I may be wrong, but I would be doubtful if any vintage speaker has the wide, even dispersion you see here. In particular for a center channel where dialogue is important, I would think something like this would be better. Could certainly be wrong, and it would be interesting to see a few more vintage speakers tested so we know how they do.
@amirm Better enough to pay double for DBR62 over R162?DBR-62 is better.
I was thinking of maybe a vintage JBL 4410 or 4312. I have a pair of JBL 18ti that also may be interesting. It would be interesting to see how technology has evolved.
Speaker Listening Tests
First impressions were very positive. Good bass performance and nice detail. Alas, it doesn't take long until that extra treble energy gets to you. I played with a few EQ settings and the one that worked best was aimed at reducing the distortion shown earlier:
View attachment 56787
Boy, you really have to keep eyes open. No way to predict.Heads up for those interested in these speakers and based in the US, these are back on super sale from Harman direct for $160/pair: https://www.harmanaudio.com/loudspeakers/REFERENCE+162.html
Likewise for the RC263 3-way center https://www.harmanaudio.com/loudspeakers/REFERENCE+RC263.html
Plus a few others, specifically the R152 bookshelves, RC252 center, and RS152 surrounds (sadly, the sale does not include the R253's that I've been eyeing).
I use R162s for surround. They probably sound similar to 530's for surround.I have a pair of these that are sitting in my closet. I was using them for surrounds until the JBL Studio 530s were on sale again.
I'm kind of surprised that the measurements for the 530s were not as favorable as I'd expect based on how they sound.
For surround duty, are the R162s better than the 530s?
I have a pair of these that are sitting in my closet. I was using them for surrounds until the JBL Studio 530s were on sale again.
I'm kind of surprised that the measurements for the 530s were not as favorable as I'd expect based on how they sound.
For surround duty, are the R162s better than the 530s?
Hopefully this is not against the rules, but Harmon is running the sale on this lineup again, bookshelf and center models in this round, no towers or subs. A set of 162s and the matching big center would be under $400 delivered.
That is what I did last sale except make sure the 3 way center is on sale. I will never go back from 3 way center. The difference is startling.Hopefully this is not against the rules, but Harmon is running the sale on this lineup again, bookshelf and center models in this round, no towers or subs. A set of 162s and the matching big center would be under $400 delivered.
The big center channel from the lineup remains a stand-out deal in my opinion. Centers seem to just get worse and worse in budget lines as time goes on.
263 will grow on you. I am 2 months in and continue to watch old movies again.I bought one of the 263 centers when I posted the sale notice above, it has now arrived and I am still in disbelief of the value of the thing. The cab is definitely not fancy, plain vinyl finish and all sharp edges, but the thing is huge and feels to be solid. Short of that the only other nitpick I can find is the grille is rather delicate and the pins are very small. I plan to apply a little grease to them to reduce the fitment force as I could see them easily breaking if you intend to work the grille very often.
I can say with full faith that if you are using any vintage speakers that don't have a dedicated center channel... I would not hesitate to pick one of these up while they are still available. Testing shows it is certainly capable of keeping up and will be tamed by modern room correction, and the thing is an absolute monster.
At the sale pricing this unit is a better value new for a center channel then I can recall seeing... ever.
I bought one of the 263 centers when I posted the sale notice above, it has now arrived and I am still in disbelief of the value of the thing. The cab is definitely not fancy, plain vinyl finish and all sharp edges, but the thing is huge and feels to be solid. Short of that the only other nitpick I can find is the grille is rather delicate and the pins are very small. I plan to apply a little grease to them to reduce the fitment force as I could see them easily breaking if you intend to work the grille very often.
I can say with full faith that if you are using any vintage speakers that don't have a dedicated center channel... I would not hesitate to pick one of these up while they are still available. Testing shows it is certainly capable of keeping up and will be tamed by modern room correction, and the thing is an absolute monster.
At the sale pricing this unit is a better value new for a center channel then I can recall seeing... ever.