jzoz01 Posted May 14, 2003 Share Posted May 14, 2003 "Tower A/B test: The JBL ND310's are a mere shadow of the SF1's. The ND310 has always sounded like a Vega to me, and it does even more so in comparison to the beautifully balanced SF2. The S312 was extremely well balanced, but the highs were much more brutal and ear-fatiguing than the SF1's. Winner: Klipsch." Are you comparing the S312s to the SF1 or the SF2? Personally I think a comparison to the SF1 is a bit unfair, there is a relatively large price difference. As far as the SF2 vs. S312 comparison goes, there are some other factors that you should take into account. First is space, the JBLs are huge compared to the quite compact synergy towers. Appearance as well, the JBLs have nothing on the clean look of the Klipschs. And last, one should take efficiency into account. The S312s are only 91 db 1watt/1meter, while the Klipsch's are 95 (I think). You'd have to pump over 100 watts to the JBLs to get what you could get from 50 watts to the Klipschs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted May 15, 2003 Share Posted May 15, 2003 I seem to have (once again) confused my model #'s - SF2/SF1 - I meant SF2, not SF1 Irregardless, the SF2 towers trounced the $600 JBL ND310's, on the strength of their overall clarity and midrange punch (especially impressive considering that the Klipsch is a 2-way system, where the JBL uses a 2-woofer, mid, tweeter setup) - and the Klipsch beat out the S312 models ($900/pr) simply because the high end response is much smoother and less ear-fatiguing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jzoz01 Posted May 15, 2003 Share Posted May 15, 2003 On your origional post didn't you state that JBL won that category or am I missing somthing here? Just trying to get your review straight. Also do they have those catalogs at the store, I'd like to have a look at one of those. I'm sure I could get one through a little tactful social engineering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jzoz01 Posted May 15, 2003 Share Posted May 15, 2003 Oh yeah Griff, I didn't mention it earlier, but although I am a die hard Klipsch fan, I have to agree with you on the sub comparison. The JBL is one hell of a sub for $600, although it seems a bit on the muddy sounding side for my taste, it moves a lot of air. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted May 15, 2003 Share Posted May 15, 2003 ---------------- On 5/15/2003 12:12:16 AM jzoz01 wrote: On your origional post didn't you state that JBL won that category or am I missing somthing here? Just trying to get your review straight. Also do they have those catalogs at the store, I'd like to have a look at one of those. I'm sure I could get one through a little tactful social engineering. ---------------- Actually, what I said was.... The S312 was extremely well balanced, but the highs were much more brutal and ear-fatiguing than the SF1's. Winner: Klipsch Anyway, Oh - as far as the SPL is concerned, my comparisons were based on equal volume level Yamaha HTR-5250 amplifiers, both at 50% volume. I heard no distinguishable volume difference between the two at that setting. The JBL S312 II towers are 92dB SPL, the SF-2's are 96. My only answer for that is simply that JBL has always set up their crossover networks to deliver as much power as possible to the woofer to balance out their ridiculously high efficiency tweeter systems. I totally agree about the mass difference. It's one of the reasons I've been entertaining ideas of moving my S38's down to my studio and going with a 4-tower SF-2 surround system in my living room. They're such a low-profile, small footprint speaker, my wife will be thrilled to see them instead of a massive JBL system as our home theater setup. That said, if you'd like to get really ***-for-tat about it, I could easily raise the point that those pure synthetic drivers in the Synergy towers are a lot more prone to dry-rot than the poly-prop reinforced drivers in the JBL units (whether Studio or Northridge series) - so unless you've got the stash to replace them on a fairly frequent basis, or you have a climate-controlled space to put them in, the Klipsch units will cost more over the long run than the JBL's... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jzoz01 Posted May 15, 2003 Share Posted May 15, 2003 Excellent rebutal. I hadn't really thought about the whole issue of the woofers. If that were to be taken into account, I don't know that the drivers in the low end klipsch's are as rigid as in the JBLs, which may sound a little less crisp. Personally I'm not that impressed with the JBLs, my roommate last school year had a pair of the ND310s in our apartment and they sounded terrible. The highs were really dull sounding and his towers seemed almost non-existant in the low end. My Klipsch bookshelves paired to a KSW150 easily outdid the much larger JBL lowers. It might have something to do with the reciever, as we never actually did a true a/b test, but I feel the klipschs would come out on top anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted May 15, 2003 Share Posted May 15, 2003 The ND310's are a really terrible speaker. Hell, most of the Northridge stuff is - although I am a fan of the N24AW's - for an outdoor speaker, they pack a heck of a punch. Biggest problem with the Northridge stuff in general is the titanium laminated tweeters. No high frequency response at all. The Studios have solid titanium tweeters - big difference. The S312's vs. the SF-2's is a fairer fight. Still, the smooth high end, trimmer profile, and cleaner look of the SF-2 (not to mention the $250 lower price point) beats the S312 solidly. As a piece-for-piece competition, the SB-2's paired with a KSW-12 honestly wouldn't hold up against a pair of S36 stacked with an S120P. That sub is a monster, and those particular bookshelves were designed specifically for home theater applications - the powerful high frequency imaging, strong midrange, and minimal bass (60Hz bottom). On the flip side of that, once again we have price point to consider - $400 a pair for S36's, $700 for the sub - the Klipsch stack is a mere $250/$500. Of course, both companies have higher end models - I'd love to hear about some heavy duty A/B comparisons between, say, Klipsch Reference vs. JBL HT - or possibly Heritage vs. TiK. I'm not sure that Klipsch has anything to go up against the Synthesis systems, but then we're talking about custom surround, complete with the engineer to tune your room and install the system for you, systems starting at $60,000. Anyone here know a retailer who carries the top-shelf Klipsch and JBL? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jzoz01 Posted May 15, 2003 Share Posted May 15, 2003 Hey griff, I just noticed I have the same SACD player as you. I got a question. Does yours seem to run a bit hot?After running mine for about 4 hours, the bottom gets incredibly hot to the touch, I was trying to figure out if that is normal. I have it fairly well ventilated, although it sits on a shelf about 6 inches directly above my reciever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted May 15, 2003 Share Posted May 15, 2003 I have mine on top of my TV, and I've never noticed a heat problem. Looking at your receiver, considering that it vents from the top, it doesn't surprise me that your Sony is a bit warm on the bottom after a few hours of that receiver venting on it. Try running the SACD without the receiver (just play some DVD's or something into your TV) and see if it still gets warm. Really there's no mechanisms on the bottom of the player to heat up - most of the guts are above the tray. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jzoz01 Posted May 16, 2003 Share Posted May 16, 2003 I just assumed that the bottom was a heat sink or something. There is a 3/4" think wood shelf seperating the amp and SACD player so I have a hard time believing it's heat transfer from the amp, but you may be right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.