THE LEGENDS of electronics: JAMES.B. LANSING Founder of JBL!

JBL products are now well known in the field of professional audio, but especially for their multimedia Bluetooth speakers and car audio systems. Like any business, there is a beginning that comes from the vision of one man or woman. In this particular case, James Bullough Lansing was the pioneer who in 1927 started the company that would become JBL in 1955.

Lansing had a short life as he committed suicide in 1949, JBL is a successful company with a record number of owners, this is its history.

It was in 1902, 119 years ago, that James Martini was born in Greenridge, Illinois. When he founded his first company in 1927, he changed his name to James Bullough Lansing and named his company the Lansing Manufacturing Company.

The initial offering consisted of two loudspeakers, one six and one eight inches in diameter for use in the manufacture of radio equipment.

Based in Los Angeles, it didn't take long for the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer approached Lansing to develop and manufacture sound boxes for the new talking pictures of the time. The successful product winning prestigious awards for excellence, the " Iconic Speaker "The film was shown in most cinemas at the time. The Lansing Iconic Sound System.

In fact, there were two founders, one of whom was Ken Decker, also an engineer by training, but with a gift for business and financial management. Thanks to him, the young company was a runaway success, while Lansing's genius had free rein and Decker's administrative worries were his business... Misfortune struck in 1939 with Decker's sudden death in an aeroplane accident, which led to Lansing, who was unable to manage, merging his company with Altec Service Corporation to become Altec Lansing, with Lansing as vice-president, in only two years. Altec Lansing Corporation.

Dissatisfied with his duties, Lansing left Altec to form a 1946 a new company called "James B. Lansing Sound"and to help finance his project, he offered a financial contribution to the "Marquardt corporation"an aeronautical company! JBL as we know it was born!

The beginnings of JBL the brand.

In 1949, Marquardt (an aeronautical company) sold JBL toGeneral Tire, a bizarre transaction which resulted in Lansing himself reincorporatingJBL Sound, the last chapter of his short life.

Lansing was known as an innovative engineer, but a poor businessman. Decker, his business partner, had died in 1939 in a plane crash. By the late 1940s, Lansing was struggling to pay bills and ship products. Perhaps because of deteriorating business conditions and personal problems, he committed suicide on 4 September 1949. The company then passed into the hands of Bill Thomas, vice president of JBL. Lansing had taken out a $10,000 life insurance policy* naming the company as beneficiary, a decision that allowed Thomas to maintain the company after Lansing's death. Shortly thereafter, Thomas purchased the widow Lansing's one-third interest in the company and became its sole owner. Thomas is credited with revitalizing the company and leading a period of strong growth in the two decades since JBL was founded.

In order to ensure the continuity of companies, life insurance policies are commonly taken out on the heads of directors, as they allow the survivors to buy the company from the estate, which is not always inclined to continue the adventure.

For 20 years the company structure remained unchanged when in 1969 the Jervis Corporation bought JBL. The Jervis was Sidney Harman, yes! The Sidney Harman founder of Harman and owner of Harman Kardon!

SAMSUNG has been the owner of Harman for almost 3 years, and therefore of JBL as well.

From yesterday to today, the leading products.

Here is a list of the innovations followed by the popular products of our time:

• 1936 With the help of MGM, a specialised loudspeaker for cinemas was launched, the Iconic System.
• 1944 Improvement of the Iconic renamed the A-4 or Voice of the cinema.
• 1947 First 15-inch long-travel D-130
• 1954 High-performance treble flutes, model 375.
• 1955 Leo FenderThe company incorporated JBL components into its guitar amps, opening up the professional music market for the company. Fender advertisement from the 1960s
• 1957 JBL is back in the news with the 9 foot wide Paragon system. It was sold until 1983.
• 1968 The first 3-way loudspeaker, the 4310. Until then, loudspeakers were wide-range or 2-way, which limited their performance. Today 3-way is the norm everywhere. 

3-way model L-100 JBL

• 1969 A major event and consecration, JBL sounds Woodstock, the mythical American concert.
• 1982 First use of titanium in tweeters. Titanium provides rigidity to ensure that there is no unwanted resonance.
• 1999 Back to Woodstock 1999. Woodstock 1969

Current period

Today, JBL integrates 3 major markets, the professional division dedicated to the field of PA systems for high street and recording studios, a division dedicated to motorized products such as automobiles and watercraft, and a consumer division offering Bluetooth speakers, mid-range home speakers and headphones.

Here I would like to share with you the outstanding products in the range. There are hundreds of models, but the following list definitely stands out!

