[1] The company was founded in 1946 by James Bullough Lansing, an American audio engineer and loudspeaker designer.

Their professional products include live PA systems, studio monitors, and loudspeakers for cinema.

[2] In 1933, head of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) sound department, Douglas Shearer, dissatisfied with the loudspeakers of Western Electric and RCA, decided to develop his own.

The Shearer Horn gave the desired improvements and Western Electric and RCA received the contracts to each build 75 units.

Based on the experience developed with the Shearer Horn, Lansing produced the Iconic System loudspeaker for cinemas.

The Iconic was a two-way speaker using a 15-inch (380 mm) woofer for the low frequencies and a compression driver for the highs.

Possibly as a result of deteriorating business conditions and personal issues, he committed suicide on September 4, 1949.

Thomas is credited with revitalizing the company and spearheading a period of strong growth for the two decades following the founding of JBL.

In 1955, the brand name JBL was introduced to resolve ongoing disputes with Altec Lansing Corporation.

The 1970s saw JBL become a household brand, starting with the famous L-100, which was the bestselling loudspeaker model of any company at that time.

In the late 1970s, the new L-series designs L15, L26, L46, L56, L86, L96, L112, L150, and later the L150A and flagship L250 were introduced with improved crossovers, ceramic magnet woofers, updated midrange drivers, and aluminum-deposition phenolic resin tweeters.

To test speaker drivers, JBL in Glendale and Northridge used the roof as an outdoor equivalent to an anechoic chamber.

At the same time, they made an entry into the high-end market with their project speakers, consisting of the Everest and K2 lines.