JBL MR825
The JBL MR825 is a two-way, vented loudspeaker from JBL's Professional series. It has a 15-inch woofer and a 1-inch titanium-diaphragm compression driver on a bi-radial horn. JBL designed it as a multi-purpose workhorse. The same cabinet could handle live concert and theatre reinforcement, permanent club installation, or stage monitoring, thanks to a 45° monitor cut in the enclosure. The bi-radial horn was JBL's answer to the uneven dispersion of earlier constant-directivity designs, and it gives a smooth 100° × 100° pattern.
This speaker was meant to take punishment. It's rated for 200 W continuous sine wave power, 400 W continuous program, and 800 W peak, with a sensitivity of 99 dB SPL (1 W, 1 m) and nominal 8-ohm impedance. Frequency response is listed at 45 Hz to 20 kHz with a 2.5 kHz crossover. At 15.9 kg (35 lb) and 620 × 419 × 353 mm, it's a substantial but manageable cabinet. JBL recommended #12 or #14 AWG wire for hookup.
- **System type:** Two-way, vented with tuned ports
- **LF driver:** 15-inch woofer (380 mm)
- **HF driver:** 1-inch titanium diaphragm compression driver on bi-radial horn
- **Frequency range:** 45 Hz - 20 kHz
- **Crossover:** 2.5 kHz
- **Sensitivity:** 99 dB SPL (1 W, 1 m)
- **Impedance:** 8 ohms
- **Power:** 200 W continuous / 400 W program / 800 W peak
- **Dispersion:** 100° × 100°
- **Weight:** 15.9 kg (35 lb)
- **Dimensions (H×W×D):** 620 × 419 × 353 mm
Period press coverage of the MR825 is essentially nonexistent in the archive. The only magazine hits are dealer price-list ads from Sound on Sound (1996, pp.30, 199, 209, 219, 249). They confirm the model was on the market in the mid-1990s but offer no review content. Marketing copy from the period claimed it was JBL Professional's best-selling series at the time, which fits its obvious intent as a versatile, install-and-forget club and tour speaker. No production years, original price, or drive-unit model numbers have surfaced in the available documentation.
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