JBL A822 Vecchio (1999)
The JBL A822 Vecchio is a 2-way, 2-speaker, bass reflex bookshelf system. JBL released it in 1999 at ¥45,000 per unit. It was developed as part of the Vecchio series with a focus on natural sound, and it is described as the successor to the JBL A820. A matching JS-82 stand was sold separately (¥18,000 for a pair).
The design pairs a 20 cm pulp cone woofer with a ribless titanium dome tweeter. The tweeter sits in a newly developed oval horn, which JBL said increased resolution in the high range. The enclosure is MDF with an assembly structure meant to eliminate unnecessary resonance, finished in real wood veneer. It also carries magnetic shielding for multimedia use. The woofer uses a rubber edge surround. That matters today, because edge replacement is the most commonly encountered maintenance item on surviving examples, and several listings note re-covered surrounds done in Japan.
Known specifications:
- Frequency band: 55 Hz - 20 kHz
- Impedance: 4 Ω
- Output sound pressure level: 92 dB / 2.83 V/m
- Allowable input (RMS): 75 W
- Crossover frequency: 2.0 kHz
- Dimensions: 287 W × 500 H × 313 D mm
- Weight: 13.0 kg
The record on the A822 Vecchio is thin. There are no period reviews or detailed reception notes in the available documentation, and no production end date is confirmed. What survives is mostly from Japanese and Russian classified listings and a single database entry. The model has a small but persistent collector presence. A 2026 Yahoo! Japan auction listing (starting at ¥62,000, buy-it-now ¥67,000) described it as a rare, high-sound-quality small speaker. The seller also noted that measured characteristic data was included with the unit.
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