JBL MR-925
A two-way sound-reinforcement box built for the working musician - 57 pounds, a 15-inch woofer, and a titanium compression driver on a flat-front Bi-Radial horn.
Overview
Fifty-seven pounds. Keep that number in mind with the MR-925, because it says a lot about who the speaker was for. It's heavy enough to hold a real 15-inch woofer and a proper horn behind the grille, but light enough that one person can carry it in from the van. JBL's product documentation lists the MR-925 as a two-way system built around a 15" low-frequency driver feeding a pure titanium compression driver, mounted to a 100° x 80° Bi-Radial horn. The cabinet is described as rugged OBS hardwood. It has a built-in tripod stand socket, overload protection circuitry, and built-in carrying handles.
The horn is the piece to look at. The 100° x 80° flat-front Bi-Radial is a deliberately wide pattern, wider than the 90° x 45° horn JBL later fitted to its budget TR Series. In a letter to EQ Magazine (September 1996, p.8), JBL explained that the wider dispersion of the MR's flat-front Bi-Radial was aimed at the working musician who shows up to a room without knowing its conditions and may need the added controlled coverage. The same letter notes that the MR horn was made from a more durable, more expensive nonresonant composite material, a step up from the ABS used on the cheaper TR line. Anyone who has watched a horn crack after a few seasons of load-in and load-out will see the point.
JBL's documentation rates the MR-925 at 250 watts, with a sensitivity of 101 dB and a list price of $768.00 each. That's efficient, high-output territory, the kind of box that gets loud without needing a monster amplifier. A dealer sheet from the period shows the MR-925 selling at $422.40 through dealers, a big discount off list. The same sheet pits it against the Peavey SP-2G, Yamaha S115IV, Yamaha WF115, Community CSX38 and XLT48, and EV Eliminator. The JBL's 101 dB sensitivity was the highest of the group listed.
According to JBL's own account, the MR-925 was built to carry vocals. In that EQ Magazine letter, the company points to a review of the MR-925 by Robert Scovill in which he observed that vocals sounded the best through it. JBL agrees the MR Series is at its best supporting vocals over a band that is grooving away. It's pitched as a vocal-forward reinforcement tool for small-to-mid rooms, not a full-range miracle.
It sits within the MR900 Series, which JBL describes as an improvement on the earlier MR800 Series, a line the company calls one of the most commonly used sound-reinforcement boxes in the world. The MR900 line is said to have offered eight models, giving more specific choices for the more experienced user who wants to pick the right speaker for a given application, including setups that pair a subwoofer with a multi-amp rig. The MR-925 is one of those choices. Its 15-inch two-way format has enough low end to stand alone for smaller gigs, and enough output to keep up when augmented.
A few practical details. The overload protection circuitry is a real asset, since horn-loaded two-ways are vulnerable to tweeter-destroying transients from a clipped amp. The tripod socket and molded-in handles mean the MR-925 was designed to be gigged, not babied, so survivors often show the scars. Original list was $768 each, and dealer pricing around $422 suggests these were accessible pro-grade boxes. The titanium compression driver and composite horn are the parts to inspect closely on any used example, since replacement diaphragms and horns are the usual wear points on a speaker that has spent years on the road.
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