JBL 4660

Name: JBL 4660
Brand: JBL

The JBL 4660 is a professional loudspeaker, a direct-radiating two-way design that JBL introduced in 1983 as part of its "defined coverage" system line. Pro Audio Review (July 2008, p.34) noted the 4660's introduction that year in a retrospective of JBL milestones. The model name points to the series' defining feature: controlled, predictable dispersion instead of the wildcard coverage of earlier horn designs.

The documented performance comes down to a handful of published specs. The 4660 was rated for 50 Hz to 18 kHz, with a crossover at 1.2 kHz. Sensitivity was 101 dB SPL at 1 W, 1 m, which is typical of JBL's professional offerings of the era. They favored efficiency over raw amplifier power. Power handling was listed at 150 W continuous pink noise and 300 W continuous program, into a nominal 8-ohm load.

Beyond that, the record thins out considerably. No production years beyond the 1983 introduction, no original price, no dimensions or weight, and no driver sizes have surfaced in the available documentation. All of the specs above trace back to a single techspecs reference, so there's no second source to cross-check them against. That's an honest limitation worth flagging for anyone trying to pin down the 4660 precisely.

db Magazine (July 1984, p.16) ran a piece by John Eargle on the development of defined coverage horns. It explained how the approach solved the pattern-control problems of earlier exponential designs, which had wide dispersion at low frequencies that narrowed unpredictably as frequency rose. The 4660 was part of that wave of JBL products applying controlled coverage to sound reinforcement. It wasn't a studio monitor in the 4300-series mold. It was a tool for getting sound to a room full of people with consistency.

It's a known quantity in the brand's pro lineup, but not one with a dedicated following or extensive owner documentation. If you have one, the specs above give you a baseline; the rest of the story remains unwritten.

Type: Direct-radiating 2-way loudspeaker
Frequency range: 50 Hz – 18 kHz
Crossover: 1.2 kHz
Sensitivity: 101 dB SPL (1 W, 1 m)
Power capacity: 150 W continuous pink noise; 300 W continuous program
Nominal impedance: 8 ohms