JBL S109 Aquarius4 (1965–1970)
The JBL S109 Aquarius4 shows up in the period record with just enough detail to be intriguing, and not much more. It was produced from 1965 through 1970 and originally sold for $238.00. Three separate sources agree on that price, which is about as solid as vintage audio pricing gets.
The Aquarius4 was based on the original G.A. Briggs "Coin Slot" omnidirectional speaker design. JBL built it as a four-sided, four-driver bookshelf system that spreads sound in all directions instead of beaming it straight ahead. The driver complement, per the Classic Speakers Database, was two 8-inch woofers, one 8-inch passive radiator, and a single 2400 high-frequency driver mounted on a 2" x 6" horn lens. The passive radiator helped the relatively compact enclosure produce more bass than its size suggests.
The documented specs are 42 watts of power handling, frequency response of 30 to 20,000 cps, crossover at 6,000 cps, and 8-ohm impedance. Dispersion is listed at 150 degrees, which fits the omnidirectional intent. A 1975 buying guide described the S608 Sovereign (the larger sibling in the same line) as a ducted-port, three-way bookshelf system with a 10-inch woofer and crossovers at 1500 and 6000 Hz HiFI-Stereo (1975, p.136).
Sources conflict on the high-frequency driver. The Classic Speakers Database says one 2400 driver on a horn lens. Classic Audio Classics describes two dome tweeters. The database's spec is more specific, and the model name "Aquarius4" implies four drivers total, which the database's count satisfies. So this page goes with the single horn-loaded HF driver. Anyone hunting for a replacement tweeter should know about the discrepancy.
Beyond that, the record is thin. No dimensions, no weight, no sensitivity rating and no amplifier recommendations have surfaced. There are no period reviews with measured response curves, and no owner community documentation has turned up. The Aquarius4 belongs to JBL's mid-1960s experiment with omnidirectional design, a brief detour from the company's more conventional forward-firing monitors, and it connects to the Briggs legacy in British loudspeaker design.
- Type: 4-driver omnidirectional bookshelf loudspeaker
- Drivers: 2 × 8" woofers, 1 × 8" passive radiator, 1 × 2400 HF driver on 2" x 6" horn lens
- Frequency response: 30–20,000 cps
- Crossover: 6,000 cps
- Impedance: 8 ohms
- Power handling: 42 watts
- Dispersion: 150 degrees
- Original price: $238.00
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