JBL A15
Little is documented about the JBL A15 outside of period catalog listings, and even those leave some questions open. Here is what the record shows. The A15 was the smallest, base two-way model in JBL's A-Series of professional sound reinforcement systems - the line the company later described as the forerunner to the C40 and C50 systems. The entire A-Series was horn-loaded. The A15 paired a 15-inch woofer with a 1-inch high-frequency compression driver on a 2405 horn/wedge. The 2405 has very narrow high-frequency dispersion, which is what a long-throw reinforcement horn is supposed to have.
The A-Series was designed for use with an electronic crossover and blocking capacitor. JBL clearly expected these to be run actively rather than through a passive network. Owners who have written about their A15s confirm that approach. One forum post describes bi-amping without a stock crossover and says the system works well for both live sound and home hi-fi use. The same owner called the 2405 horn very clean above roughly 9-12 kHz and called the woofer heavy-duty and good-sounding.
One point is unresolved: the driver model numbers. The Lansing Heritage catalog page for the A15 lists the low-frequency driver as a 2205A. Two separate owner forum posts identify the woofer in their A15s as a 2215 (16 ohm). The 2405 horn is the same across all sources. If you're buying a pair, pull the drivers and see what's actually in there.
Beyond that, the record is thin. No production years, original price, dimensions, weight or frequency response figures have surfaced. No formal crossover frequency is documented. No period reviews of the A15 have been located - the model shows up in professional sound product catalogs but seems to have generated little press of its own. A period review in Pro-Audio-Review (March 2001, p.38) discusses JBL's biamped speaker system designs.
Known specs, such as they are:
- 2-way, horn-loaded professional sound reinforcement system
- 15" low-frequency driver (2205A per catalog; 2215 per owner reports - see conflict above)
- 1" high-frequency compression driver on 2405 horn/wedge
- 16-ohm woofer (per owner report)
- Designed for use with electronic crossover and blocking capacitor
The A15 is a professional tool from an era when JBL was building reinforcement systems for venues rather than living rooms. If you have a pair, you're likely already bi-amping them — and the narrow-dispersion 2405 is doing exactly what it was designed to do.
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