Center-Channel Reviews

I consider myself an audiophile, but I don't always have money to throw down for the high-end stuff. I took a chance based on the decent reviews this piece was getting here at Amazon. I was pleasantly surprised once I had it hooked up to my low cost receiver (SONY STR-DE545) to compliment my floor speakers and bookshelf speakers. The sound is clear and natural sounding and it even does well at high volumes. Granted I live in an apartment so I can't crank it that often, but when I do this speaker does the job admirably.

The only bad thing (and it is minor) is the speaker shielding isn't rock solid and if I put this directly on top of my TV it will distort the tube just a bit. Had to put it up higher on the entertainment center to get it away from the tv tube. Gave it 5 stars anyway, based on performance and of course value.

For reference, we use it mostly for DVD movies (at moderate volumes usually) and some TV programs. Very happy with its performance.

I upgraded to a surround sound receiver (mainly because I needed it to switch between s-video inputs), and decided to add some cheap surround speakers including the KLH center channel and subwoofer. I've been very happy with the results. I'm not an audiophile, but for my fairly simple needs, it makes a big difference in the sound quality and I've had absolutely no problems with it.

These are great speakers for the price. I have compared them to center channels costing three times their price such as the Polks, JBL, and even the Infinitys and the cheaper KLH 525 sound just as good (one may think that the sound is slightly flat when put against some 300+ dollar centers but when combined with a good sub, surrounds and fronts, the are probably the best value for the money)

With 4 mids and a tweeter, and 125 watt capability, I would recommend these to anyone on a tight budget who wants a high quality speaker.

One thing I don't like from this speaker is the housing is made of plastic...It makes itself look cheap. And it should be deep black not dark gray.

However, the weakness I found is not relevant to its performance. So, although I would give it 3 stars for style it certainly deserves 5 for value and performance.

It's a mystery to me why some are satisfied with realistic dialog from a center channel speaker. As much as 60% of the total audio energy goes to the center channel. It should be capable of accurately reproducing the entire audible range of frequencies. This speaker does just that and does it very well, (except the very lowest - about 80 Hz or below) better than some far more expensive speakers that we auditioned at a retailer. If this speaker does not return to Amazon.com it is worth looking for elsewhere.

I can't even remember where i bought this center channel, but for the price i paid it is great. Great sound, great voices, and sure makes my dvd expereince "movie'like" aLl i need now is a sub.

When I first saw this speaker on Amazon, I thought that it was gonna be a cheap plastic speaker. But, wow was I wrong. This JBL center Channel is great. It has great reproduction of voices and music...

I owned a Kenwood 2 way basic Center Speaker and I thought it was good enough for my Home Teather needs but how wrong I was. I hesitated to buy it 'cause "it's just a speaker" I though but once you heard it, you can't never go back. The low and High sounds are perfectly translated, even in night times I don't have to turn the sub-woofer on because it's jus unnecesary, the bass of this center channel rocks the bedroom by itself.

My wife was asleep when I assembled our new home theater system. At the time, the only speakers I had was the S-Center and a subwoofer; the others were being shipped. When she woke up, she said it sounded like an orchestra was in the room.

This thing sounds wonderful.

A 3-way center channel speaker?! At last, sensibility returns to speaker design - and with a stirring aesthetic as well. The JBL S-Center delivers lower pitched material with a clarity that you won't find in most 2-way speakers, and owing to the superior quality materials used in the tweeter (and seamless blending on either side of the midrange) the higher pitched material is never shrill. I've noticed a dramatic difference in DVD movies: In the past, lower pitched material coming from my subwoofer off in a corner would distract me from the screen, but this speaker's better bass response locks the sound back onto the screen where it should be. But where this speaker truly proved itself for me was in playing a DTS music disc. In DTS music, sometimes a lead vocalist's voice is sent directly to the center channel, and there is nothing like a human singing voice to test the range and natural-ness of a speaker. This speaker passed the live-or-die test with flying colors, sounding as natural as the original recording. Depending on the recording, you could swear the singer was standing in front of you in the flesh. The only negative for me was minor: the curved cabinet design precludes one from putting books (or in my case action figures) on top of the speaker. But the curves definately help decrease the amount of room the speaker used, so I can accept this. I've heard that the copper colored cones may be a limited feature (later editions perhaps changing to silver), but mine had them. They look fantastic and tempt one to remove the dust screen.

I love my new CSW Center Channel plus. I purchased it to complete my nw surround sound system. Great sound. It also looks good on top of my televison and didn't cost a fortune. It is a quality speaker at a great price.

