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JBL HDI-4500 Center Channel Speaker Review

dasdoing

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wow. this thing is a spot light. might be good for a mixing room if turned 90 degrees.
why are all all center speakers insisting on this design if it obviously can't speak well on the horizontal axis?
 

Sal1950

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wow. this thing is a spot light. might be good for a mixing room if turned 90 degrees.
why are all all center speakers insisting on this design if it obviously can't speak well on the horizontal axis?
Got any other ideas?
The only other design besides an MTM might be a coaxial but to have any bass output it needs to be a large one, again requiring a cabinet that would be too tall for most traditional "under TV" positions.
You can use anything you like in a projection system with sound transparent screens like the movies.
 

dfuller

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Got any other ideas?
The only other design besides an MTM might be a coaxial but to have any bass output it needs to be a large one, again requiring a cabinet that would be too tall for most traditional "under TV" positions.
You can use anything you like in a projection system with sound transparent screens like the movies.
3 way, coax in the middle (or, if you have the space, tweeter above midrange). See:
- Infinity RC263
- SVS Ultra Center
- KEF R2C
- Revel C52 (this is quite expensive)
 
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ernestcarl

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You can use anything you like in a projection system with sound transparent screens like the movies.

Not completely true since screens will cause some (often significant) attenuation in the HF. It is desirable to use speakers that can be specifically boosted in that HF region comfortably without sounding bad or being potentially limited (compressed)/damaged at high playback volumes.
 

Sal1950

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3 way, coax in the middle (or, if you have the space, tweeter above midrange). See:
- Infinity RC263
- SVS Ultra Center
- KEF R2C
- Revel C52 (this is quite expensive)
Look at the RC263 and Sierra Horizon reviews, the horizontal performance is similar.
Then look at the CBM-340 review, the horizontal performance is terrible, I think the red in the polar plot was like +/-10° at the worst.
Facts of life are that tradeoffs are the name of the game for center channels that need to have limited vertical cabinet size in a multich system. There's also the fact that we're talking about "home" systems, not a real theater. For folks with the ways and means to build a real HT, they will have a large projection screen and the work-around options to not be stuck with these compromise MTM's.
At my place the beaming is a non-issue, there's only one real seat, mine. Guests sit on the couch on the side wall and every one of them to the man/woman are blown away by the sound quality cause they wouldn't know a FR aberation if I hit them in the head with a 2x4. LOL. The very occasional VIP guest gets to sit in my seat. But isn't that the way of all HiFi demos, stereo or multich" whether at a dealer, hi fi show, or a fellow audiophiles house, they always want you to sit in the "sweet spot" to really appreciate the sound. ;)
The 4500 blends incredibly well with my 4 3600's and at the end of the day isn't that the real goal.
 

dfuller

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The 4500 blends incredibly well with my 4 3600's and at the end of the day isn't that the real goal.
Yep!


That said... This does not look anywhere as narrow where it matters.
index.php

JBL%20HDI-4500%20Beamwidth_Horizontal.png
 

HooStat

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@dfuller Are there test results for the SVS Ultra Center? That always seems like a good choice to me too. I know Amir tested the bookshelves and they looked pretty good.
 

dfuller

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@dfuller Are there test results for the SVS Ultra Center? That always seems like a good choice to me too. I know Amir tested the bookshelves and they looked pretty good.
Not that I've seen. I was inferring that it's decent enough given the bookshelf performance.
 
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I didn't wade through all the test results but I seem to miss what, if any conclusion came of testing this center? I've had wider dispersion centers and some whose dispersion wasn't as good. Interestingly, there are some damn great-sounding centers that aren't as ideal as others with dispersion and frequency response. The Infinity RC-263. I had it, it was ok, and sounded good but nothing to call others over to hear. My Induction Dynamic center channel on the other hand (far more pricey) is a Wow! speaker. As we know, price isn't everything. To me, no review of any speaker is worth anything unless the reviewer answers 2 questions: 1. What speaker sounds better and what speaker sounds less good? Secondly, is that speaker a good value for the money? At the end of the day, unless one compares it, it's just out there in the judgment ether. True, good test results = higher positive listening experience, but compared to what? Thanks.
Full written review is on my site here:
https://www.erinsaudiocorner.com/loudspeakers/jbl_hdi-4500/



JBL HDI-4500 Center Channel Speaker Review
  • Thursday, Apr 1, 2021



DSC00490.JPG




Foreword
The review on this website is a brief overview and summary of the objective performance of this speaker. It is not intended to be a deep dive. Moreso, this is information for those who prefer “just the facts” and prefer to have the data without the filler.


I reviewed the big brother JBL HDI-3800 floorstanding speakers here if you are interested in those as well.



