Anyone heard the JBL S3900?

[Grizzog]

As the title says, has anyone heard the JBL S3900?

I'm really curious about these speakers, but the only way I can hear them is to purchase them...no dealer around has them and will only bring them in on purchase.

I have the JBL 4306 and a set of Altec 19s. I love the JBL/Altec sound so I'm betting I'd like the S3900, but that's a pretty big gamble on a speaker I've never heard.

 

[twiiii]

I have heard one of the larger S4700 with the 15 inch woofer a couple years ago with the same tweeter and midrange drivers. Like all JBL's they tend to be a little to forward and bright for me. Altec model 19 and I get along pretty well, but I don't like ported bass all that much and that goes for JBL, too. As I remember the Altec is a 6 db more efficient than the JBL 3900. But the JBL with two woofers will handle more power than the Altec with significantly lower bass distortion. You may think the JBL is to dry until you get used to listening to bass with a magnitude or so less harmonic distortion than the Altec. . My hearing fails above 17 KHZ so the super tweeter doesn't show me that much . Some times I think I hear the super tweeter influence, but then I can't really say I can. I will say I much prefer the HF's of Magico, Snell and a few other speakers, but that's another totally different design and cost issue. When I choose speakers I am all about the bass below 250 hz, but if the HF's are irritating I don't care how good the bass is. I will say I have always been fond of the JBL 4435 two way speaker. Its kind of old school and the bass isn't always to my liking, but that said if I had to own a pair of JBL they would be my first choice. A Paragon with modern drivers my second with Altec 950 UHF ring radiators. They were smooth.

 

[johnlcnm]

Grizz. I have a pair of 4429s. They are pretty mellow speakers on the upper end. A lot of detail also. Looks like the uppers on the S3900 are pretty close. I can compare them with my other system which have a pair of LSR6332s. Very close in sound. The newer JBLs do not have a "horn sound", they are pretty doggone flat. The LSR series were in the Pro. line, so intended for monitor use. Check the specs on the 6332s. Look at the distortion at 93 and 112dB. I don't know if the S3900s are spec'd at those levels for distortion. In my opinion the newer JBLs are very good speakers.

 

[Grizzog]

Selling off some of my other speakers and decided to give the S3900 a try. We'll see how they are!

 

[toddalin]

Posted on the JBL forum regarding the JBL/Harbeth shootout we did a few weeks ago.

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/jbl/4.html

 

[Grizzog]

So I've had the S3900s for a few weeks now. They are absolutely fantastic. I'm using them for both music and movies, so they're being driven by a Quad Artera stereo amp and a Marantz 6011 as the pre/pro.

They aren't what most people associate with horns (bright, harsh, etc.), and are not bright at all. They are extremely smooth and yet still retain the dynamics and fast transients you expect from horns. I look forward to listening to them every day and couldn't be happier with them.

 

[johnlcnm]

I kind of figured you would be happy with the sound. I bought my 4429s unheard, and am still very happy with the sound. Also use them for home theater. No center channel required! Oh, and it took about a year to break the suspension in on the 4429s. The bass goes well into the 30s after the break in.

 

[62caddy]

FWIW - I didn't care much for the JBL S4700 I demoed several years ago.

 

[srm51555]

Will we be having a shoot out between the 3900’s and model 19’s?

 

[jdlonecactus]

Hi I looked at the jbl 3900s (entry level synthesis line) for over 2 years and couldn't find a way to hear them in AZ. I have all kinds of JBL pro gear and really like them. I finally decided to pull the trigger and got them from CO, and after a short break in I absolutely love them. I upgraded from Dahlquist DQ-20s and Thiel CS 3.6. The JBL S3900s are a revelation: Fantastic overall sound, very versatile for all kinds of music, amazing bass and overall clarity. I listen to jazz/rock/edm and hard metal (like AAL) - the best is modern music with full sound. the are also really efficient. They are a fantastic match for the Mac setup they are on: C50/MC452. It's too bad jbl somehow has the "not audiophile" reputation in USA (Japanese audiophiles have discovered them in big way for decades...).

I honestly have to laugh when I see the stuff at BB MDC - $22K for BWs, and $27K for logans, really? these are just simply way better.

 

[johnlcnm]

Same scenario here. I bought my 4429s' from Home Audio in Brighton Co. JBL is pretty much an unknown entity here.

 

[Grizzog]

I bought my JBLs from the same place. I'm still loving them.

As far as Altec 19 vs the S3900...they have a very similar tone and dynamics for days. Past that, they're pretty different. The S3900 are definitely smoother and extend further in both the bass and treble. Nothing really matches the 19s in sheer size of sound, though.