JBL S series. Are they worth the money? (1 Viewer)

[Alex_Santos]

I was wondering if anyone had experience with these speakers. Ive listened to them at best buy and they sound excellent, although the setup at the store is fairly crappy. Id like to hear if anyone are enjoying these speakers.

 

[Sean Conklin]

I have installed quite a few, and I like them real well.

I personally use the Northridge and also like them real well, if I had the budget to upgrade I would go with the S series. I love JBL.

 

[Danny Tse]

I personally like the S-series bookshelf speakers, the S26 and the S38, more than the floorstanding ones. I owned a pair of the S26 and they were great speakers. Certainly one of the best audio bargains out there. I am waiting to hear the new Series II's.

 

[BruceN]

I recently bought myself two S-38's as fronts, two S-36's as rears and an S-center for a little over $700 at J & R. I am extremely happy with them. By the way, J & R's low prices can be negotiated even lower. I also bought a $58 omni-mount rear speaker mounting bracket from another site which fits the threaded screws on the speakers. I know some people don't care for the Audio Review website but they have a multitude of reviews on these speakers with very high ratings. I also have a Velodyne 12 " sub to go with the above.

 

[Brian_C]

I have the S312's myself and they are very excellent sounding speakers. If I had to pay $900 + tax for a pair retail at Best Buy, I'd question their value, but they can easily be had for around $500 at places such as JandR which I think makes them near the top of their class.

 

[Andrew_B]

I had a friend who was just about ready to purchase some of the S312s and the SCenter after hearing them at best buy. I sugguested that it would be a good idea to check out a local audio store during lunch to hear what else was out there.

He told me the next day he listened to B&W, Paradigm, and M&K mains and centers, and he ended up buying Paradigm Studio 80s. He blew his budget for the month on those, so he could not pick up the Studio CC center channel he wanted, but he said he would not have been happy settling for the JBLs after hearing the B&Ws and the Paradigms.

I'm sure listening conditions played a part; who can compare a proper speaker audiotioning room with good equipment with the sales floor of Best Buy or Circuit City. But for a purchase of main speakers that will probably last 10 years, you might want to look at some sliughtly more expensive brands.

 

[Danny Owens]

I'm using:

Fronts S-312

Center S-Center

Rears S-38's

Rear Center S-38's (2)

Front Effect channels S-38's

I have a Yamaha RX-V1 so that is why I have the 2 extra pair.

In my opinion, the S-series is a way under rated speaker line. Although the S-312's sound good, I think the S-38's with a decent sub sound better.

I purchased most of them through Etronics store front in Manhattan. They are the cheapest place that I have found them; however, they are not an authorized dealer (which really doesn't matter to me.

Danny

 

[Justin Lane]

Right now I am running s38s for the front coupled with the s-center (KEF rears may be s26 soon), and I have to agree they are one of the better values out there.

Take a listen for yourself, but I perferred the s38s over the larger floor standing models. The sounded smoother and less boomy to me.

J

 

[KeithH]

For the money, I think you can do better than the JBL S series speakers. My brother bought a pair of S38s at Best Buy for $500 a couple of months ago, and I felt they sounded very muddy. The soundstage was compressed and the detail was lacking. He ended up returning them. Even though I found out shortly after he bought them that J&R was selling them for $300, I feel that one can do better than the S38s for the money.

 

[Mike_Ped]

I have the S-Center, S-38's and S-36's and I love them. But, its all up to you. I'd agree with most that you should go to local audio shops and audition different brands that are in your price range. I did and found the Studio series the best (to me) in my price range.

Mike

 

[Marcelo T]

I have s-38, s-26 and s-cneter, and they are fine speaker for the money. Look at http://www.stereophile.com/showarchives.cgi?365
for a complete review of the s-38.

 

[Richard Favreau]

I lucked out and found a dealer moving a kit consisting of 2 x S38 + S center + 2 x S26 + PB12. Paid 1200 CDN (app 775 USD). Insane performance for the beans in my opinion, especially when combined with my Outlaw 1050. Can't imagine doing better for the money spent. Total cost $1350. Buy something you like and don't look back, just enjoy it.

Rick Favreau

 

[Alex_Santos]

Anyone else with an opinion? How about some more alternatives. Thanks for the help everyone.

 

[Chuck C]

I just got a pair of S-38's to go with my one and a half year old S-Center...I am very very pleased with the performance; I'd describe it as tight and clear. I can't wait to get matching surround speakers.

Check out my second equipment list in my signature to see how my first home theater is evolving into two distinct home theaters...

 

[Phil Iturralde]

I posted my comments about the JBL N & S Series here - another one of your threads.
Phil

 

[AVspec]

I have the S36's all the way around (6 of them) and a S-Center and could not be happier with my choice! I have a full review on my web site.

 

[Denis K]

Hi,

Anyone have any idea as to what is new or different in the series 2s? There is no info on JBL's web site.

-- Denis

 

[Jo_M]

I have S310's in front, an S-Center, PB-12, and S-38's in the back. I'm very happy with them. I paid about $1100 for the setup. I saw the II series on Crutchfield and the only thing I can see that is different is the color. They may have made some internal changes (crossovers,etc) but the specs look the same.

 

[Merconium]

After a great deal of thoughtful listening, I went with the NSP1s. They didn't have the low end that the s38s have, but that's why I have a sub.

I couldn't justify the price of Divas, which were the other speakers I thought competed on a price/performance scale.

 

[Bert D]

I have the same set-up as Jo_M, except a Sony sub for now, excellent speakers for the coin. Very "neutral" sounding with out a major emphasis on anything, not boomy in the towers and "accurate" is the way I would describe them.

When I first got the S310's I thought they lacked bass, but found out after close listening that I was looking for that "fake" boomy bass I had with my prior speakers, and was not used to accurate defined notes of bass instead of a rumble. With a good sub, J0_M's and my systems of JBL's will be hard to beat if you like the "JBL type" sound. IMHO