JBL S-Center Center Channels
JBL S-Center Center Channels
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[Feb 04, 2001]
gary
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
sounds great, looks great, 5-way gold plated binding posts
Weakness:
may be too big to fit in a nook on a tv the whole jbl studio series is great except the s-412p's. for the price of these, you are better off just adding a sub. i use an ar-s500 and its a perfect match. i use a 6 channel thx amp and have split the center channel preamp output out of my receiver with a y-cord and feed two channels out of my amp to two separate s-centers. overkill, you ask? considering that 60 to 70 percent of a movie soundtrack can come from the center channel, i dont think so. it sounds great. and two of them fit nicely on my 40" widescreen. i am using a pair of s-38's for the fronts and the new s-36 surrounds behind me which are inline after a separate 100-watt rear sub. you would be surprised how much bass comes thru the rear channels. i had a pair of carver dipole surrounds before i got the matching jbl's, so i left those in place and hooked them up to the receivers surround outputs. running 10 seperate speakers and a total of 26 individual speakers is a bit extreme but it sounds great. boys and there toys!! what can you say. anyway, for the money the s-center is hard to beat. it is best matching them with some fronts from the studio series line for the best tonal balance. happy listening!! Similar Products Used: infinity, bose |
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[Feb 01, 2001]
Justin
Casual Listener
Strength:
Clarity, looks, size.
Weakness:
Lack of warmth with music, but it is a center channel and that isn't its primary use. This speaker is extremely clear even at high volumes. I have noticed it is not great for music despite being 3way. No problem, just don't use it for this. In movies it is unsurpassed. I set my Yamaha HTR 5250 so the center speaker is "small" and gets no signals under 90Hz. This eliminates the bass problem, plus if you want bass, buy a sub. Got the speaker for $150 plus shipping from dirt cheap audio (see above) and I would highly reccomend them. All in all a tremendous speaker for the money, probably sound terrific with other JBL speakers in surround. Similar Products Used: Technics, Pioneer, Cerwin Vega, Sony |
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[Jul 09, 2001]
Steven Van Schultz
Audiophile
Strength:
Everything
Weakness:
None The JBL S Center Channel Speaker has truely added a new dinemsion to my home theater listening. Similar Products Used: Optimus CS5 |
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[Feb 09, 2000]
Barry Temple
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Very natural midrange and exceptional clarity. Good mid-bass. Extremely cool looking!
Weakness:
Rear ported may not be ideal for some setups. Lacks bass, (but what center channel doesn't?) Have had this for about 2 months and find it exceptional for the money. I have this mated with the JBL S-38's in the front which share the identical 4" mid-range, 1" titanium dome tweeter and cross-over contained in the S-Center. It is a match made in heaven with incredible tonal balance across the front sounstage. The more different DVD's I watch the more impressed I am. This center can handle everything I throw it's way and remains accurate (and not nasally) throughout. I highly recommend this center especially if you are mating it with other members of JBL's Studio series speakers. Similar Products Used: Sound Dynamics THC-2 |
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[Mar 17, 2001]
SHARON BROWN-EASTERLY
Casual Listener
EXCELLENT OVERALL VALUE, GOOD QUALITY SOUND. EASY BUYING EXPERIENCE AND GREAT PRICE FROM SOUNDDESIGN.COM |
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[May 31, 2001]
Jan
Audiophile
Strength:
Crisp, clean sound...a close match for my vintage JBLs...dynamic-sounding...looks...great for DVDs/CDs/laserdiscs etc...three-way.
Weakness:
So far...none. I was looking for a closer match(timbre) for my JBL L112s(mains) and L15s(rears) as far as center channels go. I made the leap into Dolby Digital with a new Yamaha DD/DTS AV receiver and Boston Acoustics subwoofer. The JBL S-Center channel has the dynamic, sweet, clear sound I crave from both movies and music. I am presented with a more seamless transition of sound between the center and the mains--left to right and vice versa--and, of course, the rears. The S-Center just "blends" better with the rest of my JBLs. I'm not as finicky as I used to be but I'm very impressed and pleased with the results. Similar Products Used: Klipsch KV3 center channel |
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[Apr 25, 2001]
Richard Larson
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Binding posts, 3 way
Weakness:
None that I've found. This center sounds absolutely wonderful. All of the volcals came to life which had sounded muffled on the KLH. I listened to all the others at Best Buy and none could compare in overall quality to the JBL. The sound is very clear and not overly tinny or bright. It works very well with my older JBL 4312 main front speakers. Similar Products Used: KLH center |
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[Apr 18, 2001]
henry ryu
Casual Listener
Strength:
made in Taiwan
Weakness:
nil Gorgeous center speaker from Taiwan! |
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[Apr 11, 2001]
Neil
Audio Enthusiast
Weakness:
Larger than most centers (may require a little placement planning). Had read several reviews here and elsewhere that tout the center channel speaker as the most important speaker of all. Didn't know just how important until I replaced a Bose (I know, I know...) center channel speaker with the JBL S-Center. Amazingly, the addition of this component significantly increased the overall quality of the entire system! Dialogue is even more "locked" than before. If you're one who enjoys getting more "bang for the buck," recommend you seriously consider the JBL S-Center. Rest of the system includes: Similar Products Used: Bose |
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[Mar 24, 2001]
Jason Smith
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Gold plated binding posts, pure titanium tweeter, not that aluminum crap. Plus Kapton wiring for voice coil.
Weakness:
Should have made it 4 OHM's. I hear everybody complain about the lack of base from JBL, I say buy a subwoofer or a pair of CV's (Cerwin Vega).JBL is known for clarity, mind collapsing high's and potent midrange. Listen to classical when purchasing speakers, I take some Vivaldi with me when I go. You will not find a better sounding speaker than JBL. The S-center is typical JBL and typical JBL translates to stunning sound. More concerts use JBL than any other brand of speaker. John B Lansing speakers will always be my favorite. Similar Products Used: JBL L100T, JBL L630, Technics, Pioneer, Sony, Boston and Polk. |