JBL 4380B (c. 1981)
The JBL 4380B is a line-array speaker system built for sound reinforcement. It handles speech and music playback in larger halls, lecture theaters and public spaces, and it also works as a stage monitor. It's a 2-way, 6-speaker floor-type design. It's not a domestic hi-fi speaker in the usual sense. This is JBL's professional-leaning side.
The driver lineup is unusual. The low band uses four 20 cm cone wide-range units (model 2110H), two at the top and two at the bottom of the tall, narrow enclosure. Between them sit two 13 cm cone wide-range units (2105H) covering the speech range. The crossover is at 1.5 kHz. A special acoustic lens controls directivity to 90° horizontal by 20° vertical. That tight pattern makes sense for speech intelligibility in reverberant rooms. The cabinet is finished in gray paint.
Specs, as documented: frequency band 55 Hz to 15 kHz, impedance 8 Ω, output sound pressure level 99 dB/W/m, and allowable input 200 W continuous program. The enclosure volume is 95 liters. The cabinet stands 1213 mm tall, 362 mm wide and 289 mm deep, and weighs 34.4 kg. The original Japanese price was ¥270,000 per unit, around 1981.
Documentation on the 4380B is thin. Production years aren't confirmed, and no period reviews or reception notes have surfaced in the available record. What's known comes from the specification listing and the intended application. Both point to a purpose-built, column-style speaker for installed sound.
- Type: 2-way, 6-speaker floor-type line array
- Low band: 20 cm cone (2110H) × 4
- High/speech band: 13 cm cone (2105H) × 2
- Frequency band: 55 Hz – 15 kHz
- Crossover: 1.5 kHz
- Impedance: 8 Ω
- Output: 99 dB/W/m
- Power handling: 200 W continuous program
- Dimensions: 362 × 1213 × 289 mm (W×H×D)
- Weight: 34.4 kg
- Original price: ¥270,000 per unit (c. 1981)
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