JBL S312 Floorstanding Speakers
JBL S312 Floorstanding Speakers
[Jan 03, 2004]
gmanich
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
These speakers have handled everything that my Yamaha RX-V1000 can throw at them (about 100W/channel) and sound great the whole time, loud and clear. Big bass, clear mids and there's nothing better than a titanium dome for accurate reproduction of the highs.
Weakness:
Big cabinet and power hungry. Make sure your receiver/amplifier delivers power on independently driven channels or you may find your receiver turning itself down to protect against overheating. Those big 12's draw a lot of power. Pricey. These speakers are big, powerful and accurate. When I first brought them home, I wasn't entirely satisfied because I felt they were weak in the midrange. Highs were stellar and there was no denying the intense base produced by the 12" woofers. But over time they burned in nicely and filled out the middle frequencies. I am quite satisfied at this point, but if I had it to do again I would opt for the S310's with a 12" powered sub to round out the low end. Those big 12" drivers require a really large cabinet. |
[Nov 16, 2003]
David McKinsey
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Great sound when used with good equipment.
Weakness:
Too big. Can sound harsh. These are high quality speakers. With a high quality amplifier they can reproduce sound accurately. The tweeter is strong and sometimes overpowering. Midrange is very detailed and smooth. Bass is very strong because each cabnet houses a 12 inch sub. Their greatest strength is also their greatest weakness; because they so accurately reproduce sound, garbage will sound like garbage. Similar Products Used: JBL L100 and L7 |
[Sep 05, 2003]
_Tom_
Casual Listener
Strength:
Good sound, plenty of bass for music. They will work fine for movies, all but the lowest DTS effects will be there.I think they are better for a larger room, best detail at more moderate volume.
Weakness:
I'd say imaging, it's not bad though. Not the best for low-level listening. Also can sound a little 'flat' at times. I bought a pair of these when I saw a pretty good deal on ubid, I think it was around $250, and about 100 for shipping. I gave my n38 tower's to my mom(nice speakers, wish I hadn't hehe) My first impression was 'wow these are pretty big', after I lugged them around a bit and got them hooked up, I thought they weren't that great of an improvement over the n38's, sounded too flat, and the imaging wasn't as good. Of course, when you're used to listening to a set of speakers it can take some time to really get a feel for another. Also to give time for a new set of speakers to break in, which can change sound characteristics, especially in smaller speakers. These speakers can play really loud. If you hear clipping from these it's most likey the signal you're putting through them, not the speakers. I wouldn't suggest placing them in any room smaller than a living room. They are ok at low volume, more detail with higher volume. After a few years of listening, I like them. stick them on your back porch turn up the volume and they will play loud and clear for the whole neighborhood, and you will never want to bring them back in (because they're so damn heavy : ). Similar Products Used: N38,others. |
[Jul 13, 2003]
jmgatt
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Excellent highs and very strong lows. The speakers go down to 30Hz! The best thing about that is you do not need a subwoofer. In fact most average priced subs only go down to 50Hz! JBL makes a subwoofer that goes down to 18Hz, but that retails for $499.99! If you are looking for a set of speakers to listen to music on these are perfect. They shake everything in the house. In fact I have them in an upstairs bedroom and it shakes the refrigerator shelves across the house in the kitchen! My Dad keeps looking around in my room for a subwoofer because he doesn't believe I do not have one. These speakers don't just reproduce nice clean lows either. The high range is just as impressive. They sound good watching DVD movies too.
Weakness:
Size. JBL's site has them listed at 77lbs! However they do make a nice conversation piece. Bass can be over whelming. However if you compensate by only turning your bass setting to 1/4 or 1/2 it seems to fix that. These speakers sound better and better every time I listen to them. I listen to a lot of Dave Matthews and they do a fantastic job reproducing the full range of music he plays. I also use them as my home theater front speakers for DVD movies and for playing XBOX. They are by far the favorite part of my system. I am running them on a Yamaha HTR-5460 HT receiver. Which was also a very very good buy. |
[May 21, 2003]
Mark
AudioPhile
Strength:
Clarity, accuracy, bass, awesome imaging, quality of the woofer, and they look good!!
Weakness:
Okay, CLIPPING IS A NO NO!!!! These baby girls HATE being abused! The power handling leaves something to be desired! If you drive then too hard, the rather fragile titanium tweeters will not function properly afterwards. The mid range drivers are also fragile. Guess what??? There is NO overload protection, let your ears be the guide. If they seem to be straining they probably are. If you are careful, they will last a lifetime. Accurate and amazing sound! Briliant highs. Good bass! This is an Audiophile speaker. You hear nuances that you would not normally hear with most other speakers. They image better than most other speakers on the market. It doesn't take much to drive them. I recomend keeping your tone controls set to flat for the best results. These speakers do have 1 major downfall.......see weaknesses Similar Products Used: DCM KX 12's (circa 1996) Rotel amps, Canton, Paradigm, Jamo, Infinity, Cerwin Vega, B&W, and Phase Technology. |
[Mar 14, 2003]
beaverd
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
price
Weakness:
soundfront,balance Read all the reviews on the 312.So i went to abc warehouse to listen,i was disapointed at what i heard.The soundroom was nothing special,the speakers were not broken in,and they were powered by a h/k av amp.The music sound front was very week and out of balance.But i still thank there is more there then what i heard.Anyway if i could get some input from owners of the 312,they have to sound better then what heard.i listen all music from van halen,to chris issac.i have owened JBL in the past and was very satisfied with them.maybe a combination of where i listned and not broken in.And what would be a good power supply and cables.THANKS DENNIS Similar Products Used: listen to energy c 5 and paradigm monitor 9. |
[Feb 04, 2003]
jkahlon
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Sound quality. Natural sound as it should be. Looks are beautiful. Very stable and solid construction.
