Speakers Reviews

My wife and I bought our 602s before Amazon carried them from a local hi-fi shop. We actually took the 602s and a few other pairs home to test out over a few days in our house. First off, every pair of speakers we took home sounded good in the store. We spent a few hours there listening to music and DVDs to get an idea of what we liked. When we got home, we quickly found that some speakers were so accurate that you could start to hear the short comings in our own equipment. I didn't think my $400 receiver was bad until I had some $900 speakers hooked up. Ouch!

I would strongly urge anyone considering B&W speakers to listen to them personally first. No matter how good speakers are rated, personal preference should guide your final decision. That said, B&W should definately be on your list especially if you're buying your first set of "real" speakers.

When I stepped into an audio store, I said show me all your speakers that are under $500/pr. What I found was pure clearity, superb hi treble and an accurate mid-range. B&W602 there is nothing like it, it sounds great for all types of music. But when it comes to hard beats from rap to heavy metal you will need a subwoofer to get that thundering bass sounds. But why kill your ear drums? B&W602 produces all the sounds that you expect to hear right from the recording studio. While many others speakers under $500 simply loose or degrade certain tones.

Also I would like to add that the parts they've included are excellent (they didn't stop half way). The cone material is made from bullet proof vests and the connectors are gold plated!

Very clean and crisp sounding speakers. I have them hooked up to a Toshiba SD-3109 DVD Player and Sony STR-DA50-ES Receiver. The sound is incredible. I just sit back and savor the listening experience.

If you look for a hassle free system that doesn't add yet another button to push in your home audio/video system - this is it. Once this system is connected it sits idle behind the scene until a signal is on one of the four inputs. When it awakes you will be impressed by the quality of the sound and the volume of the bass.
ESC333 doesn't feature a DTS decoder, but full fledged Dolby Digital 5.1, and this for a lot less than the bigger brother ESC340.
Just the right system for the casual surround sound user as well as the connoiseurs.

I bought it straight when I got my new apartment and have it installed with stands and wall mounts. IT WAS AWESOME for speakers this size . The ONLY thing I could fault was the lack of DTS and upgradeability, especially with the introduction of surround-ex to consumer electronics.

The suround speakers may be a little short if you intend to lay through walls and cornices .

Altogether, it's a great fuss-free home cinema-in-a-box for home theatre beginners. If you think that those from Sony and Panasonic beat this because of a lack of DVD-player then you're mistaken ........

Since there's not much info on this system out there, I'll try to give some longer review as well as telling you what I think. As for exact technical data here are some specs:

Amplifier: 200 watt total
(YES! The AMP is built in, don't go buying a seperate one unless you want DTS or so)
System output front channels 35 Watts x 3 @ .1% THD
Surround channels 15 Watts x 2 @ .1% THD
Sub-Woofer 65 Watts x 1 @ .1% THD
System Frequency Response: 35 Hz-20 kHz (-6dB)

Signal To Noise Ration: 90 dB
Input Impendance: 20k Ohms
Input Sensitivity: 400mV
Auto turn-on Sensitivity: 2mV/Channel
Subwoofer Dimensions/mm: (HxWxD): 384x330x368
Weight: 15.7 kg
Satellites Dimensions/mm: (same): 111x81x95
Weight: 0.45 kg/each

It's got all the 5.1, Dolby Digital etc except DTS..

The system in incredible. And it is built for the person who wants a very good system, that looks good and don't really want 400 buttons on the remote (but still wants to be able to adjust where sound comes from etc). I hooked this up to my Toshiba SD1200 DVD and my Toshiba Supertube 36" tv. Wow. I put in a 5.1 surround digital movie, Top Gun, and damn! I heard the plane from left to right etc, the base was so heavy from the engines of the planes that I had to run outside to see if it was too loud (was fine). I could feel it push the hairs around on my arms. I tried some other movies for sound variation. Matrix, shells dropping in my right ear and explosions from the front left and the subwoofer roaring out that deep base from the music. I was just all smiles. Shakespeare in love, great deep music from everywhere, Radiohead - The Bends (music cd in stereo) - awesome, I can see why they're releasing 5.1 cd's now. So as for sound, it's absolutely amazing, and I live in an apartment so it's more than enough for that.. The balance between base, treble and everything is good. I didn't need to do much except lower the base so I don't get evicted.

