JL Audio
JL Audio used CEDIA 2008 too once again proved they are in the home theater market to stay. Some of you may know JL Audio from the car audio market, but they entered in to the home theater market in early 2007 with two subwoofers which have since gone on to win industry awards. Following the Fathoms they released the Gotham which set the bar for what a subwoofer can (and should) do; it truly is the current king of the hill. Not ones to rest on their success, JL introduced a new in-wall subwoofer, two new products in the Fathom line and a new line of active satellites.
Fathom IWS
The in-wall solution, Fathom IWS, is designed to fit in to a normal 2×4 wall and provide the performance of a free standing sub. The IWS comes in two flavors; the 1kW with a single 13.5″ driver and the 2kW with two 13.5 drivers. Both systems use an outboard amplifier and come with the exclusive A.R.O. (automatic room optimazation) system. The new Fathom IWS is due out early 2009.
Fathom f212
Also being introduced was the new Fathom 212 with dual 12″ drivers. The next generation drivers are centered around the most aggressive motor system JL has ever used on a drive of this size. The construction is the same as the existing Fathoms and the unit can be place in the vertical or horizontal position. I haven’t had a chance to demo these yet, but all indications are these should be exceptional performers. The new Fathom f212 is due out October 2008.
The Fathom f110 was once again shown, only this time there is a real release date. This subwoofer has been in prototype and shown around for quite sometime now and it’s finally ready for prime time. Again, this is a 10″ driver with 900 watts RMS and comes with the A.R.O. system. It begins shipping next month.
Primacy X3
Finally, JL Audio introduced their new Primacy X3 active satellite speakers. These had a wonderful look to them and it appears that JL is taking the same careful approach to their speakers as they have taken to their subwoofers. These are a full three-way active speaker with 1000 watts of total power controlled through DSP Crossover Filters. No time table the release of the Primacy X3.
So, JL Audio continues to impress us with their existing products and certainly have generated some excitement with their new products. I look forward to reporting back as these new products are released.
Ps: as always, all JL Audio products are made in the U.S.A.
Tags: active loudspeaker, Fathom, Fathom f110, Fathom f212, Fathom IWS, Gotham, JL Audio, Primacy X3, subwoofer