Weakness:
Need help to unpack and get them to where you will set them. Excellent product. The speakers are beautiful. The sound is simply amazing. Bass is adequate, you can turn up the volume as high as you want and the sound will still be crystal clear. I have the S312II 2002 model and I got it in 2003. Nothing I can point out which is lacking. I looked at paradigm, i liked the monitor 9 's but they are two way and they would have been $850 with shielding. Not worth it when you compare the price and sound quality from these. They give you music as you would desire and how the composer meant it to be heard. I thought about buying the black but then went with Cherry. The cherry is a beautiful shade and matches with my family room decor. Wife is happy (rarely happens with electronics I buy) and she immediately put flower baskets on each (UUgh but gotta live there). Do not go for the garbage tiny home theater speakers you see in stores. I do not care what brand you get, they can never compare to the sound from these babies. I will be getting a JBL center channel and surrounds soon to replace my aging current speakers. I like what these guys do. You do not need a subwoofer with these. invest the money on a good receiver. Similar Products Used: Pioneer KLH Bose |
[Dec 31, 2002]
publinx
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
For the money, there are too many to list.
Weakness:
None for the money. I was lucky enough to get these from ubid a little over a year ago. I was looking for a second system and based on the feedback from this review site, I decided to try them. I know many have paid a lot more for these from the B/M sellers but, for $225 they were the best audio deal I have ever gotten. My reference speakers are VMPS but since I improved the cabling (used Better Cables) for the JBL, they have taken on a completely different sound. I'm sure it is a combination of breaking them in and the new cables but the improvement is dramatic. If you can find them anywhere for under $500, buy them. Find some quality cabling and you will have a sound several times the price you paid. Similar Products Used: VMPS, Jamo |
[Dec 29, 2002]
STEVE SZUROVECZ
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
solid bass responce, crisp highs, deep soundfield, solidly built for $400 apiece. nice finish selection too.
Weakness:
none at this price. sounds as good as speakers 3 times the cost. REVIEW ON THE S312II MODELS!! I HAVE USED JBL PRODUCTS BEFORE, LX55 FLOORSTANDER BEING ONE. I HAVE LISTENED TO VARIOUS SPEAKER SUCH AS PARADIGM, INFINITY, REVEL,POLK... ALL HAVE GREAT SOUNDING MODELS. MY LX55'S HAVE BEEN GREAT LOUDSPEAKERSS, EXCELLANT SOUND MUSIC OR HOME THEATER. THE STUDIO SERIES 312II I JUST BOUGHT SOUND GREAT. BASS RESPONCE VIA TUNED PORT REPRODUCES LOW BUT NOT BOOMY BASS. CRISP CLEAR HIGHS. THEY SOUND GREAT WITH ALL KINDS OF MUSIC SUCH AS JOE SATRIANI, GODSMACK, I MOTHER EARTH, J-LO, NELLY,OLD HENDRIX, FLOYD. THEY PRODUCE A DEEP SOUNDFIELD AND CAN TAKE PLENTY OF POWER WHEN MATED WITH A GOOD AMP. I HAVE THEM POWERED BY A OLD NAD-2200 AND THEY ROCK. JBL ONCE AGAIN DID NOT DISAPOINT.THEY WILL SOME DAY BE ADDED TO MY HOME THEATRE SYSTEM. Similar Products Used: jbl,inifinity, nad, polk... |
[Nov 29, 2002]
NotQytRyt
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
dynamic sound (they are clear) hi power handling. very solid construction. these are very good speakers to an untrained ear.
Weakness:
they actually sond like computer speakers with a sub woofer.. or one of those hip hop jellopies on the street.. exaggerated highs and lows. not an audiophile speaker but more of a "Modern Sound" speaker I stand by what i said before. these are good speakers (not great) and if you are more attuned to classical or jazz. you will hear the weaknesses. also whoever paid 800 at best-buy needs to go back $279 ea (last check) If your ears are shot from all the big bass sound out there. then you cant tell the difference. sound is subjective.. if they sound good to you.. well there you are... oh yeah i do own a pair or AR-S50s no 12in woofer.. but they are more even sounding than the JBL's. Im glad I offed em on someone when they asked about them. Similar Products Used: many... always evolving |