Great punchy base, I've heard it go down to around 35hz which is 10hz lower than it's rated.

Pure base effects(like the Title fly over in Toy Story 2) can make the woofer reverberate a little. But that only happens when you channel the sub-woofer frequencies into the speakers. At low levels it still shakes the house though.

All I can say is wow. I've read almost every review on this page and talked to the pros. I am so glad I bought these speakers. They were worth every cent. I couldn't believe these things actually shook my house better than my sub. If anybody is looking for top quality sound look no further than JBL's S38's.

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Sony micro speakers.

Strong and Sturdy

None

For those looking for stands for their Horz. placement S38's, I use the Wood Technology - Metal Series - TMT-24 stands with mine. Web Site > http://www.wood-tech.com/. I have had no problems with this stand. It keeps the S38 very steady. It can be sand or lead shot filled. I purchased mine used off the web for $75, but I think the retail from the company is a fair price also.

As far the speaker itself. Fantastic, period.

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None

flatness, dynamic range, quality

none

You can't get better speakers for less than $2000.

For those with negative comments, the problem must be with your: amp, audio source, cables, or reference CDs -- BUT NOT THESE SPEAKERS!

QUESTION: I am looking for suitable stands for horizontal mounting, anyone have ideas? What about Bose 901 stands. IT'S A PROBLEM!

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NHT, Signet, Advent

timbre, accuracy, great highs and mids

none so far

As a studying Sound/Acoustic Engineer, I'm somewhat selective w/anything related to sound (but not the guy you see an audio store when listening to speakers has that look on his face like he's about to crap his pants--you're supposed to enjoy music). These speakers are incredibly accurate. I think it's the crispness of them that I like I so much--or maybe it's the mids. A lot of weaker speakers hide the mids, but that's probably one of the best areas to test a speaker. Overall, I'm extremely pleased with the quality of these speakers.

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countless speakers (both pro and home audio)

Super speakers of all time

Absolutely none!!!

These speakers are super best!!! Period!!! I feel that these pairs of speakers could maybe even be able to beat some of the $2,000 speakers on the market. However, I have to warn all of you that I notice that these speaker although are great, the are not made in U.S.A. anymore. I know because I bought these speakers before last year (December'00), they are made in U.S.A., but yesterday I received the new pairs of JBL S38 (I bought more since they are so great magnificantly speakers), I was surprised they are made in Mexico now! I believe that the quality might be alright still since they should have the quality control, however, if talking the reliability, I am not sure about that. When I start choosing or having Hi-end speakers, I don't want them to made in the third world countries, but U.S.A. The reason is that the company concern more about profits than to think of this kinda thing. It's more cheap labor costs over there, but how about quality and reliability? Are they going to be the same??? Good Luck!

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Don't have to think of ones

Excellent build quality, 3-way design, strong bass, very open sound, audiophile-quality sound, etc.

Uh...no.

