JBL L75ms vs L52 Classic

[laramiehartmann]

I'm wanting to upgrade my kitchen and dining room areas from an old Sonos Play 1 to something a little more substantial. I've narrowed my choices down to either the all-in-one streaming speaker, JBL L75ms, or a set of the L52 Classics, connected to a WiiM streamer. I'd likely pair either option with an appropriate sub, to be determined.

My assumption is that the separate bookshelves would provide a better listening experience, but I'm hoping a member has some experience with the L75ms. Pricing between the two options is comparable, so there is no real winner there. Most of my listening there is during cooking and eating, so it won't be a dedicated listening area.

Any thoughts on the matter?

 

[staticV3]

Hi @laramiehartmann! Welcome to ASR.

In your kitchen and dining room areas, will you be listening from a consistent listening position, where you could set up a proper stereo triangle?

If not, then I would advise against a stereo system, which includes the L75ms with its two tweeters.

For spaces where people will move all over and not just sit in one place, a wide dispersion mono system would make more sense IMO, as it'll have a more consistent listening experience.

Some examples are the Home Pod, Sonos Five, Syng Cell, or one of Ascend Acoustics' models with ribbon tweeter.

 

[laramiehartmann]

Thanks for the quick response! No, I won't be listening from a consistent position, other than when dining. The Syng Cell is interesting. It's a bit on the pricey side, though it may be worthwhile if it can live up to its promise. Looks like they're iOS only for now, but might be able to borrow the wife's for setup purposes. Gonna check out some reviews there.

Are the ribbon tweeters typically less directional?

I'd also looked at the Devialet Phantom, but it doesn't hit the WAF. I have a number of Sonos speakers, but I'm trying to move away from them, given the recent software debacle. Roon ready is ideal for powered speakers, but as mentioned, I can always stream via the WiiM(usb-c for the Cell) to get that functionality.

 

[staticV3]

Are the ribbon tweeters typically less directional?

They play extremely wide horizontally, but very narrow vertically:

 

[laramiehartmann]

You've got me convinced about finding a wide(r) dispersion speaker. Is it possible to purchase a single ribbon tweeter speaker? If not, do you think it'll create any muddiness with a stereo pair? I've also looked at the JBL Authentics 500, while stereo in design, seems to have a broad pattern.

 

[MarkS]

Well, I wouldn't be so quick to go to a ribbon. Will listening be done both standing and sitting? Narrow vertical dispersion does not play well with different listening height.

Seeing your floor plan would be helpful on the 1 vs 2 speakers question.

Ascend Sierra-1 V2 or Revel M16 are $500/each, both have excellent measurements.

 

[staticV3]

I've also looked at the JBL Authentics 500, while stereo in design, seems to have a broad pattern.

Below are rtings' directivity measurements of the Auth 500, converted to a Klippel-stype directivity graph:


Somewhat expected of the funky driver layout, it ain't pretty.


I believe that Sonos did it better with their Five:


Though neither come close to the Ascend's ribbon tweeter's clean off-axis response, horizontally.

 

[laramiehartmann]

I couldn't originally find the Auth 500 directivity graph, but yeah, that looks a mess. The Sonos looks much better, but again, I'd rather get away from their ecosystem and stick to Chromecast and Roon if possible.

Here is a rough floorplan for the area. If I could find a wide dispersion speaker, I imagined I could direct it inward from the corner, or have two speakers maybe toed out a hair towards the dining area. Thoughts?

 

[staticV3]

I couldn't originally find the Auth 500 directivity graph

There is none. I made it myself

Here is a rough floorplan for the area. If I could find a wide dispersion speaker, I imagined I could direct it inward from the corner, or have two speakers maybe toed out a hair towards the dining area. Thoughts?

I'd buy the ELX Horizon or Sierra Horizon V2. Both models can be specced with either ribbon tweeter or dome tweeter. Both have very wide directivity.

The ribbon tweeter plays just a smidge wider, but also shorter:



The ELX extends deeper into the bass than the Sierra:

 

[MarkS]

If I could find a wide dispersion speaker, I imagined I could direct it inward from the corner

You don't want especially wide dispersion for a speaker in a corner: anything beyond 45 degrees is bouncing off the walls.

If I were you, I would first try a single speaker in the corner like the Ascend Sierra-1 V2 or Revel M16. If it sounds good, stop. If not, try adding a second in the configuration shown.