JBL 4853

The JBL 4853 is a large, professional-grade three-way floorstanding loudspeaker from JBL's Professional Series. Documentation is thin. No production years, original pricing or manufacturer spec sheets have surfaced. What the record shows comes mostly from reseller listings, and they agree on the core facts.

The 4853 is a big cabinet: 52.5 inches tall, 24 inches wide, 19.5 inches deep, and 150 pounds each. It uses a 15-inch woofer with a 4-inch voice coil, a 10-inch midrange, and a horn-loaded 1-inch tweeter with a titanium diaphragm. Crossovers are at 800 Hz and 4 kHz. The listed specs are 300 watts power capacity, 8 ohms impedance, 93 dB sensitivity, and a frequency response of 36 Hz to 20 kHz.

These are big, heavy-duty professional speakers. The titanium-diaphragm tweeter is the one technical detail that stands out, and it points to JBL's pro-audio engineering of the era rather than their consumer line. The cabinet is described as massive and of professional-grade construction.

- Type: 3-way floorstanding loudspeaker, Professional Series

- Drivers: 15" woofer (4" voice coil), 10" midrange, 1" horn-loaded titanium-diaphragm tweeter

- Crossover: 800 Hz, 4 kHz

- Impedance: 8 ohms

- Sensitivity: 93 dB

- Frequency response: 36 Hz - 20 kHz

- Power capacity: 300 watts

- Dimensions: 52.5" H × 24" W × 19.5" D

- Weight: 150 lbs per speaker

Asking prices vary widely across listings: $859 for a single unit, $950 for another single unit, and $1,600 for a pair. That is typical for professional gear sold piecemeal. No owner reviews, forum discussions or professional reviews have surfaced in the available record. A passing mention in Mix (1988, p.157) references a "4853-series prototype" in a wedge box. That suggests the model family was active in the touring sound world by the late 1980s, but no formal review of the production 4853 has been found.

Nothing is documented on cabinet construction (ported or sealed), connector types, or the specific driver model numbers. Serial numbers and any markings on the drivers from a pair in hand would add to the record.