Blog Post
What does it take for a brand to remain iconic for 80 years? For HARMAN and JBL, it isn't about only choosing between honoring our past or embracing the future -- it's understanding that legacy and innovation are inherently connected. Decades of acoustic expertise, rigorous testing, and real-world refinement serve as the foundation for our continued advancement and breakthrough innovations. This year, as JBL celebrates its 80th anniversary, that philosophy comes to life in the JBL L100 80 -- a speaker that pays tribute to an iconic design while incorporating cutting-edge acoustic technology.
Chris Hagen, Principal Engineer at HARMAN, explains the engineering philosophy and collaborative resources that allow JBL to honor the JBL L100's past while continuously redefining its future.
As a sound engineer with more than a decade of experience at HARMAN, what can you tell us about the new JBL L100? What makes the new speaker special and why is it a milestone for the brand?
Chris Hagen (CH): The JBL L100 Classic and JBL Classic MkII are special because they are a celebration of a speaker that not only played an important role in the direction of JBL’s history but also was beloved by the audio community. These editions form a bridge from the style of the past to modern day design. When the JBL L100 Century was created, the design process was different: speaker measurements were taken only on-axis (centered in front of the speaker, rather than to the sides, “off-axis.”); the measurement had an intentional character; and various people would listen in uncontrolled, undocumented listening tests. Today, engineers look at off-axis energy to make sure that room reflections reinforce the sound character, to make the speaker a true reproducer of sound without adding any extra character to the playback. Additionally, listeners come from a trained group of employees, with tests that are controlled and documented.
This revitalized design is a milestone for the company because we were able to match the aesthetic design of the Century and the general sound character while improving the off-axis response and designing for as neutral a character as possible. The new model sounds better with more music styles and has held its popularity since introduction in 2019, with many owners posting proudly online. And the modern L100 Classic is on track to be produced longer than the original Century because of this.
How does JBL’s professional studio heritage influence the listening experience for consumers at home?
CH: JBL’s professional studio heritage basically formed the basis of the modern consumer experience when the professional studio monitor – the JBL 4310 – was spun off into the original JBL L100 model. This remake kept the technical features the same but housed them in a home-friendly walnut cabinet with a unique speaker grille. Due to the popular “Blown Away” Maxell ad, almost everyone knew what a JBL L100 looked like whether they knew the brand and model or not. While the JBL L100 informed future designs for the consumer, the JBL 4310 fueled the development of a historic string of coveted studio monitors for professionals. All the while, both development teams worked to continually improve the acoustic technology.
How does this new design incorporate or reflect the history of the product? How does a brand like JBL maintain authenticity across eight decades without becoming trapped by nostalgia?
CH: This new design incorporates the history of the product by paying attention to details and not holding anything too dear. When the JBL L100 Classic was introduced, we didn’t lead off with a piano finish cabinet – the original JBL L100 Century didn’t have that. If we had used it, the speaker wouldn’t have been a JBL L100. Similarly, the plastic grille pegs and black baffle and back are intentional – both choices ensure the speaker resembles the original. Larger details like the driver sizes and midrange mounting affect the sound character and help it sound like the original.
However, you’ll notice that in the special editions – the 75th, 80th, Black Edition, etc. – we work with more modern design features, such as lacquer finish, wood-finished baffle and back, and bi-amp/bi-wire capability. So far, the wiring capability has made it into the ongoing JBL L100 Classic MkII standard model. Other special edition features may as well – you never know! As we made decisions to modernize some aspects, we weighed each feature of the original and kept those that are strongly identified with the JBL L100 Century and incorporated others that bring the model into the modern age.
Beyond specs and design, what makes a JBL product like the L100 Classic 80 resonate culturally and emotionally with listeners, and why is that difficult to replicate? How do you balance reverence for a classic with the responsibility to push performance forward?
CH: The cultural and emotional significance lies more with what listeners and society did with the model. I mentioned how it showed up in what appeared as an outrageous Maxell ad – nobody forgets the appearance of the speaker playing loudly, blowing the long hair of the listener back, tipping the martini glass! Listeners might remember that their father owned a pair, or that they used them at parties their parents didn’t know about. They probably heard the first song from their now-favorite band on these speakers. It’s about the individual memories and the emotions associated with them. To honor this, our engineers noted where the design was poor by present-day standards and advanced it, gaining modern improvements, while attempting to be close enough to the original that there is no mistake that it deserves to carry on its name.
How do HARMAN’s culture, resources, and R&D capabilities enable sustained innovation at JBL? What happens with legacy meets cutting-edge engineering?
CH: HARMAN has a very supportive culture for engineers. If you’re interested in growing your skills or increasing professional development, you need only to ask. When you need specialized expertise, our collaborative environment makes it easy to connect with the right subject matter experts across the organization. You can discuss ideas with colleagues in your group, with a different team across the lobby, or even with a team halfway around the world. This accessibility not only expands your general knowledge base but also your actual expertise in a subject. And when you are working on a modern version of a legacy product, like the JBL L100, you find that through nostalgia for products of the past, everyone is more than happy to help. This support makes it easy to do your best work.
How do you see this legacy being developed in the future? What principles guide JBL’s next generation of audio innovation?
CH: Usually, we develop our audio products further by updating technology – new motors, cone materials, suspension, crossover, etc. – but something unique is happening with the JBL L100 Classic and its variants. The basic design is modernizing, and I expect to see the future JBL L100 have features that, along with improved technologies, will be accepted in the future as standard. Many of the people that I talked to about the original JBL L100 thought it had a dome tweeter like the JBL Classic (it didn’t – the JBL Century had a cone tweeter), and so I expect in the future people will think that the JBL L100 Classic had a piano finish (only one variant so far has) or a wood-finish baffle (two special editions). And they will certainly think that it had the JBL L82 and JBL L52 alongside it from the ‘70’s, two models that didn’t exist before but are just as desirable.
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The JBL L100's journey from professional studio staple to cultural icon to contemporary classic proves that legacy isn't a constraint - it's a compass. True innovation doesn't require abandoning your foundation but instead it’s encouraged by building with intention, expertise, and the resources to do it right. As JBL continues to evolve this legendary line and develop the next generation of audio innovation, one principle remains constant: the best way to define what's possible tomorrow is to understand what made yesterday unforgettable.
