Chi volesse approfondire la storia delle Paragon ...Estratto dal libro
The History and Legacy of JBL By Don McRitchie and Steve Schell
Scaricabile integralmente
http://www.cieri.net/Documenti/JBL/Docu ... (2006).pdf
The Paragon was intended to extend JBL’s pre-eminence in home audio with the design of a statement system that showcased the newly-developed stereo sound technology. It relied on an unprecedented concept that utilized a curved dispersion panel to create a wide stereo soundstage, best described in the inventor’s own words:
“The usual method of using two speaker systems separated eight feet or so means that the listeners must put their chairs in a line down the axis of this setup, much as if they were playing railroad, to get real stereo. This is because it is only along this axis of symmetry that the two speakers have consistently equal effect. As soon as the listener moves off axis, the speaker toward which he moves takes predominance. Sound intensity decreases rapidly with distance and the more distant speaker quickly loses out to the nearer.
This can be avoided by projecting the sound from each speaker against a curved surface which acts as a convex lens for the sound and directs it more strongly to the side opposite the speaker than it does to its own side. The convex refractor eliminates the sharp axis of symmetry where the slightest movement of the listener is so disturbing.”
The developer was Richard Ranger, a noted electrical engi-neer and owner of the Rangertone Corporation. This firm was primarily known for its role in cinema sound, having developed products and technologies for film audio re-cording and reproduction. Ranger had previously used JBL components and speaker systems in this work, so an associa-tion existed between the two firms prior to the start of the Paragon project.
The best information indicates that Ranger approached JBL with his concept. His initial work was towards the develop-ment of a theatre sound system that used the curved panel diffraction concept. It is believed that Thomas convinced Ranger to develop the concept into a home speaker. In 1957, Ranger was hired by JBL to do the overall engineering for what would ultimately be introduced as the Paragon. Ranger was part of a team of consultants that undertook develop-ment of a prototype. One of the team members was William Hartsfield, who took on responsibility for the design of the bass horn. The other key team member was a relatively new consultant to JBL named Arnold Wolf, who was responsible for the industrial design.
An initial working prototype was constructed with surfaces of glossy black Micarta, and except for the curved diffrac-tion panel, all of the enclosure walls consisted of right-angled planes. Arnold Wolf’s task was to develop the de-sign’s aesthetics to a level that would match its unparalleled acoustic performance. This was an extremely difficult as-signment. The vast majority of loudspeaker enclosures pro-duced to date were some version of a box. In other words, the geometry was basic and generally not an issue in the industrial design. Conversely, the Paragon had very complex geometric requirements. Obviously the curved diffraction panel had a fixed shape that had to be integrated with the rest of the enclosure. The use of horn loading for the bass drivers resulted in another set of geometric constraints to ensure that the complex horn expansion requirements were met. However, the single most difficult challenge for the industrial design was the requirement that the midrange horns be mounted ahead of the diffraction panel and firing onto it. How could this be integrated in any kind of coherent and visually pleasing manner?
Arnold Wolf’s design not only answered that question, but also became a landmark in industrial design that went be-yond anything that had previously been achieved in the loudspeaker industry. In creating his design, Wolf originally relied on plan drawings and perspective renderings. How-ever, he quickly realized these did not convey the overall visual impact. He then created a scale model of his proposed work. In particular, it illustrated his unique integration of the midrange horn mount with the legs that supported to entire enclosure. Wolf used this model as the sole presentation piece to JBL’s management to gain their approval. Upon first sight, Thomas recognized the strength of its visual de-sign and immediately authorized its development into a production model. With only minor variation to allow for enhanced constructability, the first production models were completed by late 1957.
The market introduction of the Paragon was facilitated with numerous public showings and listening sessions at venues throughout the country. They were met with universal ac-claim from both attendees and the press. Notoriety for the Paragon extended beyond the hi-fi market, as exemplified by the fact that it was displayed at the “Atomfair” Interna-tional Exposition in Brussels (1958) and at the Brooklyn Museum (1967).
For the next 26 years, the Paragon would reign at the top of JBL’s product line. To this day, it remains the most desir-able loudspeaker system ever produced by JBL, command-ing prices on the collectors’ market that have exceeded the original selling price by an order of magnitude.
The industrial version of the Paragon that was introduced at the same time as the home version. This was a custom design for built-in installation that could be even further modified by JBL for a specific project. It utilized the same driver larray as the home model. Demand and sales re-mained low for this model and it was discontinued by 1960. However, a few exist to this day and show up occasionally on the collectors’ market.
The original Paragon remained unchanged until 1960. That year, the new LE15 replaced the 150-4C bass driver. Around the same time, the enclosure material was changed. While the Paragon was initially con-structed out of veneered plywood, later enclosures were built primarily with veneered particle board.
From 1960 to 1979, the basic Paragon configuration remained the same. In 1979, the LE15A was replaced by the ferrite magnet version LE15H. The next year, the 375 was replaced by the 376, which utilized a new diaphragm containing a diamond pattern surround.
Total production numbers are unknown, but it is thought that around 1000 Paragon systems were built. Production peaked in the mid 60s at around five systems per week. By the early 80s, production had dropped to one or two units per month. As a result of this drop, JBL’s marketing department made the decision cease production in 1983. However, sufficient stock remained to continue selling systems in Japan. The last of this stock was sold in 1988 at which time the Paragon was dropped from the JBL catalog.
