The K2: JBL's new $30,000 speaker

JBL's best speaker, the K2 S9900.

(Credit: JBL)

Most of you probably think of JBL as a manufacturer of affordable high-performance speakers, but the company offers a truly vast range of consumer and professional models.

The K2 S9900 ($15,000 each) is the best consumer speaker JBL makes. It's a massive thing, weighing in at 182 pounds, and it's armed with a 15-inch woofer, 4-inch magnesium, horn-loaded midrange, and 1-inch magnesium horn-loaded tweeter. It can handle amplifiers as large as 500 watts a channel.

The JBL K2 S9900 will be equally at home in ultra-high-end music and home theater systems.

The K2 was originally developed for the seriously finicky Japanese audiophile market. There it has already achieved legendary status, and it was years before JBL brought it home. American hi-fi at its best.

I haven't heard this latest version of the K2, but I'm somewhat familiar with the previous K2 S9800. That one's sound was huge, incredibly effortless, and capable of delivering truly lifelike dynamic range. That last quality alone goes a long way to making reproduced sound sound realistic.

If you can afford the best, make it your business to hear the K2.

[MadLyb]

I have used JBL for years, both at home and professionally and to my ears, they are one of the best in balancing quality, price, capacity and durability.

[FirstReflections]

Only $30,000/pair? pffft. No wonder they've only sold it in Japan (where they care about whether it actually sounds good as opposed to just bragging about how much it costs).

[d06svt]

This would be interesting to hear up against a new pair of Klipschorns and see how much of an improvement $22,000 nets you.

[The_happy_switcher]

Really dumb. 99.99 percent of the populace wouldn't be able tell this from a speakers costing 10 percent of that.

[monkeyfun14]

Well this isn't for 99.9% of the population

[humblehifi]

Well that leaves roughly 65,000 people who could... Even if only 1% of those could and actually DO buy them you just sold 650 speakers and took in close to $20 million.

You know, just a thought.

[soundman45]

These look like something that would be used in a sound reinforcement application. It probably puts out hell of alot of SPL.

[pubmat]

Soundman....are you the one that has the rythmik subs in his system? I was blogging with someone on here that said they just got 2 new rythmik subs, and I wanted to see how they were. I'm in need of a sub, (or 2) and I was considering them....or possibly SVS. Thanks.

[willaudio1]

JBL's top of the line is the JBL Everest

http://www.jbl.com/home/products/product_detail.aspx?prod=DD66000CH&Language=ENG&Country=US,US&Region=&cat=BFS&ser=JBL

[borispmchan]

K2 is not a fully horn loaded system, but Klipschorn is. I doubt if K2 can sound as refined as some other European counterparts... By putting a PA grade 15" woofer, PA grade compression drivers into a wooden cabinet, I think K2 ought sound like a PA speaker!

[AdamB5000]

I'd love to hear this speaker. I saw a TS Monk III performance at a college and after the performance some jazz music was being played over a whole bunch of JBL horns on the stage. I swear I kept looking down to the stage to see who was playing it sounded so lifelike. Granted the building has so much to do with sound quality, the horns/speakers didn't do anything to hurt the setup. It was pretty remarkable.

[zblackrider]

Always enjoyed JBL.. Pretty sure I've got a few Yen under the futon

[zblackrider]

Dollars? Ya, OK!!

[Pride73170]

I would buy the B&W 801D, get a better pair of speakers, and save $21000. I suppose if all you're worried about is spl, then these might be an option. I can't imagine spending more than $800 a pair for anything with the JBL logo on it, and even that would be a stretch. Not a fan of Klipsch either, but would buy Klipsch before JBL. B&W, Thiel, Monitor Audio, Paradigm, and Martin Logan would all put these things to shame at a fraction of the price. JBL died when it became part of Harman International. This is a feeble attempt to re-associate the JBL name with the high end. Sorry fanboys!

[Pride73170]

P.S. Can you get some fashion for your $30k? Did JBL conduct an elementary school competiton to come up with the design? These actually look like a PA system!

[jamil_dhaka]

Nothing worth $30.000

[Vesicant]

Pretty expensive for a paint stripper. My local hardware store has one (not magnesium, of course) for $1.89. And those who describe this as a PA speaker with high SPL are dead on. That's how JBL made its bones, and that's what they are to this day.

http://www.audioheritage.org/html/history/jbl-pro/1970s.htm

[Proud_Geek]

For this price this speaker set should be made of gold & platinum, it should clean out my ear wax, and it should fellate me every day for the rest of my life.

[kcar27]

Only $30K? So it must sound only 1/60 as good as the $2 million speakers you pimped out a few weeks ago. Because true audiophiles can hear the difference.

[DaveOCP]

I think if you tell most Audiophiles that you spent $30K on these, they'll laugh in your face. They look like crap. If you want horns, buy some REAL ones (AvanteGarde, Acapella Audio, Sunny Cable) not some PA speakers shoved in a big box that can do nothing more than play really loud.

JBL should leave the high-end stuff to Revel, and stick to making mediocre speakers for Best Buy. At $30K, the Aerial Acoustics 20Tv2 will BURY these, dig them up, and bury them again. As will dozens and dozens of other speakers for far less.

[d06svt]

So you've heard these JBLs as well as all of those other speakers and feel confident to make that assumption?