The best sounding, best looking bookshelf speaker.

These speakers are pretty big to be calling "bookshelf"

Great speakers! After reading the other reviews here, I went to some local stores and listened to these speakers. I liked how they sounded, so I ordered a pair of black ash S38's online for $350 including shipping. I also really liked the larger studio series speakers (S310, S312), but they were too big for my small apartment and only sounded marginally better (slightly better bass response). The bass response is still very impressive for a speaker with an 8" woofer, and they don't sound at all "boomy." I mostly listen to classical music, but also some pop/rock and jazz, and it all sounds wonderful on these speakers!

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Polk, Infinity

powerful

too powerful

Great. You need monster cable or equivalent, rate <16 gauge.
I can't turn it too loud, afraid of neighbour complain.
Without subwoofer, it works great already. With a sub, it will works 110%. A little overkill. But if you have money to burn, get one.Rock the floor.

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bose2.2

The JBL I know :)

Grills are a little flimsy :(

I use these as surrounds. You just can't beat the sound for the money. Stay away from Best Buy, they are $$$$$. If you were like me and need a nice way to mount these horizontaly for rears, I have the solution. Learn from me here. I looked for two days, yes two days for the perfect brackets. Who wants to screw into a $300 pair of speakers? Not me. I purchased the Vogel VLB200. It clamps from the bottom front to the back. Its on a swivel and can point down up to 15 degrees. I thought of the S26 before getting the S38's. But hey they are only a few inches bigger and a 1/3 more in price. A no brainer here. I have the s312's for fronts. This is the best budget home theater speaker system out there. Buy and enjoy :)

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H/K AVR 7000
Acoustic Research 303
Toshiba DVD
Citation 22
Citation 12
CItation 25

incredible sound for the price/size, small footprint, nice looks, 5-way gold plated binding posts

you have to use a shelf or stands to place them (i use some custom built stands) heavy ceramic columns work good too!

as a low/mid priced home theater installer i have access to many speaker brands, but once people come into the showroom they are always impressed the most by the jbl's. they really did a great job with these speakers. i needed something compact for my main speakers and i didnt hesitate in deciding to use these as my fronts. they make great surrounds also if you dont insist on di/bipoles. to use them as mains you will need to use a sub, especially if you are using them for more than just listening to music. the mid/highs generated by these speakers is nothing short of awesome. whether it is movies or music you are listening to the clarity and realism is equal to speakers of a much higher price range. the bottom line is, you wont be dissapointed with these unless your deaf!
other components in my system
hk avr-300
kenwood 6-channel THX amp
pioneer elite 101 disc cd
toshiba 3109 dvd
(2) jbl s-center channel speakers
carver dipole surrounds ( with 100 watt sub in-line)
acoustic research S500 sub w sunfire amp

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there arent any similar sized products that i have used

Accurate highs, blended mids, very satisfying bass. Flip speakers for tighter sound field.

None

Nice. Very nice. I have had these speakers since December and absolutely love them. Right now they are my fronts but will eventually become my rear speakers.
If there was ever any one song that sold me on a speaker in a show room or my home, it would be Arms of the Angel by Sarah Mclachlan. And wow does this song come out well over these speakers.
I have a Yamaha HTR-5150 running these at 70 RMS watts. Now they can handle 175 watts, but you never need to push it when you have RMS power.
I believe JBL has escaped from their descending reputation and brought out a great product. Simply amazing sound.

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Mission, Infinity, Paradigm, Polk

CLARITY, BASS, HIGHS, MIDS ECT.

NONE I CAN THINK OF

I was just out listening to speakers that are in the price range of my KEF Q-55s that are the main speakers I listen to. I listened to the S-38s and was "BLOWN AWAY" with their clarity and detail. Their imaging does not match up to the Q-55s, but they are half the price. What they do is set a new standard for bookshelf speakers. The bass is deep and tight. Mid range and vocals are lucent and clear and the metal tweeter reaches into the stratosphere. These are going to replace the KEF Q-15s and BIC sub in my bedroom. I was also very impressed with the clarity and subtlety of the other studio series speakers, namely the S-310 and S-312s. If you are in the market for new speakers, you owe it to yourself to check out the new studio series, I think you will be pleasantly surprised! I'm going to give these five stars. For the price and performance, they are tough to beat!

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KEF Q-15S WITH A BIC V8 SUB

Well-balanced sound and exceptional clarity.

Intended horizontal placement is somewhat odd-looking and takes up lots of room.`

These JBL S-38's have a very well-balanced sound.

