JBL S38 Bookshelf Speakers
JBL S38 Bookshelf Speakers
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[Aug 19, 2001]
Steve
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
realistic sound reproduction, clairity, sound stage, details, details, details!
Weakness:
Odd size, car system sounds like crap now! I live in a very small apartment, and wanted to improve the sound of my system without taking up alot of space. I read all the reviews on the JBLs and tried to listen to them at Best Buy however, they did not have the music I usually listen to. I searched Yahoo shopping and found them for $300/pr whereas Worst Buy wanted $500/pr! I used the extra money to buy a 10" JBL powered sub! I could not find stands to fit these speakers, so I made some myself which came to around $40 and I now have more storage space to boot. These speakers are hooked to a Kenwood receiver and California Audio Labs DX2 CD player with 32bit oversampeling. The CD player itself has amazing detail and these speakers complement that very well. I used them for about a month or so before I purchashed the Subwolfer and was not crazy about the sound prior to the no sub days. The sub filled out the sound stage and is powered so as not to take away from the 38s. I listen to a variety of music from Jazz to lounge music to Napalm Death, and Discordance Axis. Jazz comes alive on this system! as well as bands like Stone Temple Pilots and any good live recording! Movies are life like. This set up does bring out crappy recordings however, you can usually tweek the system to make it tolerable. An enginer friend of mine was absoutly blown away by the sound! I made my own speaker stands because the rest of the world stands their speakers up vertically. It came out cheaper and they improve the sound greatly. Similar Products Used: none |
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[May 29, 2001]
Mike
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
EVERYTHING!! Look, feel and especially the sound quality
Weakness:
Hard to find stands with large enough top plate so that I feel safe leaving them on. I had researched new speakers for almost a year until finally stumbling over the reviews for these babies. After close consideration and lots of listening I finally bought these them - it turned out to be one of the greatest decisions I've ever made!! I bought the whole studio series from JBL and use the S38's as my mains! The sound is crisp, clear and warm. Sitting in the sweet spot, these speakers fill the room to capacity with an awesome sound - both DVD and CD. The best part about it is that they sell them at Best Buy and I was able to get my employee discount! If your looking for good speakers under $1000, don't look anywhere else!!! Similar Products Used: Cambridge Soundworks DTT2500 Multimedia Speakers. |
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[Apr 19, 2000]
John B
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Build, Quality of Drivers, Ease of Placement, SOUND!
Weakness:
Kind of big for a "bookshelf" Welcome back JBL! I remember the good old days when if you did'nt have a pair of JBL L100s, you did'nt have sh--! The new studio series reminds me of those behemouth speakers everyone who was anyone had. The S-38s are sure the answer if you are looking for quality sound out of a bookshelf speaker, THEY KICK ASS! The sound is increadible. I listen to everything from Led Zepelin to Jennifer Warnes, and let me tell you these speakers can be as subtle as they can be forward. My humble advice to you is if you are looking for a quality speaker for under 5 bills, look no futher than the JBL S-38s, they are the sh--! I can't wait till I can afford the S312s and S-center. This will make an awesome set up for home theater and music. Similar Products Used: Kef Q15, Paradigm Atom |
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[Oct 10, 2000]
David
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
High power rating
Weakness:
Bright highs Matched with the S-Center and PB-10 powered sub, they sound great for home theater, no question. I can crank the amp and they don't care. I didn't buy them for music, however, some vocals tend to be very loud from what I am used to especially female like Celine Dion. Most CD's sound fine though. I do notice that horizontal placement makes a bit of a difference in imaging, but with DVD's it's less noticable. I have them placed vertically because they look a bit ugly horizontal. Also, home stands aren't designed for studio monitors. All in all, I am pleased with them and would buy them again. For the price, you won't find a better speaker. For the music audiophile, you may want to consider Boston's for your listening pleasures. My rating is based on what I bought them for...Home Theater. Similar Products Used: DA's, Boston Acoustics |
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[Apr 16, 2000]
Bruce Smith
