JBL SCS160SI 7-Piece 150-Watt Home Theater Speaker System

by JBL

Product Details

Product Manual [129kb PDF]

• Item Weight: 41 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 53 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B0000B160U
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #126,005 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Heighten the quality and the quantity of excitement and realism delivered by your DVD player and audio/video receiver with this full-range surround-sound speaker system from JBL. The SCS160SI's quintet of satellite speakers (left/right front and left/center/right surround) and center-channel speaker fill a room with sound, while the 150-watt powered subwoofer rounds out the bottom end, delivering the floor-shaking bass supplied by a program's low-frequency-effects channel--the .1 in a 5.1- or 6.1-channel presentation.

If you don't have a 6.1-channel surround processor/AV receiver, you can store one of the satellites for later use and set it up as a 5.1 system. Many DVDs now offer 6.1 soundtracks, designed to offer a greater degree of sonic authenticity over 5.1 setups through the ability to place sounds directly opposite the TV screen (5.1 systems use only a front center-channel speaker).

All speakers are video shielded to allow distortion-free placement on or around a television, and the satellite speakers may be mounted on optional stands, shelves, or the wall (via supplied wall-mount brackets). JBL recommends powering the satellites with 10 to 100 watts per channel--that's enough to enjoy exciting home-theater sound, but those seeking bigger thrills will want larger amplifiers and heavier-duty speakers.

Each satellite houses a 3-inch driver and a 1/2-inch titanium-laminate dome tweeter and the center-channel uses the same transducers as the satellites for seamless blending, but has two midrange drivers for extra power and clarity, since the center channel carries up to 70 percent of a film's sound (including most dialogue). The ported subwoofer uses a large, 10-inch woofer for subterranean bass down to around 30 Hz.

The subwoofer offers versatile hookup options: you can feed it a dedicated LFE signal from your compatible surround receiver; you can feed it left/right stereo outputs from an extra pair of audio outs on your receiver or integrated amplifier; or you can wire it directly inline with two of the supplied satellite speakers or even your existing left/right stereo speakers (JBL provides speaker wire for this purpose, and the detailed instruction book describes the precise hookup procedure).

What's in the Box
Five satellites, a center-channel speaker, a powered subwoofer, five speaker-mounting brackets (the center-channel is meant to rest on your television), requisite speaker cabling, and a user's manual.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars awesome package, April 22, 2004

By 

Adam Green "Tator Salad" (Leawood, KS United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: JBL SCS160SI 7-Piece 150-Watt Home Theater Speaker System (Electronics)

got a great price for these speakers off of one of amazon.com's merchants, only $300 plus $30 shipping and handling. they work great, sound fabulous and these are the best priced/quality you can get for a stylish 6.1 small speaker package. I'm in heaven... for music, they sound fine, (i don't know what other people are talking about when complaining), and for movies...they are perfect...anyway, isn't that why you'd buy a 6.1 speaker package, for surround sound???..i mean they are called cinema series speakers, that is what they are made for. oh my, and i just got a new yamaha reciever on in addition to these. i am a one hundred percent satisfied customer.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great set, July 23, 2004

By 

Dennis Webb (Glendale, AZ United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: JBL SCS160SI 7-Piece 150-Watt Home Theater Speaker System (Electronics)

I got these baby's for free from Best Buy when I bought a 65 inch TV. I have been using some old KLH speakers for my surround sound (hooked up to a Sony 500 watt receiver). I was hesitant to replace my beloved KLH's (front were towers with 2 10 inch woofers). But I figured I would give it a shot, and wow, these baby's can sing! The sub puts out good bass and complements the surrounds very well. I have been impressed with these little guys! The guy at the best buy store demonstrated these for me, right next to a Bose set (that was more than 2x the cost), and they actually sounded better. My only wish is that the front center channel speaker was a little larger, but I do not know why because it sounds fine (I guess I am just used to my old big KLH center).

13 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Sound But Design Problems, October 23, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: JBL SCS160SI 7-Piece 150-Watt Home Theater Speaker System (Electronics)

I have these speakers for use as the left/right rear and center rear of a surround sound system which includes Wharfdale 8.3 speakers in the front and center roles.
The sound seems to be fine and they are well made. I have two reasons why I can't recommend them tho:

They really aren't powerful enough to fit in a system that includes bigger front speakers. The 8.3s drown them and they aren't monster speakers by any stretch. I have tried all of the settings.suggestions on my excellent Yamaha Amp to redress this without success. Any suggestions JBL? Anyone?

The product specific speaker stands are poorly designed. The stands and poles look cool but the specifically designed cable clips are flimsy and fall off at the slightest provocation. A redesign to use a tubular support which the cable can go inside would be desirable. Be aware than these speakers are not compatable with any other generic speaker stand.