JBL 4691B (1982)
The JBL 4691B is a professional three-way cinema screen system, documented in JBL's 1982 professional catalog. It was built for behind-screen installation in movie theaters, with a vented cabinet design suited to that placement. The driver complement is substantial: two 15" (380 mm) low-frequency drivers, an 8" (200 mm) horn-loaded midrange, and a 1" (25 mm) horn-loaded high-frequency driver. The system is rated for 150 W continuous on the LF section and 60 W continuous on the MF/HF section, with a nominal impedance of 8 Ω and a frequency response of 50 Hz–16 kHz.
It's a big cabinet at 686 mm high, 864 mm wide, and 483 mm deep, and it weighs 61 kg net. The catalog describes the crossover as a two-way network, which is odd for a three-way system. The wording may reflect the LF section being handled separately from the combined MF/HF section. That's all the documented detail there is.
Not much information survives on this model. No original price, sensitivity figure, or production timeline beyond the 1982 catalog date has turned up. Contemporary coverage is thin. A 1986 issue of DB-Magazine (May 1986, p.58) describes Yamaha music software, not the 4691B, so the available period sources show no dedicated review. Nearly everything known comes from that single catalog page, which lists the 4691B among JBL's professional cinema offerings of the era. Beyond that listing, collectors of theater sound know it mainly through occasional resale mentions.
- Type: 3-way cinema screen system, vented cabinet
- LF: Two 15" (380 mm) drivers
- MF: 8" (200 mm) horn-loaded driver
- HF: 1" (25 mm) horn-loaded driver
- Frequency response: 50 Hz – 16 kHz
- Power: 150 W continuous (LF), 60 W continuous (MF/HF)
- Impedance: 8 Ω
- Dimensions (H × W × D): 686 × 864 × 483 mm
- Net weight: 61 kg
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