HTD Level III vs. JBL S series (1 Viewer)

[Alex_Santos]

Im in the market for speakers for my home theater. Im wondering if anyone has an opinion on which would be better. Since its impossible to hear the htd speakers can someone who has the HTD's let me know what they think. Id like to purchase 2 towers, a center and 2 bookshelfs of either brand. Thanks

 

[Greg_Bedard]

You should jump over to this thread:
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...threadid=39552
And also check out the Secrets review posted on that thread. I pretty much agree with everything in it.
I'll post the same there as I'm about to tell you. I've had the Level III combo Y (two towers) since about June and I have not been disappointed. This is the first real set of speakers I've ever gotten and I like them more and more each time I play them (they need a good amount of break-in time).
I got the Onkyo 595 with them at first, but I just didn't feel that they were driving them well enough. Whether I was right or not, the 696 goes much better with them. They are great together for movies and I think they hold their own with music.
They have great customer service that will do everything they can to ensure that you have a good experience with their product. I had a bad cone on one of the towers and they instantly sent me a new one. I still didn't like the sound coming out of the "bad" tower, so they sent me a whole new tower speaker and I didn't have to pay for any of it.
I think biwiring also helps, so I would try that on the towers and center.
The towers absolutely kick ass and the bookshelf surrounds are also very good, though they are big. The center is above average, but not great (but getting better and better with time). The sub is the weak link in the system though it is entirely adequate for my current situation (apartment living - ugh). When I get a house next year, I think I'll get an SVS.
Any other questions, just email me.
Hope this helps.

 

[John Kotches]

Alex,
As alluded to by Greg, I wrote a review on the same combo you are considering for Secrets, here's the link: Link Removed
The speakers were good enough to garner a "Best of 2001" award from us.
Are they the best speakers around? No. They do represent excellent value however.
The Level 3ys are on loan for another month or so to assist in the review of a receiver.
Regards,

 

[Alex_Santos]

good review. thanks for the link. I pretty much got that info from the other searches that ive done. what im wondering is if the jbl's would be a better buy than the htd's. Im going to be putting the speakers in a small room and have already purchased a sub (sony sawm40)so all ill need is the towers, center, and surrounds. Any more info would be greatly appreciated.

 

[John Kotches]

Alex,

I've nt heard the JBLs you are comparing against so have no valid frame of reference for comparison.

Regards,

 

[Richard Favreau]

Haven't heard the Level III but I'm very pleased with my S series combo S38 Fronts + S Center + S26 Rears + PB12 sub.

Driven by a 1050 Outlaw receiver. Very big sound for the bucks. One lesson learned is that placement and settings DO make a difference. Experiment and enjoy, regardless of the brand you choose.

Richard Favreau

 

[Alex_Santos]

i dont care if anyone's actually heard the 2 together. Im more interested to know who's heard them at all, either brand, and what they think. Thanks for the information everyone, keep it coming!

 

[ChrisMatson]

I am very happy with my JBL S312s, S-center, and S26s. I also have the JBL PB12 sub.

 

[parin_patel]

I just set up a JBL Studio series system and have been very happy with it. I have the S312's, S36's, and the S-Center, all paired up with the Onkyo 595 with no subwoofer (I'm in an apartment). Still get plenty of bass from the S312's though.

 

[AVspec]

I have the S36's all the way around and they are great and also very thin so if you want a thin footprint bookshelf these are the ones to get! The sound is unbelievable from these three way bookshelf’s! I have a full review on my web site.

 

[Alex_Santos]

anybody else?

 

[DonnyD]

I just set up my brothers HT system using the JBL S38 as mains, N center and some older Sat 2 as rears. I was pleasantly surprised at the power and clarity of the S38. That being said, I am an old JBL fan and use the S series as rears and center with an old pair of L100 for mains. We both use Yamaha as the receiver. The JBL S series speakers are also very striking in appearance. I'm just glad they sound as good as they look.

The HTD III's must also be good to be rated as they are so either way, you won't be making a bad choice.

 

[Brian_C]

Haven't heard the Level III's, but I'm running S312s up front with the S-Center coming this week. I have to say in their price range they sounded the best to me. I don't have a subwoofer either (apartment), but am absolutely happy with their sound.