free listening. Most important, it was
the first consumer-available listening
system to do so.

In this respect, P roject K2 S9800is at
once the most advanced and sophisticat­ed loudspeaker in the world today a n d a
speaker whose technology is deeply
rooted in over 50 years of tradition.
JBL's president in 1954, W i l l i a m
Thomas, described the Hartsfield as
"...the speaker system we have always
wanted to build ... the finest compo­nents ever made available to serious lis­t e n e r s . "

2

He went on to describe the process
behind his creation: “Most people who
own and appreciate fine sound repro­duction equipment look forward to the
day when they will be able to assemble
a system without limitation in just
exactly the way they think it should be
done. Periodically a manufacturer gets
this same feeling ... The science of
acoustics has provided us with basic
principles-available to all for achieving
precision reproduction. It is only a mat­ter of incorporating these methods into a
system design, and then taking every bit
of trouble necessary to build a system
precisely to the design.”

"It isn't easy, but that's the way it is
d o n e . "

The R a n ge r- Pa rag o n , JBL's second
P ro j e c t system, was the first serious
attempt at a reflecting speaker system,
and broke ground in the new concept of
stereo imaging. Essentially two inde­pendent full-range speaker systems
installed in a handsome curved cabinet
nearly 9 feet long, the Pa rag o n ' s e n c l o-
sure was treated as an extension of its
transducers. In essence, the system had
its own "built-in acoustics." In many
respects the Pa rag o nanticipated loud-
speaker developments that would occur
years-and even decades-later.

For nearly 30 years, the Pa rag o n r e -
mained the most acoustically viable
sound system for the home. T o d a y,
along with the H a r t s fi e l d, it is still the
most sought-after speaker in the world.

In 1986, JBL introduced a new P ro j e c t
system that retained the Pa rag o n ' s o v e r-

all sense of musicality while upgrading
its character by incorporating three
decades' worth of continuous develop­ment in every facet of its design. Its
name reflected the pinnacle of achieve­ment it represented: P roject Evere s t .

For the first time, the rest of the sound
reproduction chain-and not the loud­speaker or its transducers-would impose
limits on overall system performance.
Like the Pa rag o n and H a r t s fi e l d ,
P roject Evere s t was built around com­pression driver technology and
addressed a more refined stereo image
than was previously considered techni­cally feasible.

Since P roject Evere s t was introduced,
sound recording and playback technolo­gy has undergone a revolution of its
own. With the advent of CD, extremely
demanding recorded signals had
become the rule rather than the excep­tion-the average source material used by
the typical audio enthusiast had become
superior to the best demonstration mate­rial of even just a few years ago. In
overall dynamics and transient response,
transducers are once again a potential
weak link in the high-end audio repro­duction chain.

It was in this environment that JBL s e t
out to create its fourth and fifth P ro j e c t
loudspeakers, K2 S9500 and K2 S5500.
As with H a r t s fi e l d, the puritan simplici­ty of a two-way system was considered
the most promising design track.
Advances in transducer design and low
frequency alignment would make the
construction of a two-way system of

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Project K2 S9800

unprecedented physical and acoustical
scale possible. Engineers took the core
components-the low and high frequency
drivers-and optimized them by
redesigning their magnetic structures,
diaphragms and framework for greater
l i n e a r i t y, dynamic capability and tran­sient response.

In the years following the introduction
of the K2 S9500and K2 S5500, sound
reproduction technology underwent
another series of revolutionary changes,
with the introduction of DVD-Vi d e o ,
Dolby Digital, DTS, DVD-Audio, and
Super Audio CD (SACD). Frequency
responses to 50 kHz and 3-digit dynam­ic range and signal-to-noise ratios have
now become commonplace. In order to
faithfully reproduce such robust sonic
properties, the loudspeaker needed to
u n d e rgo drastic improvements to its
t r a n s d u c e r, network and enclosure tech­n o l o g i e s .

See Fi g u re 1.

Unlike the earlier P ro j e c t s K2 S9500
and K2 S5500, the new K2 S9800
employed a 3-way design, incorporating
an Ultra High Frequency (UHF) com­pression driver and horn to reproduce
high frequencies up to 50 kHz. With the
UHF handling the high frequencies, the
High Frequency (HF) transducer could
then be upgraded to a new design using
a 3 inch diaphragm for better reproduc­tion of lower frequencies and better
blend with the woofer than the older
g e n e r a t i o n s ’2-inch diaphragm. Both
compression drivers utilized newly
developed Beryllium diaphragms to
provide the lowest distortion and flattest
frequency response possible.

In order to recreate the extremely high
dynamic range provided by today’s
audio sources, a brand new low fre­quency transducer was developed from
ground up, utilizing an Alnico magnet,
4-inch edge wound Voice Coil, and an
Aquaplas™-coated 15 inch cone with
EPDM rubber surround. Extensive
c o m p u t e r-aided engineering and design
e ffort made to develop the optimized
port tuning employed in P roject K2
S 9 8 0 0 has resulted in a significant
advance in the concept of state-of-the­art bass reproduction. This proprietary
alignment method offers the best damp­ing characteristics and provides
extremely fast alignment, eliminating
the typical "bass-reflex" sound of a port­ed system.

All three transducers were built using
the most advanced materials and preci­sion manufacturing techniques refined
from renowned JBL professional sound
s y s t e m s .

High power handling capability results
in no limitations on the types of source
material. P roject K2 S9800 has very
high input sensitivity; even a relatively
small high-end amplifier can provide
full dynamic range without compres­s i o n .

