JBL LS User Manual

LS SERIES
SPEAKER SYSTEMS

BUILDING ON THE LEGACY,
SETTING A HIGHER STANDARD.

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AN ADVANCED NEW EXPRESSION OF THE MOST ADVANCED JBL®
TECHNOLOGIES AVAILABLE. Loud, clear, stunningly realistic audio reproduction for public spaces

and private homes has been a JBL® hallmark for more than 60 years. One way we’ve achieved that distinction is by using our
most innovative technologies and materials in both our professional and consumer systems, up and down the product line.
It’s how flagship products become bestsellers, and how JBL Pro Sound Comes Home.™

INTRODUCING THE LS SERIES.

The new high-performance JBL LS Series loudspeakers share the design philosophy and signature Bi-Radial®-horn/compression-driver
configuration of the widely acclaimed JBL Project speakers – K2® and Array – as well as of the Everest DD66000, the most uncannily
lifelike musical instrument ever to bear the JBL name. Considering its lineage, you can be forgiven for expecting greatness from the
LS Series. Greatness was a design spec, and it’s the very thing these remarkable new loudspeakers were born to deliver.

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ADVANCED ENGINEERING MEETS EXQUISITE CRAFTSMANSHIP.

LS enclosures are more than just beautiful to look at: The wedge shape and gently curving side panels prevent unwanted
internal resonance. High-mass MDF construction minimizes sound coloration. A curved lower baffle prevents acoustic
interference with the lower woofer, while gracefully transitioning into the gloss-finish, streak-ebony side panels, which are
finished in a rich mahogany shade.

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SHOUTS AND WHISPERS:
THE LS EXPERIENCE.

The ideal home audio system doesn’t favor music over movies, or small rooms over larger ones. The ideal home audio system has the raw power to
reproduce bass and midrange frequencies without any effort or distortion at any listening level, as well as the finesse to deliver brilliantly clean high­and ultrahigh-frequency sound directly to your ears, undiminished by interaction with walls and furniture.

In the high frequencies, LS Series speakers employ a constant-directivity HF compression driver and UHF ring tweeter in a unique computer-optimized
baffle that suppresses phase interference and signal loss. The realism of low-frequency sound is heightened with high-performance dual pulp-cone
woofers in a staggered network design for exceptionally rich bass response. Working together, these technologies ensure that LS Series speakers
render “out-of-this-world” action sequences and delicate, otherworldly musical passages with equal clarity and accuracy.

Music and movies are made to be enjoyed, and LS Series speakers are engineered to ensure that you’ll enjoy them to their fullest, whatever your
taste in entertainment may be.

60 YEARS OF BREAKING NEW GROUND: THE LS TECHNOLOGIES.

THE BI-RADIAL
HORN. The proven design of

the proprietary JBL Bi-Radial horn
delivers precise imaging with
strict directivity for highly realistic
on- and off-axis response to 40kHz.
The graceful curves of the LS horn
baffle maximize clarity by
preventing any interference
between the HF and UHF drivers.

THE UHF RING
TWEETER. The 015M ring

tweeter features an exceedingly
fast, highly rigid 19mm polyimide
diaphragm driven by a ferrofluid­cooled neodymium magnet that
provides outstanding heat
resistance. The tweeter’s
diaphragm, surround and
voice-coil superstructure is
molded as a single piece to
minimize signal loss. An
oval-shaped short horn and
bullet-shaped center equalizer
control energy attenuation
caused by phase interference,
for smoother overall response.

THE HF
COMPRESSION
DRIVER. An expressive

176Nd compression driver with
a 50mm titanium diaphragm and
lightweight aluminum voice coil
delivers superior high-frequency
response, and a ferrofluid­injected neodymium magnet
structure provides improved
power-handling capability.

THE PURE PULP­CONE WOOFERS.

Dual pure-pulp-cone woofers
provide exceptionally rich, realistic
bass and mid-bass reproduction.
A heat-resistant, high-excursion
Kapton® voice coil with center-pole
vent minimizes distortion and power
compression at high output levels,
even over extended periods.

