Archive / Classics, 1946 to 1969
JBLHartsfield D30085
Loudspeaker, JBL, 1954
JBL's corner horn system, introduced in 1954 with a 150-4C bass driver and a 375 compression driver on an H-5039 horn with a Koustical lens, built after JBL dealers asked for a rival to the Klipschorn.
A-06, isometric, same camera for both
- Drawing
- A-06
- Introduced
- 1954
- Produced
- 1954 to 1964
- Made in
- United States
- Designed by
- William L. Hartsfield, Bart Locanthi
- Launch price
- Not confirmed
- Size
- 1149 x 1162 x 635 mm
- Weight
- 113.5 kg
JBL dealers wanted a corner horn to compete with the Klipschorn, and JBL turned to William L. Hartsfield, a US Bureau of Standards employee hired as a consultant, whose patent was issued in 1957. The original D30085 pairs the 150-4C 15 inch bass driver with the 375 high-frequency driver behind an N-500 crossover at 500 Hz, with Bart Locanthi's Koustical lens on the H-5039 horn. In 1964 JBL offered a three-way version adding the 075 ring radiator. The bass horn was redesigned in 1959 mainly to cut manufacturing costs, and production ended after 1964.
Specification
| Item | As published |
|---|---|
| Bass driver | 150-4C, 15 in |
| High-frequency driver | 375 compression driver on H-5039 exponential horn with Koustical lens |
| Crossover | N-500 dividing network, 500 Hz (original); N400 or N500H and N7000 in the 1964 three-way version |
| Impedance | 16 ohms |
| Dimensions | 45.25 x 45.75 x 25 in (1149 x 1162 x 635 mm) |
| Weight | 250 lb (113.5 kg); Audio Heritage says over 250 pounds each |
Out of production
Find an original
The Hartsfield D30085 is out of production. Originals change hands on the marketplaces listed here; buy restored, or budget for recapping and new valves.
The house
- Founded
- 1946
- Founder
- James Bullough Lansing
- Origin
- Los Angeles, California, United States
- Today
- A subsidiary of Harman International, which Samsung Electronics owns.
Further sheets
Sources
- https://www.audioheritage.org/html/profiles/jbl/hartsfield.htm
- https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/lansing_hartsfield_d_30085.html
- https://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/printthread.php?t=24447&pp=15&page=1
Notes for the record: No original price was found; Audio Heritage's USD 25 and USD 300 figures refer only to the starter D208 driver and its enclosure. Radiomuseum gives 1954 to 1964 and the dimensions and 250 lb weight, labelled width, height and depth in that order. A forum thread on Audio Heritage tells a story about a bet between Bill Thomas and Bill Hartsfield; it is an anecdote with no cited source and is not used. The Hartsfield credit follows Audio Heritage's profile, which says William L. Bill Hartsfield was hired on retainer as a consultant and that the Koustical lens was developed by Bart Locanthi.