Question about S38

[hjames]

My Bad, I meant the L-820s - I had been bidding on 820s but once they passed $160 it was more than I wanted to go for rear surrounds. Sorry - L series numbering scheme is ... odd 830 is a 3 way (looks kind of like the S38s), 820 is wall mounted 4 way ...
Anyway, the S38 IIs have a bass punch lacking in the L20Ts - really sounds like a step up!

I have the L830s also, I wouldn't use them (as mains) with anything but the L810 and LC1. They sound slightly horny or something compared to the 4way L (from lacking a mid range speaker?). They may work great as surrounds, I preferred the S38IIs though as surrounds. Spent the spring experimenting with many combos of S seriesII, 3 and 4way L.

[brutal]

IMHO, the S38's will spank the L20T's ... Much tighter and less boomy bass. Much less roll off on the high end. Great for a surround setup. Good for a modest 2-channel in a small/spare room.

[bone215]

I thoroughly enjoyed my time with my S38's. I thought for the money spent they were very good speakers. I combined them with 2 S120II subs, one under each, they were very good.

I thought they loaded better into my room horizontally placed, with the tweeters and midrange speakers facing in rather than out.

Good Luck.

[hjames]

IMHO, the S38's will spank the L20T's ... Much tighter and less boomy bass. Much less roll off on the high end. Great for a surround setup. Good for a modest 2-channel in a small/spare room.

I agree - they are working great as rear-surrounds - (using the L60Ts as pedestals) I was very impressed with them while doing the SACD and DVD-A discs off the Oppo - very nice speakers!

[BMWCCA]

IMHO, the S38's will spank the L20T's.

I would be shocked, shocked I say, if a JBL 8" 3-way in a much larger box didn't produce better sound than a tiny JBL 6.5" 2-way. Go pick on someone your own size! I like the little L20Ts.

Let's compare the L5 to the S38-II now.

[hjames]

I would be shocked, shocked I say, if a JBL 8" 3-way in a much larger box didn't produce better sound than a tiny JBL 6.5" 2-way. Go pick on someone your own size! I like the little L20Ts.

Let's compare the L5 to the S38-II now.

Yeah, but I have to remind you - the S38 IIs are a bit heavy to hang from the ceiling, tho the li'l L20s do that job fine ...
We haven't decided which are gonna do back surround duty - the L20ts are neat and out of the way, the S38s sound way better, the L5? - dunno, don't have any of them yet ... got spares??

besides, you'd like this deal - I saw the S38s on Craigslist last week, with stands (pedestals) and the matched center speaker for $## ... and I didn't really need yet another center (black ash too).

So on Sunday, the ebay sale for my old EC25 was an hour from ending so almost as an afterthought I snapped some pictures of the S II Center and posted it $19.95 or $# BIN. When I check back an hour later, both had sold! I was quite happy with the BIN price!

Plus, I got $## for my old Beech EC25, so that made the Cherry LC2 I ebayed recently for $1## a good deal too!

Can't complain - not quite free but certainly a reasonable upgrade price!

Now I just need to sell those L60Ts, and keep the L20ts for spares ...eh?

[BMWCCA]

Whew! I'm gonna have to sell my kids, quit my job, move to the land of the traffic snarl, and hang out on Craig's List and Ebay all day long! The fuel-savings alone will be just like an income. You go, Heather! The land of opportunity, fer sure. Us bottom feeders got to hang together.

[BMWCCA]

Heather, I just ran across this old thread while looking for one of mine. So, have you tried your S38s naked?

No, no; the SPEAKERS!

http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/s...ead.php?t=9337

[hjames]

Heather, I just ran across this old thread while looking for one of mine. So, have you tried your S38s naked?

No, no; the SPEAKERS!

http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/s...ead.php?t=9337

Not yet, guess i can try that tonight when Emma goes to speaker with her nun ... I'll be home alone and I can run the system up to 11 !!!!!!!!!!!

he he he -
Well, they are connected as rear surrounds and i need to take them upstairs to really give them a shake down on the old yamaha receiver. We currently have Emma's old speakers (Optimus STS-1000s) hooked up in the living room system instead of the L200 'customs" - they sound much better than I thought!