Despite its power and sophistication,
P roject K2 S9800 is a marriage of tradi­tion and technology. It reflects the
design, engineering and manufacturing
expertise derived and refined through
nearly six decades of experience that are
the exclusive province of one loud­speaker builder: JBL.

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Figure 1

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Project K2 S9800

CHAPTER 3
The Project K2 S9800 l o u d s p e a ker: a

triumph in acoustics and technology

The following sections describe the
primary features and components of
the P roject K2 loudspeaker system.

The enclosure of the K2 S9800 is spe-
cially designed to transfer unwanted
mechanical energy away from any
acoustically-active surfaces, virtually
eliminating coloration.

Its massive base, along with its special­ly designed stainless steel modular
feet, couple directly to the floor, and
the system literally becomes a structur­al part of its environment. Any vibra­tion is transmitted harmlessly down the
channel provided by the ring/disc axes
and into the floor. Both horns, the UHF
housing and the enclosure top are con­structed from JBL’s exclusive
SonoGlass™, an extremely dense and
mechanically inert material, in order to
maintain a smooth energy transmission
p a t h .

See Fi g u re 1

The P roject K2 S9800 t r a n s d u c e r /
enclosure arrangement represents the
best possible balance of the various
tuning options and avoids the mid-bass
response build-up found in other vented
systems. Response works with, rather
than against, the effects of "room load­i n g . "

The unique design of the P roject K2
system is the platform for its equally
unique acoustical attributes.

The HF (high frequency) driver is
located at the exact ear level of the lis­t e n e r. The UHF (ultra high frequency)
driver is slightly tilted down so that its
information is also directly reaching the
l i s t e n e r’s ear. Thanks to the large HF
t r a n s d u c e r, the 15 inch woofer can be
crossed over at a frequency low enough
to eliminate any audible effects of its
exact location and proximity.

Full image coherency is maintained,
resulting in an acoustically stable pin­pointed stereo image. All the sound
seems to come from the HF horn in the
c e n t e r. Music imaging is more realistic
since the sound appears to emanate
from one point and not from multiple
points at different times.

P roject K2 is a fixed angle system
without regard to frequency. Careful
horn design enables the loudspeaker to
strictly adhere to a 60° horizontal/30°
vertical coverage pattern. This Con­trolled Coverage arrangement precisely
defines the optimum listening area and
minimizes room effects. At the same
time, it provides a generous "sweet
spot" for more comfortable critical lis­tening sessions.

The 1500AL Low Frequency Drive r

See Fi g u re 3

In order to achieve the lowest possible
distortion and compression along with
the high linear excursion necessary, the
1 5 0 0 A L is equipped with an A l n i c o
magnet. As with earlier P roject K2 l o w
frequency drivers, it utilizes forced air
cooling. The entire magnetic structure
is completely enclosed within a die-

6

Figure 2

Figure 3

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Project K2 S9800

cast aluminum alloy frame. This pro­vides accurate, rigid support for the
motor and cone mounting points, as
well as doubling as a massive heat sink
by providing a huge surface area for
heat dissipation.

Instead of the conventional single pole
piece thermal vent, the 1500AL h a s
three separate gap cooling ducts which
more effectively cool the voice coil
and reduce the likelihood of hot spots.
By reducing the operating temperature
of the voice coil, power compression is
significantly reduced, which enables
the low frequency driver to operate in
a more linear fashion over a wider
sound pressure level (SPL) range.

The voice coil itself is constructed
from edge wound Aluminum wire on a
massive 4-inch in diameter Fiberg l a s s
f o r m e r. This configuration provides for
further cooling ability in conjunction
with the motor design.

The Aquaplas™-coated cone along
with EPDM Rubber Surround provides
excellent damping and transient
response characteristics.

435Be Beryllium diaphragm/
Neodymium magnet High Fre q u e n c y
C o m p ression Drive r

See Fi g u re 4

The 435Be neodymium high frequency
compression driver is based on the pro­fessional JBL2435 device. It incorpo­rates a rare-earth neodymium magnet
structure, designed by extensive com­puter modeling, including finite ele­ment analysis, which combines the

attributes of ef f i c i e n c y, strength, low
mass and compact size. This motor
structure is coupled with a 3-inch
Beryllium diaphragm. Beryllium pro­vides improved low distortion and flat
frequency response over Aluminum or
Titanium, thanks to its higher stiff n e s s ­to-mass ratio. This diaphragm is dusted
with Aquaplas™, JBL's proven acousti­cal damping material, to reduce
breakup and smooth out natural
response irregularities.

High temperature materials and adhe­sives allow the driver to handle ex­tremely high power levels over extend­ed periods of time. The SonoGlass™
horn is acoustically inert and precision­molded to exacting tolerances. It incor­porates a unique tubular energy trans­mission system.

045Be Beryllium diaphragm/
Neodymium magnet Ultra-High
F requency Compression Driver

See Fi g u re 5

The 045Be utilizes the same principles
and materials as the 435Be, in a smaller
footprint so that a frequency response
up to 50 kHz can be achieved. T h i s
transducer was developed specifically
for the K2 S9800.

I n t e rnal Cro s s over Netwo r k

Each loudspeaker unit has three internal
dividing networks, one for each trans­d u c e r. Ultra high frequency, high fre­quency and low frequency signal paths
are completely independent to reduce
any possibility of crosstalk or interfer­ence from the relatively large capaci­tors and inductors.

8

435Be

Figure 4

045Be

Figure 5

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