JBL LE175 (LE175DLH) (1965)
The JBL LE175 is a horn-type midrange/high-frequency driver introduced in 1965. It's serious professional hardware. The magnetic circuit uses an Alnico V magnet and weighs 3.4 kg. The diaphragm is ultra-thin, and the edgewise-wound voice coil uses aluminum ribbon wire at 4.4 cm diameter. The throat diameter is 2.5 cm. It was designed to work with JBL's HL91 and HL92 horns. The LE175DLH variant pairs the same driver with the 1217-1290 (HL87) horn with lens, which makes it a complete horn unit.
The numbers are respectable for the era. Impedance is 8 ohms, allowable continuous program input is 30W, and sound pressure level is rated at 108 dB (new JIS, 1 kHz, horn/continuous mounting). Magnetic flux density is 16,000 gauss. The driver measures 114 × 98 mm and weighs 4.1 kg packed.
The LE175 went into JBL's L101 and other speaker systems. It also went into the C56 Dorian, where it handled mid/high frequencies alongside an LE14A 14" woofer and an LX10 crossover at 1500 Hz. In Japan the LE175 sold for ¥55,300 per unit around 1973, rose to ¥61,500 by 1974, and settled at ¥57,000 by 1978. The LE175DLH cost more: ¥73,100 in 1973 and ¥80,800 in 1974.
Beyond that, the record is thin. No frequency response data, no THD figures, no crossover frequency for the driver itself, and no production end date have surfaced. Nobody has documented what the DLH suffix means compared with the base LE175 either - though the DLH includes the horn assembly, which likely explains the price difference. One Japanese blog author, working with JBL drivers in a system, commented that "the horn is too big" and planned to run tube (triode) amplifiers on the high-frequency horn. That's a practical note, not a verdict on the driver's sound.
Collectors today are more likely to find the LE175 inside a complete C56 Dorian system than as a standalone driver. A pair of C56 Dorians was listed in Moscow in September 2021 at 130,000 руб. and marked sold. They're heavy, at 80 kg per pair.
- Type: Horn-type midrange/high-frequency driver unit
- Throat diameter: 2.5 cm
- Impedance: 8 Ω
- Allowable input (continuous program): 30W
- Sound pressure level: 108 dB (new JIS, 1 kHz, horn/continuous mounting)
- Voice coil diameter: 4.4 cm (edgewise-wound, aluminum ribbon wire)
- Magnet: Alnico V, 3.4 kg assembly, 16,000 gauss
- Dimensions: Diameter 114 × 98 mm; packed weight 4.1 kg
- Compatible horns: HL91, HL92; LE175DLH includes 1217-1290 (HL87) horn with lens
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