JBL 6260 (1976)
The JBL 6260 is the top model in JBL's first generation of professional power amplifiers, the 6200 series, which shipped in 1976. It was built for professional sound reinforcement and aimed at the Crown, Phase Linear, and Yamaha amps of the day. By the accounts that survive, it held its own. The 6260 is remembered as one of the better-sounding amplifiers of its era, clean and powerful, with a reputation for ruggedness and reliability.
The 6260 is a two-channel, 2U rack-mount unit rated at 275W RMS into 8Ω and 400W RMS into 4Ω, both channels driven. It uses a Class H output topology, which was a meaningful design choice for the period. The amp runs cooler and draws less idle power than conventional Class AB designs at similar output. Frequency response is specified at 20Hz-20kHz ±0.5dB, with THD under 0.05%. The damping factor is listed at better than 200, and the signal-to-noise ratio exceeds 100dB. Input sensitivity is 1.23V (+4dBu), the standard pro-audio line level. Power consumption is substantial at 1300W, and the amp weighs in at 31.5 lbs.
DB Magazine (March 1986, p.35) listed the 6260 among JBL's professional amplifier line, noting the 190-watt figure in their product roundup — a discrepancy with the 275W spec that appears in the technical documentation, and one that likely reflects different measurement conditions or an early revision. The 275W/400W figures are the ones consistently cited in the equipment references.
The 6200 series included the 6230, 6250, and 6260, and the 6260 is the largest and most powerful of the three. Today these amps are considered vintage, and they remain sought after by people who remember JBL's first serious entry into professional amplification. No original retail price has surfaced in the available records, and documentation on the 6260 specifically is thinner than for its siblings. JBL was better known at the time for loudspeakers.
- Power: 275W RMS/ch into 8Ω; 400W RMS/ch into 4Ω (both driven)
- Frequency response: 20Hz–20kHz ±0.5dB
- THD: <0.05%
- Damping factor: >200
- Input sensitivity: 1.23V (+4dBu)
- S/N ratio: >100dB
- Topology: Class H
- Dimensions: 19 x 3.5 x 13.25 in (2U rack)
- Weight: 31.5 lbs
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