THE CROSSOVER
NETWORK. In LS80

and LS60 speakers, a staggered
network design divides bass and
mid-bass frequencies between
identical woofers, enhancing
low-end response and smoothing
the transition to the HF driver.
The networks employ three
types of capacitors, including a
polypropylene film capacitor, for
detailed musical expression and
dynamics. Gold-plated HF and LF
binding posts allow for bi-wiring.

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1940’s

NYLON
STOCKINGS,
FILM NOIR,
THE DAWN OF
AUDIO. James B. Lansing,

who led the team that first
brought sound to movies, strikes
out on his own, f ounding JBL .
Among the company ’s fir st
products is a high-frequency
transd ucer that’s stil l being
used by audio professionals
today, unchanged after more
than 60 years.

1950’s

BLUE SUEDE
SHOES,
MCCARTHY,
THE ELECTRIC
GUITAR. The JBL brand

becomes the clear choice in studio
and th eater sound . Leo Fende r
chooses the JBL D130 transducer
to amplify his electric guitar. Th e
pionee ring JBL Hartsfield speaker
introduces true high fidelity to
homes everywhere.

1960’s

MUSCLE CARS,
WOODSTOCK,

®

SPACE. The legendary
4320 speaker is introduced, and
beco mes the definit ive stu dio
moni tor of i ts day. A fter th e
Woodstock

®

festival in 1969, JBL
equipment becomes standard at
rock concerts around the world.

1970’s

POLYESTER,
WATERGATE,
SATURDAY
NIGHT FEVER.

®

JBL studio monitors are ranked
Number One by Billboard
maga zine. An d the L 100, a
consumer version of the 4320,
is introduced, bringing JBL Pro
technology home for the first time.
The L100 becomes one of the best­selling speakers of the decade.

1980’s

MIAMI VICE,

®

MASTERS OF THE
UNIVERSE,

®

MTV.®

The Academy of Motion Picture
Arts and Sciences chooses JBL
components to introduce 70mm
Dolby

®

stereo in showcase
theaters. JBL titanium diaphragms
and Bi-Radial horns are introduced
in professional studio monitors;
these technologies will soon
appear on the home front.

1990’s

GEN X,
DOTCOMS, DVD.

THX

®

theater installations are
dominated by JBL speakers, while
near-field studio monitors take
the lead in 5.1 and 7.1 sound
mixing and mastering. And the
JBL Simply Cinema

®

system, the
original “one box” home theater
solution, is introduced.

TODAY

THE FIRST NEW
PRODUCT SERIES
CREATED IN
CELEBRATION
OF THE JBL 60TH
ANNIVERSARY.

JBL LS Series loudspeakers put
classic high-end JBL technologies
to work, bringing breathtaking
new life and depth to home
entertainment in all its forms.

A 60-YEAR LOVE AFFAIR WITH
MOVIES AND MUSIC.

Woodstock, Saturday Night Fever, Miami Vice, Masters of the Universe and MTV are trademarks of their respective companies in the U.S. and other countries
and are not associated or affiliated with Harman International Industries, Incorporated.

THE ARCHITECTS.

The LS Series is the work of a team of talented engineers and designers led by Charles Sprinkle, JBL systems engineer, and
Daniel Ashcraft, chief creative officer of Ashcraft Design.

A lifelong audio enthusiast with a particular interest in compression transducers and horns, Sprinkle worked as an engineering intern
at Harman International prior to receiving his degree in 2003. And although he’s a relative JBL newcomer, he already has a number of
innovative systems to his credit, including JBL Cinema Vision

™

, Venue®, JBL Cinema Sound and JBL Control NOW™. For the LS Series,

Sprinkle developed an improved horn design and new low-frequency transducers to achieve his goal of acoustical integration.

Sprinkle worked closely with Daniel Ashcraft, who as head of his own design firm has played a key role in JBL industrial-design
efforts for more than 20 years. A graduate of the Art Center College of Design, Ashcraft co-developed the legendary JBL Project
Everest DD55000 system in 1986 and the original Project K2 S9500 in 1988, as well as their successors, the K2 S9800 in 2000
and the Everest DD66000 in 2006.

With the LS Series, Sprinkle and Ashcraft have succeeded in creating a visually stunning loudspeaker system with exceptionally lifelike,
effortless sound.

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LS SERIES SPECIFICATIONS.