I was so excited about purchasing these because of reviews and my experience with the S-center. But when I hooked them up, the sound was muddy and not as clear as I had hoped. But as they have broken-in, they sound much better. I have never owned speakers that were built as sturdy as these, so none have required so much break-in time. All drivers have rubber surrounds, and they need more break-in time than that cheap foam.
Now that they are more broken-in, I am happy. Bass is very strong. Sometimes, when watching movies, I turn off the subwoofer. For example, in "The Perfect Storm," these, which serve as my mains, cause the floor to shake in my ~20x15' room without the subwoofer (and through thick carpet), when waves break on the ships. "Titan AE" does not require a subwoofer, especially in DTS (DTS somehow doesn't do as much with my sub as Dolby Digital, but the other 5 are much more...) Stereophile (that magazine that covers the highest of the high end equipment) reviewed the S38 in the June issue. The author of the article stated that he got clean bass down to 35 Hz! I am not good enough to determine frequency, but they have more bass than my KLH towers. Those towers are very good in themselves, and make excellent stands for my JBLs, at just the right height. Note that 35Hz is better than these are advertised (45Hz). In any event, they put out much more bass for movies or music than any bookshelf speaker I've ever heard or heard of.
Midrange is natural and transparent. Voice reproduction and imaging is good. In fact, from anywhere along the length of my room, as long as you stand between the S38s, you will think the sound is coming from the center speaker, even from as close as 2 feet from the center speaker! This is just one reason they are good for watching movies in stereo mode.
Highs are fairly bright. I like this. Stereophile noted that while bass is "mighty impressive," and that lower and middle midrange are "as natural and as transparent as those of any speaker I've heard for under $1000/pair;" upper middle and lower highs tend to be a bit bright and steely on bright recordings. I enjoy listening to the strong highs, and I don't think they are overly bright. Maybe my receiver is warm? I notice it more in movies, but it brings out sounds that I might have missed. I enjoy it, but it may not be for everyone. Listen to them and decide. But in any event, the tweeter can reach up into orbit. I really enjoy listening to KennyG through these.
They have tremendous dynamic range and loudness capabilities (again excellent for HT). Stereophile said that these two qualities are *better* than any other speaker he has heard for under $2000/pair. Compared side-by-side to Paradigm Reference Studio/20, Mission 731I, and Alon Petite. The Paradigm was a bit more detailed and had a slightly better midrange, "but was no match for the JBL's dynamics, particularly at high levels." So, on the same level, but each one has it's certain strengths. This is important to me, because a fellow audio enthusiast once told me that comparing JBL to Paradign was not comparing apples to apples. This proves that it is, and while the Paradigm is slightly better in some areas, the JBL excels greatly in some areas.
The Mission had a very good midrange, but bass bottomed-out at 60Hz, and it couldn't handle densely orchestrated music at high levels like the JBL can. In fact, he said that the way the S38 handles dynamic orchestral works reminded him more of his $5500 and $12,000 speakers than of any other budget speaker. The Mission basically "congested and lost definition" at high levels.
The Alon, at $1000/pair was much better tha any of the above in nuance, detail, etc. But it's bass bottomed-out at 60Hz.
He said that the dynamics and loudness capabilities put it in the league of speakers that cost 3 times as much (they list at $600). He said "The intriguing S38 puts JBL on the serious audiophile map at a very attractive price."

It is a good match with the S-center. They have the same midrange, tweeter, and crossover points. The S-center is more efficient, at 91db vs 89db. I just turned down the output to the center slightly. Now, I have a well-matched, clear, wide, dynamic front soundstage. The S-center is stronger and clearer in the reproduction of voices, but then again, it's better than most too. :)
The clarity, low and high-level dynamic contrasts, and strong bass make these perfect for home theater. And even Stereophile magazine says that they are audiophile-quality for music.
They come in three finishes. I have the cherry wood, and they are very nice-looking. I think the cherry is the most attractive. I prefer them with the grilles off, but my fiance' doesn't. :)
Oh, and they are heavy too.
You might want to check the tightness of the screws before playing these. I've herad many people complain that they were loose, and mine even handled about a quarter-turn.
In summary, they are clear and accurate, have tremendous dynamic contrasts and loudness capabilities, put out a lot of authoritative bass (more than my towers that have two 8" woofers apiece), midrange is natural and clear, highs are strong and clear, but some will note a touch of brightness. Don't pass judgement until they've broken in some, because they are built so well they need a little break-in time. They are large and heavy, and thus may be hard for some to place. I just stacked them on my KLH towers that I had for music use when I was running a sub/sat system (still use them some). They don't put much strain on your amp, with high sensitivity, and actually lower than 8 ohm impedance.

