audio manufacturer industry audio founded 1975 speaker warehouse founder james birch and lucio proni headquarters miramar fl products audio electronics website jlaudio.com jl audio is an american manufacturer of consumer audio products . they produce marine home and mobile audio products but are best known for their subwoofers . jl audio is known as one of the pioneers of the car audio industry . contents 1 history 1.1 formation 1.2 speaker warehouse 2 notable events 3 notable products 4 references 5 external links history edit formation edit jl audio was founded in 1975 by james birch and lucio proni . they used the first letter of each of their names to form a company name hence jl . their first products were home speaker systems as well as home speaker kits . speaker warehouse edit in 1977 when business did not turn out as well as expected stephen seidl birch and proni invested in a retail store in hollywood florida called speaker warehouse which focused mainly on speaker repair and the sale of speakers individually or as whole speaker sets . the original company jl audio was still in operation during this time . as the businesses grew speaker warehouse essentially became a dealer of jl audio products under the direction of stephen seidl . in the late 1970s and early 1980s as the car audio revolution was starting to take place speaker warehouse was a big seller of the early pioneering car audio products . stephen seidl birch and proni used their knowledge of speakers and audio to experiment with these systems especially with component systems with subwoofers . by the early 1980s speaker warehouse had become known as a place to go for high end audio in south florida . notable events edit in 1975 jl audio is formed . in 1979 speaker warehouse is purchased by jl audio . from 1987 1988 speaker warehouse began to design competition cars with their audio systems . in 1988 speaker warehouse jl audio dominates the car audio scene in south florida . in 1989 seven speaker warehouse vehicles qualified for the first annual iasca finals in tempe arizona . in the early 1990s jl audio becomes known across the united states and canada after winning several awards in car audio competitions . in 1991 jl audio exhibits at the consumer electronics show for the first time . iso plate mounting baffles designed to facilitate isobaric mounting were introduced . additionally the w2 and w5 subwoofer driver lines were introduced to an international audience for the first time . in 1992 w1 series subwoofer drivers were introduced . these speakers introduced the concept of a small box long excursion woofer designs for car audio . the cs 1 series was also introduced jl audio s first component speaker introduction . in 1993 the w6 series subwoofer drivers are introduced in 8 10 12 and 15 inch sizes . this product was considered unique for its dual 6 ohm voice coil system design . these subwoofers were in production for 10 years . in 1994 jl audio introduces the w4 and ib4 series subwoofers and infinite baffle woofers . also introduced were the cs 3 component systems . jl audio introduced a 1961 austin mini demo vehicle featuring three 10w6 subwoofer drivers which was named best sounding demo vehicle by autosound and security magazine 1 in 1995 jl audio introduces the first group of stealthbox vehicle specific subwoofers . three brand new enclosed systems were introduced this year powerwedge now a name of the past prowedge and microsub . in 1996 andy oxenhorn former president of mb quart usa 2 becomes president of jl audio . under his leadership the company experiences a great deal of growth in the forthcoming years . jl audio s stealthbox powerwedge and microsub lines are expanded . the w subwoofer line is also introduced for consumers seeking a moderately priced subwoofer alternative . the w subwoofer line utilizes jl audio s first patented technology the vrc vented reinforcement collar . in 1997 jl audio begins work on a new line of component speakers and coaxials . several new stealthbox and powerwedge models and the 8.3 microsub are introduced . the 18w6 is added to the w6 product line . chrome versions of the w6 subwoofers are also launched . in 1998 jl audio launches the evolution line of evolution component speakers and coaxials . the w line is expanded to include 8 inch and 15 inch drivers . jl audio moves its headquarters to a 92 000 square foot facility in miramar fl . in 1999 w3 subwoofers are introduced . the stealthbox powerwedge and evolution lineups are further expanded with new models and replacements for old models . in this same year jeff scoon bruce macmillan and david krich establish a new engineering department for jl audio electronics in phoenix az 3 in 2000 jl audio launches its first electronics products the slash series amplifiers . these amplifiers went on to become the best selling mobile audio amplifiers of all time . 3 the slash series amplifiers introduced jl audio s r.i.p.s. technology and advanced rollback protection features controls & connections . slash series amps remain in production today . additionally the 6w 15w3 an d18w3 are added to jl audio s subwoofer lineup . the 3 way xr component system and a more economical line of vehicle specific enclosures called vantage are also introduced . in 2001 after over 6 years of engineering w7 subwoofers are unveiled featuring several patented technologies 4 these subwoofers eventually paved the way for jl audio s entrance into the realm of home audio . new evolution stealthbox enclosed subwoofer systems and amplifier models are introduced as well has the high output h.o. wedge enclosed subwoofer systems and the 500 5 slash amplifier . in 2002 w6v2 subwoofers are added to the line . 2 these subs include most of the technology introduced by the w7 drivers but are lighter weight and more economical . the w6v2 remain in production today . w3v2 subwoofers are also launched featuring patented elevated frame cooling to the w3 platform . the 1000 1 slash amplifier is also introduced along with more stealthbox models . in 2003 e series amplifiers are introduced . jl audio also begins production of connection products with the introduction of the ecs engineered connection systems line . the 8w7 is added to the w7 line and the 13w6v2 is added to the w6v2 line . the final edition of the w6 line of subwoofers is launched named w6ae anniversary edition . the original w1 subwoofers are discontinued after 11 years of production . jl audio acquires total mobile audio as an entry level line to its dealers . 3 in 2004 jl audio enters the home audio market with the fathom and gotham powered subwoofer systems . these feature variants of the w7 subwoofers which are powered by jl audio s amplifier designs combined with a.r.o. automatic room optimization circuitry . the evolution line is expanded to include zr component systems . two new e series amplifiers are also added to the line the e1400d and e1800d . the w6 product line reaches the end of its eleven year production run . 3 in 2005 jl audio ventures into two new categories marine audio and oem integration . jl audio introduces a 7.7 inch component system to the marine world 5 in the realm of oem integration jl audio introduces the cleansweep cl441dsp 6 this dsp based device allows users to eliminate frequency related errors associated with standard factory systems . this same year w1v2 products are introduced marking the second version of the discontinued w1 subwoofers . in 2006 jl audio launches the w3v3 line of subwoofer drivers . a series amplifiers are also introduced replacing the e series . the cl ssi and cl ses are also introduced to the cleansweep oem integration category . the fathom home subwoofer models are named subwoofer of the year 7 and product of the year by several major home audio industry publications 8 in 2007 the 13tw5 subwoofer is introduced . the 13.5 inch woofer has a mounting depth of 2.5 inches and is designed to work in very small enclosures . the evolution line launches the c5 line of coaxial and component systems 9 slash amplifiers are updated with heat sink designs and cosmetics becoming the slash v2 amplifiers 10 the stealthbox line surpasses 90 different models . in 2008 jl audio introduces the hd series mobile amplifiers featuring a new technology called single cycle control . other new product launches include g series amplifiers new mobile and marine loudspeakers models an updated tma total mobile audio amplifier lineup and a patent pending power wire called metawire . jl audio begins shipping the fathom f110 and f212 powered subwoofers . at the cedia expo in september jl audio also introduces the fathom in wall subwoofer system which is based on the 13tw5 driver 11 in 2009 c3 convertible component systems are introduced along with mx marine component speakers and the second version of the w subwoofers appropriately named w v2 drivers 12 in 2010 xd amplifiers apply jl audio s switching amplifier technology 13 to mainstream price points 14 entry level wx subwoofers and jx amplifiers are introduced as the total mobile audio brand is phased out . in the home audio realm the fathom iws in wall home subwoofer systems are released featuring the 13tw5 thin line subwoofer driver . in 2011 w7ae anniversary edition subwoofers are released marking the 10th anniversary of the launch of the w7 . the hd1200 1 is added the hd amplifier lineup as the most powerful amplifier in the jl audio line . new xd models are introduced as well as m series amplifiers for the marine line . the third version of the w line of subwoofers named w v3 are also launched . 3 notable products edit two 10 inch jl audio sub woofers . original w0 series in jl audio powerwedge box powerwedges compact enclosed full range speaker systems made by jl audio in the early 80 s. one of the first enclosed speaker systems ever in the car audio market . 8w2 eight inch woofer for use in the new line of jl audio powerwedges . following that design subsequent 10 and 12 inch speaker systems were also released which were as well received as the 8 inch . the w3 series these subwoofers come in 5 different sizes ranging from the 6 inch to the 13 inch . each component subwoofer has the option of being 2 ohm 4 ohm or 8 ohm . the w3 series showcases the dma optimized motor system and an elevated frame cooling . 15 the w5 series higher powered speakers that were received incredibly well when released in 1987 . the w6 series made for higher sound quality . w7 jl s top of the line subwoofer featuring 6 patented technologies . available in 8 inch 10 inch 12 inch and 13.5 inch woofer sizes . tw5 jl s only shallow mount subwoofer and only available in 13.5 inch . the mounting depth is a mere 2.54 inches . this subwoofer features 3 ohm nominal impedance and has an rms of 600 w. easily mounts in tight places 16 cleansweep jl audio s high quality dsp based solution that permits almost any factory installed audio system to serve as the source for a high performance aftermarket sound system . 6 references edit cae staff . 1961 austin mini custom classic jl audio s 5.1 surround sound masterpiece . caraudiomag.com . car audio and electronics 14 june 2010 . web . http caraudiomag.com articles 1961 austin mini custom classic . a b cae . jl audio factory visit function is the fashion . caraudiomag.com . car audio and electronics 1 sept. 2002 . web . http caraudiomag.com articles jl audio factory