Active Subwoofer Jbl

Review by Olusola : Good value, great sound, not ready to use straight out of the box

I've had this system for a few months now and I can comfortably say the sound is awesome for at-home surrond sound. It transmits all the notes beautifully without the jarring effect you get from some other systems when one range dominates the sound. For the list price, this is is a good dealOnly thing to note is that this is not ready to use straight out of the box. I did not realise it initially, but it requires an additional receiver to be able to connect the TV or other home stereo devices. The receivers are not cheap, so expect to pay another $200 to complete the surround sound system installation. I still think the sound quality is worth the additional expense though

Review by Shelley Gammon "Geek" : These JBLs rock the house!

I will first admit - I'm not an expert audiophile - but like anyone, I love good, rich sound. Everyone has had speakers you can't turn up too loud or else you get too much rattle, hum or both - not the case with these babies. Only after we got this speaker system did we realize we needed a receiver - so it took a while before that acquisition. We tried to bypass this requirement - but you simply cannot get anything other than audio from the subwoofer without a surround sound receiver. The subwoofer is big... as in big enough for an adult man to sit on comfortably in respect to width, depth and height... but the black cabinet it's in is very unobtrusive and is not a distraction in our living room at all. The included cables are very lengthy to accommodate a giant room. We were able to conceal most of the wires via the moulding around the ceiling - the speakers look nice, and sound AWESOME. Whether we're watching an action movie or even the news - the sound is just richer. Hearing audio on other TVs now just sounds flat in comparison. We've turned the volume up as loud as we could stand without shattering our teeth - and there was never any hum or rattle... despite being able to feel the bass in your feet and finger tips when there are explosions, thunder rumblings or sci-fi foley effects. Our goal in acquiring these speakers was to have better audio for the movies we watch, but the acquisition of a receiver also allowed us to listen to AM/FM via these speakers - and again - rich sound that envelops you. I've attended in-store demonstrations by company reps for various speaker systems and frankly - I don't think any of those high-dollar systems held that much of an edge over these JBLs. I have a number of JBL speaker sets for computers, and iPods in the house - and the brand has never been a disappointment. The sound quality is not only superb, but the system is very reasonably priced for what you get. My husband sometimes makes it home from work before I do, and when I approach our front door, I can hear/feel the house shaking from the sound - but I am not knocked out onto the porch when I enter - the sound is as much felt as it is heard. It's not overwhelming or deafening at normal levels - but still immersive. You feel like your IN the action when you watch a movie - much like going to the high dollar theater today - without the problems of your feet sticking to the floor.

Review by country girl "country girl" : Please tell me what kind of receiver I buy

I purchased the JBL 5.1 Channel surround Cinema Speaker System and received it in the mail yesterday. I can't wait to set it up but the only problem is I don't know what kind of receiver to purchase. I called Amazon and the customer rep told me to just plug the speakers to the back of my TV or DVD player. I told him from what I can understand I need a receiver. He said no???? I was trying to find out if any receiver would go with this Speaker System and after talking to him I know less then before. Does anyone know what kind of receiver II need for this??

Review by Vicki Williamson : Outstanding sound quality!

The JBL Surround Cinema Speaker System is relatively easy to set up and comes with everything you need including the stands. The only thing, obviously, that you need to purchase is an audio/video receiver. The A/V receiver that I am using with the speakers is a Sony 7.1 channel receiver. The subwoofer included has the ability to be manually adjusted so that you can minimize or maximize the bass. This would be separate from the ability the receiver would have to adjust the bass, which is beneficial if you prefer to leave the receiver setting as is but want to reduce or increase the bass. If you are looking for the cinema sound at home, then I highly recommend this set.

Review by Michael Kear : All The Sound You Want (And More)!!!

Straight out of the box the JBL 5.1 Channel Surround Cinema Speaker System is impressive. Very easy installation and hook up. The first blast of sound is almost overwhelming (especially if you're used to the little speakers that come standard with your TV). The 10" woofer actually faces the floor and delivers window-shaking bass. Driven by a 150-watt amplifier, your neighbors may well be aware of when you are watching a movie or listening to a concert! You can literally shake the walls of your house! But volume isn't the only thing this system offers. The mid-range is smooth and cool and the tweeters are crystal clear. The overall sound from the surround system is amazingly crisp and full and provides an experience which tingles the senses. No buzzes or clicks or whistles or whines, either. Just beautiful, clear, full sound. The speakers themselves are very versatile and can be placed on the floor, the tabletop or on omnidirectional wall mounts. The design is such that the system blends in well with its surroundings and there are level controls so that the sound can be customized to meet your needs and desires. The price is right, too! This system definitely lives up to the JBL standard. Highly recommended for ease of set-up and quality of sound.