I understand that most speakers are designed to emphasize bass. I think that the S-38's do this to a lesser extent than most other speakers I have heard, which would explain why some reviewers have found the bass to be not as strong as to their liking.

The bass IS a bit more subtle. At lower volumes, it is less of a boom that you pick up immediately, but a vibration of your ear canals that you can feel. So less of a punch and more of a feeling. It is clean, tight and deep, just not over-whelming. One can hear the bass clearly in music with a lot of bass.

Still these may not be the ideal speakers for a techno or a rave dance party. For bass that can be felt by the internal organs, a subwoofer may be necessary.

This clarity is also evident in the mid and high ranges. Before you get used to the clarity, you may be inclined to believe that they are too bright. Instruments like cymbals are slightly louder than I was accustomed to. But I became used to it after a while too.

Do NOT ignore JBL's directions to place them horizontally. They do sound noticeably better that way, even to my untrained ears.

I got the S-38's at www.bigstore.com for $300 + $17 S/H, one of the best deals among the reviews here. As I am going to buy a subwoofer anyway, their balance and clarity are more important deciding factors for me than their bass response.

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None. Just moving up into the world of hi-fi.

Great titanium acurate tweeter, imaging and soundstage unreal, mids just as strong, bass great (for music)
Isn't that what speakers are suppossed to do. Home theater has confused the speaker and for that matter the whole audio market.

Can they build enough once the word gets out?

First one must have a good "warm" sounding receiver/amp. I have a harmon/kardon avr75 and the quality of sound it puts out is great. It all started when I got into home theater and bought a klipsch ks12 sub. Man can it shake the house. anyway, what I have been finding out is that speakers that make an effort to have good bass are simply overkill when one has a good sub. Bass in speakers need not be emphasized like it used to be with the advent of subs. The tweeter is the most important part of the speaker as it sets the soundstage and direction and needs to be smooth and silky, not harsh or scratchy. Next the midrange to carry voice and instruments. Again needs to be crystal clear. Now as I said before bass is not that important. This speaker, however, can easily stand alone, giving enough bass for any music. I have discovered a 500 dollar sub will give my soundstage better bass then any passive bass in a speaker system, and the total system will sound much superior. Why do you think these sub sat systems sound good. These sats would never have been able to be pushed off off on us without a sub. Bottom line is these speakers are incredble for the asking price of 500 a pair and if you can get them for 300 a pair as I did, Wow!
Look at the crutchfield catalog and there they are for 500. So for 500 in a sub and 300 in these speakers I have a stereo that I defy anyone to come close to for 2 or 3 thousand without a sub. I give more than 5, but that is all I can give. Those of you buying audiophle speakers for thousands may need to reasess what they are doing.
Dolby digital is great in my home theater also.
HK avr75
JBL S38 mains
Klipsch center and sub
AR 308HO rears
Pinnacle gold towers, and wharfedales for sale.
By the way check out pricescan.com for the best price on anything audio.

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Pinnacle Gold Towers, Infinity 308ho,
Wharfedale Emerald 93

Awesome sound! Great highs and lows.

I got the pair from Shop4.com for $279 and love them. Great low bass for bookshelf speakers. I'm hearing sounds I have never heard before on my cds. If you can get them for a reasonable price (around $300), I highly recommend them. These babies fit perfectly in my entertainment center and are not big & bulky.

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Infinity, AR

Very clean, crisp highs, tight bass, great price

None to speak of

Actually, I purchased these speakers to put in my garage. I wanted them primarily for music for outdoor party's, swimming, sunning on the deck, etc. I was absolutely amazed at the quality of sound I heard coming from these relatively small speakers. The highs are very crisp and clear, and the bass is tight and really packs a punch. I currently have the speakers coupled to a Yamaha R-2000 receiver (550 total RMS) from the mid 80's. I usually don't crank the volume up too much or very often, but couldn't resist the temptation with these incredibly clean sounding speakers. In a moment of weakness, I moved the volume to 3/4 power, and to my sheer amazement these speakers took everything thrown at them and produced a totally un-adulterated sound at ear shattering, window breaking,(neighbor complaining) levels). I invest in the Stock Market, and have made many decisions over the past years, good and bad, but I must say that at a total cost of $300, this is one of the best investments I've ever made. I have lived thru the power hey day of the 70's and 80's and have listened to some very fine speakers such as RTR Towers, Pioneer HPM's, Bose 901's, etc. In all honesty, none of these speakers sounded better to me than my JBL S38's. They are absolutely awesome !! What more can I say.

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JBL S310