Installation was easy, long good cables, and extremely simple manual (didn't really need it). The system automatically senses the signal and sets the modes automatically, and it will power up without pressing the power button when it senses a signal. Auto powers down after 5 minutes when there's no signal (so once it's set up, throw away the remote :) ). You can adjust where sound should come from in a multiple of pre-set modes, or be exact, and adjust each speaker + subwoofer manually. Installing my DVD was one cable (optical) and tv was the other that I got with the package (analog). I had the sound running on my first try after 15 minutes. (I'm used to the 300 buttons and 30 inputs and outputs normally).

Looks: it looks good! the subwoofer is pitch black and pretty to look at with nice green/red diodes at it's top that display sound volume etc etc.. the satellites are black as well with a tiny jbl logo on them, and they're also very nice and small. The function "Late Night" is neat, as it's one click to make the system "cut out" the very loud and very base sounds.. good for 2 am movies.

Cons: Where's the headphone jack? And I'd love to be able to turn off the lights or fade them since I placed it next to my tv and the green lights are a bit too bright in darkness. However, since the remote control receiver is on a _long_ cable, I could've just hidden it completely and just have the sensor show up.. but I like to see things.

I'm giving this 5 stars, cause I love it's simplicity and power and excellent sound. You want more buttons and features just for the fun of it? buy seperate system and not an all-in one.

Unlike its little brother, the JBL S310, which is a great speaker, JBL really turned it up a level producing the high-quality, d.j.PROFESSIONAL JBL S312BE STUDIO SERIES. THIS PUTS
OUT 250 WATTS, LIKE ITS YOUNGER BROTHER, BUT MADE THE BASS 2"
LARGER, ALL BUILT WITHIN A CABINET THAT STAYS STILL AT PEAK LEVELS OF PERFORMANCES! THE HIGHS, MIDRANGE, AND BASS JUST POUND OUT SUPERB QUALITY MUSIC. The price one would need to pay
for a comparable speaker, would be hundreds more, and gain very

little quality over these monsters! Serious about music and its quality? The JBL S312 STUDIO SERIES HAS IT ALL!

Speakers sounded clear with deep bass.Blew tweeter before first year was up ,have a relativly high powered system (within rec specs).After placing order 4 months ago I am still waiting for part from jbl.Owned several types of jbl's including L100Ts and s -412's and loved them all.FOLLOW UP-for do it your selfers when ordering a replacement part from jbl a copy of the reciept is needed.after misunderstanding on my part cleared up customer service was outstanding.

Not only do I own a pair of these great speakers, but I also decided to build my home theater system around them. I have the S38's for surround, the S-Center speaker and not one but two PB12 subwoofers (I like a lot of bass)! Action, science fiction and horror movies are truly brought to life with these speakers. My CD collection has never sounded better. I have a Sony receiver rated at 120 watts per channel and so far I have not been able to turn it up even half way, that's how efficient these speakers are! So, if you want to rock the floors and walls, put a permanent smile on your face, and put a frown on your neighbors faces, check these speakers out, you will not be disappointed!

Unlike its little brother, the JBL S310, which is a great speaker, JBL really turned it up a level producing the high-quality, d.j.PROFESSIONAL JBL S312BE STUDIO SERIES. THIS PUTS
OUT 250 WATTS, LIKE ITS YOUNGER BROTHER, BUT MADE THE BASS 2"
LARGER, ALL BUILT WITHIN A CABINET THAT STAYS STILL AT PEAK LEVELS OF PERFORMANCES! THE HIGHS, MIDRANGE, AND BASS JUST POUND OUT SUPERB QUALITY MUSIC. The price one would need to pay
for a comparable speaker, would be hundreds more, and gain very

little quality over these monsters! Serious about music and its quality? The JBL S312 STUDIO SERIES HAS IT ALL!

Speakers sounded clear with deep bass.Blew tweeter before first year was up ,have a relativly high powered system (within rec specs).After placing order 4 months ago I am still waiting for part from jbl.Owned several types of jbl's including L100Ts and s -412's and loved them all.FOLLOW UP-for do it your selfers when ordering a replacement part from jbl a copy of the reciept is needed.after misunderstanding on my part cleared up customer service was outstanding.

Not only do I own a pair of these great speakers, but I also decided to build my home theater system around them. I have the S38's for surround, the S-Center speaker and not one but two PB12 subwoofers (I like a lot of bass)! Action, science fiction and horror movies are truly brought to life with these speakers. My CD collection has never sounded better. I have a Sony receiver rated at 120 watts per channel and so far I have not been able to turn it up even half way, that's how efficient these speakers are! So, if you want to rock the floors and walls, put a permanent smile on your face, and put a frown on your neighbors faces, check these speakers out, you will not be disappointed!

Unlike its little brother, the JBL S310, which is a great speaker, JBL really turned it up a level producing the high-quality, d.j.PROFESSIONAL JBL S312BE STUDIO SERIES. THIS PUTS
OUT 250 WATTS, LIKE ITS YOUNGER BROTHER, BUT MADE THE BASS 2"
LARGER, ALL BUILT WITHIN A CABINET THAT STAYS STILL AT PEAK LEVELS OF PERFORMANCES! THE HIGHS, MIDRANGE, AND BASS JUST POUND OUT SUPERB QUALITY MUSIC. The price one would need to pay
for a comparable speaker, would be hundreds more, and gain very

little quality over these monsters! Serious about music and its quality? The JBL S312 STUDIO SERIES HAS IT ALL!

Speakers sounded clear with deep bass.Blew tweeter before first year was up ,have a relativly high powered system (within rec specs).After placing order 4 months ago I am still waiting for part from jbl.Owned several types of jbl's including L100Ts and s -412's and loved them all.FOLLOW UP-for do it your selfers when ordering a replacement part from jbl a copy of the reciept is needed.after misunderstanding on my part cleared up customer service was outstanding.

Not only do I own a pair of these great speakers, but I also decided to build my home theater system around them. I have the S38's for surround, the S-Center speaker and not one but two PB12 subwoofers (I like a lot of bass)! Action, science fiction and horror movies are truly brought to life with these speakers. My CD collection has never sounded better. I have a Sony receiver rated at 120 watts per channel and so far I have not been able to turn it up even half way, that's how efficient these speakers are! So, if you want to rock the floors and walls, put a permanent smile on your face, and put a frown on your neighbors faces, check these speakers out, you will not be disappointed!

JBL S310 II is truly amazing. Sound is crystal clear and the bass is very deep as well. I own two of these and I have configured these as my front left & right speakers. I am using JBL N38 II as surround left & right, which is again a very nice excellent speaker set. The Rear Left & Right speakers are JBL N-Center II speakers. The Center channel is JBL - S - Center II, this unit is very powerful and produces crystal clear dialogues, and it's a 3-way speaker system. JBL 150W PB10 Sub woofer provides the low frequency effects.

All of the above mentioned items are powered and driven by Harmon Kardon AVR 525 7.1 Receiver. Harmon international has done a great job on all of these equipment, the AVR 525 produces crystal clear sound with excellent clarity. Even though this unit produces 70W per channel, it powerful enough to make an earthquake at -10 db.

I am very happy about my investment and the quality service of Amazon and J&R store.

I have nothing bad to say about JBL. Home speakers from the company that sells speakers to concert halls, rock shows and movie theaters? c'mon, how could you not love these guys? I've got these as my mains in my house, and I nearly cried the first time I heard them. I have never heard a speaker recreate the human voice that well in a home setting. Buy these, or the S312IIs or the S38IIs or ANY JBL speaker and you will not be disappointed. No joke, I use JBLs in the studio too.

I purchased these about four months ago b/c I am an audiophile and I watch a lot of movies. They are powered by a Yamaha RVX730 receiver. The sound quality from these two guys are great, the bass is perfectly adequate and will not make the neighbors wish you never moved in. I think they are slightly better for watching movies as it sounds like you are sitting in a theatre. They seem to be a little rough with music, but that might just be my receiver. For people that are space conscious I would look elsewhere b/c the two speakers are huge. They make my TV look inferior. Overall I am very happy with the purchase and would highly recommend these to anyone looking for floorstanding speakers. Plus they look nice and sleak.

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.

