JBL S38's (1 Viewer)

[Davis]

Hello everybody, I found this bulletin board yesterday and enjoyed reading through some of the posts.

Based on information I found here, I'm planning on ordering the JBL S38's with the S series center speaker and the 10" Powered Sub woofer. JandR is giving free freight and the prices look good.

My use will be about 50%/50% video/music. Does anybody have any experience with these models? Should I consider upgrading to the 12" sub, or a different bookshelf? My built-in cabinet will fit the 38's nicely, and they look like a good price/performance model for me.

 

[Phil Iturralde]

Welcome to HT Forum Davis!!

Quote:

For more JBL S-Series Speaker INFO & Reviews w/links, see my web page Why you should add JBL N & S Series to your audition list!.
NOTE: Because my website is 'free', hosted by GeoCities, if too many HT enthusiasts visit, GeoCities will shut it down for an hour or so because it exceeded the specified 'freebie' Data Transfer Rate. Sorry about that, just bookmark it and visit my site an hour later or when everyone has gone to bed!
Phil

 

[Todd smith]

I just received my 2 pair of s38's and s-center from j&r last week or so. Dont have a receiver yet, so I cant listen. The speakers arived in perfect condition with a very good packing job. For $279.00 I dont think you can find a better speaker than the s38. If you would like some reasurrence, go to audioreview.com and read through the 114 s38 reviews that average a 4.78 out of 5.

However, as good as these speakers are, you should go listen to them yourself because everyones tastes are different. If you like the sound, you cant go wrong with these. The free shipping is nice from j&r right now as well.

 

[Davis]

Wow, great feedback. Thanks, Phil. Now I'm even more enthusiastic about the S38's.

Still a tough call on the sub-woofer. I'm going to do some more research.

 

[Jeff Hoak]

I too have a pair of S38's. I love them. For the money they're VERY hard (if not impossible) to beat. I got the PB12 subwoofer and have been pretty pleased with it. I did however just order one of the JBL S120PII subs to replace the PB12. For the rears I'm running a pair of JBL SP6 (in-wall) speakers. Before anybody says anything I know ALL about the evils of in-wall speakers. Lets just say that they were the best compromise that the decorator and I could come to. What the decorator doesn't know yet is that they're being replaced with a pair of JBL HTI8's this weekend while she's working. She shouldn't notice the difference in appearence but I hope that I notice the difference in sound.

Don't get me wrong... I really like the PB12... In my living room there is very heavy berber (sp) carpeting and I've determined that the down-firing sub isn't the best solution for me. By the time I crank up the volume to match the db settings on everything else it does strange things to the response curve. I've tried it in every possible possition (decorator not withstanding) with not a lot of improvement. I'm hoping that the front-firing speaker of the S120 will address that.

I'll likely have a "new" condition PB12 going up for sale come Monday. Anybody looking for a deal...

Oh Yea... almost forgot... There's a JBL S-Center in the mix too. All of them being driven by a Pioneer Elite VSX-39TX.

 

[Davis]

Thanks for the help and feedback. I pulled the trigger and ordered. For anyone interested, here's how it priced out:

JBL S38 Studio Series Bookshelf Speak JBL S38 $279.88

JBL S-Center II Studio Series 3-Way C JBL SCENTERII.$179.99

JBL PB-10 PowerBass Subwoofer JBL PB10. $199.99

Subtotal: $659.86

Shipping & Handling: $0.00

Sales Tax: $0.00

Total Amount: $659.86

If anybody knows about lower pricing, do me a favor and DON'T tell me about it. LOL

 

[Justin Bowser]

I think you'll be very happy. I added a pair of S38 speakers and a PB10 sub recently and have been very satisfied - deleriously happy considering the J&R pricing and free shipping!

I am using a Bose (no flames, I ain't listening...) VCS10 center and the Bose AM 5 system for rear surround and everything sounds great!

JB

 

[Mark Fitzsimmons]

What are you planning on using for rears?