Clarity, accuracy, build quality

Maybe I'm being nit-picky but I don't like the brown grills!

I have lived with these speakers for about a month. They have broken in nicely. I have them in my bedroom and use them for music only. I have to say that the bass might not make your liver bleed but it is tight and accurate. With just a little volume, they will rattle the pictures on my walls.

As far as being accurate, I can't recall another bookshelf I have listened to that is in the same class. I was listeneing to an old CD from Savoy Brown called Blue Matter. On the second track, Tolling Bells, the drummer does some funky rim shot fills. I can actually hear the ring from the snare drum! I have listened to this CD hundreds of times and have never heard it that clear and articulate before, not even on my KEF Q-55s.

I guess the bottom line is I love these speakers for music. Having played drums for thirty years, I have always had a JBL monitor in my left ear. I am happy to see that JBL is making home speakers again that nearly match the quality sound of their Pro stuff. These speakers are a keeper and I am seriously considering the JBL S-312s for my main listening room.

Other stuff:
Nakamichi RE-10 receiver
Denon DCM-370 changer
Yamaha cassette deck
KEF Q-55s
Velodyne CT-100 sub
Monster Cable and Kimber interconnects

Do yourself a favor and audition the new studio series, they are, I.M.O., awesome!

Similar Products Used:

KEF Q-15, Paradigm Atoms, PSB Alpha A/V

SOUNDSTAGE, easy placement, overall balanced sound, finally usable bass out of a bookshelf speaker!

None so far

I was getting tired of of auditioning bookshelf speakers for my den. I don't have room for a sub so I wanted a good bookshelf speaker that had believable bass response. I must have listened to a dozen or more speakers but none of them had that low end punch I wanted. Don't get me wrong, most all of them sounded good, but none impressed me with their low end.
A friend of mine said I should check out JBL's new Studio Series. Like alot of us out there I scoffed at that since JBL has'nt been the same since it was purchased by Harmon. He insisted I would be impressed so I set out to find a JBL dealer.
I took some of my more familar CDs, Eagles-Hell Freezes Over, The Rolling Stones-Stripped, Larry Carlton-Fingerprints, and Fleetwood Mac-Live at The Boston Tea Party,(Peter Green at his LIVE best).
I can't tell you how impressed I was with the overall sound and presence of the S38. The detail and timbre of the live recordings was outstanding. This was the first bookshelf I listened to where I could actually feel the bass. The highs and the mids balance perfectly with the bass to give you that "live" feel to music. With jazz recordings, these little guys shine with warmth and clarity. The articulation of the vocals are excellently reproduced by the tweeter and mid driver. I could go on and on but I think you get my point.
I'm glad to see that JBL is back making quality home speakers, at least for the Studio Series. It's always good to listen to as many different kinds of speakers you can with the type of music you listen to. It sure paid off for me. I am seriousy considering getting some S310s or 312s for my mains in my living room. They are that good!
Hats off to JBL, I am a happy listener! I wish I could give them more stars, a double nickle will have to do.

Similar Products Used:

paradigm, bostons, kefs, klipsch, legacy, psb, ect. ect. ect.

Excellent mid and upper range without being too bright. Very solid bass for a 'bookshelf' speaker. Great for both music and movies. Sharp looks.

Must be placed horizontally for best results. The stigma attached by many to the JBL name.

First off, I must admit I was guilty of being 'snobbish' towards JBL. Although I remembered them as a respected speaker manufacturer in the 70's, I had pretty much not even thought twice about them when looking for new speakers. After trying (and returning) a couple of speaker brands I finally let the salesman coax me into taking these home for a test drive after a/b'ing them in the showroom against some PSBs and Energys. I had read some favorable magazine articles on the S-38's and thought why not. It didn't take long to really warm to these speakers. In Canada, non-Canadian companies have a big disadvantage against the many well respected Canadian speaker manufacturers due to the currency differences. JBL wants back into the serious audiophile market and has managed to produce a 'studio reference' line that competes very nicely in both price and performance. These speakers will likely not appeal to 'high end' connosieurs but what speaker in this price range will? For the buyer who is looking for something that sounds great for both music AND home theatre at a reasonable price these are everything and more than you could ask for, especially when mated with the matching S-Centre speaker. For a bookshelf speaker, the bass is very impressive. A bit of color, but not boomy. The mids and highs are very nice and never too bright. Imaging and soundstage are not spectacular but are more than acceptable. What I like most about these speakers is their ability to handle all kinds of music very accurately yet still be forgiving enough to make some of my poorer recordings tolerable. Also, if you want to push these speakers they will take everything you throw their way (as would be expected from a JBL!). This is especially nice for home theatre where these can be used in 'large' mode, which I personally prefer far more than having to rely on a sub-woofer. Even for music, I seldom come across a track where I feel it is necessary to use my sub-woofer (and I am particularly fond of strong bass). Overall, I cannot think of a bad thing to say about these speakers and would highly recommend they be included in anyones audition line-up. My advice, "Don't let the name fool you !!!"

