Good point. And it's not just THX. It's Toole, Geddes, Olive, Devantier, Welti, etc etc that present science the supports this approach. It is super effective for two channel, and luckily there are a handful of devices that can manage the signal path well for very little money (eg, miniDSP).
In that context, this Emotiva speaker is the most "perfect" speaker at this price point (assuming one follows the physics of small room acoustics, understands and uses bass management, doesn't need higher SPL, etc.) reviewed to date on ASR?
Yes, if someone wasn't interested in multi-sub setups, and wanted a bit more bass, the JBL in the same price category might be better (or might not depending on room modes, seating position, etc). But for an application with bass management, is this now the value leader?
Depending on your view the A130 is as good or better than the B1+ above the bass region and does have a little more bass in terms of what I see in measurements here on ASR.
Both respond well to PEQ, at least on paper - generating essentially the same level of quality playback.
The "Harman score" slightly favors the JBL A130 both without and with a subwoofer. (JBL 5.1/7.4 Emotiva 4.7/7.1)
Both have very low distortion for the $ class.
The Emotiva is only $229, but not currently in stock. The JBL A130 is $299, often on sale for much less and refurbished versions are often only $150.
It would seem no clear case can be made for either speaker over the other as the JBL is slightly better in testing and is slightly more $ when full price.
I have the A130 and have never heard the B1+.
By no means do I recommend the A130 without bass reinforcement so if the B1+ has less then you need a sub even more so. The A130 needs help just to feel like a "fuller" book shelf, in other words it needs help below 55/60hrz or so. I am not a bass head, I do have musical tastes than include music with bass and the A130 does not provide enough extension. It also has low HD, but due to the small woofer starts to sound strained at fairly high volumes when not high passed. There is no replacement for displacement and the small box and 5" woofer can only do so much. At medium volumes it is very nice.
My JBL 530 easily has notably better extension and can play a hair louder before feeling stressed, although for high output it (like just about every 2 way monitor) must be high passed as the woofer is only a 5" (the tweeter can handle just about anything). At more common volumes it gets by very well without a sub.
It is far superior to the A130 as a 2.0 candidate.
Personally while I like the A130, I would pick the 530 at full price ($599), over the A130 at full price ($299). On sale often for $280-300 the 530 is a fantastic deal.
I should note I have the Infinity R152 (often as low as $130 a pair) and also prefer that speaker to the A130. The R152 also need bass help. Additionally I prefer the Infinity R162 (often as low as $160 a pair) to the A130 & the R162 can sound pretty good as a 2.0.
The R152 has not been ASR tested, the R162 has and measured very well.
The ELAC debut B6.2 is another speaker I have owned in this range that measured well here and is often on sale for well under $300. I found that they sounded very nice.
The most obvious value for $ spent leader in my mind is going to a top budget active speaker. No purchase amp required. I mean a pair of JBL or Kali budget monitors is a very $ deal.
Consider the ELAC DBR-62 as well. $600 but very capable - easily worth the extra $$ (on paper at least.)
In any case the A130, in my view - which is based on having owned and currently owning many 2 way monitors, need bass reinforcement in most situations, so therefore the B1+ likely needs it even more and can not be a top budget 2.0 choice but rather one of the top budget 2.1 choices.
Ultimately I use a HP with all my monitors - they sit atop dual 8" woofers that turn them into a 3-way of sorts as they are crossed around 100-150hz depending on the speaker. This really cut the drama out of the monitors woofer excursion.
Right now my favorites among many are the JBL 530 and the Infinity R152. Very good fidelity and very low prices when on sale. If the B1+ is their equal then it is capable of some serious hifi on the cheap.
I am going to try a pair when they are back in stock.