Price Paid:  $3000.00 from Private Party

Summary:
After reading numerous reviews, I''m amazed that anybody would review the JBL 3100''s with a NAD receiver. And supposedly owns Wilsons? My own story, this is the seconf time around I have spent any time with this speaker, having owned numerous old JBL''s and also 25 to 30 high end products and still have a few. I must say the 3100''s represent extremely well for what they do. That is true stereo reproduction and incredible dynamics. Pleasure to play with.

Strengths:
Dynamics, Bass, Pace

Weaknesses:
Can get snotty if pushed to hard

Similar Products Used:
Dahlquist, Kef, Vandies, Carver Amazings, Acustats, Maggies, etc.

Price Paid:  $3000.00 from Seoul

Summary:
This loudspeaker system gives very good stereo image and powerful sounds but, high amplifier power handles required. Good product for classical music...and jazz, rock'n roll music...kill me!!!

I matched with

Quicksilver black mono tube power(bi-wire connection)
McIntosh C712 pre
Teac CD5 CDP
Audio Alchemy DDE1.0 DAC
Denon DP45F ADP with Shure V15type4 Cartridge

Strengths:
Great design, dynamic good bass, good mid-high, easy to place

Weaknesses:
none

Similar Products Used:
Infinity, Whafedale

Price Paid:  $5000.00

Summary:
The S3100 MK 11 speaker sounds smooth. Not the penetrating horn sound. Maybe the neodynium driver N 275 is responsible for this sound character. Placement is rather critical. Placement against walls will work best. Its not a free-standing speaker. Soundstage is excellent. The place where you are listening is not critical.

Strengths:
Low,mids and highs

Weaknesses:
None

Similar Products Used:
Mcintosh Preamp c 100
Mcintosh Poweramps Mc 1000
D/A converter Audio-Note Dac 1
Technics Z1000

Price Paid:  $3000.00 from Paris

Summary:
A very good dynamic.To use with a class A system.

Strengths:
presence

Weaknesses:
none

Similar Products Used:
Tannoy

Price Paid:  $3000.00

Summary:
This is meant as an update to my earlier posting. Why anyone would want to use inferior amplification with $5000.00 speakers is beyond me. I have not heard these with bad equipment so I cannot comment on several of these postings. I have used at least 10 diffrent amps and I can honestly say that the S/3100 is so revealing that they all sounded different but not one sounded downright bad. I used SE (Wavac,Kron,Audio Note,Golden) PP (Jadis DA30, Mesa Tigris) SS (Mietner, Pathos Classic One) SSSE (Pass Aleph)& Vintage (leak stereo 20, HK) Whew!! The single ended amps sounded very good in the mids - natch - but did not do bass well enough, in my opinion, to justify having such a large cabinet in the home. The highs were perhaps a little thin also. The SS just did not have the warmth of tubes - they were OK but just not vivid enough for my taste. I ended up being very pleased with the Jadis...gobs of power, real solid big time Bass vivid as technicolor in the mids and upper mids, no glare and quite neutral. Just goes to show that when dealing with a superior product that is revealing of source matching is all important although a real pain in the ass!!
As for the one "silly" review here let me say this. Someone in Europe I conferred with was auditioning the S/2800 at an audio shop and was less than impressed with the sound also. It turned out that when they removed the grill cloths it was discovered that the speakers were set up with the horns facing away from each other!! Who knows, maybe they were out of phase as well, and god only knows what the electronics were!! In closing I must say that I am still happy as ever and consider myself very lucky to have these fine loudspeakers. Best regards.

Strengths:
Dynamics, imaging, presence and scale of reproduction.

Weaknesses:
none

Similar Products Used:
Quad 57, Lowther TPI, Tannoy