Similar Products Used:

Mirage FRx, PSB Image, Energy C-2, Paradigm Mini-Monitor

Extremaly clean and transparent sound.

Could have a little more bass for movies (if you need it for music, the bass is perfect), but it's not a problem. Also it's standing only horizontaly because of the JBL logo.

This pair is one of the best speakers I've heard. I bought quite a few pairs of different speakers at the same time, listened to all of them at home, compared them, and chose the S38. The sound is very transparent, every little musical detail is right there, it has a slight but very pleasant color in the sound (I hate color, but this one is very musical). I listen to a lot of jazz, pop, and classical music. These speakers deliver in every type of music. I will get a sub for my DVDs, but I don't think I will need it for listening to music. These JBLs have plenty of very pleasant bass. It's a superb set if you like the quality music and not just loud noise with extreme of nasty sound color, bass, and treble. I got them for $332.82 from www.buyitnow.com.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha NS8, Yamaha 1738, B&W 602, JBL S310

Sounded spectacular on a friend's system - even without a subwoofer

Problem & Question -see below. (Who wants to sell theirs or knows where I an get a pair shipped to New Zealnd?)

After a long search and after reading the reviews here & Stereophile on the JBL S38, I finally decided they were the ones to get to try with my subwoofer.

Imagine my delight to find no one in New Zealand carries that model. They carry the other models which I don't want and say will take 3 months & special order to get the S38.

Imagine my second delight to find none of the MANY online stores in the USA contacted can be bothered to ship these bookshelves to NZ even though I pay all S&H costs upfront! Most don't even bother to return my emails or give nitwit answers like "we don't ship out the USA" [all in caps] - when their web site says they accpet intenrational orders and even lists S&H for the SAME speakers to Canada!

Enough BS - I've been to the USA on vacation and bought things of this weight, & sent them back with no problem.

The secret is you have to pick up the phone and call UPS or Mail boxes Etc., etc. and tell them what you want & to send a truck around to pick it up! You (I) pay them, don't even have to carry it anywhere, and off it goes.

Anyone want to sell THEIR S38's or know who is competent enough to ship a pair to NZ (not on the 3 month special order boat)? I express payment for all costs of S&H in US$ bank draft / international money order.

Disgusted,

Sue

Crisp, clean bass, hardly any distortion at high volumes

Hard to place

I am an extreme audio enthusiast. I spend a good amount of money on home theater products. I was out looking for speakers for my gym, and I didn't feel like spending a few thousand for high end stuff. I knew JBL was highly respected so I gave the S26's a try. They were fin but I needed more bass. I upgraded and purchased the S38. These $299.99 speakers almost sound as good as my $9998.00 Vienna Accoustics. JBL has done a fabulous job with these. I bought these speakers for temporary use. I would suggest these speakers to any one who is just going to use them for casual listening and no overexertion. I looked at other speakers such as the Bose 901 and some Paradigm models. I listened to them all in my home, and nothing sounded better than these JBL's. If you want a higher end JBL go with the HT series or the TiK ones. The Synthesis series is great if you have the money, but I prefer my Avalon's anyday. JBL really knows how to market supply and demand. The Studio Series is great if you want crisp clean bass without spending $$$$$. I can tell you that JBL does a great job manufacturing the speakers, and they also have lots of quality. The Studio Series come with a 5 year warranty. If you want just a nice set of bookshelf speakers, go with the S26, if you want more bass and a larger sound field, go with the S38. I consider myself lucky to be able to experience a variety of speakers in my own home. Normally I buy them and listen to them and then take them back if they don't suit. The S38 is a speaker that I would never take back and if you have the means, purchase the S38 and hear it, if you don't like it just bring it back!

