Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
OK GUYS...I AM GOING TO BE BRUTALLY HONEST.....THESE ARE THE BEST BUDGET SPEAKERS AND THEY CAN REALLY BEAT A FEW SPEAKERS IN THE $ 6000 PRICES.

NOW....THERE IS AN UPGRADE FOR THESE SPEAKERS FOR THOSE WHO ARE AUDIOPHILES LIKE ME....I KNOW YOU LOVE THE SOUND OF THE JBL S312 ...BUT WHAT ABOUT UPGRADING THE CROSSOVERS.....

HERE IS A VIDEO OF AN UPGRADE ON THE WAY...I BELIEVE IS GOING TO REALLY GOOD FOR THE JBLS312

CHECK IT OUT......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiSZ5VP4Bls

Price Paid:  $650.00 from Oman

Summary:
I bought these speakers couple of years ago but really never got myself to find a way to explore its potential, till couple of days ago when i had a friend give me his Carver - sunfire 300 power Amp.Well I was blown away with the performance of the speakers.
The 312 generally says max 250 at 8 ohms ,,,though the 300 watt rms amp chur ns out more than needed to have an astounding speaker system.
I have picked up the sunfire 300 at a good deal and wud def sugest the same for any one looking to harness the power of the JBLS312.

Strengths:
Well defined Bass.
Strong Body.
Accurate mids.

Weaknesses:
too bulky .
Very poor grills .
Mines broken by my pitbull terrier .

Similar Products Used:
None .
Looking out for another pair of sterio speakers .
Kindly recommend one for the Sunfire 300 - Carver Amp.

Price Paid:  $449.00 from 800.com

Summary:
Very good speakers for the money! I dont get what some are complaining about: "not good for home theatre", true you need a sub to get the very lowest bass. "No soundstage", Are you kidding, these have a fantastic soundstage & image good too. "The highs are too shrill", since your an "audiophile" you should know that any good speaker needs breaking in!! True these are not an audiophile speaker. "Audiophile speakers" have a tendency to be super revealing, these are not. Hence the name "Studio Monitors", they produce whats on the recording, not exagerate it. I sold a pair of "audiophile" speakers i had, which cost about three times as much becuase they did'nt sound right to me. "I would rather have a speaker that does everything good, than one that does a couple of things great"! These are also not the fastest in terms of sound reprodution (speed). I had a pair of Klipsch KSF 10.5 that were faster, but i chose the JBL's becuase of the limited dispertion of the 10.5's. The power rating says up to 250watts & i've run them with a 300wpc pro amp, which i used to burn them in. It's my belief that you should ALWAYS burn speakers in before critical listening. With thier high sensitivity of 92dbs i have run them with everything from a 3.5wpc SE amp, 10wpc PP, 100wpc tube hybrid, & my fav now a 25-50wpc all tube Quicksilver Monos. I have never noticed harsh highs when new, but the biggest improvement IMO is the bass extention. They do most music well...except for pop which the bass will seem weak, UNLESS you use a good (high power) amp. I would give these a value rating of 5, but the grills are very cheap & break easily. Other than that, build quality is good with very heavy binding post & non resonant cabinets. If they were bi-wirable, that would also solve any lack of bass issues also.

Strengths:
Image well (not the best), good soundstage, tight well defined bass, not bright, well built

Weaknesses:
Big, do not totaly disapear, "not an audiophile speaker!, need substantial wattage to sound best.

Similar Products Used:
Klipsch KSF 10.5

Price Paid:  $199.00 from bestpriceaudiovideo.

Summary:
I've got the S312 Mark II's. I my opinion, for the price($199.00 each) these speakers are excellent I'm sure there may be better speakers out there, but I can't afford them. These speakers fit my budget and my taste. I think they are excellent for both home theater and muscic. They can be played loud and clear through my Sony STR-DE 875 receiver. Highs and mids are good. I think the bass is pretty good too. I've tried listening to music in 2CH mode with and without my subwoofer. Obviously, the bass is better with the subwoofer, but not bad without it. They also complement my other JBL speakers very well. I've got a JBL N-Center, JBL PB-12 subwoofer, and JBL N24's for surrounds. The S312II's definitely blended better with the other speakers I have than the Infinity RS 2001.5's that I was using as my mains. The Infinity's were not bad. They were very good in my opnion. I think that the S312II's just matched up better with the other JBL speakers I have. If you're thinking about getting these, I say,"Don't hesitate". You'll get some good speakers and you won't break the bank doing it.

Strengths:
Big 12-in. woofers
Nice and clear highs and mids
Price!!!!

Weaknesses:
The speaker grill is only a weakness if you have small children like I do. Curious little fingers like to poke at them.

Their weight can be a weakness if you have trouble moving heavy objects. They weigh 77lbs. a piece!!!

Similar Products Used:
JBL N24's
Infinity RS 2001.5's
Some really old(1980's) Jensen tower speakers with 12in. woofers.

Price Paid:  $199.00 from bestpriceaudiovideo.

Summary:
This review is in reference to the
JBL S312 (mark 2's)

Let me tell those who are going through the dilemma of chosing between speakers they can afford and the ones they want but can't afford. These are speakers that are now affordable on-line and sound better that some of the more expensive dream speakers.

Out the box, these babies are impressive and large. When I plugged them into the system I expected them to sound harsh like the other reviews claimed. But, not to my surprise...the sound was neutral and great. I am not sure about the burn in theory, but if it holds true these monsters can only get better. To prove their worth--even my wife appreciates them. And, the price was not a ball buster.

To tell you the truth, I have heard all the top of the line speakers. These can hold their own against them all; although, I admit, these are not reference speakers. I have played every genre of music and they all sounded great. I see people complaining about mids not being up to par, which is crazy because who can tell with the naked ear. It's all hearsay or a miracle!

I have been using Audioquest type 2+ cable, which is more than enough to bring out their potential. Audioquest makes the better cable in comparison to a more expensive monster audiophile speaker cable. But, I do prefer the monster interconnects M1000i.

I waited 3 years to buy some nice speakers. To finally have my wants meet--is very gratifying.

Strengths:
Great out the box...neutral, excellent base response...highs, on point...mids (who can tell...the sound great)

Weaknesses:
none...love'em!

Similar Products Used:
wouldn't know...can't afford them!

View Comments (1)

Would you like to Comment?
Join audioReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.