JBL S105 Aquarius1 (c. 1970–1971)
The JBL S105 Aquarius1 is an oddity from JBL's early-1970s lineup. It's a non-directional speaker system, part of the broader Aquarius series. Instead of firing straight at the listener, the Aquarius 1 uses two radial diffraction slots on the front panel that interact with each other to create a wide stereo sound field across the entire range. JBL's own description said it could sit on a bookshelf and still diffuse sound effectively from the front. That was the whole point of the design.
It's a 3-way, 3-driver bass reflex bookshelf system. The low end is handled by a 25 cm cone woofer (the LE10), the midrange by a 12.7 cm cone driver (the LE5), and the highs by a 5 cm cone tweeter (the LE20-1). A dedicated 3-way network crosses them over at 1 kHz and 3.5 kHz. Impedance is 8 ohms. The enclosure came in walnut or satin white, and an optional mounting base was sold separately for ¥18,000. The speaker itself was priced at ¥189,000 per unit around 1971.
Surviving documentation on the Aquarius1 is thin. The record shows the dimensions (508 × 508 × 343 mm) and weight (21.25 kg), but no frequency response, power handling, or sensitivity data has surfaced. No period reviews have been located either. A diyAudio thread title referencing "Tweeters distorting at specific frequency" appears to relate to this model, but the details of that discussion aren't documented in the available record.
- Type: 3-way, 3-speaker, bass reflex, bookshelf
- Drivers: 25 cm woofer (LE10), 12.7 cm midrange (LE5), 5 cm tweeter (LE20-1)
- Crossover: 1 kHz / 3.5 kHz
- Impedance: 8 ohms
- Dimensions: 508 × 508 × 343 mm · Weight: 21.25 kg
- Price: ¥189,000 per unit (c. 1971); mounting base ¥18,000 extra
- Finishes: Walnut or satin white
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