JBL 4748A (Early 1990s)
The 4748A is the sub-bass half of JBL's Sound Power Series, a professional reinforcement lineup from the early 1990s that also included the 4756A full-range cabinet. It's a 1-way, bass-reflex floor cabinet built around a single 46 cm (18-inch) 2241H cone woofer, rated at 600W AES with a claimed 126 dB max output. JBL's own literature said it would "uniformly reproduce frequencies down to 35 Hz." The idea was simple. Put one of these under a full-range system and the low-frequency load, where the energy sits, comes off the tops. That gives the whole system extra headroom. The intended venues were discos, clubs, and anywhere high SPL was the job.
It was designed to be driven actively, with an external electronic crossover (JBL's 5235 or similar) and an amplifier. Input is through Neutrik Speakon NL8MPR connectors. The crossover was specified at 80-150 Hz with a 30 Hz low cut, and the maximum crossover point was 800 Hz. The cabinet measured 850 x 800 x 530 mm (per audio-database.com) and weighed 53 kg.
The original price was ¥260,000 per unit, noted as "around 1992." A French rental house still lists a complete Sound Power system for hire: two 4756A tops, two 4748A subs, original JBL/UREI amplification racks, and a stereo 3-way processor. The listing says it comfortably covers events up to 500 people. The same listing offers the 4748A alone "for decoration," which is a slightly odd fate for a cabinet built to move that much air. The secondhand market has also seen pairs move in Spain and single units in Malaysia. A used example on Yahoo Auctions Japan showed the expected scratches and wear.
- Type: 1-way, bass-reflex, floor-standing subwoofer
- Driver: 46 cm (18") 2241H cone woofer
- Frequency response: 30 Hz – 2 kHz (−10 dB)
- Sensitivity: 98 dB / 2.83 V / m; 126 dB max
- AES rated input: 600W (50 Hz – 500 Hz)
- Impedance: 8 Ω
- Connectors: Neutrik NL8MPR x2
- Dimensions: 850 × 800 × 530 mm (per audio-database.com)
- Weight: 53 kg
- Original price: ¥260,000 (1 unit, circa 1992)
eBay Listings
As an eBay Partner, we earn from qualifying purchases. This helps support our independent vintage technology research.
Related Models
- JBL 075
- JBL 077
- JBL 120Ti
- JBL 124A
- JBL 124H
- Braun AUDIO-1 (1965)
- Braun AUDIO-250 (1965)
- Magnavox Component Systems (1972)
- Acoustic Research AR (1967-1976)
- Acoustic Research 11