JBL HC1000 (c. 2000)
The JBL HC1000 is a large-format center channel speaker, built to match the scale and output of JBL's big home systems. It's a 2-way, 3-speaker bass reflex design. It weighs 62.5 kg (well over 130 lbs) and is roughly a meter wide, so nobody is casually mounting it above a TV. This is a center speaker for a serious, flagship-level home theater.
A pair of 25 cm (10-inch) cone woofers, model 2012, handle the low end. The mids and highs come from a horn-loaded compression driver, the 175Nd-1, mated to a double radial horn. The 175Nd-1 uses a neodymium magnet in its magnetic circuit, a modern touch for the era. The crossover sits at 800 Hz. The speaker is rated for 400W maximum input with a sensitivity of 95 dB (2.83V/m). Frequency response is specified at 55 Hz to 20 kHz (-6 dB), with an 8 ohm nominal impedance.
The HC1000 was priced at ¥350,000 (for one unit) around the year 2000, which puts it firmly in the premium tier. JBL explicitly positioned it for pairing with their large speakers. The Japanese market seems to have been its primary home, and Japanese listings and enthusiast discussions are where it surfaces most often. One owner comment on 価格.com noted that despite its weight and price, it was surprisingly easy to drive - "as you'd expect from JBL."
Documentation on the HC1000 is otherwise thin. A December 2013 blog post from Kenrick Sound, a Japanese shop specializing in large-format JBL speakers, describes replacing the grille cloth (サランネット) on an HC1000 in preparation for the year-end holidays and the Sochi Olympics. The post notes that the frame's curvature and dowel positions made the job unusually fiddly, but it was completed successfully. It also mentions the HC1000 was used alongside a JBL HB1500 passive subwoofer. No production years, no detailed market context, and no formal period reviews have surfaced in the available record.
- Type: 2-way, 3-speaker, bass reflex, center channel
- LF: 25 cm cone woofer (2012) ×2
- HF: Horn type (driver 175Nd-1 + double radial horn), neodymium magnet
- Crossover: 800 Hz
- Impedance: 8 Ω
- Max input: 400W
- Sensitivity: 95 dB / 2.83V/m
- Frequency response: 55 Hz – 20 kHz (-6 dB)
- Dimensions: 955 × 455 × 431 mm (W×H×D)
- Weight: 62.5 kg
- Price: ¥350,000 (1 unit, c. 2000)
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