JBL E Series? (1 Viewer)

[Lee_L]

I've been pointed this direction by a few you guys, and after checking them out at www.bhphotovideo.com I've discovered it's almost $200 cheaper to go with JBL over the Infinity Primus series, which was my previous choice. How do the JBLs sound, in comparison with the Infinity speakers? Thanks for the help

 

[Phil Iturralde]

JAN '01 Sound&Vision
JBL N-Series HT System
PRICE Total: (with package discount) $866 w/JBL PB-10 subwoofer
Frequency Response
N-24 front left/right...... 89 Hz to 18.9 kHz ±2.7 dB
N-Center................... 89 Hz to 20 kHz ±5.5 dB
N-24 surround.............. 89 Hz to 18.4 kHz ±3.2 dB


APRIL 2004 Sound&Vision
JBL Northridge E Series E20, EC35, E10 HT System
PRICE: $1,803 w/TWO JBL E250P subwoofers
Frequency Response
E20 front left/right...... 88 Hz to 20 kHz ±3.6 dB
EC35 Center............... 88 Hz to 19.6 kHz ±3.3 dB
E10 surround.............. 88 Hz to 20 kHz ±3.9 dB

----

For comparison, using the same identical S&V Tom Nousaine established testing standard, let's look @ the Infinite Alpha (Primus not Objectively Benchmarked at this time) ...

JUNE 2003 Sound&Vision
Infinity Alpha Home Theater Speaker System
PRICE: $2,295 w/Infinity Alpha 1200s subwoofer
Frequency Response
Alpha 20 front left/right...... 78 Hz to 15.5 kHz ±2.7 dB
Alpha 37c Center............... 100 Hz to 13 kHz ±2.5 dB
Alpha 25es surround***......... 75 Hz to 14.4 kHz ±8.1 dB

***NOTE: Alpha 25es speakers three front sides of the speaker form 120° angle - switch for selecting dipole, monopole, or bipole operation. Above OBJ Benchmark result from 'bipole' setting.

Well, the next year Infinity replaced the Alpha with the Beta ...

JUL/AUG 2004 Sound&Vision
PRICE: $2,344 w/Infinity CSW-10 subwoofer
Infinity Beta Home Theater Speaker System
Frequency Response
Beta 20 front left/right...... 78 Hz to 17.2 kHz ±2.8 dB
Beta C250 Center.............. 77 Hz to 18.1 kHz ±3.9 dB
Beta ES250 surround........... 83 Hz to 20 kHz ±5.3 dB

Definite improvement, so the Primus lineup might be OK!?! Still, ... the JBL E-Series EOS waveguide still has the slight edge though.

I personally like the JBL lineup since the inclusion of their LSR PRO Studio Monitor's technologies and design innovations back around 1999 for music and HT application and it's still being utilized in their latest JBL E-Series. (Probably with the future S-Series release also!??)

But what I wrote above may not reflect your feeling or mean anything to you, ... So the best on-going recommendation here is to audition them using your familiar Music CD's and DVD's, and choose what fit's your budget & sonic taste! I think either Infinity or JBL is a fine choice!

Have fun auditioning,
Phil

 

[MikeyWeitz]

I originally went to buy Infinty Primus 250's, then heard the JBL's.
Was not even close (both driven by HK430.
JBL's BLEW the infinity away.

 

[Phil Iturralde]

Hey Mikey, ...(always wanted to write that ), ... what exactly differed between your JBL's vs. the Primus 250's??? I've heard the Primus 250's @ Circuit City but didn't do any critical auditioning. I think Lee_L will benefit from your subjective sonic observations.

Phil

 

[Oupei]

which JBLs are you guys comparing with the Infinity primus 250?

I, too, am looking at the Infinity and JBL, for a 2.0 music setup. My options are:
Infinity Primus 250 - $150 each
JBL E-50 - $250 pair
JBL E-60 - $150 each

I'm leaning towards the JBLs but I'm still working on getting an opportunity to hear them.

 

[MikeyWeitz]

I thought the primus sounded lifeless, lacked any punch what so ever.

 

[VinhT]

Much like Phil has been a strong JBL supporter, I think I may become the Infinity guy on HTF. I am a firm believer that Infinity offers extremely solid engineering, regardless of the price. Luckily, Harman International is so large that it can rely on volume sales, resulting in better pricing.

I have been quite interested in the whole Infinity vs JBL concept, since it seems unusual that Harman would keep two brands that are direct competitors. Based on objective measured performance, I have found that Infinity speakers tend to be more accurate than JBL. JBL seems to cater more to the rock crowd perhaps, exhibiting desirable traits such as "punch", "slam", or "sizzle/sparkle", words that are easy cues that the speaker has deviated from neutrality.

For example, Stereophile's measurements of the S38. The on-axis frequency response resembles the typical loudness curve "smile". Boosted highs and lows. The other measurements were not impressive.

Compare that to the measurements for the Infinity Primus 150, and it's easy to see that the folks at Infinity really seem to know what they're doing.

A company's attention to detail should also be considered. For example, the 150 and E20 both have plastic grilles. The JBL's grille is a typical full-coverage plastic grille with fabric. In contrast, the Primus grille is a plastic frame with fabric, so there is no grille framework directly interfering with the tweeter's output. Infinity's attention to performance-oriented details like that makes the Primus line a serious contender.

 

[Lee_L]

I was thinking of the...I can't remember, E60 or E80 and matching center against the...I think Primus 250 and matching center. I'm a rock guy myself, so the JBLs may be the better choice for me, I was supposed to go audition them today but I didn't get around to it, maybe Monday.

 

[EricCrane]

I listened to some infinity primus 250s at ultimate electronics with the same yamaha receiver I have. I bought the jbl e90s for about the same price I could have bought the 250s.

The primus's sounded flat to me. The jbl's sounded much crisper to me. It's not comparing apples to apples but I"m not dissapointed with my jbl purchase. Now if I could only pay off my hdtv so I could go out and buy the ec35!!!