Looks

Treble, midrange, bass

I got a pair of these for christmas 2000. I thought they would be perfect since I've got a Harman Kardon receiver and JBL is owned by the same company. When I first hooked them up I didn't notice much difference from my 4 year old $100 pair of Yamaha's. I thought it may just be the music or bass/treble setting so I tweaked them for a while with little improvement. It was after I bought them that I read some not-so-good reviews on this site.

I needed some surround speakers so I got a pair of B&W DM302's that were recommended on this site. They were $50 cheaper than the JBLs and sound 100% better. After using the B&W's for a week as my main speakers, I did a pretty thorough comparison in sound quality on all kinds of music. All my comparison did was make the JBL's look worse and worse. So now my bigger and more impressive looking JBL's are my surround speakers and the cheap little B&W's are my main speakers.

$150 for the pair of JBL's(at hifi.com) isn't a complete rip off, but $300 sure is.

Similar Products Used:

Some really old Yamahas and some B&W DM302's

None

Sound

I hated these. I have a N Center, and it was great, so this had to be the same, right? WRONG! The mids were so strong, I thougt I was listening to a AM radio. You may like these, but I would say Listen to them FULLY before you buy. Take in some CDs that you listen to a lot, and then make your decision. I am not a JBL hater or anything. I have owned quite a few JBL products, and thought each were great, but these are the only exception.

Similar Products Used:

B & W 302

clarity, and value

bass response

I purchased the N28's at hifi.com for an exceptional price ($150 pr) along with N center, ($75) and N26's ($100) to upgrade my home theater with a voice matched system at a reasonable price. I got more than my money's worth and the folks at hifi.com were great. I was very pleased with the overall all performance with HT and found them more than adequate for music but must agree about adding a sub for better bass response. I would highly recommend this set up whose primary interest is HT at an affordable price. Check them out and let your own ears guide you.

Similar Products Used:

BIC 10" 3-ways

Sound for the size, price, wide "sweet spot" range, looks, quality

Need bigger speakers for L/R channels, frequeny response in sine sweep leaves many holes

I've had these speakers for quite awhile now and they pack a great punch for the size. Those little 8" woofers can kick out an adequate amount of bass, and the tweeters are comparable to the Infinity Reference Series in my car. However when testing these with various frequency response tests - inluding the sine sweep, I was disapointed in the low-midrange and low-bass (for an 8"). Still, I got a great deal and these speakers have made for hundreds of hours of enjoyment with no sign of failing. I'm moving into a bigger place and I would like to stick with JBL Northridge (N38) for the time being because they have some of the best aesthetics on the market. Hopefully the "holes" in the sound will be fixed

My current setup:
JBL N-Center
2 JBL N26
2 JBL N28
Kenwood VR407DTS 100x5
Sony Wega KV36FS16
Sony S330 DVD

Similar Products Used:

Denon 514's, JVC SP-37's

Clear highs, accurate lows

Bass level

After a month or so of warming them up, these speakers are giving me a new experience with my old CDs. I keep playing old favorite tracks to see how they'll sound. I'm getting much greater detail than with my old setup. I'd like to hear more bass, but what's there is the cleanest I've ever had at home.

I'm running them from a Kenwood VR-507, and the N28's are my only speakers at the moment. I've got to drive them pretty hard to get some real volume, but I've heard that this is also a problem of the VR-507. Even at higher volumes the speakers stay nice and clean.

I'm probably going to add a sub and make these my rears, as I add a couple bigger JBL mains, probably the N38s.

Similar Products Used:

Wharfdale Opal 50

For sound Clarity, mid-range and most highs. Good looking speaker with some weight.

Lacking in bass.

I had read the reviews here and assummed that most of the negative reviews were from those who like a heavy booming bass. However, I too found that the bass is lacking with this speaker. No amount of signal tweaking could bring out the bass acceptably. The mids and highs were good to excellent, but without a good bass, these speakers were treble heavy and would not do well as stand alone for most music. They did do great justice to Kenny G. music, but that was a rare happening. The performance improved to a degree with increased power, but I prefer to keep the volume down. Based on similar sound comparisons, pair of these should not cost more than $150... hence they are overpriced for the quality.

Similar Products Used:

Sony SSMB215 @ $50 each.

Price, quality of contruction, Quality of components

Bass could be tighter.

I love these speaker. Price per value is unbeatable. Probably the best on the planet ! (hifi.com still has some left !)

Sound, well I have them matched with JBL's N-Center and a pair of N26's for rears, along with a Sony 12" powered sub (SAWM40). The whole system KICKS ASS !. And I am not just talking movies here. Music from classical to rap, Concerts, the works !

Do you need a sub with these ? The answer is yes, the sub does improve the lower end big time, (and makes up for some shortcomming of the N28 in that area). Overall they make a great set of front speakers with rich midrange and crisp highs.

I have heard my neighbors Polk RT55i's ($580), and he has heard mine, and he decided to return his back !

Similar Products Used:

EPI 100, N38

Style, Workmanship

Thin tinny sound

I recently purchased the N28'S based on reviews of similiar Northridge Series JBL speakers. I am extremely disappointed in the sound output from these speakers. We setup these speakers as fronts and played the latest James Bond movie on DVD "The World is not Enough". At first I thought something was wrong in the setup of the receiver and tinkered around for a good 45 minutes adjusting settings only to realize that there seemed to be very little bass response even with a 150 watt subwoofer to add that extra punch. This is my first experience with JBL sprakers and I have to say that it is probably my last. On the plus side the design and appearance is first class but the old saying goes " Do not let good looks deceive you ". These speakers might appeal to someone who appreciates good looks over good sound. Spend your money on quality not beauty. I have learned a serious lesson.

Similar Products Used:

Cerwin Vega, Sound Dynamics

Sound clarity, powerful speakers, looks...

None

I use these speakers for DJ use and had no problem with them.
I have read some reviews here that say they have poor bass response, but I can pump up the bass with the mixer to a level range acceptable for me.
The sound quality is excelent, even the construction too.

Looks, size, Mids & Highs

At this price range, the bass is lacking a bit.

I decided on these by pure accident... I was actually auditioning JBL & Yamaha tower speakers...

Fortunately I hit the wrong button when selecting speakers...

What I like about the N28 is their upper output... tyical JBL clarity. The bass is lacking a bit, but after some tweeking with my Yamaha sub I am extremly pleased for the time being...

They sound very good with only 40watts & they can handle over 100watts... I imagine they should sound better & cover a wider range of the audio spectrum with more power...

I have since seen these for under $200 sometimes... that's a steal for that price.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha