JBL has released the new HDI Series of speakers. Among other things, they are characterized by a ‘high definition wave guide’.
JBL does not hide its pride in both the company’s history and the new HDI Series speakers: “There are few speaker manufacturers with a history as rich as that of JBL. As early as the 1940s, it was JBL that provided many cinemas with sound for the hitherto predominantly silent films. Those roots in the professional world are still anchored in JBL’s DNA. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts known from the Oscar award ceremony – JBL. The world’s best studios – JBL. Big live concert – JBL. Always fighting for a sound with the same drive and spontaneity as ‘the real thing’. Dynamics with capital letters. With that aim in mind, JBL started developing its own loudspeaker units around 1950. Compression drivers with extreme efficiency coupled to a horn formed the basis of every design. That philosophy and drive for real live sound now brings us a crazy JBL series with professional roots, but for home. The JBL HDI series’.
High Definition Imaging Waveguide
The new JBL HDI series owes its name to the Waveguide which is linked to the tweeter. This is – according to the manufacturer – ‘not a standard dome tweeter but a JBL 2410H-2 compression driver. Where a standard dome tweeter is in direct contact with the surrounding air, the dome in a compression driver has a phase plug with a very small opening. This technique – which comes directly from the Professional Audio – connects the tweeter much more efficiently to the surrounding air and increases efficiency. Where a normal tweeter has an efficiency of about 5% we save 30 to 50% with a compression driver. This means that much less energy is lost. By connecting the compression driver to a special horn, JBL is able to fully control the radiation behaviour over an extremely wide angle. The distinctive HDI shape also stems directly from JBL’s Pro branch, but finely ground for the high-end market’
Advantage
JBL continues: “The greatest advantage of this extreme gain in return is the fact that you don’t need it… It’s actually quite simple – the tweeter is almost always the most efficient and needs to be muffled in output to balance with the mid/low units. For the same output, the HDI drivers require much less power, so this is already compensated for in the crossover. The result is an enormous dynamism and live content that the HDI models perform on the slippers’.
The models
The new HDI series consists of 5 models, including Subwoofer and Centerspeaker.
- First, there’s the HDI-1600. It’s the smallest model in the family. The 2410H-2 Teonex compression driver with 25mm diaphragm and HDI Waveguide is combined with a 165mm Aluminium Matrix mid/low driver. The HDI-1600 has a recommended retail price of €849,- each. The optional stand costs €499,- per set.
- The HDI-3600 builds around the same HDI driver but accompanied by three 165mm Aluminium Matric mid/low units in a 2.5-way configuration in a slim floor standing enclosure. The HDI-3600 has a recommended retail price of €1,799 each.
- The HDI-3800 is the largest of the family with three pieces of 200mm Aluminium Matrix mid/low units in a 2.5-way configuration for maximum efficiency. The HDI-3800 has a recommended retail price of €2.299,- each
- The dynamic talents of the HDI series lend themselves perfectly to use in a surround configuration where the HDI-4500 is the perfect loudspeaker for the important centre channel. The HDI-4500 has a recommended retail price of €1,649 each
- The HDI-1200P rounds the spectrum of the HDI series down to the very lowest octaves. With a 300mm woofer driven by the built-in 1000Watt power amplifier, the HDI-1200P subwoofer builds a solid foundation under any piece of music or film. The HDI-1200P has a recommended retail price of €2.799,- each.
Availability
The new HDI series will be available from mid-February and can be seen for the first time on the ISE 2020. We are happy to make a demo appointment for a listening session and a suitable investment proposal.