Audio Systems: speakers, mirage omnisat, jm labs

Question
Kevin
I have two sets of JBL speakers 4412 and 4408. They were from my since passed father in law who was in the audio business. They should be over 10 years old, I think. The speakers sound good, and the cabinets are in decent but used condition but are also large. We are oonsidering selling them and getting a satelite system to better blend into the room. This is for our stereo not home theater
New JBL speakers appear quite expensive. Would these have value if sold
also would I be making a mistake selling these or be disapointed in the quality of sattelite sub-woofer system. We like quality but are not audiophiles
Thanks for you help
Steve

Answer
Dear Steve,

Older speakers in general have marginal resale value. There are exceptions to this, but I would think that the JBLs wouldn't be one of them.

If your objective is to install a less obtrusive satellite system, there are many satellite speakers, if wedded with a subwoofer, that would deliver excellent sound. Among these are the PSB Alpha and Image lines (www.psbspeakers.com), Mirage Omnisat (www.miragespeakers.com), and JM Labs Chorus 707 S (www.focal-fr.com). All are relatively small, and all are excellent performers. What you ultimately select would be subject to (1) your impression of their sonic qualities, (2) their appearance in your home decor, and (3) your budget. The PSB Alphas (around $250/pair) are the least expensive, while the JM Labs Chorus 707 S (around $700 a pair if I recall correctly) are very much more expensive. The PSB Images and Mirage Omnisats are somewhere in between.

I suggest you audition at least the models I've suggested (dealers can be located through their web sites), and hear how they sound with material you've selected. (Always bring your own CDs, material that you're fully familiar with, to a speaker audition--don't rely on the dealer's demo discs.) Each of the manufacturers also have subwoofers that will capture the bass that the satellites cannot.

Finally, once you've decided what to purchase, negotiate with the dealer a "no hassle return" if the speakers don't perform up to your expectations in your home. All speakers will sound different in the home compared to the dealer's showrooms, which are optimized to show off the speakers at their best--and to downplay their limitations.

Don't worry too much about electronics. So long as you're using digital source material (CDs) and solid state electronics (as opposed to tubes) with enough power to meet the minimum requirements of the speakers, electronics shouldn't make much of a difference. What you want to avoid is returning disappointing speakers and have the dealer say, "Well, what you need is a better receiver." In one of my home applications I use a 30-year-old integrated amplifier (Sansui AU-417 with 60 watts per channel RMS output) which performs equally with newer equipment.

If after auditioning, your heads are spinning, write back and I'll try and help sort out the pros and cons.

Good luck. And thanks for choosing allexperts.com!

Kindest regards,

Kevin