JBL SV800 (c. 2004)

The JBL SV800 is a floorstanding, 2-way tallboy speaker from the company's SV series, sold in Japan around 2004. The record on this model is thin - even the release year carries a question mark in period sources - but the specifications that survive show what JBL was doing with this design.

It's a bass reflex system with two 20 cm cone woofers per cabinet. The cones are pure pulp white on an aluminum die-cast frame. The tweeter is a horn type with a 2.5 cm driver and a pure titanium diaphragm, paired with an aluminum die-cast horn. JBL's own literature claimed the horn's directional control technology prevented unwanted sound reflection off walls and ceilings. The cabinet is 12 mm MDF with a wood-like finish. The speaker also has an anti-magnetic design, using a cancel magnet and shield cover system, which was common on speakers meant to sit near CRT televisions of the era.

The driver complement was derived from the JBL Compact Monitor, according to the database listing. Rated impedance is 6 ohms, sensitivity 90 dB/2.83V/m, frequency response 45 Hz to 35 kHz, crossover at 3 kHz, and allowable input 150W (music). Dimensions are 230 × 993 × 295 mm including the grille. Weight is 19.5 kg.

Japanese buyers in the mid-2000s often weighed the SV800 against the Yamaha NS-525F. Forum discussion on 価格.com shows it being considered for both music and movie use, and one owner reported running it with a Pioneer VSX-D511 A/V receiver. A used-unit listing from 2019 noted the grille cloth had tears and general wear, but audio output was confirmed working without problems. Another reseller listing described the sound as having good balance between heavy bass and treble, with a clear, solid character, and called the price very good value for the sound quality.

Surviving documentation is otherwise sparse. No original MSRP beyond the ¥70,000 figure (per unit) appears in the record, and no production run dates are confirmed. One Japanese listing offered the speaker at ¥23,560 including tax as a new/sale price. The SV800 sits alongside the SV500 in JBL's SV series, but the family's full lineup position isn't documented.

Known Specifications

Type: 2-way, 3-speaker, bass reflex, tallboy, anti-magnetic
Woofers: 20 cm cone ×2 (pure pulp white cone, aluminum die-cast frame)
Tweeter: Horn type, 2.5 cm driver, pure titanium diaphragm, aluminum die-cast horn
Frequency response: 45 Hz – 35 kHz
Sensitivity: 90 dB / 2.83V / m
Impedance: 6 Ω
Power handling: 150W (music)
Crossover: 3 kHz
Dimensions: 230 × 993 × 295 mm (incl. grille)
Weight: 19.5 kg
Cabinet: 12 mm MDF, wood-like finish