JBL Control Wave (1983–1987)
The JBL Control Wave is a compact two-way bass reflex loudspeaker from the 1980s, part of JBL's professional "Control" series of monitoring speakers. The record on this model is thin, and what exists is muddied by conflicting identifications. Some German sources call it the "JBL Controller" or mix it up with the JBL Control 1. The better-documented consensus treats it as its own, cheaper model within the Control line. It sold in Germany at 625 Deutschmarks per pair in 1988, positioned as a budget-friendly control loudspeaker for nearfield monitoring or PA-style applications.
The available documentation agrees on the basics. It's a bass reflex design with an 8-ohm impedance, 92 dB/W/m sensitivity, and a 3000 Hz crossover. The drivers are a 165 mm woofer and a 19 mm horn-loaded tweeter. The cabinet is magnetically shielded for placement near CRTs, and it has diode protection circuitry on the terminals. One owner on a German forum describes using a pair as mixing/control loudspeakers ("Regielautsprecher") alongside a subwoofer for extra pressure, and notes they don't have "that typical JBL sound." A second forum user corrected the record: the Control Wave is not a Control 1, and is a different, cheaper model.
The most detailed period mention comes from Mix Magazine (August 1984, p.78), which mentioned TAD/JBL monitors generally in the context of a studio's monitor selection. The Control Wave itself was more commonly found in German retail listings than in American trade press of the era.
- Type: 2-way bass reflex, magnetically shielded
- Woofer: 165 mm
- Tweeter: 19 mm horn-loaded
- Frequency range: 50–22000 Hz
- Power handling: 100/200 W (per one listing)
- Impedance: 8 ohms
- Sensitivity: 92 dB/W/m
- Crossover: 3000 Hz
- Dimensions: 260 × 166 × 188 mm (W×H×D)
- Weight: 3.8 kg
- Price: 625 DM/pair (Germany, 1988)
Beyond this, the record is largely empty. No original JBL spec sheets, service manuals, or marketing materials have surfaced. The "1983 to 1987" production window comes from radiomuseum.org, which is not an official JBL source. No finish variants, driver impedance values, or crossover slope data are documented. A current German listing offers a pair described as "new without box" for 89 EUR.
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