JBL SCS120 Simply Cinema System.

Manufacturer: JBL Consumer Products, 80 Crossways Park West, Woodbury, NY 11797; 503/366-4525

Price: $1,600

Source: Manufacturer loan

Reviewer: David M. Doll

I have some older JBL satellite speakers that are slightly larger than a brick and twice as heavy. I've been more than satisfied with their performance in various applications. When the SCS 120 Complete Home Cinema Speaker System with powered subwoofer arrived, I was nonplussed by the slim, seemingly featherweight, speakers packed with the subwoofer. Could such light, fragile-looking enclosures provide suitable sound for front, center, and surround sound when handling full bodied cinema sound? Could I live without my reference speakers during an extended test period? Would I be disappointed and disillusioned at the home theater in a box provided by JBL?

A little perspective. Our new puppy is an incredibly gawky German Shepherd. After the fourth time she sent a speaker careening to the floor, I decided that the little JBLs were not as frail as they looked. When she knocked one on my foot, I was glad they weren't heavy as rock and solid as a brick. The light weight clearly isn't at the sacrifice of stability, ruggedness, or performance. The metal mesh baffles don't show so much as a scratch and the sound is still clean and clear.

The system JBL sent me has white front and surround speakers with a dark gray center speaker (to better match most TV sets). These units can be mounted on walls or placed on shelves, Indeed, these are shelf speakers that can be put on shelves -- a rare and remarkable phenomenon.

The powered subwoofer is solid and works well in a modest space. It doesn't thump and thunder like the M&K THX-certified subwoofer, but then that beast costs about what the entire SCS120 array sells for. With the bass directed to the subwoofer, the satellite speakers are free to concentrate on the midrange and treble frequencies and do so quite effectively. I find the bass adequate but not quite hefty enough to compress the chest when the cannons fire in Gettysburg, The Movie. Still, I haven't heard a single complaint from my wife or the dogs and the puppy had nightmares after Jurassic Park. The matching speakers for all five speaker positions make for nicely balanced Dolby surround sound with the center channel providing solid dialogue reproduction. Noel Coward's Las Vegas CD called attention to itself in the upper register. But I haven't heard the problem since and suspect wither that I was pushing the speakers just a bit or that my aging ears were so clean that I heard stuff that in normally beyond my ken.

I have been quite happy with opera and symphonic music and the heavy metal auditor assures me that the sound is so mellifluous that he uses digital heavy metal to keep the dogs calm and quiet while he babysits them in my absence. He has the best ears in the house and even with his exotic tastes, his endorsement suggests that the SCS 120 speakers are clean and free from disturbing peaks or valleys.

In a crowded field, JBL has more than one entry, but the SCS 120 represents solid value for the money and a performance that does credit to the JBL logo, which we graybeards have reason to respect. I wouldn't suggest using the SCS 120s in a 20'x 40' home cinema, but in a moderate-sized conventional home theater (a.k.a. the family living room) these speakers are fine performers.

If money isn't a major factor, I'd lean toward the Atlantic Technology THX system even though it comes in more than one box. There are other attractive and decent boxed systems but the combination of solid performance and the JBL logo along with the remarkably sturdy but light enclosure get my endorsement as a Sensible choice. -- DMD