JBL LE14H (c. 1981)
The JBL LE14H is a 36 cm cone woofer that JBL offered as a standalone driver around 1981, priced at ¥52,000 per unit in the Japanese market. It’s part of the LE-H series, which moved to ferrite magnets in the magnetic circuit. The design is built around JBL’s SFG (Symmetrical Field Geometry) magnetic circuit, developed from the earlier LE14A — the idea being that a fully symmetrical field between the top plate and pole piece cuts second-harmonic distortion significantly. A Faraday loop at the base of the pole piece further stabilizes mutual magnetic flux without affecting coil impedance. The cone itself is paper coated with a white damping material, and the voice coil is a 10.2 cm diameter copper ribbon, edgewise wound. Rated specs: 8 ohms impedance, 91 dB/W/m sensitivity, 35 Hz–2 kHz frequency characteristic, 28 Hz resonance, 12,000 gauss flux density, and 200W continuous program input. JBL recommended enclosure volumes of 42 to 142 liters.
The LE14H is probably best remembered for its use in the L222A system. Beyond that, the paper trail thins out. There's no documented production run beyond the "around 1981" price reference, and no period reviews have surfaced. The hyphenated variants - LE14H-1, LE14H-3, LE14H-4 - are technically different products, though collectors commonly lump them together. The LE14H-1 was used in the 240TI and 250TI speakers. It's the variant most often discussed in forums, where owners talk about foam surround replacement and recone kits. One forum user, after painting a pair of LE14H-1 bass units black, reported being "super happy with the result."
Known specs for the LE14H:
- Type: 36 cm cone woofer
- Impedance: 8 Ω
- Sensitivity: 91 dB/W/m
- Frequency characteristic: 35 Hz – 2 kHz
- fo: 28 Hz
- Voice coil: 10.2 cm diameter, copper ribbon edgewise wound
- Magnetic flux density: 12,000 gauss
- Allowable input (continuous program): 200W
- Enclosure volume: 42–142 liters
- Depth: 137 mm · Packed weight: 11.3 kg
The foam surrounds are the known weak point. Replacement surrounds are available, as are full recone kits, though original JBL kits are reportedly pricey. No production years, original US pricing, or official JBL documentation for the LE14H have surfaced in the available record.
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