Heard a Revel and JBL Synthesis for the first time: F208, F228Be, 4367. A surprise for sure!

[Newman]

He once saw someone playing vinyl through a horn.

OMG!!!!!!

And it was me!!!!

 

[Sokel]

Classical orchestral or opera are difficult to get right with horns, and it is something I've struggled to get right. The way I've addressed it is that in my active crossover system I have a variable 'voicing' EQ which can be easily adjusted for different recordings and music types (the range of curves from REW - at the listening position -are below). Expecting a large horn speaker such as a Klipsch or JBL to sound right with something like an opera is just not going to happen most of the time unless you're lucky. Classical recordings vary widely, especially in the pickup of the violins which can sound strident even with a conventional speaker, but especially with an aggressively midrange-forward voiced horn, and that typifies Klipsch, JBL and others I'm sure.

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My take (not of significant value) is that there's not many things missing with nice big horns (I mean big).

I have the chance to listen to them all the time (my best friend) at all volumes and with complex classical material.

It's fun but is accurate too,never felt bored or left with tiring feeling.

 

[Newman]

Obviously I'm an idiot, since I disagree with you. What is it about horns that brings out this kind of rudeness?

What makes you think I am anti-horn? Did you not notice half an hour ago I was defending them against criticism by your new pal ‘MMV’. You need to pick your alliances more carefully.

 

[fpitas]

What makes you think I am anti-horn? Did you not notice half an hour ago I was defending them against criticism by your new sweetheart ‘MMV’. You need to pick your alliances more carefully.

Uhm...thanks for the advice

 

[MakeMineVinyl]

My take (not of significant value) is that there's not many things missing with nice big horns (I mean big).

I have the chance to listen to them all the time (my best friend) at all volumes and with complex classical material.

It's fun but is accurate too,never felt bored or left with tiring feeling.

What brand and model are they?

 

[Bleib]

My impression is that Revel tries for complete neutrality, I'm not sure JBL does that. A slightly elevated treble perhaps? Which of course can sound better but in the long run can be infuriating.
Note: I have not heard either of them

 

[Sokel]

What brand and model are they?

Blumenhofer DV3 (I had to call him for the model,is somewhat custom if I got it right)

 

[MakeMineVinyl]

Blumenhofer DV3 (I had to call him for the model,is somewhat custom if I got it right)

Yup, they're super big. Honest question though - would they be your first choice of speaker if you listened to classical exclusively?

 

[Sokel]

Yup, they're super big. Honest question though - would they be your first choice of speaker if you listened to classical exclusively?

(I almost do listen to classic exclusively)
Depends,I can't say yes or no.
Some plays are super fun,big brasses sound real,swan lake it's an absolute pleasure.Males tenors too,females though sound a little bigger than in my setup.
Big loud passages though are pure force.
(and way too expensive for me )

 

[GXAlan]

My impression is that Revel tries for complete neutrality, I'm not sure JBL does that. A slightly elevated treble perhaps? Which of course can sound better but in the long run can be infuriating.
Note: I have not heard either of them

The elevated treble is not really seen in measurements. The biases of West Coast sound are just biases* (when looking at modern JBLs).

I think a key difference is avoiding compression at high SPLs even if this can introduce some distortion. To get low distortion and high SPLs, you need to get into the K2, 4365, Everest line of gear. The 4367 is exceptional but the Revel Salon2 does better for distortion esp at lower SPLs but perhaps maybe not as good as the Salon’s.

The K2 and Everest are more expensive than the Revel’s and are engineered with spinorama in mind.

 

[MakeMineVinyl]

(I almost do listen to classic exclusively)
Depends,I can't say yes or no.
Some plays are super fun,big brasses sound real,swan lake it's an absolute pleasure.Males tenors too,females though sound a little bigger than in my setup.
Big loud passages though are pure force.
(and way too expensive for me )

I've never heard these particular speakers, so obviously I can't comment specifically. Note that I never said that horns are bad for classical, but rather that to make them shine with classical recordings (especially recordings which veer toward stridency to begin with), some work is necessary. In my case, I designed the voicing filter I posted earlier in this thread. When dialed in, my particular horns sound absolutely spectacular with good classical recordings. Not as great with classical as other genres though.

 

[Newman]

Thanks, that's much more tempered than "it's just not going to happen... unless you are lucky".

 

[NiagaraPete]

The last JBL’s I listened to were L300’s. Absolutely horrible, I swore I’d never waste my time again with JBL.
40 years have passed and I might change my mind.

 

[MakeMineVinyl]

Thanks, that's much more tempered than "it's just not going to happen... unless you are lucky".

I was referring to a 'stock' horn system, something like a JBL, Klipsch etc. In those instances, it would be the luck of the draw whether a classical recording sounded great on them. These speakers are voiced with popular music in mind, which makes sense.

 

[Newman]

If you meant the 'classics' in horn speakers, then I have already agreed with that.

But 'stock JBL' these days means M2, 705, 708, 4367...

...and your statement that "the problems are still there"....well...

 

[ROOSKIE]

The last JBL’s I listened to were L300’s. Absolutely horrible, I swore I’d never waste my time again with JBL.
40 years have passed and I might change my mind.

40 years is awhile. I doubt things have changed much at JBL.
Ah nostalgia.
40 years ago I had a rotary phone in my house that my parents rented from Northwestern Bell. Now I have what would have been a super computer from Star Trek in a thin aluminum case.
Elon Musk was 11 and running a lemonade stand. Ever drive a Tesla? Or take a rocket to the International Space station?
Who cares what a JBL speaker sounded like 40 years ago?
I was 6 years old waiting for my parents to save up for a VHS player and for Return of the Jedi to come out.

 

[Newman]

40 years is awhile. I doubt things have changed much at JBL.

What the...??

 

[jhaider]

I heard both the JBL K2 S9900 horn speakers and the Revel Salon2s at the JBL Times Square facility. I was impressed by both of them. Hard to pick a winner.

Was that ca fall 2018? If so I heard the same setup in their basement at the old Madison Ave Harman store. For me it wasn’t close: Salon2 sounded wide open and the old fashioned horns were closed in. IMO the modern JBLs put up much more of a fight.

If I discovered I could subjectively--and persistently--improve my listening experience with visual stimuli, I would do it, and I wouldn't apologize.

Grilles, or better. IMO the best sonic illusion is heard and not seen.

 

[Bugal1998]

Grilles, or better. IMO the best sonic illusion is heard and not seen.

Oh, I totally agree; I tend to listen with the lights low and eyes closed. My hypothetical was simply articulating that I'm seeking enjoyment, and if a big speaker or a pretty finish offered a persistent boost in enjoyment vs. some other setup, then I'm going to pursue whichever system brings me the most enjoyment.

It just so happens that my pursuit of enjoyment has led me to well engineered speakers.

And my "persistent" qualifier is key and in agreement with your statement; non-audible changes tend to NOT be persistent. Nonetheless, my goal is enjoyment, and I bought the speakers I enjoyed, even if I had no option but to make a sighted decision.

 

[Bugal1998]

40 years have passed and I might change my mind.

Apologies if I missed a prior post, but in the spirit of the OP's question, did you hear a JBL speaker recently that's prompting you to consider changing your mind?