JBL HL89 (1976)

Name: JBL HL89
Brand: JBL

The JBL HL89 is a horn lens, released in 1976 at ¥70,000 per unit. It's a component, not a complete loudspeaker. It pairs a square exponential horn with an acoustic lens using a hyperbolic plate, and it's meant to be mounted on an enclosure with a baffle plate. The lens plate is bent into a 45° waveform to shorten the overall lens depth, which keeps down the size of what would otherwise be a fairly deep assembly.

It's commonly called "Gold Wing" because of its golden finish. The directional characteristics are specified at 100° horizontal and 45° vertical, with a throat diameter of 5 cm and a crossover point of 500 Hz or above. It was designed for use with JBL's 375 compression driver. Dimensions are 505 mm wide, 178 mm high, and 118 mm deep, with the horn itself measuring 305 mm deep. Packed weight is 7.3 kg.

Beyond the basic specs, the record is thin. There's no documented frequency response, impedance, or power handling data, and no period reviews have surfaced. The HL89 shows up occasionally on the secondhand market. A Sapporo used-audio shop had a unit available in early 2018, and pairs have appeared in Russian and eBay listings, sometimes with drivers shown in photos that aren't actually included. One Russian listing noted the 2450J drivers pictured alongside the horn were not part of the sale.

Type: Horn lens (serpentine lens with square exponential horn)
Directional characteristics: 100° horizontal / 45° vertical
Throat diameter: 5 cm
Crossover: 500 Hz or above
Applicable driver: JBL 375
Dimensions: 505 × 178 × 118 mm (horn depth 305 mm)
Weight (packed): 7.3 kg