help with choosing jbl speakers
 

I'm looking at jbl s-series for my mains. i've already got the s-center so i don't want a different brand. for a sub i've got the sony sa-wm40. I'm debating between the s38's or the s310's. will the 310's over power my sub? Also i'll eventually need surrounds so what surrounds should i get with either of these mains? thanks.

i forgot, is there any benefit of getting the towers over the bookshelf's. Or is it just capableof hitting lower frequencies. b/c i think the sub should be able to hand up to what the bookshelves will put out.

My current front stage consists of the S-38s coupled with the S-center (surrounds are KEFs which may get changed to s26s).

The main reason I chose the s38s is because to me they had a smoother overall sound then the S310s. The s310 will give you some more bass extension, but if you have a powered sub, it really is not that big a deal in output between the an 8" and 10" driver.

The Sony sub should work well with either speaker. It has enough power and output to keep up with and supplement the bass put out by the JBLs.

I particularly decided on bookshelfs because I was tired of the floor space floor standers tend to demand (Though I am saving very little space going with a speaker as large as the s38s). What happens many times is you end up upgrading your speakers, or changing lines down the road then you are stuck with large floor standers which are harder to place somewhere else in the house. Then you either have to sell them at a loss or just put them in storage.

As for surrounds I would recommend getting the s26s. Two way design which is very competent for a surround. JBL also now has the S36 which add the same midrange as the rest of the studio line and can be wall mounted, but they a higher price, plastic cabinets and less bass extension. Right now I do not have the room for s26s the way my room is configured, but when I move hopefully soon, I will pick up a pair for sure. I have been very pleased so far with the studio line. One of the best values for the money going nowofdays.

J

I purchased the following JBL Studio Series speakers in September 2000 and have been very happy with them:

JBL S-Center Studio Series 3-Way 5 1/4" Center Channel Speaker
JBL S38 Studio Series 8" 3-Way Horizontal Bookshelf Speakers
JBL S26 Studio Series 2-Way 6" Bookshelf Speakers

W/seperate JBL powered 12" sub

They sound great and work very well in a small 10 X 15 home theatre, using a Yamaha RX-V795 receiver and SD-3108 Toshiba DVD player.


Buyer Beware - Be careful where you purchase your JBL speakers online. JBL will void the warranty on any speaker not purchased through an authorized JBL distributor. Visit the JBL web site for a list of authorized resellers, and be prepared to spend alot more for your JBL speakers then the pricing mentioned above if you purchase through an authorized reseller.

thank you for your input
i am gonna go with the s38's. And i'll probably get the s26's for surrounds some time in the future. Thanks again.