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View Full Version : Who has any feedback on JBL's lower or middle line speakers?


mikebake
11-01-2004, 12:51 PM
Like the S312II? Anyone heard them/own them, and have opinions?
mikebake
11-01-2004, 01:00 PM
Actually, I'm also curious about this line, too. Seems like someone has them for their avatar.
JBL
E50CH-Z

$349 a pair on harman audio, as remanufactured. Not necessarily interested in buying some, just wondering how they stack up.
jblnut
11-01-2004, 01:13 PM
I have a pair of the S36AW's outside and I was actually quite impressed with their clarity. I have a few friends with S38/S28/SCenter Home Theater setups and they are far better than anything in their price range. However, they are not at the level of the older gear that is talked about in this forum. If you want something new and you don't want to pay a lot, the new JBL stuff works well and sounds great. Just don't expect it to sound as good something starting with a 43 or a 44....

What IS killer is the Synthesys and Performance Series new stuff. I heard a friend's HT setup in LA over the weekend and was blown away. This was part of a $100k whole-house setup but the media room was the best. It was all Performance Series speakers with Synthesys electronics. Best HT I've yet heard....

jblnut
Don C
11-01-2004, 01:24 PM
Here's a review of the little brother to the S-312, the S-38. I like this little speaker a lot, but I'm not impressed by the cheap vinyl finish and plastic trim. These have been discontinued for a while, but they are still common on ebay and I think that you can still get them direct from Harman too.
http://www.stereophile.com/loudspeakerreviews/365/
qxlxp
11-01-2004, 01:34 PM
i did a S310,S36,SCenter,svs sub hometheater system/xmas present for my dad which i thought was really, really excellent for the money. i listened to the S36's for a couple of weeks in my room. not the greatest thing since sliced bread, but i didn't feel a real urgency to get them out of my system fast.

the whole thing is driven by a low end onkyo recv'r and can play loud with relatively good dynamics.

i haven't heard the northridge series (the studio series has been for the most part discontinued), but they always struct me as being a step down from the studio series.
Alex Lancaster
11-01-2004, 02:03 PM
The S312īs work great for the price, much better than L100īs, 4311īs, etc.
mikebake
11-01-2004, 04:20 PM
Originally posted by jblnut

What IS killer is the Synthesys and Performance Series new stuff. I heard a friend's HT setup in LA over the weekend and was blown away. This was part of a $100k whole-house setup but the media room was the best. It was all Performance Series speakers with Synthesys electronics. Best HT I've yet heard....

jblnut

Yeah, I may have to work on getting a pair of the PT800 top boxes. Don't need the sub module.
4313B
11-01-2004, 05:14 PM
Me too! It's a tough call right now with so many goodies available!
mikebake
11-01-2004, 08:50 PM
Originally posted by Giskard
Me too! It's a tough call right now with so many goodies available!

I haven't been oblivious to your occasional comments concerning the performance of new products versus the old trusty ones.....
Looks like something like the PT800 would be smarter for me than, say, an LSR, given the price differential, or than a larger format monitor.
Don C
11-01-2004, 11:15 PM
I just noticed that the PT800 and PS1400 are in the discontinued section of the Harman audio store. They are still listed on the main section of the main JBL site though. Maybe they are going to kill this line when the array series is introduced?
mikebake
11-02-2004, 07:41 AM
Originally posted by Don C
I just noticed that the PT800 and PS1400 are in the discontinued section of the Harman audio store. They are still listed on the main section of the main JBL site though. Maybe they are going to kill this line when the array series is introduced?

Dunno. Maybe Giskard has a clue. However, somehow I wouldn't think that the Project Array series would be priced as low as the Performance Series, would you?
mikebake
11-02-2004, 07:58 AM
Originally posted by Giskard
This stuff is going to get wiped! NO Project Array photos or posts!

Huh? Wasn't this rendering I posted in the public domain? It was from some magazine or website, no?
Don McRitchie
11-02-2004, 08:24 AM
With Project Array being pushed back into mid 2005, we have been asked by JBL not to release photos or data about that system until the new release date. I know that there are all kinds of articles already out there on the web, including numerous photos. Regardless, I agreed to respect JBL's wishes on this issue and I am therefore restricting the posting of Project Array data on this forum.
4313B
11-02-2004, 10:41 AM
Originally posted by Don C
I just noticed that the PT800 and PS1400 are in the discontinued section of the Harman audio store. They are still listed on the main section of the main JBL site though.Look at the current price for two PT800's and two PS1400 - $4,338

Look at the price for the L212 system back in 1981 - $2,200 plus $824 for the second B212 = $3,024

Not bad! JBL has managed to come up with a "totally superior system"* without "breaking the bank". :)

* based on comments from the designer of both systems
jblnut
11-02-2004, 02:21 PM
Not to beat a dead horse or anything, but...

I was VERY impressed with the PT800/Synthesys HT I heard over the weekend. I have a lot of classic JBL gear in my house and I was prepared to be underwhelmed by the new stuff. I couldn't have been more wrong. The PT800's are fabulously clear and image very well. We may well be talking about finding clean, used PT800's on ebay 10 or 20 years from now. If you can afford them and you wanted to make a very nice 2/4/5.1 system right now I don't think you can go wrong with these. Espeically at the close-out pricing going on.

Makes me wish I had my attic finished and ready for that HT setup I keep dreaming about....

jblnut
jackz4000
11-04-2004, 06:09 AM
A few months ago a friend got a pair of the 412P, a step up from the 312. The 412's have a built in 200 watt powered woofer. They were a big improvement over his previous "audiophile" speakers he thought. He was very pleased with them and he is picky. I thought so too. I only heard them for 10 minutes and they sounded very good. He got them for an excellent price too.

I can't really sonically compare them to the 4311b's and L80T's which I have on my stereo. Different rooms and amps etc. But, I thought the 412P's were a very good speaker.

The only downside was alot of plastic stuff on them and I have a feeling they may not be built as well as cabinets from 20 years ago.
Titanium Dome
11-08-2004, 11:10 PM
Not to beat a dead horse or anything, but...

I was VERY impressed with the PT800/Synthesys HT I heard over the weekend. I have a lot of classic JBL gear in my house and I was prepared to be underwhelmed by the new stuff. I couldn't have been more wrong. The PT800's are fabulously clear and image very well. We may well be talking about finding clean, used PT800's on ebay 10 or 20 years from now. If you can afford them and you wanted to make a very nice 2/4/5.1 system right now I don't think you can go wrong with these. Espeically at the close-out pricing going on.

Makes me wish I had my attic finished and ready for that HT setup I keep dreaming about....

jblnut

As the happy owner of six PT800, one PC600, and three PS1400 speakers, I can attest to the excellence of the Performance Series. They are extraordinary in an HT set up, but as in all my speakers from the L100s forward, it's the music that really matters. The Titanium drivers are phenomenal in this series and produce the best music I've heard. Since getting them, I've returned to listening to music more than watching DVDs.

Obvioulsy, even at refurbished prices these are not lower or middle line speakers, but they're worth every dollar and then some. :thmbsup:

The Northridge E Series is a very good line at its price point, and the Studio Series and HT Series (rebadged SVA1500s I think) are good, too, but the Performance Series is the real bargain of the bunch.