JBL D38 Floorstanding Speakers

JBL D38 Floorstanding Speakers 

DESCRIPTION

3-way bookshelf speakers

USER REVIEWS

Showing 1-10 of 10  
[Dec 21, 2003]
biffmalibu
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Great sound at any volume. Inexpensive.

Weakness:

Can't think of any.

I use these speakers for stereo listening while at my computer. I am pretty spoiled from the Magneplanars in the living room, but these little speakers sound very good indeed. They rock. Very punchy.

Similar Products Used:

Various bookshelf speakers.

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
5
[Jan 17, 2000]
Abe
Audiophile

Strength:

Floor shaking base, clear sound, Very inexpensive, performs as well as speakers costing several hundred dollars, Compact size (16 inches tall). Bargian of a lifetime.

Weakness:

None

These are kick ass speakers. They only cost $39.99 each ($80 for the pair). They sound better than speakers costing hundreds of dollars more. They have a super strong and rich base. They also have beautiful mid and high range sound. They are much better than the Sony MB-215(which has very weak base, a non-clear sound). I purchased them at Mongomery Ward (Wards) (a great place to buy electronics, prices are lower than Circuit City-Best Buy-Sears, though in-store speaker demo may not work). Also since they can handle 175 watts you are less likely to blow them out. The compact size makes them easy to handle.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Jan 28, 2000]
john

Strength:

nice, loud bookshelf speaker

Weakness:

weak bass

these speakers are great for the money. they have a high db rating, and 175 watt power handling. like its "big brother" the d315, it has weak bass response.

Similar Products Used:

d315

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
5
[Dec 24, 1999]
Brendan
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Excellent Price, Good Efficiency

Weakness:

Weak Bass

I use 4 of these speakers with an Infinity HPS 250 sub, and
Infinity CC3 center, on a Sony 825 reciever. Great sound level, but the bass is a little bit weak.... amazingly efficient compared to my old Sony floor-standers.

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
5
[Jul 17, 2000]
satan
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

wonderful mids and highs. nice clean sound. really cheap.

Weakness:

weak bass. i can't find them anywhere any more.

the jbls have a much better sound than the realistics. they are much cleaner sounding. my only complaint is that they bottom out at 50hz. but that's really not bad for 175 watt 8" CHEAP reasonably compact speakers. the realistics went down to about 40hz. however, the d38s' bass is much tighter. i'm running all four speakers off a radioshack optimus receiver (60wpc). [i know radioshack isn't known for great audio equipment, but this thing was usually $200 or so and i got it new for less than $100.] i'm still running the old realistics for the lower frequency response, but hope to get a sub soon. i'm looking at the BIC d1010r or the KLH asw12.

Similar Products Used:

pair of 1979 2-way 60w 8" bass reflex radioshack realistic speakers.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Dec 04, 1999]
paul smith
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

strng bass

Weakness:

none

Good buy very strong for it size.Beets most speakers that are its size with a good 175 watts. good midrange ok tweeter

Similar Products Used:

pioneer

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Dec 12, 1999]
Arthur
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

good balanced sound

Weakness:

nothing in particular; could be smaller in size

Great value for a pair of speakers that sound great for rear channel use in a Home theatre setup. They are usually on sale at most retailers. Well balanced sound is a plus considering how reasonably priced they are. Other listeners may find the bass inadequate but that shortcoming is somewhat expected from speakers of the bookshelf variety and its price range. Again, very suitable for rear channel use.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha bookshelf speakers

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
5
[Feb 05, 2000]
Greg
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Nice crisp highs and clear midrange. Bass is great after a bit of break in.

Weakness:

None so far.

My old Criterions, a 2-way bass reflex system with 6 1/2"woofer, were great for music in a not too large living room, but didn't match my AR center speaker. The dialog had too much bass. After reading the reviews here, I decided to give the D38 a try. I ordered them from J&R MusicWorld on Feb.1st, and hooked them up on Feb. 2nd. These are so new, the smell of the wood is still floating around. At first I was disappointed with the bass, I expected more. I tweaked the tone controls and bass boost on my receiver, a Sony STR-DE335, and got the sound I was satisfied with, then switched on my subwoofer, Sony SA-W305. Everything was fine, but I still felt that I shouldn't have to go through this for a bit of boom. The fact that the highs and middle was an improvement over my old set was a consolation. While listening to a jazz station this morning (Feb. 5)I thought the sound had changed.I set the tone controls to normal, switched off the bass bost, and the subwoofer. Holy cow, the bass coming from the 38's was great!! I still can't believe a pair of speakers under $100 can sound like this. When I use the sub, I crank it down to the lowest freq. setting and get nice tight bass. Buy these before they're gone. Give them a couple of days to break in, and you will know that you just got the all time bargain.

Similar Products Used:

Criterion 50 from Lafayette Radio (purchased 35 years ago).

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Apr 23, 2000]
Greg Johnson
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Very good sound quality for their size.

Weakness:

None I've found

I'm using the D38 speakers as the surrounds for my home theater system. They work great with DTS DVD and DTS CD that send a lot of sound to the rear speakers. They would do a good job on all 4 corners themselves with a sub & a center.

Similar Products Used:

ARs & other JBLs

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
5
[Aug 06, 2000]
Meatsack
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Extremely clear sound. Made my Aiwa minisystem sound like much more than it was. Nice strong bass too.

Weakness:

Haven't found any yet.

These guys who said these had weak bass response, maybe you should crank up the bass on your receiver. these can deliver house rumbling sound. They blow away my brother's KLH speakers, even though those are rated at 300 Watts. Thay come in nice wood cases too, very sturdy. Thanks JBL.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
Showing 1-10 of 10  

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