Home > Consumer Reviews > JBL ES25CBK 3-Way Dual 5 1/4" Center Channel Speaker - Black

I could have not been more pleased with this speaker. I first listened to them at a local frys electronics and the range and depth just simply amazed me, thanks amazon! The vocals were very crisp and strong, its like i had the person speaking in front of me. The voice reproduction is pretty much spot on. I was able to find deals on pretty much a complete set of the ES series speakers here on amazon.
I currently have
ES90 - mains
ES25C - center
ES150P - woofer
ES20 - bookshelfs

Together the set provides a complete range of sounds that pretty much covers all ranges of audio from music to HD surround sound formats. I highly recommend any speaker in this series. As always I reccomend that you hear them first as not everyones ears are as finely tuned as some. :)

The first one I received had a broken woofer in it that sounded terrible. A quick replacement from Amazon, though (thanks Amazon!) resolved the issue. Although the woofers are smaller than those found in the rest of the ES series, there are two of them and together, they produce enough volume that voices end up on the screen rather than to the sides.

Although it's wedge shaped, legs on it are adjustable to the top can be flattened for placing items on it.

I have a full JBL surround as far as speakers, and I've always just used the TV as center. I bought a Harman Kardon receiver last October and the processing delay no longer allowed for that set-up. I borrowed my roommates JVC center speaker to do the job and it sounded decent. It's a nice speaker, but it just didn't blend or match. I did some research and went to the local Fry's and listened to a few and settled on this JBL, came home and ordered it for 1/3 the price off Amazon.
I didn't realize what I was in for till it arrived and I opened it up. Like everything else, it's bigger once you get it home and where it's going to go. I hooked it up and WOW!! The voices got so much more full and rich with their range and filled the room much much better. Add to this, I can no longer sit and close my eyes and pick out where each front speaker is and which one the sound is coming from. It all blends into a seamless wall of sound like it should! I guess I didn't realize how important the center channel was and am very very happy with this one.
If you're looking for a full range and powerful center speaker with excellent sound/detail reproduction, this one will definitely do the job. However, I must express the importance of matching up with your existing speakers for a seamless sound. Not necessarily by brand, but by ability and size. This would be way too much speaker if you just have a couple little satellites or tiny bookshelf speakers for your front. If you have full range speakers for your front channel's, this will compliment extremely well.
I also just want to add how well the directional reproduction in the room is with center and with the JBL Balcony Series that I'm running for the side channels. They were definitely a great addition as well and pair up with the crisp highs this center puts out to really give the room a true 3D sound quality. I've put in and cranked up a couple concert DVD's and watched a few live concerts on the Palladia Channel HD (digital sound feed) at close to full volume, and I must say that it sounds so good that I really feel like I'm at the concert!! (Even waking up with the foggy-head and ear-ringing till noon the next day).
I consider myself an audiophile. I've owned Carver and Bang & Olufsen through the years. (I justified a set of B&O ear buds for $200 without blinking an eye.) I personally will say that this is an awesome center, and for it's price point and sound quality it earns high marks for it's performance within my set-up. I'd say it's totally worth the $400 that Fry's wanted for it, and that the $160 I got it for on Amazon was a steal!!

I've had a couple of JBL bookshelf speakers for 30 years. They have beautiful walnut cabinets. Except for some deterioration of the foam around the cones in the bass speakers, which I had replaced, they have always delivered great sound without any problems. I also have a pair of JBL speakers that are recessed into the ceiling as rear speakers for a surround system.

I upgraded my home theater experience recently with a new Samsung LCD TV and Denon A/V Receiver, using HDMI cables (from Monoprice- saved a bundle). I decided to add a center channel speaker and a subwoofer to round out my 5.1 system. I opted for JBL to do the job. I wasn't disappointed! Although the speakers don't have the walnut cabinets that my older pair do, the new speakers have a durable feel and look- being heavier than they would appear to be. The sound is fantastic, with my wife, children and I noticing when a low bass is used in a movie to convey suspense, due to the sub-woofer. Music is crisper and more dramatic. Video games are more immersive. You can feel the sound! Hook-up was easy. Highly recommend. Much better than the speakers that come with flat panel TV's these days.

This is a great speaker that is worthy of the JBL name. Great power, great clarity, great sound reproduction, great high and low frequency.