These speakers are so mind-blowingly good i cant even think what to say about them. First off, they're wicked powerful. At 60 dB, (just over half their max output, which, by the way is 115dB) things are falling off the walls, the neighbors are calling the cops, parents are screaming at you, etc. I have never gotten the speakers up to their max, but i can say that a 60db, there is no distortion. Second, although they are expensive, think about what you get for your four benjamins- 5 speakers, and a sub, an amp, and a control tower. You would be extremely hard pressed to find a good home audio sub for 400 dollars- then you'd still need an amp, and other speakers, etc. So, considering what you get, the 400 dollar cost isn't really that much. The sub, conincidentally, is nice and powerful. It is also expandable. For a little more money, you can double your bass output, by buying a Klipsch SWS. There is even a port on the back of the sub to plug it into. The control tower is well designed, and gives you almost complete control over the system. The additional media plug in the control tower is nice (a standard mini-plug stereo input). It also has a headphone jack. My only problem with the control unit is that the knob sticks out like 2", which is kind of far for my tastes. The satellite speakers are well designed, and actually look pretty good. To sum things up, this system looks good, performs well, and the price is right. My only criticisms are small. It would be awesome if the speakers came with a wireless remote control. Also, at no fault of the speakers, if the speaker are still on after your computer is off, they buzz at a low volume. Now, neither of these reasons are reasons to buy anything else. Just one example of these speakers greatness before i go. Everyone has seen the scene in the "Matrix", where Neo bends backward to dodge Smith's bullet? Watching the Matrix with these speakers is the first time i have ever instinctively ducked while watching that scene. It sounded like the bullet was passing over you. Amazing. If you love good computer sound, these speakers are worth every penny.

I had a set of Promedia 5.1 speakers for a little over a year before they went out. The problem was in the amplifier, which would malfunction after a time for many users. When Klipsch became aware of this problem, they actually extended the warranty on the 5.1's to ensure that if people had this problem, their speakers would be replaced. So, let that stand as a testament to Klipsch's resolve to satisfy the customer.

Now, for the performance of the actual speakers: in summation, they are fabulous. I tested a lot of different products and read a lot of reviews before going with the 5.1's (and now the 5.1 ultra set my original speakers were replaced with). I use my speakers for music, games, and movies, with excellent results in each case. With music, I often upmix the signal to 5.1 surround, which provides a very immersive audio experience. The speakers themselves deliver very smooth, rich lows with equally impressive mid- and high-frequency response. The control panel allows the user to adjust the center, rear and subwoofer levels individually from 8 decibels less than default output to 15 decibels more than default, which is especially helpful for getting sufficient bass response at low volumes. The imaging of the speakers is excellent, with sound locations in games with EAX (or equivalent) four or five channel surround sound being accurately reproduced.
As others have said, the only drawback to these speakers is money. However, when compared to home theater systems, these speakers are a true bargain. They require no external amplification, a necessity of almost all home theater setups, and the subwoofer included is phenominal for this price range. One would be very hard-pressed to find a 200 watt subwoofer with dual 8-inch drivers for less than $400 just by itself, and this set of speakers includes just such a subwoofer along with 5 high quality satellites. Whatever your use of these speakers will entail, if you require years of satisfying audio reproduction, be it in a home office, appartment, bedroom, dorm, or otherwise, these speakers will not only meet your needs, but exceed them.

I want to confess a painful episode in my relationship with my Klipsch computer speakers, a relationship I've monogamously maintained since the 2 series.

I should admit first to being a computer gaming psycho. I have a system that's been featured in 2 gaming magazines in their "totally sick computer we'd all kill for" sections. The last profile showed my Harmon Kardon receiver and a JBL 6 speaker surround configuration. For that I'm eternally sorry.

I don't know what came over me. I guess I figured that spending 5 times as much as the 5.1 system would deliver better sound, ingender deeper jealosy, command just that much more salivation when I cranked the volume.

How wrong could one man be.

I don't know about the special horn positioning in the Klipsch, I'm not even too sure I understand what 400 watts really means in the grand scheme of things; I'm just that guy who walks into the store, says "gimme the dream system", goes home, plugs it in and expects it to be better than what it replaced. Well, in this scenario, when I cranked up the replacement to the 5.1, I was like "What the F@#$!!!".

It paled in comparison. The highs weren't the shrill "crack your eardrums" highs of the 5.1, the lows weren't the "neighbor's have been complaining, they say they hear gunfire coming from inside your home" type lows...

Needless to say, I went back to the 5.1. If you're in the market for "the best", for gaming, for MP3 listening, then you can't beat this system for the money.

