JBL DD55000 Everest (1989–)
The JBL DD55000 Everest was introduced in 1989 as JBL's flagship loudspeaker, with an original price of $8,000 per pair. A period classified ad listed the Everest DD55000 at $7,400 per pair in 1988 (Audio, March 1988, p.114). One owner says it was designed to be the ultimate JBL, no expense spared. Each channel is a mirror-imaged pair: two cabinets built as a matched set, one the mirror image of the other. That is unusual even among high-end systems.
The Everest is a 3-way, floor-standing, vented (bass-reflex) design. Each channel pairs a 15-inch cone woofer with a 10-inch cone midrange and a 1-inch titanium dome compression driver for the highs. Crossover points are set at 800 Hz and 4.5 kHz. The system is rated at 8 ohms nominal impedance with a sensitivity of 93 dB (1W/1m), and JBL specified a frequency response of 38 Hz - 20 kHz (±3 dB). Recommended amplifier power is 50 - 300 watts RMS, with 400 watts peak handling. The cabinets are big - 48 × 21 × 18 inches and 165 lbs each - and have a front-firing port and bi-wire terminals. The fact sheet gives no exact production end year, so the run length is undocumented here.
A later forum report mentions a pair selling for $6,500 on eBay.
Owners generally regard the Everest as one of the finest speakers JBL ever produced, and some say one of the best speakers, period. They are extremely efficient and reportedly run well with low-powered tube amps. The one recurring complaint is that the titanium dome tweeter can sound slightly bright with certain amplifiers, so the choice of partnering gear matters.
Little else is documented. There are no production quantities, no serial ranges, no detailed crossover component information, and no service history (foam rot, capacitor aging, diaphragm availability) in the record.
- Type: 3-way, floor-standing, vented (bass-reflex)
- Drivers: 15" cone woofer, 10" cone midrange, 1" titanium dome compression driver
- Frequency response: 38 Hz–20 kHz (±3 dB)
- Sensitivity: 93 dB (1W/1m)
- Impedance: 8 ohms
- Crossover: 800 Hz, 4.5 kHz
- Power handling: 400 W peak; 50–300 W RMS recommended
- Dimensions: 48" H × 21" W × 18" D
- Weight: 165 lbs each
- Original price: $8,000/pair (1989)
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