JBL HLS Center Channel Speaker: The Center of Your Home Theater
Written: Mar 16 '00 (Updated Feb 04 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Tight and precise imaging. The voicing is full and musical throughout the low-to-high range.
Cons: Reputation for a narrow sweet spot in larger rooms; I haven't noticed that problem.
The Bottom Line: The center-channel speaker is the cornerstone of the front soundstage in your 5.1 circuit, so don't compromise. The JBL HLS center is no compromise.
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| m001's Full Review: JBL S-Center Center Speaker |
Preemptory note: This review was updated in February, 2002. This unit, as far as I know, and according to the JBL webpage, is no longer available.
The center channel speaker may be the most important speaker in your home theater circuit, and the one you should ought to (proportionately) invest the most in--a lousy center will ruin your surround sound, and your day. The JBL HLS center is an excellent performer which provides accurate, crisp imaging and which will really bring your 5.1 soundtracks to life.
Sound reproduction is outstandingly crisp and punchy, exactly what I look for in a speaker voice for digital movies. Imaging precision is very good, and vocal tracks are really anchored to the center of the home theater. I use KLH 900Bs in the front in a moderate-to-large living room, of uneven parallelogram design, and have no difficulty with voice-matching across the front of the soundstage.
JBL has a winning product here. Audition this against comparable price-point brands (e.g., Infinity, Polk) and you'll find that the HLS series stands up to, and often exceeds, its competition.
Enjoy...
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
m001
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Location: NYC, New York
Reviews written: 151
Trusted by: 43 members
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