I bought this system for $30, so I don't have a vested interest in it one way or another. I have owned Eminent Technology LFT VIII speakers made by Bruce Thigpen in Florida, who licensed the planar technology to Monsoon. I expected great things, as the LFT VIII's were among the best speakers I'd ever used. I was slightly disappointed, but only slightly. And my results may be in part dependent on my soundcard and computer setup, as all results are. However, I found these speakers, although reasonably accurate at the desktop level, to be slightly grainy and "digital" in presentation. The base module was the most disappointing, but considering its size, I would expect nothing else. It is small; midbass peaks are prominent, and can only be ameliorated, but not cured, by judicial use of the Media Player equalizer and SRS. In the end, a similarly priced Cambridge Soundworks Microworks, in my view and in my system, is simply better. I judge this based upon 15 years of playing in the audiophile game, with over 100k of electronics. That doesn't mean I have better ears, but it does mean I listen carefully. With the Monsoons, I hear notes, but don't get well integrated bass, or musical "sounds." With the MicroWorks, I hear a more "chimelike" sound in the sats - almost tubelike - which leads to longer listening sessions and a more satisfying musical experience. The bass is much better integrated. The Monsoons are very good - and excellent for the money - but in the end, they are perhaps too accurate a transducer. At close range, I don't want to hear digital jitter and crud; a bit of euphany is fine by me. The Monsoons don't make me want to sing and dance; they make me want to take notes about how good they are. Just not quite enough to put them over the top. But good!

When I bought a new computer several months ago, I did some research on my audio options and decided to go with Monsoon speakers. For the previous few years, I had a four speaker system that sounded OK but which provided me with ample opportunities to trip on all the cords scattered across the floor. I was leery of a two-speaker system, though, wondering how in the world it could actually simulate sounds from all directions with just two snazzy but relatively compact speakers. I was tired of tripping over wires, though, and the look and name and reasonable price of this system appealed to me, so I embraced the challenge and dreamed of being engulfed by torrential waves of glorious sound. Hooking the system up was as quick and easy as two shakes of a lamb's tail. You have the subwoofer and two speakers, and that's it. I don't have a lot of space on my desk, but the speakers easily sit on either side of my monitor, taking up little space, and my subwoofer is safely ensconced under my desk. There's a little handheld control unit for muting and adjusting the volume which I can leave dangling over one arm of my chair for easy access when needed. Best of all, there are no wires trailing across my floor to extra speakers behind me.

I am no expert on audio technology, but I can tell you the sound is excellent to my ears. It may take you a little while to get the speakers positioned perfectly, though - with this flat technology, some of the rich sound you want can go whizzing right by your ear if you don't have your speakers aligned correctly. The placement doesn't have to be absolutely perfect, though; it's not as if you have to hold your head perfectly still in order to enjoy the magic of the aural environment this system is capable of creating. As long as the speakers are pointed in your general direction, you are going to get excellent sound. The most amazing sound, though, can only be heard in the sweet spot, and fortunately it only takes a little time and adjustment to find this sweet spot and thus begin hearing your music and games in a whole new way. Songs I have listened to for years suddenly seemed brand new because I was hearing nuances I had never heard before. Game play sound is also excellent; atmospheric games are made more involving and fun than ever - those bad guys sneaking up behind you really sound as if they are sneaking up behind you. DVD sound really comes alive to help create an optimum DVD viewing experience. I love my Monsoon speaker system; it looks cool, sounds fantastic, and saves a lot of space on and around my computer table. I can't really explain how Monsoon's Planar Focus Technology creates such a rich three-dimensional sound from two speakers, but I can certainly testify to the fact that it does indeed do just that. Unless you have more money than you know what to do with, I enthusiastically recommend a Monsoon speaker system for your computer audio needs.

I first heard this set of speakers in CompUSA over a year ago. I was about three aisles away and could not believe the tremendous sound! I made an immediate purchase. I've had them ever since and still thoroughly enjoy them ! I find the base more than adaquate. A superb sound for something so little. I take them along with me when I travel and hook them to my notebook so I can share music with my friends -- they are always impressed. Great sound with DVD also.

These speakers sound excellent. They don't look like much but the sound speaks for itself. Enjoyed for a year until the speakers bunked out on me, otherwise it would have gotten ***** instead of ****.

I have had these speakers for about 4 years, I have went throught 3 motherboards, 3 hard drives, 2 processors, and two power supplies and only one set of speakers, Altec Lansing ACS45.2. These speakers are quilty made with a quilty sound. The subwoofer kicks, it has knock pitchers off the wall and the sound is very tight. These speakers may only be 2.1 but they out perform many high dollar speaker systems. If sound quilty is important to you and you don't have to have 5.1 or 4.1 speakers these speakers are what you have been looking for.

This set of speakers are the greatest for the price. They deliver high quality sound and the woofer hits very hard. For [price] you couldnt find a better set of speakers. I have knocked pictures off of the wall downstairs with the volume maxed out. I took this set and wired them into my TV and use them as surround sound. If you are thinking about buying them, go on its a good buy.