JBL Upgrade Question

[mr. grieves]

I'm on a VERY limited budget here but I have the opportunity to upgrade my meager HT setup. I have JBL all around but my center and rears are of very poor quality. I have a chance to upgrade to the JBL N Center and N26s which I would use as rears for around CAN$220 (used of course). I've never heard these speakers and they are obviously models from a couple years ago so don't know where I can try them out.

I have read a few threads where people claim the Northridge II series is a great improvement - does this imply that the original series is poor in comparison?

In any event, is the price above a good deal for the 3 speakers in good functional and cosmetic condition?

Thanks for any help.

[pelly3s]

if you wanna upgrade your mains and stay JBL find some used 4425's or 4430's.

[mr. grieves]

Thanks for the tip, I will keep my eyes open. I am satisfied with my mains at the moment, it's just my center and rears that are too terrible to live with anymore. I'm also not particularly partial to JBL - it's just that my main speakers are JBL so I figured it was best to stick with JBL for the center especially. I was just wondering if anyone had an opinion on the price I mentioned above for those three speakers and if anyone had listened to them before.

[mr. grieves]

If anyone has any input on the price I quoted above for the N-center and N26s or if anyone has experience with these speakers and would like to share I would appreciate it.

[mr. grieves]

Ok, since nobody seems to have any input on these issues perhaps someone could answer this question:

Does the type of enclosure have a profound effect on the sound quality of a speaker?

My mains are in a wood enclosure but the Northiridge speakers are in a "high-impact molded enclosure". I already notice a difference in sound quality between my front speakers and my current wood-enclosed JBL center but I think that is due to the significant difference in quality between the speakers.

Thanks in advance for any help.