JBL Adds New Model DD65000 to Its Project Everest Loudspeakers

At CES 2013 HARMAN’s JBL announced it is broadening its top-of-the-line Project Everest loudspeaker range with the introduction of its DD65000 ultrahigh-end floorstanding speaker. The DD65000 combines newly developed driver technologies and refinements to deliver extraordinary musical realism, and has a distinctively elegant visual appeal that blends classic and contemporary design elements.

“The Project Everest DD65000 is designed to be a superlative loudspeaker in every respect,” said Jim Garrett, Director of Marketing and Product Management, HARMAN Luxury Audio Group and Loudspeakers. “It incorporates new woofer, new compression drivers and other refinements that build upon the technologies found in previous Project Everest and JBL K2 loudspeakers. The sonic result a loudspeaker that transcends the sum of its parts to convey music with remarkable fidelity and emotional involvement.”

The Project Everest DD65000 employs the proven JBL design concept of combining the exceptional dynamic range and transient response and “ease” of reproduction of horn-loaded compression drivers with the authoritative low-frequency impact, precise imaging and soundstage realism afforded by dynamic drivers. The DD65000 provides richly detailed, natural vocal and instrumental reproduction and conveys all the power and nuance of the original performance with a real-life sense of presence and scale.

To achieve its distinguished performance, the DD65000 incorporates a number of newly developed drivers and technologies. It employs two newly developed 1501AL-1 cast-aluminum-frame woofers with a new paper pulp-matrix woofer material augmented by a rear-applied AquaPlas coating, a combination that preserves sonic neutrality while damping unwanted cone resonances for controlled, articulate bass response. The cone is mounted to the frame via a foamed rubber surround with a roll diameter that yields the optimum amount of travel while retaining as small a diameter as possible for the maximum usable cone area. The use of the new cone material and surround results in lower distortion in the woofer’s higher operating range and a lower 18Hz fundamental resonance for greater bass extension. Additional enhancements include a massive 4-inch voice coil immersed in an Alnico 5DG magnet that is immune to temperature changes, a copper-steel-laminated top plate that contributes to more linear magnetic behavior within the driver, and other refinements.

The 476Mg midrange/high-frequency compression driver utilizes a 4-inch high-purity magnesium alloy foil diaphragm that is formed as an integral one-piece diamond-embossed surround and dome. The low density of the magnesium alloy combined with the high stiffness and tuning of the surround’s design yields a transducer that provides exceptional resolution, transient response and detailed, natural midrange and treble reproduction.

The DD65000’s all-new 045Mg ultrahigh-frequency compression driver features a 1-inch diaphragm that uses the same high-purity magnesium alloy foil material found in the 476Mg. This is done to ensure sonic consistency between the midrange/high-frequency and ultrahigh-frequency drivers. The 045Mg features a new precision-cast, pure-magnesium phasing plug that offers better heat dissipation for improved clarity even at higher volumes, and improved manufacturing processes have enabled the driver to provide nearly 5dB more output above 30kHz.

Both compression drivers are mounted in JBL’s exclusive computer-optimized Bi-Radial® horns that are made from acoustically inert SonoGlass® material, which eliminates the unwanted strident colorations that can occur with conventional horn designs. The horns are shaped to provide optimum dispersion in the horizontal and vertical planes, for smooth frequency response and precise imaging over a wider on- and off-axis area.

The JBL Project Everest DD65000 uses an advanced crossover network that lets the woofers operate in different frequency ranges, a configuration that provides optimum directivity and high output. The crossover network uses a DC bias system that keeps the capacitors operating in Class A mode, yielding maximum sonic purity. The network is housed on four separate circuit boards, one for each transducer, which optimizes each board for each driver and its corresponding frequency range.

The DD65000 can be tailored for optimum performance in any system and room, thanks to its front-mounted control panels that allow fine-tuning of low-frequency and high-frequency level and other characteristics. The JBL Project Everest DD65000 is built to the highest standards with top-quality components including air-core inductors, polypropylene foil capacitors, wire-wound and metal oxide resistors used in multiples to prevent value shift during high-power operation, and additional refinements.

The DD65000 is as auspicious in appearance as it is in performance, blending classic JBL design elements with contemporary accents. The DD65000 features curved and angled surfaces as found in the DD67000 and a contoured horizontal midrange horn, complemented by the loudspeaker’s furniture-grade craftsmanship and elegant dark gray zebrawood.

The JBL Project Everest DD65000 loudspeaker will be available in February 2013 at a suggested retail price of $60,000/pair.

Source: Press Release