Information and Photos

Note: JBL was kind enough to loan me this item for test. I was not paid for my review and was not told what to say.
The JBL HDI-4500 is 2.5-way center channel speaker. The below is from the manufacturer’s website:
Designed and engineered in JBL’s world-famous acoustic engineering facility in Northridge, California, the HDI-4500 is the anchor of a complete HDI Series surround system. This center channel loudspeaker features a 2 ½-way design with patented High-Definition Imaging (HDI™) waveguide technology, the patented 2410H-2 1-inch (25mm) compression driver, and quadruple 5.25-inch (130mm) Advanced Aluminum Matrix cone woofers for powerful dynamics and incredibly accurate sound reproduction. The HDI-4500 enclosure is heavily braced to provide a solid acoustic foundation, and incorporates a bass reflex design with dual rear-firing, computer-optimized flared ports. The sophisticated curved cabinet features a modern design finished in a choice of automotive-grade painted High Gloss Black, or furniture-grade satin Walnut or Gray Oak wood veneers. A black cloth, magnetically attached grille completes the elegant appearance.​

MSRP for the single speaker is approximately $1750 USD.

And here are some specs, again from the manufacturer’s website:


spec.png





DSC00490.JPG


DSC00489.JPG


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DSC00478.JPG









CTA-2034 (SPINORAMA) and Accompanying Data

All data collected using Klippel’s Near-Field Scanner. The Near-Field-Scanner 3D (NFS) offers a fully automated acoustic measurement of direct sound radiated from the source under test. The radiated sound is determined in any desired distance and angle in the 3D space outside the scanning surface. Directivity, sound power, SPL response and many more key figures are obtained for any kind of loudspeaker and audio system in near field applications (e.g. studio monitors, mobile devices) as well as far field applications (e.g. professional audio systems). Utilizing a minimum of measurement points, a comprehensive data set is generated containing the loudspeaker’s high resolution, free field sound radiation in the near and far field. For a detailed explanation of how the NFS works and the science behind it, please watch the below discussion with designer Christian Bellmann:

A picture of the setup in my garage:
DSC09913.JPG




The reference plane in this test is at the tweeter. T
he speaker was tested in ported configuration (the port was not sealed).
All testing in this review was done without grille.
The speaker was tested in the horizontal configuration (as it is expected this is how it will be used in the real world).


Measurements are provided in a format in accordance with the Standard Method of Measurement for In-Home Loudspeakers (ANSI/CTA-2034-A R-2020). For more information, please see this link.

CTA-2034 / SPINORAMA:
JBL%20HDI-4500%20--%20CEA2034.png


Early Reflections Breakout:
Early%20Reflections.png


Estimated In-Room Response:
Estimated%20In-Room%20Response.png


Horizontal Frequency Response (0° to ±90°):
SPL%20Horizontal.png


Vertical Frequency Response (0° to ±40°):
SPL%20Vertical.png


Horizontal Contour Plot (not normalized):
JBL%20HDI-4500_Horizontal_Spectrogram_Full.png


Horizontal Contour Plot (normalized):
JBL%20HDI-4500%20Beamwidth_Horizontal.png


Vertical Contour Plot (not normalized):
JBL%20HDI-4500_Vertical_Spectrogram_Full.png


Vertical Contour Plot (normalized):
JBL%20HDI-4500%20Beamwidth_Vertical.png




Additional Measurements

Impedance Magnitude and Phase + Equivalent Peak Dissipation Resistance (EPDR)

For those who do not know what EPDR is (ahem, me until 2020), Keith Howard came up with this metric which he defined in a 2007 article for Stereophile as:
A note from Dr. Jack Oclee-Brown of Kef (who supplied the formula for calculating EPDR):
JBL%20HDI-4500_Impedance_0.1v.png





Harmonic Distortion
Harmonic Distortion at 89dB @ 1m:
JBL%20HDI-4500%20--%20Harmonic%20Distortion%20%2889dB%20%40%201m%29.png


Harmonic Distortion at 97dB @ 1m:
JBL%20HDI-4500%20--%20Harmonic%20Distortion%20%2897dB%20%40%201m%29.png





“Globe” Plots
Horizontal Polar (Globe) Plot:
This represents the sound field at 2 meters - above 200Hz - per the legend in the upper left.
JBL%20HDI-4500_360_Horizontal_Polar.png







Vertical Polar (Globe) Plot:
This represents the sound field at 2 meters - above 200Hz - per the legend in the upper left.
JBL%20HDI-4500_360_Vertical_Polar.png







Parting / Random Thoughts
Generally speaking, it is ideal to use three of the same speakers when building an L/C/R setup and to also keep the same orientation (i.e., all standing). The reason for this is to keep the same speaker quality between the entire front speakers so as dialogue/effects traverses one side to the other of the soundstage the sound “footprint” (if you will) remains the same. This is logical. However, this is typically not feasible unless you are using an acoustically transparent screen with a projection setup. The overwhelming majority of home theater enthusiasts do not have this luxury and instead opt to use a conventional center channel such as the one I have tested here. The issue with these kind of speakers is they are - essentially - floorstanding speakers, laid on their side. This orientation drastically changes the sound you hear at the listening position. Why does this happen? Well, as you can imagine, a single sound source such as a single woofer would have no effect as you turn it on its side because nothing about the radiation pattern changes; it is still that single woofer no matter how you turn it. A single woofer will not produce the full frequency range as well as a multi-way system (midwoofer+tweeter, midwoofer+midrange+tweeter, etc.). But a multi-way has issues of its own. As you incorporate more drive units into a speaker, the more susceptible a poor design is to poor sound. Those drive units have to go somewhere and you have to design a crossover network for them that allows the speaker to project sound in a radiation pattern that isn’t plagued with mismatches in directivity. Making a good horizontally-oriented center channel is tough. Especially for higher output capability. In order to manage these two you need multiple drive units with good horizontal and vertical directivity. The latter isn’t too hard. The former is. I say all of that to say this: when evaluating a horizontal center channel you know you are already starting with a disadvantage compared to a typical bookshelf or floorstanding speaker. As I said, if one is able, they should orient the center channel vertically (unless, in the rare case, the speaker is designed solely to be oriented horizontally).