Review by Mark D. Janda "Skippermdj" : Uncolored, full-range, very deep bass, good value

From the mid-bass up these are very neutral, uncolored natural sounding speakers. They don't call attention to themselves and allow full enjoyment of the source material. Really good source material sounds fantastic, mediocre material sounds mediocre. No honks, shrieks, buzzes, phony "presence" or harshness. I have heard speakers with better definition that create a better sense of "being there", but always for several times more money. The bass is something else - in a positive way. Listening to an electric bass or symphony orchestra, the fundamentals are just solid all the way down. The subsonics are amazing for a 10" woofer. The whole room shakes and the sound pressure can be felt in the chest, gut and butt. Adds realism to action/adventure movies and give the kids a thrill.

Review by EMTP EJ "EJ" : Super Speakers

JBL has a good reputation. The speakers are mainly small and sleek, so they are easy to place and have a tendency to blend into the background, physically. There are wall brackets so they may be mounted to the walls. It comes with wire. The sound is clear and not excessively `colored' or changed by the speaker system. The large and heavy sub-woofer has its own amplifier and can placed nearly anywhere in the room (You might need a little help getting this set into your media room as the shipping weight is 66 pounds - about 30 kg). One should consider that where the `rubber meets the road' as it were, is the quality of the speakers, over and above the quality of the rest of the sound system. These speakers will make any compatible surround-sound system sound simply super!

Review by M. Wolf : Impressive sound... minor design issues... but the sound is great!!!

While far from what I could call an audiophile - I really love good sound systems. My living room is set up with a 7.1 system. The bedroom has a 5.1 system. And I pieced together resources for a friends 7.1 system. I was thrilled at the chance to hear how these speakers would sound. First of all the size of the sub surprised me... I was not expecting the sub to be that big given the size of the speakers.. I wish I had the audiophile words to describe the quality of this sub. The low ranges definitely vibrate through the room but I don't feel like the pictures are going to fall off the wall. The sound is impressive in tone, quality and in overall vibration. I really enjoy the sound in that it does not have some of the "static" edges/crackle I have heard in other subs. The center speaker is full and quite clear. The other speakers provide excellent sound across a wide range of media (sports, music,action adventure movies, and dialogue focused movies). The speaker wire that comes with it is of a very thin gauge. Initially, I was hoping to upgrade the gauge of the wires. However due to the size of the wire connections I decided not to. I has some 16 gauge wire and would have had to tightly twist the wires and perhaps trim a few off in order to fit the wire into the speaker connection points. Also the way the speaker wire winds through the mounting system is not conducive to larger gauge wires. However, even with low quality wire the speakers sound great. While I wish the connection points were larger I like the design. The wall mounts are easy to install and rather inconspicuous. I've used several different mounting systems and this is the best one so far. Note the screws to attach the mounting plates to the wall are not included. Overall great system that is very easy to set up.

Review by Kevin Nicholls "jaded, aging hipster" : If you think all "theater in a box" systems sound the same...

...you're not far off. Just about everyone makes a 5.1 "home theater in a box" kit in this price range, so it can be difficult to figure out which one is worth the money. More often than not, you get a mediocre subwoofer and some not-so-great satellite speakers, and the JBL Cinema Speaker System is basically no exception. In fact, the only remarkable aspects of the JBL system over similar offerings from Yamaha, Sony, and Klipsch is the subwoofer. For this range, the included subwoofer is surprisingly accurate, and can reproduce rich bass without buzzing or overpowering the room. It's nice, but to be honest, if having something pre-built with small satellite speakers isn't something you have your heart set on, you're going to get more bang for your buck if you buy full range left / right / center speakers and (at least, initially) go cheap on your subwoofer and surround channels. Of course, if "easy and small" is what you're after, the JBL system isn't bad. But then... neither are any other systems in this price range.

Review by A. Terhune : Good Speaker Package

I bought these from a Gold Box promo. Could not have made a better decision. They perform well and are compact(with exception of sub woofer..