Smooth sound with good bass for a center speaker, price

None so far

I always consider the price when I rate speakers. And for the price, this is one awesome center channel speaker. The clarity is great and the timbre matches perfectly with my JBL S312's. Never thought very highly of JBL, but boy has my opinion changed. I guess the money spent on R&D has really paid off. I can't wait to get JBL surround speakers as well.

Similar Products Used:

Tested Infinity, Yamaha, NHT, Bose, etc.

sound, style

none

Quite simply the S-Center produces clean crisp sound and looks good doing it. I replaced my Bose AM15's with the JBL studio series and very happy that I did. The S-Center has a much better range and sounds great. You can't beat this sound in this price range!

Similar Products Used:

bose

Perfect match for all my jbl speakers

Have not encountered any.

My system consist of jbl l5 main jbl l3 rear pb12sub jbls center Yamaha htr 5250 dd dts receiver Fisher dvd player TOSHIBA 40H80 Widescreen RP.I would rather rent a dvd and stay home than go to a theater.This center speaker was my last upgrade It is simply awesome.

Similar Products Used:

Paradign cc50

Clarity, 3-way, dual woofers

A bit large

I bought this center to complement my S38 main speakers and N24 rear speakers. I'd say that this speaker is excellent. Very clear and appears to have decent bass. I really can't use them to thier full extent as I am using a Pro-Logic reciever, which doesn't use much more than treble from the surrounds and center. JBL's tweeter design in the S-Series is phenominal. The sound seems to get shot in all directions, creating great imaging. I can't wait to upgrade my reciever to get the full effect of this combo.

Clear highs and mids. Sensitivity (91 db) audibiliy matches with Klipsch's "stated" 97 db on my fronts.

Lacks deep bass.

I had been looking for a center speaker that would match the tonal quality of my Klipsch fronts for quite a while. Finally, given limited available options in Pakistan, I had to "settle" for the JBL S-Center (my first option being the Klipsch RC-3).

Many movies (and music sessions using the 5-Stereo mode) later, I have finally come to appreciate the qualities of this speaker. In my view, audible (tonal matching) and psychological (the fulfillment of the need to possess identical series fronts and center) does not justify the US$180 price differential of the RC-3.

Highs are clear; and the mids are well defined (even my wife noticed the difference, post the upgrade from the KV1, and that’s really saying something!). However, given the speaker's inadequate bass response, I am forced to set the speaker size to small, which, in my view, somewhat takes away from the center's imaging (as directional sub 90Hz frequencies are directed to other speakers).

The titanium dome is slightly less potent than the Klipsch horns, however, the tweeters' wider dispersion makes dialogue highly intelligible, even towards the extremes of the listening area - something that horns don’t quite do as well.

My equipment:

- Yamaha RXV800 receiver
- Klipsch reference RB5 speakers
- JBL S Center
- JBL PB12 subwoofer
- Self built 3-way rear towers.
- Pioneer DVD player – connected via a coaxial cable, that sounds much better than an optical connection to the receiver.

Similar Products Used:

Sony center, Klipsch KV1

Pretty accurate, Great bass, Frequency response.

Very bright at first but it is settling down, Helps if you can adjust the center level independently.

The speaker is very nice at 200-500 price point.
It matches my speakers quite nicely, JBL L7's up front.
I like the way it looks, it really blends in with the style of my L7's.
Big speaker,but I was looking for a large speaker as the center.

Similar Products Used:

Harman Kardon center, NHT VS1.2a, JBL L3

Slick look with the grilles off. Awesome highs and midrange. Sweet for movies.

Plastic enclosure. Not too great for rock music, but can be good if u have your receiver crossover set at small, w/ the low frequencies going the the subwoofer.

I got this at amazon.com using gift certificates, so i didnt really pay anything for it.

This thing has got heavy oversized magnet coils for the woofers(i opened it once out of curiousity), impressive looking crossover circuit board inside. the tweeter and midrange drive is in its own isolated compartments, which is a good thing. The enclosure is made out of plastic, which may be viewed as cheap, but it seems rigid enough to suffice at loud volumes. Its made out of metal where it really counts.

This IS barnone, the BEST speaker that BestBuy sells. I can personally attest to that. But then if u look at the competition there(Bose, Yamaha, KLH, Sony), theres really no comparison. This is a bargain for sure if u can get it for under $200. It would probably be hard to find a better one at under $300.

Similar Products Used:

N-center, Bose center, B&W center, Yamaha, Sony,

Incredible sound and price.

none

I love this speaker. Great sound. Clearest center channel I have heard. I have all JBL speakers S38, S36 and a valadine sub. As fas as the one guy saying that it fried his center channel on his receiver. Well that would becaused from crossing the positive and negitive wires and any speaker will do that.