1) Bluetooth speakers

Partybox 1000

It's blazing fast! It has an 1100 wattamplifier!

The JBL PartyBox 1000 is a powerful party speaker with JBL sound quality and an exciting all-round light show. Simply plug in your mic or guitar and take the stage or stream your playlist via Bluetooth or from a USB stick. To liven things up and have even more fun, it comes with a multi-coloured illuminated keyboard that allows you to trigger explosive sounds and sound effects! You can record a sequence and play it in a loop in the background of the playing music. Plus, it comes with the 1000, a remote control wristband that when waved, triggers the sound effects.

What more can I say, it's so hot!

Partybox 1000

Partybox 310

Last year, we sold an impressive number of the 300 model, which replaces the 310.

What made it so successful was its ability to play on battery for 18 hours at 240 watts powering two 6.5 inch woofers! The bass is very deep and true story: I had fun playing thunderstorm sounds outside and people were looking for the clouds in the blue sky!

For the 2021 model, JBL has gone all out with innovations:

• Castors and carrying handle
• Increased water resistance
• Bass and treble control
• All buttons are now backlit.
• A choice of sound effects such as the famous Partybox 1000.

 Partybox 310

Partybox on the go

This newer model is designed to be easier to carry.

Smaller, it still offers 100 watts. It incorporates a microphone for karaoke nights as well as a voice tone control and an echo effect to make your voice even more amazing!  

Includes carrying strap, microphone and bottle opener, light effect at no extra charge 😉 Partybox On the Go!

Boombox 2

This one surprises by its lightness versus the power developed.

The bass can be felt despite its smaller size than the old portable megaphones of yesteryear. Its capacity is 24 hours, the longest available here.

It floats and can withstand 3 feet under water, so don't worry, it loves the outdoors as much as you do!

Two operating modes either "normal" with 60 Watts or "A/C power" = 80 Watts.

It weighs only 13 pounds... Boombox2

Xtreme3

The JBL Xtreme 3 portable Bluetooth speaker delivers massive JBL Original Pro sound effortlessly. With four drivers and two bass radiators, it pumps out 100 watts of power in A/C mode. This power is definitely welcome when you're outside, I personally use it and enjoy its rich audio. Indoors you can use it to listen when the main sound system is not where you are. It's really quite versatile, believe me!  Xtreme3

Pulse4

The pulse 4 offers honest sound, but its strength lies in the beauty of the various lighting effects it has. It's water resistant like most JBLs and sounds just right, so it will be a relaxing everyday companion. Another different and well thought out product. Pulse 4: Light shows.

Headphones

The Quantum 800

• Get the most immersive and accurate surround sound in gaming. JBL Quantum SURROUND™*, powered by the JBL Quantum ENGINE, puts you at the centre of an immersive experience, allowing you to enhance your game. It looks great too with its illuminated JBL logo!

From the slightest footfall to the loudest explosion, JBL Quantum 800 headphones make every scene epic. The drivers are 50mm Hi-Res certified and the signature JBL Quantum SOUND delivers the most realistic soundscape possible. Good enough for music, but definitive for gaming!

Club one

• Ultra high-fidelity headphones incorporating intelligent noise and distortion control circuitry.

 JBL CLUB ONE headphones feature true adaptive noise cancellation that reacts to the environment and its changes in real time and adapts to you by compensating for sound leakage caused by factors such as hair, glasses and head movement. And the "SilentNow" feature maintains true adaptive noise cancellation without activating the wireless music, so you can stay zen in your bubble!

They are very powerful and the battery life is 45 hours which is perfect when travelling. When connected to your smart device, you can do Google assistant or Alexa searches and even send text messages via voice commands!

You can't stop progress!

Reflect flow

I like this model because it does everything and does it well!

It is waterproof so it is perfect for sports. It incorporates a storage box with a 20 hour fast charge. The headset has a 10 hour battery life giving you a total of 30 hours of battery life with recharging. Google Assistant is included for full hands-free control.

JBL Bar 9.1 Atmos

The JBL Bar 9.1 soundbar brings the audio experience of a movie theater into your home with two removable surround speakers and the added punch of Dolby Atmos® and DTSX™ 3D sound. With 820 watts of total system power, it incorporates a 10-inch subwoofer which is off the charts in the soundbar world. What is most unique though is the wireless rear speakers, but totally wireless!!! There is a 10 hour battery that allows for positioning of these as you wish!

The last word

I hope you enjoy the results of my research! Every company has a humble and exciting beginning. Over the years, JBL's offerings have always adjusted to the needs of the times, leading to a formidable product lineup in 2021.

... Stay tuned!

- Christian.

Peace :)