Price, sound quality, appearance

Physical size (when used for rear surrounds)

I bought a pair of these to use for the rear surround channel speakers in my HT setup. I couldn't be happier with them for that purpose considering the price. In 5 channel stereo mode which is what I use 80% of the time, my system now sounds much more full than before so I have no complaints. They're a bit large in stature for use as surrounds. However, having a full range 3 way speaker for the rear channels made a huge difference in the overall sound quality I was getting, particularly when listening to audio CDs in 5 channel stereo mode as I mentioned.

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JBL, Sony, Bose, Yamaha

Great for Front Surrounds, good music reproduction

I dont' really have any, other than the large size

I don't get it, the bass is bloody fine to me. I've been using them for 2 years and have yet to hear any woofer pop at high volumes. About the only thing I don't like about them is the odd length to them, and the fact that the grill pretty much seems to act as an air filter. Otherwise, I think they are just fine for a smaller room, HT setup. Considering I pump 100 watts through each one, and have for 2 years, I have had zero complaints. But then, I got a great after christmas deal on them, and have yet to see them advertised that low again.

Nice crisp Highs and good Midrange.

Bass does not go very deep(90hz)and poping noise at high level(I have only heard it once and it went away.

I am 15 years old but have a lot of experience with stereo' and Home Theater systems because my father loves his stereo equipment and takes pride in what he buys. I have an Aiwa AV-DV75 reicever(120x5), Aiwa XC37M cd player, Hitachi DV-P305 DVD player with a nice Aiwa 20" Flat picture TV(TV-F2000) which was all paid for by me. I worked very hard over these past 2 summers to get all of this. These speakers are not bad for $100. They sound great at 105x2 watts and I know this because my friend threw a party at the Country Club and I brought my stereo along and it filled the room up with sound. I have heard the poping noise once but, I guess I have broken them in so they do not make that noise anymore. I suggest a subwoofer because the bas is not very low but, the Highs and Mids are great. For anyone wanting advise to buy speakers at a low price these are not to bad even though i am getting rid of them soon. I have just ordered some Klipsh quitents which I hope sound very well.

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Bose 100's,Bose LifeStyle 50, and Ifinity RS-4(heard at CircutCity

Very clean highs, mids are smooth.

Speaker wire diameter the size of straw, very thin! Have noticed the sub to pop at high levels.

Got free with htr-5250 purchase, cant beat it. If your looking for bass, add a sub, bookshelf speakers are not designed to deliver the thump.

Clarity and high-end definition.

Low-end not defined very well. Popping noise experienced at higher volumes (at first).

First, these Yamaha speakers are the NS-738s, not the 638s. I do believe the only difference between the two models is the finish. Mine has the natural grain box, not the black exterior. (738s sounded cleaner than the 638s, however.)

I stood in Best Buy for an hour or more testing all their bookshelf. I've been told that showrooms are the worst places to listen to speaker quality which I believe is true. Nevertheless, the Yamaha bookshelf speakers were pretty much head and shoulders over the more expensive Cerwin-Vegas, JBLs, Sonys, etc.

When I got them home, I was not disappointed. They are rated at 140 peak power each, and I'd say they do stand up to a fair amount of juice. I did notice a popping noise at first ar higher volumes, but it appears that maybe after being broken in some that has not happened since. (Although I do not play at high volume.)

What I really like about the speakers is the acoustic clarity. I am using an ADC "sound shaper" EQ and I'd say anyone not using a real EQ is not fully enjoying the music the way you want to hear it. Like all bookshelf speakers, the bass is tight but a little weak. Enter the Yamaha YST90 subwoofer and that solves the problem.

At the end of the day I could not justify paying up for the more expensive bookshelfs that in many cases handle less power than the Yamaha pair I purchased at a very reasonable cost. I only listen to music on my system (rock, instrumental), and I'd say these speakers serve their purpose very admirably.

Definitely use a subwoofer if purchasing this pair, however, and I'd recommend an adjustable EQ to accent what you really want to hear. For less than $1,000, I have a system that stands up to much more expensive setups I've heard. I use 36 inch speaker stands and slightly tilt each stand about 20 degrees or so into the middle of my living room. Playing around with speaker positioning makes a difference.

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Ear Tested many in the showroom.

Very clear mids and highs, cheap!! Decent looks

Bass, of course. The mids and highs can sound harsh at high volumes.

I had a pair of JBL S38's ($599 retail), but I decided to ditch them for a couple of reasons..1) price 2)mids and highs were dull (although that might have been my receiver).

I did a side by side comparisons of the S38s and the yamaha's, and I noticed that the bass was weak on the yamaha's, but the mids and highs came out much brighter than the JBL's. Since I already have a subwoofer, I had no need for a strong bass speaker.

I currently use them for surrounds for 5-channel stereo, and I'm very pleased with them. At some point, I will probably replace the woofers, but they do the job for now.
Definitely recommended for anybody with a budget, and, minus the woofers, these should be considered for anybody looking to spend around $300 retail for bookshelves.

My system:
Denon 1801
Mains: Yamaha A100xt
Center: Yamaha AC40x
Rears: Yamaha 638
Subwoofer: Sony SA-WM40

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JBL S38

Love the bass, midrange is good, Highs are detailed

Distortion at relatively high volumes, bass becomes "muddy" and voices become less clear

These speakers are good for people new to home theater like myself. Fairly accurate imaging, with suprising deep bass from a bookshelf. When playing something like AC/DC or Metallica, you can really feel the bass. The guitar licks are fairly decent also. It handles all types of music pretty well.Highs could be better, but hey what do you expect for 100 bucks. It works good on movies also. When watching a film, such as Gladiator or The Matrix, you really FEEL the impact these speakers can make. Everything is super clear when watching movies at a respectable volume. If you push them too much, you will notice the highs get less clear, and the bass becomes "poppy" at each slight turn of the volume Knob. But besides that are fairly good speakers. If your looking for pristine sound with IMMENSE clarity and soundstaging, then maybe these speakers are not for you. If your looking a speaker that will handle music and movies fairly well, then these speakers are for you. But don't expect the best for 100$

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NONE

Cheap price.

Popping of woofer at medium to high volume (sometimes)

Just bought these today for the bedroom. Yes the woofers did pop once for me also as others have stated here. For a $100 I don't expect much. They sound decent for the price and that's all I want care about.

Clear highs, good mid-range and mid-bass

No Deep Bass

I auditioned these at Best Buy, and found they had good sound. I took them home for use as mains with my Dolby Digital Reciever, and they have good sound, but not too much bass. The highs are clear, and there is good mid-range and mid-bass, but that is all. I have a subwoofer for the bass. Even set as large speakers, I don't hear much distortion, even in the bass. I am only running 80w each into them, and that's all they can probably handle. I don't have the bass or treble turned up on my reciever, everything is flat with the Loudness turned on. I think if the bass or treble is turned up at all these speakers won't sound good. They are a really good value for the price, if you want bass, either replace the woofers in these, or get a subwoofer.

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Infinity Bookshelves, Aiwa Bookshelves

Super crisp highs, clean all around sound

Bass distorts at high volumes

Quite the contrary to what many of these reviews say, I really like these speakers. True, the bass does distort at high volumes, but at reasonable volumes, it is strong, tight and clear. To suplement the bass, i am considering adding a Yamaha sub woofer. The mids and highs are both clear and lively though. These speakers sound significantly better than my cousin's Cerwin Vega LS-8's which cost almost twice as much. These speakers are a fantastic deal, I love them.

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Cheap JBLs