JBL Paragon Speaker- Anyone heard of or even heard it?

[Firebottle]

Found this on t'web, built between 1957 to 1983 :

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8a/JBL_Paragon.jpg/450px-JBL_Paragon.jpg

Quite a concept to give a very wide and stable stereo image.
Here's a video of one in situ, along with some other big JBLs, skip to 3:40 to view:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVeb-x9lp_E

:eek: Alan

[Mika K]

I've heard Paragons once but unfortunately they were not in good shape. DIdn't really know about those at the time, and heard later that the unit was sold and shipped to somewhere outside Finland for restoration.

But considering the JBLs what do you mean by BIG? I think they're small and very pretty when looking similar ones at my smallish living room :D

[walpurgis]

I've heard the Paragon too. Didn't like it. Very coloured. It sounded the way it looks, like a sideboard with speaker units shoved in.

[struth]

ugly looking things...what happened to eye poetry .:)

[jollyfix]

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This has been bookmarked on my computer for a while now, more because i like the track being played. Wonder what a standard Paragon would sound like.

[BTH K10A]

Yes, I even found a Paragon for sale in Norfolk in the late 90's but at £22k it was way overpriced considering it was one of the later versions with LE15B's and not the more desirable 150-4C's. It was apparently purchased here in the UK by a USAF officer and then left in the house he'd rented when he returned to the USA.

Fairly recently I found a pair of 4341's in a studio near to me which was relocating. These are the other "big" JBL's in the video. Mine were in the same studio grey but in very poor condition with drivers missing or with rotted surrounds / damaged cones They had been used flat on their face as stands for some Boxer speakers.
It was lucky that I still has a pair of the lower midrange drivers and some original JBL re-cone kits for the 2331a's left over from when I had quite a few pairs of studio JBL's so restoring them was not too difficult.