JBL 5306 Mixer/Preamplifier

The JBL 5306 turns up in period trade publications more often than in surviving collections. The record shows it was announced as a new Professional Equipment Division product in mid-1971. It was described as a six-channel mixer/preamplifier with panning and slider controls. That was a notable feature set for the time, since rotary pots were still the norm on many small mixers.

Recording Engineer (June 1971, p.29) reported the 5306 could mix six microphone channels, with each channel offering a monitor jack, monitor level control, and 3 dB-per-step bass and treble controls. The program inputs accepted tape, tuner, or similar line-level sources. A later survey in Studio Sound (November 1975, p.38) listed it as a mixer/preamp in an 8-in/1-out format, noting balanced low-impedance inputs on the six mic channels, channel overload indicators, a mic bass cut switch, comprehensive monitoring, and balanced outputs. The same listing gives a panel size of 18.4 x 31 cm cutout.

Beyond those two period descriptions, documentation is thin. The 5306 appears to have been aimed at small-format professional use - remote recording, broadcast, or PA - rather than the consumer market JBL was courting with its L-series home speakers at the same time. No original price, production run, or detailed circuit information has surfaced in the available record.

Known specifications, as documented in period sources: