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Inside JBL Playback Gallery: Celebrating 80 Years of Sound

The final stop of a global celebration, Seoul's JBL Playback Gallery opens its doors to showcase eight decades of audio heritage, milestone products, and modern innovations.

Radwan AbdulhadiEditor and technology writer

Published: October 23, 2026 · Updated: October 23, 2026 · 4 min read

Inside JBL Playback Gallery: Celebrating 80 Years of Sound — Image: Samsung Global Newsroom

Exhibition Overview and Global Tour Finale

To mark its milestone 80th anniversary, the globally renowned audio brand is hosting the JBL Playback Gallery at Project Space Line in Seoul. Running from October 24 to 31, the exhibition traces the brand's evolution across eight decades of continuous innovation and invites visitors to explore its rich history firsthand.

Throughout the year, HARMAN has traveled to major international cities—including Los Angeles, Amsterdam, Vienna, Munich, Nagoya, and Tokyo—to showcase iconic products from different eras. The Seoul exhibition marks the final stop on this extensive global tour, offering a specially curated experience that reflects both the brand's history and the city's changing lifestyles.

Journey Through Eight Decades of Sound Heritage

Spanning three floors, the exhibition brings together historical devices and modern hardware. The second floor houses the 'JBL Heritage' section, themed 'A Legacy of Sound.' This area chronicles eight decades of audio progress through signature products placed inside meticulously recreated living rooms from the 1920s, 1950s, and 1970s to capture the distinct atmosphere of each era.

The 1920s living room features a 1929 Jackson-Bell radio equipped with speakers produced by Lansing Manufacturing, a company founded in Los Angeles in 1927 by James B. Lansing. Moving forward, the 1950s living room highlights the JBL Paragon, a home stereo speaker system launched in 1957 that housed left and right speakers in a single curved wooden cabinet requiring approximately 100 hours of woodworking.

The 1970s living room illustrates the transition of professional audio technology into domestic spaces using a turntable, vinyl records, and the JBL L100 Century. Launched in 1970 and based on the 4310 studio monitor introduced in 1968, the L100 Century became one of the brand's most successful home loudspeakers.

Bridging Professional Audio and Home Entertainment

Beyond the period-inspired rooms, the exhibition charts major milestones from James B. Lansing's early speaker designs to technological advancements in recording studios, cinemas, and concert venues. The 'Pro to Home' section specifically explores how professional systems developed for studios and theaters have evolved for home consumer use.

A notable highlight in this section is the Summit K2, the latest model in a high-end loudspeaker lineage dating back to the introduction of Project K2 in 1989. The Summit K2 combines advanced acoustic technologies with powerful dynamics and nuanced musical detail to pursue exceptional home audio performance.

Modern Innovations and Local Collaboration in Seoul

While the upper floor focuses on history, the first floor highlights contemporary offerings. Positioned at the entrance is the L100 Classic 80, a limited-edition model produced in just 800 pairs worldwide to celebrate the 80th anniversary. Each set features modern technology paired with the original 1970s design, alongside a commemorative plaque engraved with a unique serial number and the signature of Chief Systems Engineer Chris Hagen.

This year also marks a decade since Samsung Electronics announced its acquisition of HARMAN, the parent company of JBL. Portable speaker and headphone zones within the gallery reflect how this partnership has integrated audio products into everyday life. Inspired by Seoul's contrasting day and night environments, the space features 'Seoul by Night' with Bluetooth speakers and PartyBox models, alongside 'Seoul by Day' displaying headphones and earbuds.

An art wall created in collaboration with Korean artist DAWN adds a local dimension to the gallery. The artwork reimagines the 80th-anniversary campaign logo using traditional Korean patterns, bronze bells, and the distinctive colors of 'dancheong' architectural painting.

Celebrating Bowers & Wilkins' 60th Anniversary

The third floor concludes the exhibition with a section dedicated to the 60th anniversary of premium audio brand Bowers & Wilkins. Founded in the United Kingdom in 1966, the brand joined HARMAN's portfolio following its acquisition of Masimo's audio business in the previous year.

This display introduces founder John Bowers' 'True Sound' philosophy and traces the brand's evolution through signature products, ranging from its first speaker, the P2H, to the iconic Nautilus. Five models from the recently unveiled flagship 800 Series Diamond D5 lineup occupy the center of the space, highlighting a longstanding relationship with Abbey Road Studios where multiple Grammy Award-winning recordings have been produced.