JBL introduces successors to Project Everest and Project K2 at HIGH END Vienna 2026
HARMAN Luxury Audio Group announces the world debut of the all-new JBL Summit Everest and JBL Summit K2, the next generation of two of the most revered loudspeakers in the brand’s history. Unveiled at the HIGH END Vienna 2026 in celebration of JBL’s 80th anniversary, the new flagship models join Summit Makalu, Summit Pumori and Summit Ama to complete a five-model series that JBL describes as its most technically accomplished residential loudspeaker range to date.
The Summit Series represents only the fifth “Project” loudspeaker family in JBL’s eight-decade history, a designation reserved for the company’s most ambitious acoustic engineering efforts.
David Tovissi, Vice President & GM, HARMAN Luxury Audio, says, “For 80 years, JBL has been defined by an uncompromising pursuit of acoustic excellence, and the Project loudspeakers have always represented the absolute summit of that pursuit. With Summit Everest and Summit K2, we are honoring four generations of legendary engineering while introducing technologies that move the state of the art forward. These are reference loudspeakers built for listeners who refuse to compromise and who recognize what it means to own the very best.”
A Legacy Reserved for the Very Few
Since 1954, only a select number of JBL loudspeakers have carried the “Project” designation, beginning with Project Hartsfield, followed by Project Paragon, Project Everest and Project K2. According to the company, each represented a significant step forward in acoustic engineering, introduced when advances in transducer, enclosure and system design enabled meaningful gains in performance.
For nearly four decades, Project Everest and Project K2 have served as reference points for JBL loudspeaker design. The new Summit Everest and Summit K2 continue that heritage, integrating patented and proprietary technologies developed at JBL’s Acoustic Center of Excellence in Northridge, California.
Summit Everest: The Pinnacle of the Pinnacle
Named after the world’s highest mountain, Summit Everest succeeds four generations of Project Everest loudspeakers spanning more than 40 years.
The design centres around a newly engineered mid/high-frequency system that combines three patented JBL D2820 2in dual-diaphragm, dual-motor compression drivers with a custom-designed, patent-pending 3-into-1 expansion manifold and a large-format Sonoglass High-Definition Imaging (HDI) horn.
Low-frequency performance is delivered through dual 10in cast-frame Differential Drive mid-bass drivers and dual 15in cast-frame Differential Drive woofers, each using JBL’s Hybrid Carbon Cellulose Composite Cone (HC4) technology.
JBL says the resulting 3.5-way floor-standing loudspeaker delivers resolution, dynamic authority, tonal precision and spatial realism across a frequency range extending from 20Hz to beyond 23kHz.
Summit Everest reaching for new heights at the High End Show
Summit K2: The Legend Reborn
Inspired by the world’s second-highest mountain, Summit K2 builds on four generations of Project K2 development.
The loudspeaker features a newly engineered mid/high-frequency system incorporating three patented D2815 1.5in dual-diaphragm, dual-motor compression drivers, a custom-designed 3-into-1 expansion manifold and a large-format Sonoglass HDI horn.
A 10in cast-frame Differential Drive mid-bass driver and 15in cast-frame Differential Drive woofer, both featuring HC4 cone technology, provide the foundation for what JBL says is improved resolution, transparency and tonal accuracy while maintaining the musical character associated with previous K2 models.
Summit K2 climbs to a new level at High End Vienna
Engineered to the Summit Standard
Both Summit Everest and Summit K2 feature JBL’s MultiCap crossover network, which replaces traditional large capacitors with a greater number of smaller capacitors. JBL says this approach reduces electrostatic resistance and minimises energy loss, delivering improved signal transfer, greater power handling and ultra-low distortion.
The loudspeakers support single-wire, bi-amp/bi-wire and tri-amp/tri-wire connectivity and are housed in heavily engineered enclosures featuring internally offset, multi-braced and damped curved-wall construction designed to reduce internal standing waves.
Custom JBL | IsoAcoustic isolation feet are also included, designed to decouple the loudspeaker from the supporting surface and contribute to improved bass performance, soundstage presentation and imaging precision.
Crafted to Be Seen and Heard
Summit Everest and Summit K2 are available in either high-gloss black with Summit Platinum accents or high-gloss Macassar Ebony wood veneer with Summit Gold detailing.
Additional premium touches include rhodium-plated binding posts wrapped in carbon fibre, Ohno-Continuous-Cast (OCC) long-crystal oxygen-free silver-plated copper internal wiring and sustainably sourced engineered wood cabinetry.
The JBL Summit Everest and JBL Summit K2 will be available globally later in 2026 through authorised JBL Summit retailers and partners.
MSRPs
• Everest: $159,990 / €159,998 / £139,998 (per pair)
• K2: $99,990 / €84,998 / £71,998 (per pair)
• Makalu: $45,000 / €43,998 / £36,998 (per pair)
• Pumori: $30,000 / €30,998 / £26,998 (per pair)
• Ama: $20,000 / €17,498 / £14,995 (per pair including stands)