When you first walk into the home theatre showroom of recently opened JBL Sound Gallery at Raffles Hotel Shopping Arcade, a wave of luxury hits you squarely in the eyes and ears.

The darkened room, that has its lights and curtains controlled by an iPad through Wifi, is filled with JBL's finest home theatre systems that is customised to the room size, with a starting price of $50,000.

Simple yet gorgeous looking products in the room include vertical speakers that can project up to eight metres away, two-way sound speakers and surround sound technology.

The home theatre system uses the Synthesis project that was conceived in the 1990s when JBL strutted its audio stuff with the creation of the home theatre and sound system environment.

According to The JBL Story: 60 years of Audio Innovation by John M. Eargle (page 38), "A typical Synthesis system is targetted at an affluent user who can devote space in the home for a dedicated theatre environment, and the audio systems themselves combine the best aspects of traditional, professional and consumer technology...Components include loudspeakers, electronics, room equalisation, and various format control electronics. High-performance video projection systems are also an important element in these installations."

JBL sales consultant, Mr Osman, shares that a basic JBL home theatre system, without a screen or projector, can cost $175,000. And there's a reason for these hefty prices.

JBL has 60 years of sound expertise behind them, equiping concert halls, cinemas, and nightclubs as their main business.

When Mr Paul Kaller of Matteblacc, a collective of DJs who create music concepts for venues and hold some pretty awesome club nights, was asked about the JBL brand, he was full of praise exclaiming that their speakers in nightclubs are well-known in the industry.

He also has high hopes for their further expansion into the consumer market.

Holding company Harman International wants more growth and expansion of its consumer products, especially into the consumer luxury market.

JBL entry-level sound systems already start at $7,500 and their quality certainly speaks volumes.

Watching a dance video in the home theatre room, I was blown away by the non-booming quality of the volume despite being at a high level, and the clarity of the sound.

And no matter where you stood in the room, whether right next to the screen, sat on the sofa, or standing in the middle of the room, the sound quality did not change nor vary at any point.

JBL has heavily invested in lifestyle-looking products that seriously have an Italian designer flair about them.

From vintage-looking amplifiers and knobs to what looks like aliens-have-landed table speakers, JBL has some beautiful artistry in their range, whether you're an audiophile or not.

Mr Simon Lau, senior sales consultant and who clearly is an audiophile through his sheer passion talking about JBL products, said: "A speaker must look as good as it sounds". And we fully agree.

Some speakers are named after mountains such as the K2 and Everest range. The K2 alone is $63,000. These flagship products were made for the Japanese market back in 1985 and have grown in quality and desirability over the years.

The one product that made my heart flutter was a wooden turntable. I'm a real fan of vinyls and the Ultimate Tankwood is not only eye candy, but plays a mean tune as well.

Occupying approximately 2,500 square feet of space, the showroom is has an intimate setting where the helpful and knowledgable JBL sound consultants are on-hand with any technical or just plain solid sounding advice and recommendations.

JBL Sound Gallery
328 North Bridge Road, Raffles Hotel Shopping Arcade
#02-17/18, Singapore 188719

Tel:
Website: www.imssg.com
Opening times: Mon to Sat, 11am to 7pm, closed on Sun and Public Holidays.