JBL HL87 (1952–1975+)
The HL87 shows up in collections far more often than it shows up in the documentation. It's a horn lens - a perforated metal "potato masher" style acoustic lens mounted on an exponential horn. It sits in front of a compression driver and spreads the sound in a 60° cone pattern. The horn is die-cast aluminum. The lens is built from stacked layers of perforated ring-shaped punching metal with different inner diameters. It was meant to be paired with JBL's LE175 or LE85 drivers, both of which have a 2.5cm throat, and it handles frequencies from about 1.2 kHz on up.
The naming is a little unusual. It was originally released in 1952 under the model number 1217-1290, and only became the "HL87" in 1975. Japanese reference sources note that the 1975 catalog already lists it as HL87, which corrects the commonly repeated claim that the change happened in 1976. The original price in Japan was ¥16,700 per unit around 1973, rising to ¥19,300 after the rename, and ¥18,400 by around 1978.
The record conflicts on the lens construction. One source says five layers of perforated metal, another says eleven. The exact count is left out here since the sources disagree. What's consistent is the design intent: the lens diffuses the mid and high frequencies so the listening position isn't a narrow sweet spot.
The HL87 looks identical to JBL's later 2301 lens, differing mainly in the label. It's sought after for vintage JBL systems, and current asking prices reflect that. Pairs with LE85 drivers have been listed around $900-$950, and a single horn alone has gone for $475. One listing noted a unit from Japan in "Very Good" condition, with the caveat that these horns are pricey compared to other options on the market. Weight is listed at 1.8kg packed, and the lens diameter is 133mm with an overall horn length of 171mm including the lens depth.
- Type: Horn lens with perforated plate acoustic lens, aluminum die-cast exponential horn
- Throat diameter: 2.5cm (compatible with LE175 and LE85 drivers)
- Coverage: 60° cone pattern
- Minimum crossover: 1.2 kHz
- Dimensions: 133mm lens diameter; 171mm overall horn length
- Weight: 1.8kg (packed)
- Original price: ¥16,700 (1973) → ¥19,300 (1975) → ¥18,400 (1978)
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