JBL Enclosure / Equipment Cabinet (1950s–1980s)
The "Enclosure / Equipment Cabinet" category at JBL covers a big family of speaker cabinets and equipment housings made from the 1950s into the 1980s. These were the boxes that carried JBL's drivers, and some of them are as sought-after today as the components inside. The category includes the C-series furniture-style enclosures (C34, C36 Viscount, C38 Baron, C40 Harkness, C45 Metregon, C48 Madison, C50 Olympus, C51 Apollo, C52 Opus, C53 Libra, C56 Dorian, C58 Delphi, C60 Sovereign I, C61 Sovereign II, C68 Sovereign III, C71 Verona) and the professional horn-loaded floor cabinets (4507, 4508, 4508A, 4512, 4518, 4518A, 4520, 4530, 4550, 4550BKA, 4560, 4560BKA), plus the CL45 Flair.
Documentation across this category is uneven. Some models have real surviving detail. Others are little more than a name in a catalog. What follows is what the record shows.
The C-Series: Furniture-Grade Enclosures
The C-series enclosures from the late 1950s and 1960s were JBL's way of getting its professional driver technology into the living room in furniture-grade cabinets. The **C45 Metregon** (circa 1959-1960) is the best-documented of the group. JBL's own marketing claimed it was the first speaker system to offer full-field stereo reproduction in an enclosure of moderate size, with two completely separate full-range systems in one cabinet. It used a 275 driver with H5040 horn, N600 crossover, and 130A woofers, finished in oiled walnut. Collectors call it the "baby brother of the Paragon," one of JBL's top-tier systems. Surviving examples with original wax seals on the driver screws are prized. The Metregon is frequently listed as extremely rare.
The **C50 Olympus** is another collector favorite from JBL's "golden era" of the 1960s. It was typically configured as the S7R or S8R component system, pairing LE15A woofers with PR15 passive radiators, LE85 compression drivers on H91 horns, and 075 bullet tweeters, with an LX5 crossover. Collectors value the large cabinet. One restored pair was recently listed at $6,999, while The Music Room has shown examples from $1,700 to $4,250.
The **C34** dates to the late 1950s. It was a corner enclosure with a bass scoop design, built in veneered mahogany over plywood. A typical configuration used a D130 15" woofer, a 175DLH driver/horn assembly, and an N1200 crossover. Owners describe the dynamic characteristics as "reference" and the transient handling as exceptional. Period listings note it was driven with McIntosh tube amps. The nameplate simply reads "C34 Enclosure."
The 4500-Series: Professional Horn Cabinets
On the professional side, the **4530** has the most complete record. Released in 1971, it's a floor-type enclosure with a rear-loading horn system. The folded horn has a total internal length of 2 meters, which allows playback down to 40 Hz, with a flat response at 60 Hz and above. Frequencies above 150 Hz are played directly from the speakers. It was designed to mount 38 cm (15") drivers, with 2205, 2225, and E140 listed as compatible. The cabinet weighs 120 pounds empty and measures 48" x 24" x 24". Users nicknamed it "Scoop."
The 4530 was first available in two finishes, black (4530 BK) and gray (4530 SF). The earliest examples have a round cavity at the top two corners of the baffle. A Japanese domestic version, the 4530BK-S, followed later. Original Japanese pricing ran from ¥71,000 (around 1973) to ¥140,000 for the BK-S (around 1983). A later catalog revision extended the minimum regeneration frequency from 50 Hz down to 40 Hz.
The **4520** is a related bass cabinet, and the **C43** is its ancestor, the predecessor to the 4530. The **C55** cabinet was larger still, at 50 1/2" H x 35 3/4" W x 29 3/4" D per JBL's catalog.
What's Missing
For most of these models, the record is thin. No official specifications (frequency response, impedance, crossover points, production years) have surfaced for the C50 Olympus, the C34, or the Metregon beyond what's noted above. The 4507, 4508, 4512, 4518, 4550, and 4560 cabinets are documented only as catalog listings. No original prices exist for the C-series furniture enclosures, and no period reviews of any of these cabinets have been located in the available research.
What is clear: these enclosures were the vessels for some of JBL's most celebrated drivers, and the surviving examples in the collector market reflect that pedigree.
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