Seoul’s JBL Anniversary Exhibition Runs Through October 31: Paragon, L100 Living Rooms and Bowers & Wilkins Flagships

An audio exhibition can reveal a brand through changing living rooms as well as specifications. Sound Legends is running at Project Space Line in Seoul’s Gangnam district from October 24 to 31, bringing JBL’s 80 years and Bowers & Wilkins’ 60 years into one building. This anniversary presentation by Samsung and HARMAN’s brands is also a stop on the global JBL Playback Gallery tour. Its appeal lies in tracing speakers from furniture and professional equipment to products that travel with their listeners.

Upstairs living rooms show how sound became furniture

The second-floor JBL Heritage area connects products through period living rooms: 1920s wallpaper, antiques and a Jackson-Bell radio lead to a 1950s wooden interior with Paragon, then to a 1970s room with a turntable. The 1929 Jackson-Bell uses speakers made by Lansing Manufacturing, documenting James B. Lansing’s work before he founded JBL in 1946. It is not a product JBL launched in 1929.

Introduced in 1957, Paragon brings the left and right channels and an acoustic reflection structure into one large wooden cabinet, designed by Arnold Wolf. Its curved central surface and openings at either end make it both a speaker and a piece of furniture that defines a living room’s scale. The L100 Century arrived in 1970, based on the professional 4310 studio monitor. Its orange foam grille, shown with a turntable and wooden sideboard, illustrates the visual changes that accompanied studio technology’s arrival in the home.

Seoul downstairs, True Sound on the third floor

The first floor places products in scenes of Seoul by day and night. Seoul by Night uses views of N Seoul Tower after dark, tents and camping chairs to display portable speakers and PartyBox products. Seoul by Day presents headphones and earphones against a daytime streetscape. DAWN’s anniversary art wall incorporates traditional Korean patterns, bronze bells and dancheong colours into the JBL logo. The spaces encourage visitors to consider where they listen to music before looking at product size and form.

The third floor hosts Bowers & Wilkins’ 60 Years of True Sound. Founded by John Bowers in 1966, the brand is represented by the early P2H, the 1993 Nautilus and five models in the 800 Series Diamond D5 range, alongside its connection with Abbey Road Studios and wireless headphones. Cabinets of different sizes, separate tweeters and enlarged images on the display wall suggest directions for home audio beyond the vintage wooden box: acoustic structures can become the defining visual feature themselves.

Booking, and the difference between historic products and anniversary editions

The exhibition also includes the anniversary L100 Classic 80, limited to 800 pairs worldwide. A pair means a left and right speaker, rather than 800 individual units. Its name resembles the historic L100 Century, but they are products of different eras. Guided explanations and demonstrations can be approached through three threads: the design of older products, the transfer of professional technology into the home, and contemporary listening settings.

Plan around the exhibition’s October 31 closing date, then search Naver Map for “JBL 팝업” or “바워스앤윌킨스 팝업” to find reservations. JBL Korea’s official account also carries event information. The organisers plan guided tours, demonstrations, stamp collecting and social-media activities; consult the booking page for detailed times and availability. Moving from period living rooms to Seoul’s day-and-night scenes and flagship speakers connects music, interior furnishings and product design in a single visit.