Jensen 1200-XL (1966–1971)
The Jensen 1200-XL was a four-way, seven-driver loudspeaker system in a large acoustic enclosure. It was Jensen's flagship of the late 1960s, introduced with a full-page advertising campaign in the fall of 1966. That campaign, in HiFi/Stereo Review (September 1966, p.119), described a seven-speaker, four-way design covering 15-25,000 Hz, with separate controls for mid-range and high-frequency balance. Jensen's own ads called the 1200-XL series "the finest loudspeaker system Jensen has ever built." By spring 1967 they noted the cabinet was of select distressed pecan and listed the suggested price at $895 (HiFi/Stereo Review, April 1967, p.102).
High Fidelity (March 1968, p.69) published the only substantial independent test of the model, under the name 1200-XLC. The reviewer measured the enclosure at 40 inches wide, 30½ inches high, and 22¾ inches deep, and confirmed the $895 price. He praised the bass. Doubling did not become evident unless the system was driven abnormally hard, and even then it was less severe than on most systems. The same review identifies the manufacturer as Jensen Manufacturing Division, The Muter Company, Chicago. Whether the "C" suffix denoted a finished-cabinet variant or a running change is not documented.
A product-compendium revision in Audio (November 1966, p.58) repeated the 15-25,000 Hz figure and listed 100 watts power-handling capacity. The 1200-XL was still appearing in equipment directories as late as 1971, again described as a seven-speaker, four-way system (HI-Fi-Stereo-Buyers, 1971, p.115).
Beyond that, the record thins out. What survives paints a picture of a large, expensive, well-regarded statement speaker that left a surprisingly small footprint in the collector record.
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