My system:
JVC 7000VBK receiver
Cerwin-Vega LW-12 subwoofer
JBL S-Center
JBL S-38 mains
KLH 283A towers - "B" outputs
KLH 9930 centers (2), turned vertical and used for rears due to space limitations in the rear corners
Sony 35" Trinitron TV
Toshiba 1600 DVD player
Pioneer Laserdisc player
Mitsubishi Hi-Fi VCR
Monster Cable digital coax
RadioShack Gold Series analog interconnects
16-gauge wire for center, surrounds, and "B" outputs
RadioShack 12-gauge Gold Series wire with gold-plated banana clips for mains
Surge protector with AC noise filtering ($25 at Wal-Mart)
5'x5' omnidirectional FM antenna, mounted ~20' above ground connected with coax and routed through my surge protector
Ambico VHS rewinder

Note that I generally only buy accessories at RadioShack. They are as good at that as anyone.

As of today, I have 65 DVD movies (not counting the extra discs with bonus features), and scores of VHS movies.

My system was put together over about 2 years, and still changing. Decent products that work well together. I am proud of every piece.
I am giving the S38 a 5-star rating for value, as they are in the league of much more expensive speakers, even superior at times. I am also giving 5 stars for the overall rating because of build quality, sound quality, dynamic performance, and that warm fuzzy feeling they give me.

Very Flat Sound, Superb Build

See below

I bought these speakers about a month ago. Simply fantastic in every respect. Can buy better for twice the money.

However I did have a problem, I could NOT find good, stable, speaker stands to mount them on. (I did some tests, they sound MUCH better if positioned correctly -- away from walls.)

With the cost of a pair of good stands --if I could find them-- at $200 or more, I opted to upgrade these to JBL 310 floor standing units. They are fantastic, just as good as the S38s but they also have a deeper low-end. One could argue, however, that the midrange is slightly less defined.

Anyhow, a great otpion for s38 owners that can't solve their speaker placement problem.

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Paradigm, Polk, Signet

range, beech color(which I thought I wouldn't like)

limited listening area

So far so good - got 2 sets online for $199 a pair. Forget about getting my deal, the company made a mistake and actually stood by their pricing (the speakers were up to $499 within the hour). bravo.
Only thing I've found is that in the large room they are in with all ceramic tile flooring, the sound stage is limited to within the first 12 feet. Beyond that, they lose depth. I'm currently only using them for music.

Very nice sound. Clearity, the sounds aren't hiding or disappearing.

There is not really a lion in the bass region that can tell you ROAR! like my former Snell C4, even though the bass is not bad for a small speaker. I like the design of the speaker units, but not the plastic surrounding them.

I have moved to a small appartment, so I needed some smaller speakers. I'm still in love with my Snell C4, after my mariage with them 6 years ago, and I can't declare the same love to my new pair of S-38. But if you need some smaller speakers, i would defenitely recommend these.

At the moment I only have a NAD C-300, as my NAD S-300 (Silverline) is still under reparation. For some reason it takes a very very long time to repair my NAD S-300. So I'm still excited about trying them with my powerful, dual monoblock, 50 pound amplifier.

Other people complain that they are to big.. Well, they would fit into most shelves, and if you like some bass, then I think you have to give them the necessary space.

clarity, big sound for small speakers

placement

I tried using these for my entertainment center as rear speakers but that did them no justice whatsoever. My Cerwin Vegas were too loud for them. I had been looking for some monitors for my studio and I decided to give my S38's a shot at it. To my surprise, they sounded unbelievably crisp and loud when placed about 4-8ft from each other with the subwoofer on the inside. I stand about 3ft directly in front of them and use them as my studio monitors while mixing different records with my turntables. With every genre of music I play (after EQ adjustments on my mixer of course) I get to hear the music at an astonishing level. I can't believe that these speakers sound better than the $1,500 Mackie's that another friend of mine has. The only thing that upsets me is that I paid $600 for these when I can get the exact same thing at different websites for a third of the cost. I did get the amazing 9yr warranty though. That costed almost $200 but if I blow 'em no matter how many times, they get replace.

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many...cerwin vega, boston acoustic, other jbl's, mackie, bose, the list goes on and on.