What a delight this speaker was for me. I loved pipe organ and other types of music that takes a speaker. I was amazed at the cone travel. It looked like it would puke at any moment, but it never bottomed out. You would be forced to turn it down. It was very detailed, clean and smooth. They are just like a fav wood in the golf bag. You always sell it even though you smacked it strait. I sold mine, wish I never did that. The cabinet was very heavy and well made.

Not one things stands out.

Great imaging: Maybe its the EOS waveguided tweeters hat allow them to image so convincingly?

Decent dynamics, ability to play fairly loud

Smooth, uncolored tonal soectrum.

Few. On occasion a little overetched/sibilant. Bass is very good for a small 2 way, but can't cheat physics and so needs to be subbed for HT, serious audio.

These are terrific little speakers--soooo much better than the L26 namesakes that filled many a dorm room what 35 years ago, but which I still remember fondly, ;-D

These are the speakers that caused me to sell my Infinity Preludes which cost roughly 30 times as much. Now in fairness, this was after using my DEQX processor to correct the JBL's. After dialing them in, they sounded so close to the flagship Infinity's my jaw dropped. Bought the DEQX, sold the Preludes, and then went into DIY land.

Still I'm reminded after moving to New Mexico where I haven't the room to set up my big system, that even uncorrected these are superb little speakers--do so much right and so little wrong; they wallk all over the majority of similarly priced speakers I have heard at Best Buy, Ultimate Sound, etc.

Similar Products Used:

Infinity bookshelf speakers.

- solid, quality construction - authoritative bass for this class of speaker - smooth, extended high end response - good composure at high output levels - ability to disappear

- largish for this class of speakers - midband can be masked by bass performance - not much else, a great buy at $200 a pair or less.

This review is for model S26II, in the apparently popular black ash finish. I purchased four of these loudspeakers for $38.50 (that is thirty eight, there is no missing digit!) each on clearance from The Great Indoors. Before I get into this review let me say that I approach my notes on speakers somewhat differently than the rest of the signal chain. Technical performance aside, loudspeakers are by nature much more emotional and subjective to discuss than the electronics in your system. The audible, significant differences between a $200 receiver and a $2000 receiver are few and ultimately difficult to quantify. The same comparision between a $200 pair of speakers and a $2000 pair is entirely different. Engineering approach, environment, personal preference, there are so many variables. So take my comments and notes in context, and ultimately decide for yourself by auditioning any speakers you’re considering in your home. The S26II is a two way system with a 6” poly woofer and a 1” titanium dome tweeter on a proprietary “EOS” waveguide. Connections are via 5 way gold plated binding posts. The boxes are largish considering the mid-woofer size, with a single front facing port located below the woofer. These weigh a solid 22lbs each. There are no grossly apparent resonances when rapping the surfaces of the well-damped cabinets. Build quality is very good, comparable in fact to speakers costing many times as much aside from the simple finish. My last review was of the new Infinity Primus 150, which I auditioned after reading a favorable review in Stereophile. While they presented a lot of strengths, their ceramic-metal tweeters ultimately proved too bright. So it was with some reservations that I approached these JBLs with their titatium domes and their reputation of bright, metallic high end. I also had read reviews here talking of a lack of mid-band response. Auditioning was via two systems: System A with a Sony DVP-S5600 DVD/CD player connected via digital coax to a capable Yamaha surround receiver. System B was an RCA STAV-4090 (aka Pioneer VSX-D412) receiver and a Pioneer DV-563A hybrid CD/DVD/DVD-A/SACD player, using the Pioneer’s DAC for CD and stereo analog for the stereo layer of DVD-A and SACD discs. High quality oxygen-free 16 gauge wire was used for interconnect. Test material was my standard line-up. First up is always Victor Wooten’s Yin and Yang, followed by a mix of Steely Dan Everything Must Go on both CD and DVD-Audio, Jimi Hendrix Experience Hendrix on CD, and finally the Stereophile Test CD #3. Well, my initial fears of how the high end would sound were immediately silenced. Simply put, the high frequency response of these speakers is in a class well above their modest price. Extended but never fatiguing, offering up incredible transparency and a very listenable soundstage. I have speakers that provide more detailed imaging than these, but overall I would typify the imaging and staging as very natural. But beyond the high end, the real surprise is the bass performance. The largish boxes are not for naught, they are the foundation of a low end foundation that belies the small 6” woofers. I would guess at a relatively solid curve down to below 50hz, and useable response down close to 40hz. Located close to back walls or corners provides a somewhat hyped bass curve, out into the room on stands smooths it out but it is still there with authority. At volume you can really feel these speakers, remarkable for their size. While my Paradigm Atoms do a famous job of suggesting lower octave material below their cutoff, these JBLs really deliver it. Also remarkable is that the spectral balance, low distortion, and coherency of these speakers remains up into high playback levels. Given some solid material like Victor Wooten, and some clean power (the RCA-Pioneer is 100wpc at under 1%THD) these speakers can really rock a medium sized room. As for the mid-band response lamented by so many here: at first I thought I heard what they were saying. But after extended listening I have to say that the speakers don’t seem to missing much. Perhaps the prodigious bass response is masking the mid-band performance for some? Placed at ear level into the room I find nothing to complain about, and I would hazard a guess that these boxes are flatter in the mid-band than you might think. Overall, I strongly recommend these speakers. Their ideal application is mains in a stereo-only setup, or for Front and Rear use in a music oriented surround system (can you say 4.1?). A subwoofer helps solidify the bottom half-octave, but they are very useable on their own.

