Speaker comparison: RCA vs. JBL (1 Viewer)

[Reginald Trent]

Radio Shack has the RCA speakers on sale for 58.00 ea. These are the same speakers that got rave reviews in audio magazines a couple of years ago when they were badged under the Optimus brand name. I'm curious about how they compare to the JBL N and S series.
These are the speakers. http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...5Fid=40%2D5037
All opinions welcomed.

 

[Angelo.M]

Reginald:

Radio Shack and Best Buy (purveyor of the JBL N/S Series) both have return policies that should make it very easy for you do do the comparison in your home, with your equipment. I could talk until blue in the face about why I think the JBLs are better, but what difference would it make if your ears prefer the RS speakers.

Try them out; happy listening.

--AM

 

[Reginald Trent]

Angelo, I already know I can return the speakers even so I appreciate you mentioning it. However, I was hoping to hear the opinions of people that own or are familar with these speakers.

 

[BenG]

I've owned both. I bought the NSP1 set a while back to hopefully upgrade my RCA/Optimus set containing the speakers you mentioned. Here is my take:
RCA-
Pros: Great highs, very spacious sound. Music sounds like real music, rather than music being reproduced by a speaker (you may have to hear this to understand it). Great for home theater.
Cons: Somewhat muddy midrange. I feel it necessary to use an EQ to compensate.
JBL-
Pros: Good, clean overall sound, and great midrange. The highs are decent and unobtrusive, but not spectacular. Very flat response.
Cons: Music seems to sound "boxy", and lacking of life. Maybe the dipole effect from the RCA's has spoiled me. I wasnt overly impressed with the N24's home theater capabilities compared to the dipole setup either (I did like the center channel, though).
I auditioned both at the same time, and ended up returning the JBLs. You may draw a different conclusion; the JBLs are an excellent set of speakers for the money. But do yourself a favor, and try them both first