Similar Products Used:

Home Theater: Vienna Acoustics Mahler's (fronts & rears), Vienna Acoustics Maestro for Front Center and for Rear Center
Avalon Acoustics Sentinel Active Reference System
Advanced Sound Bi-Polar Series II 4-Way Speakers
Classe Omega 450-W/ch Amplifier
Blue Cirlce BC2000 Amp
Denon AVR-5800 Receiver
Denon DCM-5000 Changer
Denon DVD-3300 Dvd Player
Stewart Filmscreen 125in
Digital Projection Power 8sx DLP Front Projector

Overall sound. Cheap!

The plastic grey thing with the JBL logo on the left side of the speaker. The speaker would look so much better without it. Just a small turnable logo on the screen would do.

A great speaker. I tested them at Best Buy, no comparising to the other JBL's at Best Buy.
The bass though is pretty dark (or to rich). I'm used to B&W's, their low section is a bit tighter. I'm waiting for my HK AVR-55 that I just ordered. For now I'm using the S38's on an old Pioneer VSX9500S. A flag on a mud ship as we say in Holland.
They sound great on a mud ship, so I can't wait to try them out on a HK.
But...if you can afford them, buy B&W's!

Similar Products Used:

B&W 601 I

A natural, full sounding with surprisingly good bass set of speakers!

None

I purchased these speakers based on the positive reviews posted here. Before I made my final decision to purchase them, I went to Best Buy to do some listening demo. I demoed all the models by JBL including the 312 which was my first choice before the S38. As I was listening to the S38, I was completely surprised at its sound quality, particularly how louder and lower the bass was compared to the others. I immediately looked for the subwoofers to check if they were connected - and none of them were. I was really baffled! How could a small speaker sound bigger and have more bass than the bigger in size 312. Before I left Best Buy, I immediately both 24" speaker stands and decided to order a pair of S38 at bestpriceaudiovideo.com when I got home. Two days later, I hooked them up and listened. This is really an amazing set of speakers. They sounded just as good as when I demoed them at Best Buy. I spent almost the whole night listening to some of my CDs in my collection. I was surprised at how natural the instruments sounded, especially the trumpets. JBL did a darn good job on these speakers.

Sound clarity is excellent, design and build quality are top notch.

Difficult to find speaker stands for horizantal positioning. I had to build custom stands.

I purchased these speakers last spring and I have not regretted it one bit. These speakers are very well worth the money and are unmatched at $300-400 for a pair. I have these matched with the S-Center and they compliment each other very well. DVD movies sound excellent in DTS as well as Dolby Digital. If I were buying all over again I would get the same speakers. Just this past week I replaced the N-26s I had in the rear with the S-36s for wall mounting. JBL has hit a home run with the Studio Series.

My Setup:
RCA 27" TV
Onkyo TX-DS595 (just came out this past week with Dolby Prologic II - awesome)
S-38s up front
S-Center
S-36s in the rear
10" JBL 100W Front Firing Sub

Similar Products Used:

JBL and Cambridge Soundworks

Effortless beauty

I hate being an echo, but.... none.

The reviews on this page are an outstanding example of how things can "go right" on the internet as it is because of the overwhelmingly positive reviews of the S38s here at AudioREVIW that I took a chance on these speakers a few months ago.

Rather than try to describe the sound reproduction of these speakers (as many others have already done far better than I could) I will try to be helpful by just stating my use of them and say that if your intended use is in kind there is absolutely no way under the sun that you will be disappointed. I promise.

My use:
95% classical; of which 80% is either piano (Arrau, Brendel, Cortot, Horowitz, Kempff, etc.) or vocal (Corelli, Bjoerling, Domingo, Callas, te Kanawa, Battle, etc.)

Note to classical piano fanatics: BUY THESE WITHOUT HESITATION.

Note to everyone who took the time to contribute reviews to this page: THANK YOU.

Other pieces:
* Alesis RA-300 Reference Amplifier.
* Speaker cables from bettercables.com
* Digital connect from CD player into...
* Sony MDS-JB930 MiniDisc recorder as the DA convertor feeding the amplifer.