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Modern JBL S38 vs Vintage JBL L100, 4311, and Similar Other JBLs

E

EscapeVelo

Charleston, SC
Modern JBL S38 vs Vintage JBL L100, 4311, and Similar Others


I am wondering if anyone has experience with both of these speakers.

I am interested in a horizontal oriented speaker like this, and the JBL L100s seem a treet. However, they also command a pretty penny.

I would prefer the vintage speaker for use with my vintage gear, and the JBLs if Im correct were the studio monitors used for recording, mixing, and mastering in studios in the 70s so that would give them an edge on 70s era rock and roll.

However the inline vertical orientation of the S38s mids and tweeters would seem to be better for imaging. The L100 and 4311 have strange orientations. The Pioneer and Sansui and Kenwood speakers from the era with multiple drivers in parallel and horizontal to each other in the box seem strange as well. Id like to hear some to size them up with regards to imaging.

Anyways seeking comments on these topics.

Thanks!

JBL S38 in Stereophile Mag 2001
 
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None of the above IMO, L112, L96, 4313b, L80t, L100ts (or t3s) 0r 4408s, 4410s, or 4412s are the best JBLs in the under 500 bracket that I have heard.
 
The Studio and Control Monitors of the '70's and '80's are certainly a different speaker than the S38. The L100 was not a Studio Monitor but a consumer offering, also. There are control monitors of that vinatge that can be horizontally mounted. I had a pair of 4313's that had been used like this.
 
I've heard all of the speakers you speak about.

The S38 is a fine speaker, my cousin has a pair, powered by a Sansui Eight Deluxe Reciever.

Truthfully, the S38 will not sound as authorative in the lower registers, as any of the JBL's that used a 12" Bass Driver.

The JBL S38 sort of reminds me of a poor man's ProAc SC-1s speaker, in that the sound is very nice, but one has to be realiztic that they won't do earth shattering bass, unless complimented with a good Sub.

The S38 seems to sound good placed either way. Another plus, or minus, whichever way you choose to look at it, is that the S38 has no L-Pads. This means whatever sound comes from them, you live with, or the only other option of fine tuning their sound is by tone controls via a pre-amp circuit.

They are a solid speaker, a rap on the enclosure prooves they are a well damped enclosure. Sound is smooth, detailed, but not a raspy, or shrill speaker. Very well balanced, and attractive.
 
Thanks for the list and the info.

Ill probably stick with targeting a vintage set of JBLs.

The S38 is/was intriguing though. Was this series of JBL well liked?
 
Markd51,

Yeah well any 8" woofer job is going to disappoint when pitted against larger woofers.

I love the 6" to 8" woofer and tweeter 2 way combo though.
 
Don't get me wrong the S38 is supposed to be nice but as a consumer model the build quality and ability to do high volumes cleanly is not not going to match the 44xxs or 4313b IMO. If you were talking about an expensive modern JBL studio monitor that will likely kick them all to the curb but at a price.
 
4411, 4412 and/or 4412A were intended for horizontal use. L112 and L96, not so much, though they are called "bookshelf" systems. Any of these are far superior to the 4311/L100 types and often sell for less (for no good reason).

Disregarding the horizontal requirement, the L5 and L7 provide the best bang for the buck in the under $500 JBLs, IMHO.

The original S38 is preferable to the later S38II, if you can find them.
 
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Appels to apples an S38 is nice but for about 90 bucks or so you could get a pair of L60t's. Just found a mint pair w/boxes and manuals for that!:thmbsp:

12" class JBL's are a different all together. :yes:

And yes the L5 and L7's kick big butt!!

Another thought is to look for a pair of LSR 32's for your horizantal allignment.
 
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I still remember lusting after the JBL S38's when I was in high school. Those beech cabinets with copper-colored drivers had me drooling. Fast-forward 10 years, and I now own a pair. They sound far better than they have a right to, especially given their price on the used market (I think I paid $100 for mine).

These are not the be-all and end-all of loudspeakers, but what they do, they do well. They play loud without breaking up, and have a somewhat forward presentation. They are a good speaker for almost anything, but are very much at home belting out Eagles - Get Over It at high volumes.

I've owned L100's, and (in my opinion), what you give up in bass with an 8" woofer, you gain in a far better musical presentation overall. I can't comment on how the S38 compares to the other JBL's, but for $100 used you'd be hard-pressed to find a better do-everything speaker that is just fun to listen to.
 
Inspiribomb said:
I still remember lusting after the JBL S38's when I was in high school. Those beech cabinets with copper-colored drivers had me drooling. Fast-forward 10 years, and I now own a pair. They sound far better than they have a right to, especially given their price on the used market (I think I paid $100 for mine).

These are not the be-all and end-all of loudspeakers, but what they do, they do well. They play loud without breaking up, and have a somewhat forward presentation. They are a good speaker for almost anything, but are very much at home belting out Eagles - Get Over It at high volumes.

I've owned L100's, and (in my opinion), what you give up in bass with an 8" woofer, you gain in a far better musical presentation overall. I can't comment on how the S38 compares to the other JBL's, but for $100 used you'd be hard-pressed to find a better do-everything speaker that is just fun to listen to.
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I own a pair of S38's, and you are right on point about them, the only thing that does not sound good through them is badly mastered music.:thmbsp:
 
I concur. I cannot stop listening to the s38 since I got them. However they appear to be quite amp sensitive. Receivers with more of a bass heavy sound that sound warm with smaller bookshelf speakers will make the s38 sound boomy but underpowered receivers really make them sound rather poor. It seems to take some power to get the midrange driver really going. These s38 are just excellent.
 
BMWCCA said:
This thread revived itself nearly 11-years to the day of its last activity. There has been a more recent thread on these, too.
https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/jbl-s38-wow.850666/

I have over a dozen JBLs and these will hold their own with many of the classics. Glad to have them but prefer the L5, L7, 4412, L112, etc, some of which can be bought for the same short money.
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Where I live unfortunately the afformentioned models can sell for 3-4x the cost of the s38 so quite happy with the s38. Cannot emphasize enough how much the amp makes a difference with these. More than any of my other speakers. Sounds like a different speaker depending on the amp
 
I have a chance to get a pair of 4408a in good condition for 300CAD. How would the 4408a compare to the s38?
I really appreciate the s38.
 
Some more info about the S38 that I didn't share before.

One, to clarify, these speakers were made in Northridge CA, not Asia, or Mexico.

Another quality I understand about the S38, is that the Speaker is supposedly magnetically shielded so should be fine near video monitors.
 
Don't forget its outdoor sibling the S36AW too (also sold under the AudioAccess brand). It's one of the better outdoor speakers I have heard and I wish I had bought more before they closed them out.

Jblnut
 
Have had the s38s now for almost a year and they are excellent for almost any type of music. Of course amplifier and the room make a difference as with any speakers. Like these speakers more every day and I have many speakers. They beat my bw ,600 series small towers in my living room. Very impressive
 
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