Customer Reviews

JBL 5.1 Channel SCS145.5 Surround Cinema Speaker System

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

 

 

It's a great product for the price. I have had 2 sets purchased over the last 8 years. My first was a SCS 135.5 purchased back in 2002 and other one was 145.5 purchased in 2008. In both cases, the subwoofer went bad. The speakers are still running fine from both versions but the subwoofers make loud drumming or wooing noise when powered ON. Technical support acknowledged that the amplification module in the sub has gone bad. Cost to repair this would be around $125-140. I bought a equivalent SONY SA-W2500 subwoofer from Amazon at about $85 and liking it so far.

We have these in two different rooms and have never once felt they were underpowered or unbalanced. These speakers are stealthy; they almost invisibly fill the room with crisp (but not tinny), powerful sound. If you are looking to impress people with how big your speakers are, these are not for you. If you are looking for a system to annoy neighbors in surrounding houses, you will need a bigger (10" or more) subwoofer and bigger mids.

This is my first home theater system. The speakers work great. Other then the need to switch out the stock speaker wire for something a little more hefty like say, 12 gauge, the sound quality is far more then I expected. The powered subwoofer is Ok, but I wanted something heavier - at least a 10". I got a 12", 400 watt subwoofer, and I think my neighbors don't like me anymore :) I would recommend JBL speakers over BOSE speakers any day!

I have owned these speakers for about 6 years. They are ok sounding for the price - I paid $150 for them on sale. I am not a serious audiophile. I just wanted a system that was small and unobtrusive at a low price for occasionally watching movies and listening to music. I don't use these speakers on a daily basis because I live in a small building with hard wood floors and I try to be a courteous neighbor. They are more of a "nice to have" so that goes to show you how serious I am about speaker systems.

Build quality, especially for the subwoofer, is cheap and disappointing. The wire connector inputs on the back of the sub are loose and the springs are so flimsy they don't hold the speaker wires in place. This is strange considering most people set up their subs once and don't really need to touch the speaker connections for years, yet they are in such bad shape you would have thought that I wore them out by constantly connecting and disconnecting my speaker wires.

And the subwoofer just died on me. It makes a really loud popping/knocking noise when connected under normal configuration. I have checked blogs and other review sites and the prognosis seems to be a bad amplification module. I mentioned my casual use of these speakers because even though I had them for 6 years, I didn't use them every day for 6 years. I probably didn't even get 3 years of use out of them. The sub should have lasted a lot longer!

Another reviewer here mentioned that the subwoofer died on him twice - why anyone would buy this unit a second time is beyond me - I would not purchase this system again. I think the other speakers are fine and I will continue to use them but I need to replace my subwoofer. The cost to repair is about the same as I paid for the entire unit. I doubt I will go with a new JBL sub even at the higher end because of this issue. I am leery of JBL's build quality and unsure that they can make a product that can stand the test of time.

The subwoofer died after 3 years. It started making loud clicking noises whenever it was turned on whether or not there was any input. I did not use it more than a few hours a week and never at very loud volumes as I live in an apartment.

However, the 4 satelllites and the centre speaker are still going strong. The system produces good sound considering the small size of the speakers and the subwoofer was pretty good while it lasted.

Lots of reports of a bad subwoofer. Mine too. Pain in the butt. Sounded fine but you get what you pay for. Now I gotta pay for another subwoofer. Steer clear.

I've had this speaker system for about 4 years now.. it's great, though not as loud as I would like. The sub has worked like a champ, but if you play alot of bass heavy music for long duration, it can overheat and stutter off and on. If you put a fan near the fins, this should fix the problem. I would put 5 star, if only it were a bit louder and harder hitting bass.

I've actually been thinking of replacing the sub, as that is the most underwhelming part.

...the subwoofer can be slightly weak at times. sometimes the lows coming from the sub are so incredibly deep that it hurts, but sometimes it distorts as well. i love the setup, and all the speakers, but wish it came with more flexible speaker mounts. other than that, this is a great low-priced system for any home theater setup!