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Stylish look, Amazing highs and mids
Weakness:
Questionable Bass, but certainly not unacceptable After reading the great reviews before me, I couldn't wait to place an order with Shop@Home. The S38's would replace the Cambridge Soundworks sub/satellite setup that I've been using. The Cambridge speakers have been wonderful (no complaints at all), but I needed something with a little more "heft" since I do some DJ work on the side. The speakers cost me a little over $316 WITH shipping...how can that be beat, when Crutchfield wants $500 for the same pair!!! The first and most amazing thing I noticed when I warmed these puppies up, was the incredible soundstage at the mids and highs. As I researched these speakers, I figured that JBL's "Elliptical Oblate Spheroidal" design was just another fancy nickname for a tweeter. Boy was I wrong!!!!!! Until I listened to the S38's, I had never been able to physically stand BEHIND a set of speakers and not have the highs and mids sound muffled! The soundstage on these babies was incredible! Even as I walked into the kitchen (two rooms away) I felt as if I lost little or nothing in the way of sound quality - I was stunned! My only concern lies with the bass quality that everyone seems to be raving about. I'm not sure if I am expecting too much...I've been driving my Cambridge Satellites with a Paradigm 10" Powered Sub...or maybe I just need to reposition them on my entertainment center. Whatever the case may be, I just can't seem to get an acceptable level of bass. This is especially true when I listen to them at lower levels. I am driving the S38's with a Kenwood VR-309 (100 watts) to the front; as I turn them up to about half, I do get more punch; so, as I stated earlier, maybe I'm expecting too much. (I would certainly take suggestions from anyone who has these speakers: email me at brucie@northnet.org). As a whole, however, I think that I have made a very wise choice in choosing these JBL's. Their clarity is hard to beat, and at higher levels, they can jam with the best. Try 'em out!! By the way, they sound awesome in my Dolby Digital setup and add WAY MORE to the front channels than my Cambridge speakers did! Similar Products Used: Cambridge Soundworks (Sub/Satellite System) |
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[May 01, 2000]
David Boreham
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Excellent value
Weakness:
None Largely on the basis of reviews here, I bought a pair of these speakers from shop4.com (less than $300 including shipping). |
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[Dec 12, 2001]
Mark
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
sound, style, quality
Weakness:
none I bought these as my main speakers to replace my Bose AM15 system. I wanted to get a boost in the bass and midrange response. WOW! What a difference. You won't be disappointed in the quality of sound you get out of these speakers. Buy with confidence. Similar Products Used: bose AM15's |
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[Jul 14, 2000]
Robert
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Great CLEAR sound. The perfect speaker for the average user. Worth the money. Plenty of power handeling but at the same time clear clear clear.. I just can not say it enough.
Weakness:
My mistake.. Buying from Spider Gear.. Other then that None. Great speaker, I purchased four of them from www.spidergear.com (That was a mistake!). Got the speakers for $300/pair. I have them hooked up to an Onkyo 676 and they sound AMAZING!!!! They are so clear and music as well as movies sound just great. I had an older Aiwa bookshelf system before and this puts that to shame. There were sounds I never new existed. I would recomend these speakers to all but do not buy from Spidergear.com because they have hte worst customer service around. Gave me the run-around for 2 weeks. Similar Products Used: Aiwa Bookshelf system with Dolby Digital Ready. |
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[Aug 02, 2000]
Rey
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Overall great sounding speaker. I couldn't find better sounding speakers at this price..(or for 200 more). And they look really cool.
Weakness:
None I can't say I am an audio expert, but I know what my ears enjoy as far as sound. And I smile everytime I play music on these speakers. I listen to about everytype of music you can imagine and it always sounds great. A lot of people say "such and such a speaker sounds great for the price" but not with these. Forget about the price (even though they are fairly cheap) they just sound very very good. Give them a listen and hear for yourself. Similar Products Used: Polk, Klipsch |
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[Aug 29, 2000]
Gokhan Varol
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Read the reviews
Weakness:
Not that I know of Nothing to say. Similar Products Used: DCM, Infinity, Bose |