I think that the N-Center is a welcomed addition to anyone building a home theatre system. Sound production is loud and clear. Light years better than my old crappy Emerson. Words can't describe how much of an improvement they are. I've had no problems with the magnetic shielding and my 32"Phillips/Magnovox is only about 2-yrs. old. It sounded good on my old receiver(Sony STR-DE335) and it sounds even better on my new one(STR-DE875). Excellent speaker, I highly recommend it.

none

OOps, should've wrote summary here. See strengths.

Similar Products Used:

crappy Emerson

EOS waveguide, great sound for the price, JBL's top notch quality and construction heritage

Large foot print

I've been using this product for about a month now, at first with my old Pioneer Pro Logic reciever and I thought the sound was very natural and precisely located on the screen. When I upgraded to my DTS/digital receiver however, things only got better! This center channel is a great buy for the money. The voices are crisp and clear, as is all the other on screen action. There is no evidence of cross talk at all.

Overall, this speaker is a fantastic addition to any budget minded audio enthusiast looking to upgrade their home theater.

I would recommend using it in conjunction with any other JBL Northridge series speakers for proper voice and timbre matching.

Similar Products Used:

KLH center

Price, crisp sound

Large foot

The Northridge series by JBL is a very nice system. I am currently using the N-center, along with n38s and N24s for surround. The N-center has very good sound, delivering good dialogue. I would recommend this for someone wanting to get a good midrange center channel speaker (That is, spending less than $200).

Price, crisp sound

Large foot

The Northridge series by JBL is a very nice system. I am currently using the N-center, along with n38s and N24s for surround. The N-center has very good sound, delivering good dialogue. I would recommend this for someone wanting to get a good midrange center channel speaker (That is, spending less than $200).

I dont own this speaker yet, but i did buy it today at HIFI.com. Thought i would pass this good price along to anyone else shopping for one. $80-that includes shipping

Good sound....nice mid/bass

Weak tweeter...mine blew.

I bought this center channel to add to my HT if you plan to buy a center it would be better to upgade and spend the extra dough to get the S-Center. It's worth it. Especially if you have a high current A/V receiver or amp.

Similar Products Used:

JBL S Center

Sound, Clarity, Looks, COST (NSP1)

Center Channel: Large fit print and lack of shielding

After listening to many 500-800 boxed Home Theaters (from sony, yamaha, kenwood)in the store I found that while the HT sounded decent the music sounded pretty bad. After reading the reviews of the JBL NSP1 series (4 N24 satellite speakers and the N-center) and finding it for only $287 at
AokNet:http://store.yahoo.com/jvc-wholesale/jblspeakers.html
I decided to purchase it. The closest price I could find this setup anywhere (including the net) was $499. For $287 this set up is incredible. Add a subwoofer (I'm using the Acoustic Research AR-S108S - $153) and a nice receiver (Kenwood VR410 - $339 @ Onecall.com) and you have a very good HT AND music system. The speakers are very clear with no distortion. I am VERY happy with my purchase. My major complaint is that, like others have mentioned, the Center channel is not adequately shielded. W/in a second of placing it on my TV the colors began to bleed.

adds tremendously to movies, nice, clear high's. voices sound real good

none

Well I got this a few a week or so ago. I must say it fits perfect on top of my 32" TV. For some odd reason it wouldnt work when i hooked it up with regular soeaker wire, but it worked when i used my monster Z1. Weird. It works like a charm so i cant complain. Especially for the price. Felt it wasnt worth spending the extra cash for the s-center.

system
JBL N38 as mains
JBL HLS610' as surrounds
Velodyne CT120
Pioneer VSX-509S reciever
Aiwa DV370 DVD

This set up shakes the hell out of my apartment. I love it.

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none

Lightweight (Will explain in review). 5-way binding posts. Sounds good. Efficient (Good SPL per watt)

Lightweight (Will explain in review), Too efficient, did not match my Main R + L speakers

When I auditioned this speaker at a local Best Buy, and compared it to it's big brother, the S-center, I really did not notice a tremendous difference in sound, and I also did not really have a lot of experience with anything other than 2 channel listening, so I was not as aware as I should have been on the importance of a center channel. So, I found it on Ebay for about 1/2 the price of a new one and gave it a try. I previously had a 5.1 setup of all JBL Pro III's, and of course they all sounded the same, and I was happy with the results, but it was not exactly a great setup for HT, just a good bedroom system. When I put the N-center with my B&W's, the efficiency of it overpowered the cleaner, more accurate sound of my Left and Right Speakers. This was fine for movie dialogues, but not so great for sound effects, because I would end up watching movies at a louder level, and really pushing the center channel to it's limits. I have since upgraded to the B&W center channel, and it fits in perfectly, both aesthetically and acoustically. The JBL was light, which makes it very easy to mount on a wall, but it is due to the plastic housing that it doesn't weigh much, but it feels kind of cheezy when you are used to real wood. Overall I liked it, and it was a great value (hence the 5 stars), but my new center channel which was 3 times the price is also 3 times better. Although it doesn't always apply in the world of audio, you usually get what you pay for. Great speaker for a value/mid-fi system, but not for my HT.

Similar Products Used:

JBL ProIII, B&W CDM SE

Most center speakers are just a plain box, so this one looks much better. The sound is awesome. Unbeatable at this price.

It's plastic. A little big for a 27" TV.

I have had this for about a month and I think it rocks as far as center channels go. The sound is so clear, it just amazes me. My front/main speakers are 11-year-old Kenwoods. After buying this JBL, it's time to kick those wastes-of-space to the curb. Great, now I have to upgrade everything! I would like to stick with the JBL Northridge series so everything matches up. I'm told that is very important. I might buy the JBL N38's.

I have cheap plastic Bose 100's (don't ask) for my rears so obviously this JBL is BY FAR the best speaker in my setup. Make sure it is pointing directly at the listening area because you can tell that the sound coming out of it is very directional. Did I mention how good the dialogue sounds?

I never knew how important it was to have a center channel until I got this bad boy. If you like watching DVD's through your stereo, then let me tell you - you need one of these!

That $119 price is AFTER shipping at eCOST.com and it arrived within the promised window. This speaker is incredible, go out and buy it today.

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None, my first center speaker.