Similar Products Used:

Hafler M5 (see my review under VRM5), Paradigm Atom (see review), Infinity Primus 150 (see review), Samson Resolv 65 studio monitors.

Built quality, look, high for Hometheater only

Heavy and bib for bookshelf .abit muddy upper bass.

I have been collecting alots of different affordable bookshelf speakers under $200. ANh this is the review for the S26II. This is among very few speakers which have the best built quality and look. First the S26II has very impressive finish with high gloss veneer allover. It quite big as a bookshelf and heavy(22lbs). Very attractive look overall. Next, the built quality is outstanding for $200 pair of speakers. well constucted inside and outside. With all-metal, 5-way, gold-plated binding post terminals. Crossover is assembled with high quality components. Amm inside walls are stuffed well. In general, for less than $200 you can never have this kind of built quality. The speakers sound every inpressive right out of the box for hometheater with crisp hight full mid range. But the lower bass is less refined, little muddy(just like the Bose 301). For music, the speaker is abit bright(since it's loaded with titanium tweeter). I would definitely recommend it for smooth jazz and classical(and for all other non-vocal music). SInce the mid range and upper bass is abit muddy, it wouldn't be fit with vocal music. the speakers are best value for less than $200. but over $200, there're better speakers.

Similar Products Used:

Polks, Acoustic energy, infinity, Bose, Atlantic Tech, Pioneer, Yamaha, magnepan

Bass: It's loud and tight It'll play loud and not distort awesome "dead" enclosure and classy looks

feel like im missing some music disperse sound more than image

Follow up review on the s-26: I still think this is a good speaker and good value for the money but after evaluating and listening to lots of speakers priced similarly and slightly above I have come to find a couple shortfalls. All in all its a really good speaker especially for home theater, and "LOUD" music...nu metal, techno, hip hop, as the bass output is very good for a smallish speaker and the Ti tweeter will not be overpowered by the boomy stuff. where this speaker falls a little short is in the midrange area. it just dosent seem to output all there is to be heard. compared to my nht sb2's it just seems like i'm missing something, especially on alt/modern rock, acoustic rock, and swing type recordings. I think this was a compromise by jbl to keep it affordable and have the bass extend lower than normal, but next to the sb2 the bass is emhasized, the midrange is supressed too much and the highs are a tad harsher than they should be...also the more throw sound around the room than pinpoint an image. good in the home theater environment. so while im not as endeared with these speakers now, I still think they are a fine product and usually can be found around 200-280 bucks. They will serve as surrounds in my system for the time being but i plan on converting to nht's soon

Similar Products Used:

nht sb2 jm lab cobalts boston vrm-60 jbl n-24

Well rounded sound from a small 2 way; handles many types of music very well.

The grilles and off-color tweeter surround draw too much attention (but this is a small complaint overall).