Similar Products Used:

Bose

Clear sound, good voice reproduction, the best on-screen effects I've heard, very sensitive, this is what digital sound should sound like

Nope

This speaker is very clear, and reproduces voices better than any other I've heard. It is very efficient, at 91db (maybe under-rated too), and I had to turn down the center output to match it to my also-sensitive S38s.
I used to have a sub/sat system, and had all speakers set to "small." So when I hooked up the S-Center, it didn't sound much better than my old KLH center. That was before I realised that I was relying too heavily on the subwoofer. Even deep male voices came through the sub, imagine what it did to my sound effects! Then, I started playing with the crossover points, and got the voices back into the center. It was so good, I bragged about it often. I upgraded my mains to S38's and finally set everything to "large." The entire system sounds better now. I am hearing things that I never did, even with this speaker set to small and I was so proud. Some have complained about the lack of low bass (below 80Hz), but it can definitely handle anything that the center channel will send it beautifully.
In a DD or DTS soundtrack, most of the low bass will be sent to the subwoofer (or whatever you use for LFE information). The center generally does not carry that much. When I finally set it to "large," it became less bright, warmer, more detailed, etc. I think it was meant to be used as a "large" speaker.
I can hear everything from the quietest whisper or small sound effect to the loudest, largest sound sent to this speaker.
Sound is very open. It sounds as good on the sides as it does right in front. I have never heard a speaker this open, including my other JBLs. The sweet spot consists of the entire room. I have to get on the floor right in front of my TV (a good 4 feet under the speaker) to notice any decrease in sound quality, but it sounds good even there.
Highs are clear and strong, and can reach up into orbit. Mids are natural. Voices even sound good on movies that I considered to have bad sound quality before I upgraded to this speaker. For example, on my old centers (KLH, Panasonic, Advent), Jurassic Park, The Perfect Storm, and others sounded less than stellar. But in the JBL, they even sound almost lifelike. Almost like the actors are in the room with me.
Sound effects are the best I've heard. For example, in Gladiator, not only do voices come alive, but fight scenes do too. Swords hitting shields really sound like metal-on-metal! I mean just like it is happening in the room with me! In The Perfect Storm, in one scene, a guy is sharpening a knife in front of the screen. It really sounds like someone sharpening a knife. But here is the kicker, when the screen cuts to the captain coming out of the wheelhouse to address the crew, it still sounds like someone is sharpening a knife. This is an excellent example of this speaker's excellent high and low-level dynamic contrasts.
I don't know how, but somehow sounds seem to be coming from the appropriate spot on my 35" screen. Maybe that is because the sound is so open that my brain interprets the sound to be coming from whatever spot I'm looking at?
Some may feel that this center is fairly large. All of the studio series is large, even the S36. Look at the measurements even on it. This is for a reason. I have no problem because my 35" television won't fit into one of those (non HT-friendly) entertainment centers anyway. It sits on a large TV stand from Wal-Mart, made for a 35" TV. The S-Center sits on top with no obstructions. BTW, the video shielding is perfect. It sits directly on top of my TV, with the grille hanging out over the screen. There has never been a trace of one pixel of picture distortion.
The S-center is a good match with the S38, having the same timbre, midrange driver, tweeter, and crossover points. However, it is more sensitive/efficient, so I turned the center output to -3.
Build quality is good. However, you might want to check the screws for tightness. This seems to be the only problem with the studio series. But it takes 5 minutes to do this to all 5 speakers if you have them. :)
I didn't have to break in this one as much as the S38 before I started noticing improvement over the previous speakers. As I said, even with a poorly-tuned system, it sounded better than my old centers. I guess it was as good in Dolby Digital as the best of the old ones in DTS. But with a better tuned system and some break-in, there is little comparison. Better tuned for these speakers I mean. The system was tuned well for small speakers that don't handle bass before.
In short, this center is very clear, dynamic, natural, and can handle the full range of sound that a center receives. It fills the whole room with sound, making the entire space a sweet spot. Voices are natural, and sound effects are in the room with you.
I recently visited an electronics store with it's own theater. In-wall large projection screen, probably a dozen expensive AR speakers, and two powerful powered AR subwoofers. My JBLs blow his center and mains out the window.
This same guy told me that he doesn't sell JBL, but is considering selling Paradigm. He said that comparing JBL to Paradigm is not comparing apples to apples. The June issue of Stereophile magazine painst a different picture, with a direct comparison between the S38, the Paradigm Reference Studio/20, the Mission 731I, and Alon Petite. The JBL smoked all of the others in loudness capabilities and low and high level dynamic contrasts. It handled dynamic orchestral works much better than the Mission, and had more bass than the Mission or Alon($1000/pair). The Paradigm was a shade more detailed and transparent, and midrange was a bit more natural, but was no match for the JBL's dynamics, particularly at high levels. That is as close to a quote as I can get without having the magazine in my hand. So, the Paradigm is only a little more detailed, but the JBL's dynamics and loudness capabilities smoked it.
The S-center also has a little more natural midrange, but then, most centers are are designed with dialogue in mind. In any event, the JBL studio series is honestly audiophile quality, and Stereophile magazine even says so. And they are affordably priced.
And I like that warm fuzzy feeling I get when I watch movies, especially in DTS.

Similar Products Used:

Advent, KLH, Panasonic, have heard AR & Pioneer; did much research before purchase

Sound clarity, binding posts, very attractive

Nothing

Can't say enough about this Center. JBL really knows how to make a speaker! I auditioned many, and nothing comes close, unless you want to spend 2-3 times as much. Great for movies, and helps create a surprisingly nice soundstage on music with my Onkyo's 5 channel stereo mode.