Customer Reviews

JBL Encounter 2.1 Multi Media Speaker System

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

my girlfriend found this system on sale locally and bought it on the spot. i met her at her place, hooked it up to her ipod and before the first song was over i already had my money in hand, walking to the car so i could get myself a set. This setup is a great addition to any computer. I was planning on buying an altec lansing speaker setup, and i've been a JBL car audio amplifier user for years. I love the quality products that Harman Kardon puts out (within reason, none of the 20 dollar systems) and this is no exception. I first thought my system didnt sound as good as my gf's setup, but after a little playing around I came to realize that the fuzzy, overwhelming bass and poor vocal reproduction was actually caused by the fact that my computer's integrated sound card is not good enough to utilize the full potential of these speakers. I'm actually listening to the setup right now with my ipod, and I have to say, it's some of the clearest music you could ever ask for no matter what your taste-rap to classical, it's wonderful. The satellite speakers are so clear that you can actually hear slight breaths and the vibrations of the guitar strings on professionally recorded tracks that you simply would never hear on a standard speaker system. as you can see, I gave it a 4 out of 5. at higher levels the system can become slightly distorted, but that is the nature of any speaker system. I'm a professional car audio expert, and i can tell you that these are, by no measurable margin, worse than any comparable product on the market.
my only real complaint is that sometimes the touch pad volume controls stop working. that's happened about 3 or 4 times over the last 2 months that i've had it, but a simple connection check fixes the problem. The sub is mounted in my foot area, so I may be causing the problem, but i thought it was worth noting.

These speakers deliver superb sound. I mean SUPERB! It is just crystal clear. Plus it has really nice bass, and an excellent subwoofer. I don't know what people have been saying about rattling or buzzing, because I have experienced none.

Look, these speakers are magnificent. First of all, they have an amazingly attractive look. Second, but most importantly, they produce amazing sound. The sound quality in these speakers is superb! They have a very crisp and balanced sound with amazing depth. This is a great system for a reasonable price. I listen to them at my friend's house all the time and I've never been disappointed. They're fine for pretty much any genre. From my experiences with them, I've never heard any rattling from the subwoofer (which some people claim). That would be caused by blasting and overloading the speakers (which many people do without realizing it). Also, make sure the equalizer for an iPod, laptop, or CD player is turned off. That will cause a powerful car-woofer bass which overloads speakers (which could cause rattling) and really irritates me! Make sure you don't bang them around which might also be the cause of rattling due to damage. Overall, I'd highly recommend these. I listen to a lot of Pink Floyd (which requires high end sound due to the music detail) and I'm picky about my sound when I listen to them. JBL, you've done it again.

I love to listen to music and my I Mac, itunes and these speakers have become the dominant source of sound in my home. The sound produced by this system for a wide range of music and the small investment required to make them yours is a no-brainer! I have listened to them now for about 2 months with no regrets - would highly recommend them.

I looked around computer speakers. I was gonna try to stay with JBL. After about 2 months of reading reviews and ckecking out demos i went with the encounters. My girlfriend has the "JBL creatures" I liked those too but i thought over all sound with with these encounters Now your not gonna shake the floor or knock pictures off the walls. But for computer speakers they really throw out some sound. The only reason why i didnt rate this with 5 stars is that when you have them all the way up, the sub does fine but i think is steals power from the left and right. I wanna say that when i put my ear close the speaker i can hear volume drop...In all honesty ive only maxed it out three times. ide buy them again

This is one of the coolest systems available for a college student. The music fills space beautifully and clearly and is easy to carry around. Don't be deceived, the woofer is a lot bigger than it looks in the picture. Best system for the money. Period.

[edited Dec 2009]
Upon further review... the system is still good. I had it for 1 year and something broke -- I sent it back and JBL fixed it for free (minus shipping cost for me, around $30). The only thing negative I have to say about this system is that the longer I have had this the less it feels like a real true fidelity sound system. The highs are great (if too loud, can start buzzing a little though), the lows are decent (depending on where you put the woofer), but the mids are pretty flat. There just isn't a whole lot of warmth or juice to the sound -- it ends up sounding very clean and crisp, but lacks in smoothness. Not an audiophile system by any stretch, but still is a great college system.

a great speaker system for the Mac... the beauty is not just skin deep, it sounds as good as it looks. Use the Mac itunes equalizer to fine tune the sound to your individual taste.

I like all kinds of music including classical, and this system is one of the best 2.1 multimedia audio systems out there. One day I was at Best Buy, like I am on many days, and just happened to be cruising through the multimedia audio systems for computers. After trying them all, including ones that cost allot more, I found that this one had the best sound even over a similar Bose system. After taking it home and taking 10 minutes to set it up, which was extremely easy to do since they make plugging the thing in dummy proof, it took another 2 minutes to tweak the EQ in Windows Media Player and I was set. I tried many types of music everything from Pink Floyd to club and dance and was not disappointed throughout the entire range of my music collection. Including the classical music which I had noticed things that I had never noticed before; things like people breathing, pages turning, and valves clicking on woodwind instruments. The sheer clarity and presence, not to mention the sheer range of the frequency response from the most kinetic of highs to the deepest rumblings of lows. Being a professional audio technician myself I believe you cant get a much better sound for the price, by the way I bought mine two years ago as an open box item for $80.

These are some of the best speakers i've ever owned. you can play the ipod really loud with this without distortion. i especially like the subwoofer and the sleek design...

i WENT TO THE APPLE STORE TO BUY A NICE PAIR OF SPEAKERS FOR MY IPOD WHEN I RAN INTO THIS DEEP BASS DRUMMIN MULTIMEDIA MUSIC SYSTEM...BOYS' IT GOOD! aWESOME bASS...jUST HOW I LIKE MY MUSIC, LOW AND BASSY! cOOL DESIGN....
aWESOME