JBL S36AW the same as s36? (1 Viewer)

[Irfan Khan]

Hey everyone, first time posting, but ive been reading for a little while.

--They seem to be made of the same components, but woudl they sound any different because of the all weather qualities?

thanks in advance for the replies.

-Irfan

 

[Bill Mullin]

I did a side-by-side comparison of the S36AW to the S36ii, and to my ears they sounded exactly the same. What's better is that they both sound GREAT!

- Bill

 

[DanielN]

the S36aw is just the s36 in white if I am correct...

 

[Bill Mullin]

the S36aw is just the s36 in white if I am correct...

No, the S36AW is for outdoor use - the speaker material is different and so is the grill cloth. There is a S36ii in white also, but it's hard to find.

 

[Robert James Clark]

"I did a side-by-side comparison of the S36AW to the S36ii, and to my ears they sounded exactly the same. What's better is that they both sound GREAT!

- Bill"


You know, funny thing, I'm looking seriously at the S38 speakers (6 of them). I really like the idea of a bookshelf that has the range of a floorstander.
Only problem is, everytime I audition them, I end up MUCH preferring the S36!
The S38II treble seems a bit subdued (change from the original?) and there is a tiny bit of "bookshelf" resonances common to almost all bookshelf speakers (they remind you your listening to a small speaker, one reason I've always preferred towers: big sound).
The S36, by contrast, seem smoother, with a more extended treble (though this could be trouble in the wrong room) and no cabinet resonance (perhaps due to it's lack of any right angles in the cabinet).
Of course, there is almost no bass to speak of and you would have to augment with a really good sub, but it's starting to seem like a really nice 6 (or 7) identical speaker setup for a ridiculously small amount of money!


Robert

 

[Bill Mullin]

everytime I audition them, I end up MUCH preferring the S36!

I haven't auditioned the S38, but I know that I've been very happy with the quality of the sounds from the S36. Note that I do have a subwoofer, so the 60 Hz low end of the S36 is not a problem. BTW, I use the S36 for both HT and music and the speakers sound sensational either way - IMHO.

- Bill

 

[Irfan Khan]

i prefer the s36 over the s38.

i can find the s36AW (1st series) for about 160/pr, so i will jsut get 2 pairs of those and mount them on my walls
...

should i mount them high? it iwll look better is they are high, but i know that its best to have all 5 speakers at the same level and i really cant mount an scenterii on the wall. any ideas? id rather not use speaker stands

 

[Bill Mullin]

should i mount them high? it iwll look better is they are high, but i know that its best to have all 5 speakers at the same level

Because of the layout of my HT, I ended up with my surrounds (S36) and center channel (S-Center) at about 4' and my mains (S36) at about 7' on permanently installed shelves. The entire setup sounds great!

- Bill