In a space recreating a 1970s home, The Hollies' song "Long Cool Woman" played. From a wood speaker equipped with an orange "Quadrex Foam Grille," the lively electric guitar riffs and the heavy bass low-end rang out clearly, note by note. It was the sound of the JBL "L100 Century," a speaker representing JBL, the audio brand of Harman, a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics.
On the 21st, Samsung Electronics held the "JBL 80th Anniversary and Bowers & Wilkins 60th Anniversary Commemorative Exhibition Media Day" at "Project Space LINE" in Seoul Gangnam-gu. In the three-story exhibition hall, visitors could review the history of audio technology development through over 100 representative products from each era of the two brands.
JBL's L100 Century is a speaker that implemented for home use the acoustic technology of the "4310 Studio Monitor," which was used in professional recording studios in the 1960s. It allowed users to experience at home the studio monitor technology utilized in the production of albums by world-renowned musicians such as John Lennon and Michael Jackson.
JBL also unveiled its high-end audio product, "JBL Summit K2." Inspired by the names of world-famous peaks such as Everest and K2, it embodies the pursuit of the pinnacle of acoustic technology. It achieves precise and clear sound through technologies such as the "D2 Compression Driver." When British singer Adele's "All I Ask" was played, even the subtle tremors in her voice and the sound of her breathing were conveyed delicately.
JBL has also pursued innovation in design. The "Paragon," released in the 1950s, is a stereo speaker that houses left and right speakers and an acoustic reflection structure in a single cabinet. It was designed to add aesthetic appeal to audio equipment so it could be utilized as an interior object. The Paragon placed in a space recreating a 1950s home evoked the image of a high-end solid wood living room table.
Bowers & Wilkins' latest flagship speaker, the "800 Series Diamond D5," was also exhibited. It is designed to reproduce high-frequency ranges precisely by incorporating a tweeter made of synthetic diamond material. A Bowers & Wilkins official stated, "Bowers & Wilkins, established in 1966, has developed with the goal of creating speakers that achieve 'True Sound,'" adding, "The D5, designed and produced in Woking, UK, is a product that embodies decades of accumulated research results, engineering capabilities, and craftsmanship." In addition, Bowers & Wilkins' first speaker, the "P2H," and the "Nautilus," inspired by the spiral structure of a nautilus shell, were exhibited.
It was an exhibition offering a glimpse into Samsung Electronics' future acoustic strategy. Samsung Electronics plans to strengthen its competitiveness by integrating the acoustic technologies of Harman and Bowers & Wilkins into key products such as smartphones, TVs, and soundbars. Samsung Electronics announced the acquisition of Harman in 2016 and completed the acquisition the following year for approximately $8 billion (approximately 940 trillion won at the time). It was the largest overseas mergers and acquisitions (M&A) deal by a domestic company at that time. Last year, through Harman, it additionally acquired premium audio brands such as Bowers & Wilkins, Denon, and Marantz.
Son Young-gwon, Senior Advisor at Samsung Electronics (Harman Lee Sa-hoe (Chairman)), stated, "This is an opportunity to experience the 80th-year history of JBL's sound and the 60th-year legacy of Bowers & Wilkins in one place," adding, "Samsung Electronics will continue to innovate audio technology together with Harman so that customers around the world can enjoy the best sound in every moment of their daily lives."
The "Sound Legends" exhibition commemorating JBL's 80th Anniversary and Bowers & Wilkins' 60th Anniversary will run from the 24th to the 31st.
in INDUSTRY