I had bought a some home theater speakers last year, but for some reason, the sales person never mentioned I'd need a center channel speaker. So when I watched movies, the booms and bangs came across great, but I lost what the actors were saying. It was really muddled. A friend recommended a center channel to solve that problem - and after researching the various brands, I chose this one. Cambridge Soundworks are speaker specialists. I use their computer speakers, and wouldn't part with them. So when I found this one, which was slim, and sounded great, I ordered it. It has really made my movie watching much better.

I shopped around for a while looking for the perfect center channel to compliment my system, and the JBL had the best imaging of any I had heard. It was a tough choice between this center and the Cerwin-Vega, but I finally settled on the JBL. I believe I made the right choice.

If you are looking for outstanding performance at a reasonable price, this is the center channel speaker for you. I couldn't believe what sounds are re-produced from this speaker. All I can say is Awesome.!

My home theater includes the following: Polk CSi30 center, Polk RT800i mains, Polk f/x30 surrounds, Polk psw-650 sub. I use a Kenwood vr-6070 6.1 100watt per channel amp, and could not be happier with the setup. Until recently I used a CS175i for the center and it sounded good. However, it was not until I replaced it with the CSi30 that I realized the full potential of the system. The CSi30 really brought the movie sound track to life with a full rich frequency range that was lacking with the CS175i. I recommend the CSi30 for any serious audiophile.

You can't find another high quality/performance in this price range... you get a reputable speaker at a reasonable price. The quality and clarity are superb!

I have been listening to the Diamond Center Channel speaker for several weeks and have been very pleased with it's performance. Excellent voice reproduction with television and DVD's. What has been really suprising is it's performance with music. I listen to classical, country, rock and folk music. Excellent clarity, no distortion or muddiness with these genres. Even opera, which I think is a real challenge, was accurately reproduced. My only criticism is the somewhat large, boxy appearance. Otherwise an excellent value for the price.

This Brit rocks. The most popular of all British speakers for a good reason. The quality for the money you spend cannot be beat. I got an awesome deal on Amazon ... They go for [more] now but it's still definitely worth it. The clarity and tightness of the sound is truly a thing to marvel. Play your receiver at a higher volume and there is no noticeable distortion or harshness of sound. It's smooth and genuine. The only minor issue is its size and lack of beautiful design lines. But as far as functionality goes, there's nothing to beat it.

I have been listening to the Diamond Center Channel speaker for several weeks and have been very pleased with it's performance. Excellent voice reproduction with television and DVD's. What has been really suprising is it's performance with music. I listen to classical, country, rock and folk music. Excellent clarity, no distortion or muddiness with these genres. Even opera, which I think is a real challenge, was accurately reproduced. My only criticism is the somewhat large, boxy appearance. Otherwise an excellent value for the price.

This Brit rocks. The most popular of all British speakers for a good reason. The quality for the money you spend cannot be beat. I got an awesome deal on Amazon ... They go for [more] now but it's still definitely worth it. The clarity and tightness of the sound is truly a thing to marvel. Play your receiver at a higher volume and there is no noticeable distortion or harshness of sound. It's smooth and genuine. The only minor issue is its size and lack of beautiful design lines. But as far as functionality goes, there's nothing to beat it.

This center channel really does a great job of reproducing the dialog in my home theater. It is crisp and clear sounding and works extremely well with the 602's that I have. Highly recommended for any audio/videophile.

The JBL line reflects quality, especially at the studio reference level. The S-center is reference quality, and will hold its own with any $200+ center speaker(Klipsch nips the JBL with the horn driver however if you like it LOUD..). All vocals and center stage is clear and defined, no blurring or high end loss, altho you need a subwoofer or strong front speakers to fill out the bass. I paired the JBL S-center with front JBL Century 100s(1970's era) and a pair of Yamaha (cheap) surrounds and have all the theater I need. You will need a solid set of front speakers to match the JBL S-center, or you will need to restrict the power to the JBL as it WILL make its presence heard. My listening area is 10ftx12ft so small, so I rarely stretch the JBL's audio limits. I am convinced it would hold up to a room much larger with no problem/distortion/etc. And this is the beauty of the JBL in that it is clear and responsive even at extremely low listening levels as well. If you want something loud, go with the Klipsch horn driven center. But if you listen at a lower level, the JBL is the answer. And the price is correct for a quality JBL product. Easy to connect, nice looking, solid performer, quality built in, good support from the JBL folks. Buy it.

Really great sound and a perfect match for JBL's S38's, which I got 2 pairs and use as my surrounds.

There is no need to compare. This will the the job just fine. I have been looking for a center speaker for the past 5 years. I finally found this one last year 2000. It is very clear. I always felt the center speaker was the weak link in my system. After 4 center speakers in 5 years. This is the one I really like. The one it replaced was the N-center by JBL, I had that for 2 months. I learned that one can not really test speakers at a shop (high end or low end). Its just buying and trying it at home.