LS40 LS60 LS80 LSCENTER

Frequency Response (–3dB) 50Hz – 38kHz 48Hz – 38kHz 46Hz – 38kHz 85Hz – 38kHz

Max. Recommended Amplifier Power* 150W 150W 200W 150W

Power Handling (Continuous/Peak) 75W/300W 75W/300W 100W/400W 75W/300W

Sensitivity (2.83V/1m) 87dB 87dB 90dB 88dB

Nominal Impedance 6 Ohms 6 Ohms 6 Ohms 6 Ohms

Crossover Frequencies 2.6kHz – 24dB/octave; 400Hz – 6dB/octave; 400Hz – 6dB/octave; 2.5kHz – 24dB/octave;
7kHz – 24dB/octave 2kHz, 8kHz – 24dB/octave 2.5kHz, 8kHz – 24dB/octave 9kHz – 24dB/octave

Low-Frequency Transducer 165mm (6-1/2") with cast- Dual 165mm (6-1/2") with cast- Dual 200mm (8") with cast- Dual 165mm (6-1/2") with cast­ aluminum frames, shielded aluminum frames, shielded aluminum frames, shielded aluminum frames, shielded

High-Frequency Transducer 50mm (2") Pure-titanium 50mm (2") Pure-titanium 50mm (2") Pure-titanium 50mm (2") Pure-titanium
compression driver; compression driver; compression driver; compression driver, shielded;
Bi-Radial® horn Bi-Radial® horn Bi-Radial® horn Bi-Radial® horn

Ultrahigh-Frequency Transducer 19mm (3/4") Polyester-film 19mm (3/4") Polyester-film 19mm (3/4") Polyester-film 19mm (3/4") Polyester-film
ring radiator; neodymium ring radiator; neodymium ring radiator; neodymium ring radiator; neodymium
magnet; EOS waveguide magnet; EOS waveguide magnet; EOS waveguide magnet; EOS waveguide

Dimensions With Grille 499mm x 222mm x 343mm 1017mm x 222mm x 343mm 1117mm x 259mm x 418mm 230mm x 672mm x 235mm
(H x W x D) (19-5/8" x 8-3/4" x 13-1/2") (40" x 8-3/4" x 13-1/2") (44" x 10-3/16" x 16-1/2") (9" x 26-1/2" x 9-1/4")

Weight per Speaker 13.5kg (29.8 lb) 26.6kg (58.6 lb) 35.6kg (78.5 lb) 14.4kg (31.7 lb)

LS120P

Frequency Response 25Hz – 150Hz

Amplifier RMS Power 400W

Amplifier Peak Dynamic Power† 700W

Crossover Frequencies 50Hz – 150Hz;
24dB/octave, continuously variable

Driver 300mm (12") PolyPlas™

Dimensions With Grille 510mm x 375mm x 438mm
(H x W x D) (20-1/16" x 14-3/4" x 17-1/4")

Weight 25.8kg (57 lb)

* The maximum recommended amplifier power rating will ensure proper system headroom to
allow for occasional peaks. We do not recommend sustained operation at these maximum
power levels.

†

The Peak Dynamic Power is measured by recording the highest center-to-peak voltage
measured across the output of a resistive load equal to minimum impedance of the transducer,
using a 50Hz sine wave burst, 3 cycles on, 17 cycles off.

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PRO SOUND
COMES HOME

™

Harman Consumer Group, Inc.
250 Crossways Park Drive, Woodbury, NY 11797
8500 Balboa Boulevard, Northridge, CA 91329

www.jbl.com

© 2008 Harman International Industries, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

JBL, Bi-Radial, K2, Simply Cinema and Venue are trademarks of Harman International Industries, Incorporated, registered in
the United States and/or other countries. Pro Sound Comes Home, JBL Control NOW, JBL Cinema Vision and PolyPlas are
trademarks of Harman International Industries, Incorporated.

Dolby is a registered trademark of Dolby Laboratories.

Kapton is a registered trademark of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company.

THX is a trademark of THX Ltd., which may be registered in some jurisdictions. All rights reserved.

Features, specifications and appearance are subject to change without notice.

Designed, edited and digitally produced by the Harman Consumer Group Marketing & Design Center, Woodbury, NY, USA.

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