Testing

All audio products have a useful life, and JBL engineers are committed to making that as long as possible, not only in terms of reliability, but also in terms of how good the sound is the very first time a system is turned on. Every JBL Professional product undergoes stringent testing above and beyond what the product would face when deployed in the real world.

To ensure longevity, our 100 Hour Torture Test is unlike any other testing procedure in the industry, so that audio professional know they can rely on JBL components in mission critical applications - in all applications. To ensure the quality of the sound in real-world acoustical spaces, JBL's LSR Linear Spatial Reference Technology measures systems in a 360 degree field around the loudspeaker, enabling the entire system to be engineered for consistent response of all direct and reflected sound at the listening position.

JBL also has multiple application specific anechoic testing chambers, and has developed the only known 'Speaker Shuffler' that allows rapid and precise re-positioning of speaker systems in the exact same space for truly accurate A/B testing. This rigorous, uncompromising adherence to testing results in continuous breakthroughs in performance and ensures that JBL users worldwide can always work with confidence.

Linear Spatial Reference Technology (LSR)

Building blocks to clear sound.

The Linear Spatial Reference (LSR) philosophy is based on a set of design goals that carefully control the overall performance of the system in a variety of acoustic spaces. Instead of focusing on a simple measurement such as on-axis frequency response, JBL measures systems in a field 360 degrees around the speaker and engineers the entire system to ensure off-axis response reflected to the mix position is also smooth and accurate. JBL defines the ultimate performance specification for new systems – what it will sound like in your room. At the mix position, you hear a combination of direct sound and sound reflected from the rooms surfaces. For sound arriving at the mix position to be smooth and neutral, it is not enough for a speaker to measure “flat” on-axis - it is essential the speaker have excellent off-axisperformance.

While other manufacturers use a single on-axis frequency response measurement taken at one point in space, JBL measures monitor systems over a sphere that encompasses all power radiated into the listening room – in every direction. This data reflects 1296 times the information of a single on-axis response curve. Seventy-two measurements of the direct sound field, the reflected sound field, and the reverberant field, the entire sound field heard by the listener, is correlated to optimize response at the listening position. In place of spectral smoothing used by some manufacturers, which actually conceals data, the JBL approach actually exposes flaws in systems, such as resonances, poor dispersion and other causes of off-axis coloration. The data shown below is a set of spatially measured graphs that are the heart of JBL’s philosophy.

The JBL Tradition Continues

The anechoic chamber is an essential tool for performance measurement. Without it, all you can do is predict. While anechoic chambers are very expensive and some manufacturers have none of their own, JBL has many anechoic chambers on its campus. Since position in the room influences the perception of the speaker, critical A/B comparison evaluations require that every speaker being judged is positioned in exactly the same spot in the room. Since no solution exists which allows rapid swapping of pairs of speakers, JBL manufactured the only known Speaker Shuffler, a computer-operated device capable of physically swapping pairs of speakers in the space of 3 seconds. JBL’s technical staff is second-to-none. Our engineers are respected by their peers in the industry and have won technical awards and honors from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences and from the Audio Engineering Society for designs which have advanced the professional audio industry.

 

100 Hour Torture Test

JBL employs time tested practices to ensure that the products we create deliver superior sound quality, durability and practicality.

For over 75 years, JBL has been at the forefront of loudspeaker design and an industry leader wherever professional audio needed to be “mission critical”. When performance simply could not be compromised professionals the world over have turned to JBL. Every JBL Professional product undergoes stringent testing above and beyond what the product will face when deployed in the real world so that you can have confidence when your reputation is on the line. This is our culture and our legacy.