This is actually a review of the s26II model (just a touch different and newer). Great speaker. I found a burn-in time of about 6 days at mild volume really helped them open up. I have them mated with a HK CDR 30 and HK 3370 receiver. They all work well together. The speakers can handle upright bass with aplomb, never really shking it up but not missing any essentials. The mids and highs are help convey the source well. I've found jazzy piano high notes in solos to come off crispyly with a lifelike decay. Similarly, when I play rock and bigger jazz combos I hear electric bass distinctly from kick drums and lower saxaphone notes. Even in a small room, this small speaker creates a bigger soundstage than I had expected. My HK receiver has so-called 'vmax' virtual surround processing which sort of adds a ton of echo and reverb to get a surround sound like feel. On some CDs (such as Lyle Lovett's "Joshua Judges Ruth" and Cat Power's "You Feel Free") these speakers can put out a lifelike, full spectrum sound that literally has my guests smiling in amazement. Given the proper setup, these JBL s26II's can really kick it out. When I was looking to buy some new speakers, the choice came down to JBL's s26II and s38II. While the 3 way put out a bit more low end, the s26II was more lifelike and coherent. The s38's got the mids a bit mixed up (perhpas it's a bad crossover design) with the rest of the sound. I spent quite a bit of time auditioning and listening to both (thanks to the great folks at Spokane's Huppins!) and can heartily recommend going with the s26II.

Similar Products Used:

older JBLs, infinity tower speakers, bose surround system; auditioned many models prior to purchase (including JBL s38II)

Price Fabulous looks (leave grilles OFF) Well rounded sound Crystalline highs Good bass reproduction in a small package

must be paired with sub for home theater, techno music, or hip hop but I'm nitpicking what bookshelf dosen't too big for regular speaker stands

I bought these speakers the improve the sound of my Sony HTIB system. I had never heard this particular model before I bought them, but I researched them and read a lot of reviews. My set arrived in a super attractive cherry finish (those grilles stay OFF) and I must say they just look and feel like a quality product. I am currently using them as fronts in a home theater system that I also use to listen to a variety of music My setup: Reciever: STR-DA4es Front: JBL S-26 Center: JBL S-Center Rear: JBL N-24 Sub: Sony SA-WM40 (subzilla) Well these speakers absolutey impressed me right out of the box, compared to past mini systems I had owned and the satellites from my HTIB these JBLs sound wonderful. The bass is good for a smallish speaker, you'll notice a lack of it if you like techno/trance or hip hop, but listening to acoustic rock like Jack Johnson or Dave Matthews Band they sound awesome just let the music come through with a lot of detail without emphasizing anything too much. I had read peoples complaints about the tweeters sounding too "hot" and its not something I have ever noticed, but these speakers do seem to sound better every time I use them. They will play very loud without distorting unless you are running them as full-range (not crossed over) and there is a very bassy song...I have mine crossed at 60hz and they hold the sound together very well even at ear-splitting levels. I honestly could not be happier with the performance of these speakers vs. the rock bottom price, I went to a local high end store and listened to a lot of great speakers connected to thousands of dollars in equipment and these JBLs will stand up well to anything under $500. Just when I thought they couldn't get any better, I upgraded my HTIB reciever to the 4es and was impressed all over again.

Similar Products Used:

JBL N-24 JVC mini system speakers Optimus PRO-5 Bose 301 series V Bose 201 series V Awful Sony satellites PSB Image 2b (nice speakers!)

Great sound and looks

None

I bought these as front speakers to match my JBL S-Center. Great sound with excellent imaging.

Similar Products Used:

JBL Control 5

Great price, good lucks, low distoration.

High mids are a little muddy. Lows seem somewhat emphasized. Inefficient.

I was impressed by the reviews for this speaker so when I saw an auction ending soon on ebay for $105, I picked them up. I bought them to be surround effect speakers for my theater and so far they have been great. I did some critical listening to them with both music and movies, and found them great for movies but I do not recommend them for music. The higher mids were a little muddy compared to my reference speakers, but this was only apparent during music. I set them up as mains for movie watching and forgot I was listening to it with <$200 speakers! They have no problems reproducing reference level movie sound.

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm Titan, Paradigm Atoms

neutral even sound, no shrillness at any level.

they don''''''''t walk the dog?

great build and look much better than most competitors. sound better quite better than any other 200 dollar speaker. these blow away paridigm atoms. like em slightly better than polk rt35i. they can play quite loud and keep composed. midrange is ever so slightly vieled. but they sound very neutral. and offer no listening fatigue. bravo. 159 and free shipping at j&r. for the money nothing is even remotely close.

Similar Products Used:

polk,ar,paradigm