In the mid 1970’s, two high school buddies decided to fool around with component speakers and began building home loudspeakers for fun during their summer break from university studies. At first, they only showed them to their friends. Then, their friends bought a few of them and they built a few more to sell at the local weekend flea market. Soon, the hobby turned into a fun little business and the two friends chose their first names’ initials for the fledgling enterprise. While Jim Birch and Lucio Proni were turning their passion for sound into JL Audio, they had no idea what they were starting would eventually become one of the world’s most respected audio brands.
With the sudden interest in JL Audio products, Lucio Proni and Jim Birch knew they had to put their focus on turning the company into a real business. Lucio reached out to one of his first customers, Alan Wenzel, for help in establishing a rep network and sales department. Alan sold his retail business and took a huge leap of faith to join JL Audio in early 1990. Together with Lucio, he began to build a rep network and sign a few dealers up, focusing solely on independent retailers capable of doing top notch installation work. Jim Clayton, Alan Wenzel, Lucio and Maria Proni ran JL Audio from a tiny little warehouse unit in Miramar, managing the ever increasing workload and laying the foundation for JL Audio as a worldwide business.
After Andy Oxenhorn joined the company in 1996 to help Lucio manage the company’s future growth and direction, the company moved 19 remote warehouse buildings in East Miramar into its current facility today. This enabled the company to grow its staff and also its ability to manufacture products in the United States, with its first loudspeaker manufacturing line ramping up in 1999, setting the stage for almost two decades of continuous U.S. mobile, marine and home loudspeaker production.
A full marine audio product line was developed and brought to market in 2004. These products were based on the idea that the marine market needed a high end solution. While JL Audio’s first marine products were significantly more expensive than the typical products on the market, they were met with rapid acceptance due to their outstanding sound and reliability.
Today, JL Audio sets the standard in the audio industry with legendary performance and quality. Privately held and operated from their massive manufacturing facility in Miramar, Florida and two other locations in Phoenix, Arizona and Portland, Oregon, JL Audio sets the standard in the audio industry with legendary performance and quality. Being privately held, and not bound by quarterly financial results and stringent corporate budgets gives JL Audio several advantages over the competition. They are able to design and build products to their optimum performance and to the highest level of quality. It has also allowed them to continually increase U.S. manufacturing where most companies have jumped overseas. Finally, it helps them hire and retain the best group of employees in the industry. Today, JL Audio employs over 400 people with a passion for audio and an outstanding commitment to delivering the best customer experience possible.
With an international presence JL Audio products are available in over 45 countries worldwide. Here is the US, they maintain a dealer base that consists of over 1,000 Independent Retailers across the country. All e-commerce via www.jlaudio.com is fulfilled through their dealer network. Broward County is home to 12 retailers that can handle all of your home, marine, mobile and powersports audio needs. To experience the passion behind each JL Audio product, give one of them a call and let them know that Coastal Angler sent you.
JL AUDIO, INC.
10369 North Commerce Parkway
Miramar, FL 33025
954-443-1100
www.jlaudio.com