JL Audio Company Overview:

JL Audio, Inc. is a privately held company employing close to 300 people in two U.S. facilities. A 140,000 sq.ft. facility in Miramar, Florida is home to company headquarters, loudspeaker manufacturing, cabinet assembly (wood and fiberglass) and speaker engineering. A 40,000 sq.ft. facility in Phoenix, Arizona is dedicated to our electronics division and is home to engineering, distribution and repair facilities for these products.

JL Audio is firmly committed to real engineering. The company’s engineering staff, led by CEO Lucio Proni, is second-to-none in the industry and undertakes serious research projects aimed at bringing better technology to the audio market. Our research efforts have resulted in the granting of 14 U.S. Patents, with many other U.S. Patents currently pending for speaker and amplifier technology.

Throughout its history, JL Audio has been a consistent innovator in the design of audio products and is perceived as an industry leader. Many concepts that are now mainstream were pioneered and/or moved forward through our efforts (i.e. vehicle-specific subwoofer systems, long excursion/small-box subwoofer drivers, impedance optimizing amplifiers, etc.) This spirit of innovation lies at the very core of the company’s philosophy.

JL Audio Company History:

JL Audio was founded in 1975 by two partners, Lucio Proni and James Birch. The company’s first products consisted of home speaker systems and home speaker “kits”. This business turned out to be lucrative for the two partners so they decided to invest their profits in the establishment of a retail store in Hollywood, Florida.

In 1977 the partners formed a new company called Speaker Warehouse with a primary focus on speaker repair and retailing of raw drivers, crossover parts and complete speaker systems. During this time, JL Audio continued to operate independently.

In the late 1970′s, the car audio revolution began to take shape. Speaker Warehouse began carrying some of the early pioneering car audio products. As a result of Jim and Lucio’s knowledge of speaker systems, the retail stores began experimenting with component speakers and subwoofer cabinets in cars well before these practices became common. Speaker Warehouse soon established itself as the place to go to for high-end car audio in South Florida.

In the early 1980′s, JL Audio jumped into the car audio market with a series of enclosures called PowerWedges. These were compact, enclosed full-range speaker systems which became quite popular in the Florida market. JL Audio was one of the first companies to build enclosed systems for the car market.

During this time period, Speaker Warehouse became even stronger in the car audio retail business. Two additional stores were opened and it was not uncommon for three to four elaborate systems to be installed at each location every day. It soon became apparent to the people at Speaker Warehouse that one of the areas that needed a lot of work was the design of effective car audio woofers. Speaker Warehouse tried all kinds of pro and home woofers but felt frustrated at the limited results that were achievable with these drivers. They simply were not designed to operate in the automotive environment.

At this time, Lucio Proni had just designed an eight-inch woofer for use in the new line of JL Audio PowerWedges. This is the woofer that would later be known as the 8W2. When the installers at Speaker Warehouse listened to these new enclosures, they immediately asked Lucio for technical information to use this little 8″ driver in custom enclosures. The performance was outstanding. The little woofer outperformed a lot of bigger drivers.

Mr. Proni followed that design with a ten-inch and twelve-inch sub that were just as well received as the little eight. During 1987, he set out to design higher power handling woofers (the W5 series). When these hit the stores, response was overwhelming. Speaker Warehouse and the other JL Audio dealers in Florida couldn’t keep them in stock.

During this time period, Speaker Warehouse, under Lucio’s guidance, began to build its first competition cars. By 1989, Speaker Warehouse completely dominated the car audio competition scene in Florida, using JL Audio woofers in most of the vehicles. In 1989, seven Speaker Warehouse vehicles qualified for the first annual IASCA Finals in Tempe, Arizona.

This competition proved to be a turning point for Speaker Warehouse and JL Audio. Speaker Warehouse cars using JL Audio subwoofers won four First Places and the ultimate “Best of Show” award.

As a result of these successes, people throughout the U.S. And Canada began asking about JL Audio woofers. JL Audio shipped product to a few dealers for beta testing and the resulting feedback was overwhelmingly positive. It was time to get serious…

Getting Serious

In 1990, Alan Wenzel and Manville Smith joined the company as Sales Manager and Technical Director respectively. After extensive discussions and strategy meetings, a corporate philosophy was formed that guides JL Audio to this day. Superior products, superior technical support and distribution through car audio specialists are the guiding principles of JL Audio.

Alan Wenzel traveled around the country explaining the product line to prospective dealers. A core group of high-end car audio dealers jumped on board during this time (the vast majority of which are still dealers today). Dealers who brought the line into their stores on reputation quickly realized that, using the technical services provided, they could design better subwoofer systems for their customers with JL Audio woofers.

The 1990 IASCA Finals proved to be even more successful for JL Audio vehicles, with five First Place finishes.

In 1991, JL Audio exhibited at CES for the first time in the frozen tundra of the front parking lot. The W2 and W5 product lines, along with several enclosed subwoofer models were introduced nationally for the first time.

In 1992, JL Audio introduced the W1 series subwoofers, which have now become classics. These speakers set new standards for performance, value and versatility at a lower price point.

In 1993, JL Audio introduced the W6 series, which set the industry on its ear with monstrous excursion capability, very small enclosure volume requirements and the unique dual 6-ohm voice coil system designed to allow running three speakers from one mono-bridged amp.

