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

Compact. Great imaging and articulate sound. Ability to sound great at all listening levels.

None

I have owned these JBL S26 speakers for about six weeks. I initially purchased these speakers as a compromise: I recently moved into a 2nd floor apartment and out of consideration to the downstairs neighbors, I sold my Polk RT1000 speakers with built-in powered subs. I expected a nicely balanced compact speaker that would be less aggressive and more ''neighbor friendly''. I got alot more that I expected. They are terrific. Placed on a pair of heavy duty Lovan stands they have greatly exceeded my expectations. They sound great even at very moderate listening levels. They disappear when listening to both music and surround sound video soundtracks. And yes, they will play at very loud listening levels without strain. I use them in conjunction with a JBL s-center in surround. The front end speakers are all that I could have hoped for. To top it off, they look great. Nicely done, JBL.

Great sound. Great looks.

A bit larger than expected.

I got these in beech color for $189 plus $25 shipping for the pair. I bought them as my surround speakers to compliment my JBL S310's and my S-Center. My S310's are in the mail right now so I have been using the S26s for my main speakers. I am thoroughly impressed with their sound. Good bass for a 6 inch and good clarity for being a 2-way. The beech finish with the grills off makes them look tight as hell. I cannot wait to get the matching S310s. The only down side is that their sensitivity is a little low (only 87 db). But with a powerful receiver this should not cause much of a problem. Overall I would recommend these speakers as budget front speakers or as incredible surround speakers. Very good sound for a cheap price. Peace.

The rest of my system:
Sony STR DB940 receiver
Sony CDP CX400 cd player
Sony MDS JE530 md player
Panasonic RV-30 dvd player
JVC S4800 SVHS vcr
Panasonic 32inch TV
2 Acoustic Research S112PS subs
Studio Series fronts and center

Similar Products Used:

Infinity RS1

Crisp, balanced sound

low end response (but good for 6")

I use these S26's as surround speakers (though for awhile they were my main left-right ones). I have the JBL S-Center and JBL S310's for left/right channels. The realism and seamless surround sounds are incredible.

One drawback to using them as surrounds: they weigh 20+ pounds.

Heavy, "dead" enclosure, rubber instead of Foam, suprising base output. They have very good power handling. I really like their grills.

All the techy crap describing the materials used. Not necessary, just hook up and listen....

I have been really down on JBL for years. I put them with a "K-Mart Red Light Special" for quality. I found these on a scratch and dent sale and I had a need for a cheap small speaker. The dealer accepted my offer.

I use these with an Adcom GTP-400 pre-amp and a Hafler XL-280 amp. They have a full sound for a small speaker. My pair are black and gray with a gray grill. The enclosure seems extreamly solid. A little re-wiring revealed that JBL still uses a heafty magnet and a solid frame for the 6" woofer. They had fairly and heavy gage wire as well. Usually, very cheap speakers have a cheezy little magnet and thin stampted steel or plastic basket on their speaker components. For $200.00, they are a solid speaker. They are less bright than my older L20t, but the low end is vastly improved. I am pleasantly suprised...I did not expect this much.

Similar Products Used:

Older Mission, JBL L20t,4311, Kef C80, Infinity RS-5

Neutral and uncolored response. Strikingly attractive appearance without the grills (in beech)

Haven't found any yet.

I retired my Dahlquist DQ-10s due to space and aesthetic considerations (and needing to do new foam surounds on the woofers) and really did not imagine I would replace them with such small speakers or JBLs for that matter. My opinion of JBL has radically changed due to these speakers. Maybe they lack the same "air" of the Dahlquists but the uncolored response is just as good. I was budgeted for $600-$800 for the mains but quite frankly did not hear anything in that range that sounded significantly better. I don't know how JBL did it for the price and size. They do not sound boxy at all. So I took the rest and bought the matching center and also the white JBL N-24s for surrounds. I am an acoustic guitarist so that is what I mainly listen to and they are totally transparent on acoustic music which demands an uncolored reproduction. I don't really listen to home theater much but if I did I would probably get a subwoofer to exagerate the bottom end for low frequency effects. But for natural music they are fine as is.

