JBL vs Sony speaker system. (1 Viewer)

[Walter_Sa]

Hi to everyone. I am about buying a speaker set, of which I will actually use the center, sub and rear (the front speakers will remain the ones of the stereo system; the two spare speakers of the package will be used in another room).

The rear satellites have to be small (wife's law) and will be located close to the ceiling: also for this reason I want to keep the budget quite low, +/- 400$. I am considering Sony Pascal 535 and JBL SCS 138 and SCS 10. Consider these are models sold in Italy, they could somehow differ from the ones sold in US. Does anyone have any suggestion about which would be the best solution? Please limit the comments on these brands, because here in Italy other are not so easy to find.

Any suggestion really appreciated.

Walter

 

[Angelo.M]

I don't know these speakers, specifically, but, as a speaker manufacturer, I'd put JBL way ahead of Sony.

 

[Jose G]

I agree 100% with Angelo. Sony is not known for quality speakers- other components- yes! Speakers, No! JBL's are highly regarded here in the States and by many on this forum. Again, this is a general statement and with knowing anything about those particular models you mentioned. Good luck!

 

[Joe Ferreira]

Oh you should definately get (INSERT MORE EXPENSIVE SPEAKER NAME HERE). They are the best EVAR. So what if they aren't in your budget or totally unapplicable to your needs, I have them so they must be the best. You have (INSERT YOUR LESS SUPERIOR SPEAKERS HERE) and I have (INSERT MORE EXPENSIVE SPEAKER NAME HERE) so I am thereby superior to you. And buy an SVS.

[/sarcasm]

I have JBL's and I thouroughly enjoy them. I truly feel that they are the best speaker that I could afford at the time of my purchase. That answers your question.

However, I noticed that you said you were going to buy a 5 speaker set and use the center and 2 surrounds in one room and use the remaining 2 speakers in another room. Unmatched speakers in the same room is kind of a faux pas in the home theater world. You would want your center channel to match your mains (i.e. the same brand and series, not necessarily the same exact speaker) so that sounds will sound the same as they go across the sound stage. The rears should also be timbre-matched if possible, but not as crucial (IMO) as the fronts.

 

[Jose G]

Walter,
Joe's point- the one about timbre matching- is a good one, indeed. Your HT experience will be all the more enjoyable with timbre matched fronts and center- rears not so important as he said. I'm surprised I missed that.

Joe,
Although I have a pretty good idea and probably agree for the most part with your first point- why did you post it here in this thread? Just curious to the reason for the sarcasm.

 

[Walter_Sa]

Thanks to everyone's comments. Well I know that my set-up will be completely unbalanced, because the FL/FR speakers, together with their amplification, will be much better that the rest.
That's an evident compromise, anyway still better than nothing. I had extensive negotiations with my wife: the choice was between having a completely dedicated HT room, which would have been totally under my jurisdiction or placing the HT stuff in the living room, hooking it to the HiFi system which is there. Now I know that many posters here would disagree, but to me those dedicated rooms look quite like catacombs: I prefer having everything in the living room, which should be to its name (LIVING!). That's probably because I'm certanly more a music/HiFi fan than an HT one. So I'm willing to compromise, accepting a just decent HT set-up, with small & unmatched speakers: that would be fine.
I agree also that, speakers-wise, there's no comparison between JBL and Sony. The reason I'm considering those Sonys is they belong to its "top" series (Pascal), of which I have heard good words. They also look a more serious project than other Sony speakers.

 

[Jose G]

Walter,
Cheers to the "LIVING!" Happy listening!

 

[Joe Ferreira]

What kind of front speakers do you have that need to stay with your surround system? I have some dinky JBL N24 and a N-center with a decent sub, and it is fully capable of reproducing great music sounds and excels at movies.

The reason for the sarcasm is that every time someone says they are looking at two different speakers, someone always comes in and says "for just a little bit more, you can have these speakers which are better than what you are looking at". I thought I would beat them to the punch! Just having some fun, no offense to anyone at all.

Joe

 

[Walter_Sa]

Jose: the risk that all will be a mess is there, but I am confident it will be enjoiable anyway!

Joe: the front speakers are Snell Type D, which I like really a lot, so I won't post to anyone requiring comparison/comments on them ;-) (I also agree that beauty is in the eye of the beholder) ...

These speakers would certainly overkill the surround/center, but w/ a proper set-up of the levels and so forth I hope I'll be able to adjust everything in a reasonable way.

Thanks for your interest!

Walter