Now, with that critical caveat laid out, allow me to highlight some things I think will be useful to those who are considering or plan to purchase the HDI-4500:
  • The on-axis response averages approximately 89dB @ 2.83v/1m.
  • Linearity is pretty good here with a mild trough in the midrange relative to the 1kHz response. In terms of how this will sound, you can expect a mildly “hollow” midrange quality.
  • The high-frequency linearity varies significantly above 9kHz. I believe these are diffraction effects of the waveguide with the proximity of the compression driver to the waveguide throat. How audible are these? Well, that’s a tough one to answer for me, at least. There is a 4dB dip at 10kHz in every angle. The narrow-Q shape and the fact that it is a dip lead me to believe it’s not much of an issue. From there the response picks up and peaks around 15kHz before peaking again at 20kHz+. I can’t provide a real assessment on this because I didn’t come across music that highlighted this, at least in a meaningful or noticeable way. Ideally the response would be more linear here.
  • The low-frequency extension on this speaker is reasonable, in my opinion, for its size. In my listening tests I found it to pack a lot of “punch” but it didn’t dig very low and a good subwoofer crossed somewhere above the 60-80Hz region is my recommendation.
  • You can see directivity changes at the stated crossover points of 600Hz and 2200Hz. Midbass-to-midrange and midrange-to-tweeter, respectively. The latter didn’t seem to be as much of a problem as the former which I get in to in the next bullet point.
  • With respect to seating position, it is apparent that sitting more than ±20° to the side of this speaker results in a very recessed midrange quality. The data shows this, notably in the horizontal globe plot by the orange/yellow area in the 300-800Hz region. (The other sets of horizontal SPL data show this, too.) Listening to the speaker is no different in this regard. There is a *noticeable* loss in speech intelligibility when sitting to the sides of the speaker at an angle greater than 20°. However, if you do some napkin-math you can find that this limit is well-within most seating setups. For example, if you are 8 feet from the speaker to the main listening position then using a maximum angle of 20° off-axis of the center channel means that your buddy/spouse/kid/dog can sit about 3 feet to the side of you. That's reasonable. At 12 feet from the center channel, the person next to you can sit a little over 4 feet from you. That is feasible for most as well. While the ±20° horizontal angle is my maximum off-axis recommendation, there is a loss in output in the 1-2kHz region at this angle. The ±10° region provides a more uniform sound pattern but it is unlikely that this is achievable in most modern seating situations unless there is no listener directly on-axis. Bottom line? Stay within ±20° of the tweeter axis to the sides and you'll be OK. Go beyond that and dialogue will suffer for off-axis listeners.
  • Now, let’s look at the vertical response window. The vertical response window looks good between ±40-50° so while you would want to aim the speaker at the listening position, you have a bit more flexibility in positioning here. In other words, if you have to place the center channel below your TV in your living room, you’ll be OK as long as you tilt the speaker up and aim it toward your listening position. You have much more leeway here than you do in the horizontal axis.
  • The impedance is stated at 4 ohm nominal. The impedance plot shows this to be quite true. I drove this with a Parasound 200 Integrated Amplifier with no issue (rated for 110w @ 4/8 ohm).
  • Output levels. I drove this speaker hard for both music and movies and was able to achieve quite high output. Approximately 100dB at 12 feet with no mechanical issues (port noise, speakers bottoming out, etc.). Distortion on this speaker is also quite low.


Support / Contribute
If you like what you see here and want to help me keep it going, please consider donating via the PayPal Contribute button located on my site. Donations help me pay for new items to test, hardware, miscellaneous items and costs of the site’s server space and bandwidth. All of which I otherwise pay out of pocket. So, if you can help chip in a few bucks, know that it is very much appreciated.

You can also join my Facebook and YouTube pages if you would like to follow along with updates.
I didn't wade through all the test results but I seem to miss what if any conclusion came of testing this center. At the end of the day I would like to know 2 things: 1. Is it a good value? and 2. Where does it place among quality center channel speakers? What is a better speaker and what speaker falls just below it in performance? Without comparison, I don't know where it sits. I was thinking of buying this speaker but all this critiquing and no conclusion on value has me scratching my head. What's the sense of measuring if you can't place the speaker in a performance bracket? Maybe, I'm expected to print all the spin-o-ramas for centers and evaluate them myself?
 
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