In 1994, JL Audio introduced the W4 and IB4 series subwoofers and infinite baffle woofers, completing the most versatile subwoofer line in the industry. Also introduced were the CS-3 component systems and the outrageous Austin Mini demo vehicle, which was named “Best Sounding Demo Vehicle” by Autosound and Security magazine.

In 1995, JL Audio introduced the Stealthbox fiberglass enclosures, PowerWedge (a name from the past), ProWedge and MicroSub systems. These new enclosed systems give JL Audio dealers even more of an edge against their competition.

In 1996 Andy Oxenhorn becomes the President of JL Audio. His impact on the company is immediate and pronounced, allowing for the incredible growth and expansion in the coming years. JL Audio expands its offerings in its Stealthbox, PowerWedge, MicroSub and launched the W0 subwoofer line which set new standards of performance for moderately priced subwoofers and used JL Audio’s patented VRC (Vented Reinforcement Collar) technology.

In 1998, JL Audio launched the Evolution line of component speakers and coaxials, featuring products across a wide price range geared to audiophile listening. The W3 subwoofers also made their debut, taking long-excursion subwoofer design to a new level. JL Audio also moved into a brand-new, purpose built facility in Miramar, FL.

In 1999, the Stealthbox, PowerWedge and Evolution lineups were expanded with new models and replacements for old models.

In 2000, JL Audio launched its first electronics products, a line of high performance car audio amplifiers. Amplifier industry veterans Bruce Macmillan and David Krich led the design effort and Jeff Scoon joined the company to lead the Electronics division.

In 2001, JL Audio unveiled the W7 subwoofers, a no-holds-barred extreme performance design with several patented technologies. These woofers are the result of over six years of intense engineering effort and are still considered a reference standard for low-frequency transducer performance. New Evolution, Stealthbox, enclosed subwoofer and amplifier models were also introduced.

In 2002, JL Audio introduced the W6v2 subwoofers. These include most of the technology of the W7 drivers in a more cost-conscious package. They offer 50% more linear excursion capability than the original W6 subwoofers and are a fitting replacement for those classic designs.

In 2003 the electronics division introduced the e-series amplifiers. These lower priced amplifiers shared technologies with the original amplifiers (now known as “slash”). JL Audio also introduced an entire line of audio interconnects, power wire and accessories called ECS (for Engineered Connection Systems). JL Audio acquired Total Mobile Audio in order to offer their dealers a much-needed product for the true entry-level price points. The TMA products are immediately recognized for their performance and reliability.

In 2004 an enormous milestone is reached as JL Audio enters the home audio market with the unveiling of the Fathom and Gotham powered subwoofer systems. The Fathom models feature variants of the W7 subwoofers powered by cutting-edge amplifier designs, combined with gorgeous enclosures and unique A.R.O (Automatic Room Optimization) circuitry. The Evolution line was expanded to include the reference quality ZR products. These component systems share technologies used on the W7 and W6v2 subwoofers. They feature cast aluminum baskets and some of the finest crossover components available. The amplifier line also saw the addition of two new e-series models, the e1400D and e1800D. With several new introductions to the Stealthbox line, the category grows to more than 70 models.

JL Audio reaches into two critical new categories in 2005. Featuring a 7.7-inch component system for much-needed additional output capability, the JL Audio marine products set a new standard for the marine audio market. All of the products are designed and tested to far exceed marine industry standards for reliability. JL Audio also entered the OEM integration category with the revolutionary CleanSweep CL441dsp. This DSP-Based device was the first of its kind and allowed the user to eliminate any frequency related errors associated with standard factory audio systems. The year also saw the rebirth of the classic W1 product with the launch of the W1v2 products. These incredible woofers were also installed into nearly 20 different PowerWedge enclosures to meet just about any need at an entry-level price point.

In 2006, JL Audio launched the W3v3 line of subwoofer drivers. These products are superb performers at the critical middle-price point. Also in 2006, the A-series amplifiers were introduced. These amplifiers improved replace the e-series and feature enhancd protection circuitry and thermal management. The CleanSweep OEM integration category saw the introduction of the CL-SSI and CL-SES. The CL-SSI signal-summing interface allows the user to quickly and effectively recombine crossed over signals to provide a full range signal for the CL-441dsp to work its “magic”. The CL-SES allowed for up to three audio signals to be routed through a single audio input (RCA type). It featured automatic or manual source selection and an incredibly high quality signal path. Another 13 Stealthbox models are also introduced. A smaller Fathom model, the f110, is also introduced at CEDIA in September. The original Fathom models are named “Subwoofer of the Year” and “Product of the Year” by major home audio industry publications.

In 2007, JL Audio introduces the world to the TW5 line of subwoofers. Featuring a radically new approach to speaker design, these woofers have a mounting depth of only 2.5 inches and recommended box volumes that are about half of what a “normal” woofer of the same size might require. The Evolution line expands to include the C5 line of coaxial and component systems. These products feature a cast alloy frame and silk dome tweeters. The ECS line is completely revamped to feature new packaging and entirely new connections for power delivery. The Stealthbox line grows to nearly 90 different models.