Similar Products Used:

I test listened to many "audiophile" speakers up to the $800 /pr range.

Crisp tinny highs, deep punchy lows, khz range is amazing for such small speakers, and they can go freakin' loud!

The port makes a lot of noise at high volumes.

The fact that i can make the chick downstairs complain that my music is to loud with cement floors is far beyond my expectations. I've beem using these speakers for about 6 monthes and they've blown me away, they even get comparable mids and lows than speakers twice their size. mmmm...JBL.
I did a crap load of shopping around an these are the best value for all types of music listening by far.

Great Sound, Clarity, bass for such a small speaker

none

These speakers are great! All my music sounds much better. I bought these speakers for both music and for home theatre. They sound terrific for both applications. I'm using them as main speakers for now, but I will soon buy the JBL S38's for the main's and use these as surround speakers. There is no better speaker for the price than these JBL's!!

Similar Products Used:

Bose 201 Series IV

Solid, JBL quality, incredible sound

none

Just bought these as fronts in the following set up and couldn't be more pleased. Great for HT and music.

Rec: Onkyo TXDS595
DVD: Onkyo DVS555
Fronts: JBL S26
Rears: JBL N24
Center: JBL NCENTER
Sub: AudioSource SW10

I am in absolute audio/video heaven. Paid around $1,200 for all the audio and quality wire and hookups. Using a Sony 32" Wega Trinitron - KV32FV27 television. IMPORTANT: if you're going to spend the money on equipment - DON'T get cheap crap to hook it up with. Use the big, fat heavy stuff. It's more than worth it.

I was really nervous about all this coming in - but it arrived just fine mainly from www.bestpriceaudiovideo.com and secondly, 800.com. Both were a good experience - especially - BestPrice.

This system (S26's included) is amazing for the price. I researched for hours - mostly posts on this site and finally jumped into the "deep end." First DVD was Tomb Raider last night. I couldn't have asked for a better show of ear and eye candy to "Christen" my new system. Even the Mrs's was speechless.

Spend more if you must - but there is no need. If you are looking for a GREAT setup for the $$ - I can't recommend this combo enough. If you are looking for a great pair of $200 speakers for $85 each....look no further.

Sound, price, asthetics

Somewhat colored midrange

I purcheased the above-referenced speakers for my parents christmas gift from etronics for $159 + $50 shipping & $18 tax (I know, what a shipping charge!!!). All in all, the best deal I could find.

I'm at my parents now, and I have to say I'm mightily impressed by the performance of these speakers. I'm accustomed to listening to $2500 speekers connected to $3000 in electronics (my home system), but these little guys connected to my Dad's el cheapo receiver & cd player do an admirable job of reproducing music with which I'm familiar. The mid-range is a bit vieled, and the mid-base a bit colored, but they still sound great. I'd have to say that they remind me more of B&W Nautilus 801 that my Thiels in that they seem to disappear in the room (seemingly omni-directional) rather asserting their presence (uni-directional). This shows quite a bit of development technology for these little units.

There is, however, a caveat regarding this recommendation. I did no a-b testing, no blind testing, no extensive listening. The only testing I did was a quick trip to Best Buy for a listen to their current crop of consumer level audio. Hey, it's been a while since i shopped for stereo stuff, you know? I must add that I was significantly underwhelmed by the JBL N series of speakers, as well as the other consumer level stuff in the sub $400 price range. BTW: I based my purchase decision almost entirely on information I found here, at audioreview.com, and bought the S26s hear unheard.

Are these audiophile grade speakers? Definitely no. Even with a sub-woofer, the midrange would be vieled and somewhat colored. They are, however, excellent speakers for the price. They produce accurate and adequate levels of treble, midrange, & bass. I'm especially surprised by quantity and quality of bass from 90Hz to 300Hz.

Similar Products Used:

Infinity RS1, RS2, Thiel CS2.2