[hjames]

Heather, I just ran across this old thread while looking for one of mine. So, have you tried your S38s naked?

No, no; the SPEAKERS!

http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/s...ead.php?t=9337

Vanity pictures showing them in the media room, but, I did bring them upstairs and had them set up on the Yamaha CR-1020 receiver - they were awesome!
We rolled the L200 3ways into a back room and put the S38s on the L60Ts, used them as pedestals.
Tried some Alabama 3, Van Morrison, Dire Straits, Boz Scaggs (Dig) -
Nice sound, unbelieveable bass for such small boxes!
That was the first time I'd run them as Mains ... Highly recommended!

I had posted the L60Ts in Craigslist on Sunday and I did a quick ad for them almost as an afterthought - trying to clear some room -
after a few emails this week first guy that came and listened. They were perfect (no dented domes!) - after a few tunes he just offered me $10 under my asking price and bought them with the pedestals ... everybody was happy!

When I bought them a month or so back I got a 3 way set - and I'd sold the S-Center (and my old EC-35) on ebay about 3 weeks ago
... that paid for the LC2 I got back then.
Tonight's sale paid for the Cherry L820s I just got!

Now if I can just sell the L60Ts ...

[Titanium Dome]

Those S38IIs look really nice. They were the next-to-last JBL 8" traditional three-way bookshelf (woofer, midrange, tweeter). The E50s (see mine below) were the last, but the S38 had a superior 1" Ti tweeter compared to the E50's 3/4" Ti laminate.

The Performance Series PT800 is an 8" three-way as well, but hardly traditional and not even intended to be a standalone bookshelf. It's meant to be supplemented with a subwoofer.

The S38/E50 cabinet design is a good one, and provides an excellent foundation for a very nice three-way sound.

[brutal]

Some old pics of my S38's.

When I first got these, I auditioned them first with a Judas Priest LP. Almost made my ears bleed...

Up until last week, when I swapped in a new HT receiver, they had been performing the lowly duty of front "presence" speakers for some Yamaha DSP modes rarely used. Those duties are now relegated to my 18Ti's (I know, what a waste.) Now if I can just get setup with a JBL center to match the 250Ti's and 18Ti's, I'd have consistent vintage JBL voicing across the front.

I'm considering pulling out the L80t's I'm using in the bedroom HT setup and putting these in place, just for the space saving. With a recent sub addition, I don't think I'd miss the L80t's.

[hjames]

Those S38IIs look really nice. They were the next-to-last JBL 8" traditional three-way bookshelf (woofer, midrange, tweeter). The E50s (see mine below) were the last, but the S38 had a superior 1" Ti tweeter compared to the E50's 3/4" Ti laminate.

The Performance Series PT800 is an 8" three-way as well, but hardly traditional and not even intended to be a standalone bookshelf. It's meant to be supplemented with a subwoofer.

The S38/E50 cabinet design is a good one, and provides an excellent foundation for a very nice three-way sound.

Well, I'll be honest - I got the L820s in on Thursday - and last night I hooked them up to the Yamaha upstairs as standalone speakers.
Tried the same tracks I'd played for the buyer the other night -
Big anticlimax!
I suppose the high end is fine and I'm sure they're fine for surrounds - but I miss the bottom and just all around good sound of those S38 IIs.

Next time there is a pair for sale I'm going to buy them and sell off the L820s for what I paid for them ...

I'd go for the coppery coloured S38 version Is - but no one is selling them locally

[doucanoe]

Here are a couple pics of my S38BE's. I think that these are one of those speakers that you either realy like or really dislike from an asthetic standpoint.

I happen to like their look and am very pleased with the sound of them. I am not always a fan of reasonably inexpensive three ways, but these impress.

RC

[JBobL]

Yeah, I think the L820s, with the 6" woofer, was intended for use as a surround speaker instead of bookshelf that might see use as mains. I used S38IIs for mains in a HT/gaming rig with S38IIs as surrounds in 5.1. Replaced it all with L890s and L820s. Kept the S38II 5.1 rig for gaming/ music.