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Last $600 in your checking account which speaker do you get?

YSC

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No, it is still not clear for me.
When you read the that thread, the designer (Aj) stated & test that it will create resonance when it play out of spec. On the other hand amir did not show data "how loud" he play when resonance occur
I think amirm’s spl scale was only inaccurate for actives and since this is a passive the level should be at ~83db spl
 

ROOSKIE

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Just the facts…
14X15 room
high vaulted ceiling
stereo setup with subwoofer and hopefully a buckeye amp soon
listen to every genre of music except baby shark

Now I want speakers and just figured this was the place to get some feedback. I have 3 choices but cannot listen unless I order them online. I really don’t feel like ordering all 3 as this is my last $600 to my name (hence the title)

So if you were in my shoes which would you buy and WHY?

1. ELAC - Debut Reference DBR62
2. ELAC Uni-Fi 2.0 UB52
3. KEF Q350


Thanks for any and all input.

If in the USA
JBL 530 for $249 a pair currently
JBL 570 (small floor stander) $199 each, $400 a pair.
While I take a lot of measurements and love them, I assume you want some subjective feedback here.

Just did a comparison in my home between the JBL 530, Polk L200 & the ELAC DBR-62. While I can see the merits of a listen and understand some may really enjoy them, I did not care much for the ELAC DBR62. There is no chance they would be a long term pick for me. None. A very boring speaker that has bass bloat (bloat could be tamed with RC or a perhaps a different set-up) and a treble that just sounds so... fakey? I really wanted to like them due to the solid ASR rating/ H. score and rec but no.
The fairly pricey Polk L200 is similar to the R200, and actually the word is the R200 is "better". I greatly preferred the Polk to the ELAC so if the less expensive R200 is as good or better then I would easily consider them a top choice @ slightly over your budget $700 a pair.
The JBL 530 (and the 570 as well) is EASY to recommend for $250. While the Polk L200 and JBL 530 have some distinct differences I found I enjoyed them about equally with perhaps even a slight nod to the JBL's. Given the price differences and your budget the JBl is EASY to recommend.

By the way the Polk L200 has a pretty narrow dispersion in very top end and I really like that, I completely see the value in such a design and love being able to use the toe to really dial in the high highs.

The 570's are solid if floor standers work. Very dynamic for the price and I value dynamics a lot.

I appreciated but did not fall in love with the KEF Q150, little bro to your Q350 option. Something about the upper treble is just not right for me, I understand the jury is out on material sound but man does that tweeter sound metallic (and I often like metal dome tweets).
Still I can see what folks like so much about KEF in general.
I have never heard the UB52 2.0 but have heard the original. It was an okay sound to me that never gets exciting and always sounded a little to "fancy and a bit soft", works great for some material and yet for anything with drive and rock and soul - the ELAC just didn't have it.

PS Philharmonic Ceramic Mini is coming soon, slight OB but $700 is close. Dennis Murphy design.
https://www.philharmonicaudio.com/
 
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Chrispy

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Probably an investment in food/shelterwould be better than being a cheapskate audio nut :)
 
OP
Lawyrup843

Lawyrup843

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If in the USA
JBL 530 for $249 a pair currently
JBL 570 (small floor stander) $199 each, $400 a pair.
While I take a lot of measurements and love them, I assume you want some subjective feedback here.

Just did a comparison in my home between the JBL 530, Polk L200 & the ELAC DBR-62. While I can see the merits of a listen and understand some may really enjoy them, I did not care much for the ELAC DBR62. There is no chance they would be a long term pick for me. None. A very boring speaker that has bass bloat (bloat could be tamed with RC or a perhaps a different set-up) and a treble that just sounds so... fakey? I really wanted to like them due to the solid ASR rating/ H. score and rec but no.
The fairly pricey Polk L200 is similar to the R200, and actually the word is the R200 is "better". I greatly preferred the Polk to the ELAC so if the less expensive R200 is as good or better then I would easily consider them a top choice @ slightly over your budget $700 a pair.
The JBL 530 (and the 570 as well) is EASY to recommend for $250. While the Polk L200 and JBL 530 have some distinct differences I found I enjoyed them about equally with perhaps even a slight nod to the JBL's. Given the price differences and your budget the JBl is EASY to recommend.

By the way the Polk L200 has a pretty narrow dispersion in very top end and I really like that, I completely see the value in such a design and love being able to use the toe to really dial in the high highs.

The 570's are solid if floor standers work. Very dynamic for the price and I value dynamics a lot.

I appreciated but did not fall in love with the KEF Q150, little bro to your Q350 option. Something about the upper treble is just not right for me, I understand the jury is out on material sound but man does that tweeter sound metallic (and I often like metal dome tweets).
Still I can see what folks like so much about KEF in general.
I have never heard the UB52 2.0 but have heard the original. It was an okay sound to me that never gets exciting and always sounded a little to "fancy and a bit soft", works great for some material and yet for anything with drive and rock and soul - the ELAC just didn't have it.

PS Philharmonic Ceramic Mini is coming soon, slight OB but $700 is close. Dennis Murphy design.
https://www.philharmonicaudio.com/
Thanks for the detailed response. Just wondering if you could shed a little more light on the Polks. I am auditioning the r200s and they are awesome! Love the sound of them. I felt like they are more than worth the price of admission. But then I started thinking about the Legend series. Thought maybe the L200 would be even better. Now they are double the price of the R200 so one would think they would be better but are they worth double? Thanks again for your feedback.
 

ROOSKIE

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Thanks for the detailed response. Just wondering if you could shed a little more light on the Polks. I am auditioning the r200s and they are awesome! Love the sound of them. I felt like they are more than worth the price of admission. But then I started thinking about the Legend series. Thought maybe the L200 would be even better. Now they are double the price of the R200 so one would think they would be better but are they worth double? Thanks again for your feedback.
Well, in my experience things rarely double in value when spending double. You often pay more for very modest gains, sometimes a lot more especially once you leave the sweet spot. I think $500-800 a pair is a very sweet spot for current monitor speaker value, the industry can really give you much of what it has to offer these days at that price point. Also sometimes the "gains" are not sonic - such real wood veneer, applying that drastically increases the cost of production. It is much more than you would expect.
Anyway.
Word on the street is that the R200 is perhaps the better speaker and the L200 is deff already a speaker I liked. The R200 is the subject of a very nice review by a member here @napilopez
He suggested the R200 is better and he did comprehensive reviews of both.
The slight tweakes and voicing of the R200 might have elevated it even beyond the L200. Basically both the R100 and R200 have been extremely highly reviewed subjectively and measurements seen thus far are also prettt legit. Of course your mileage might vary.
https://thenextweb.com/news/polk-reserve-r200-is-budget-hifi-greatness/amp
 
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Lawyrup843

Lawyrup843

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Well, in my experience things rarely double in value when spending double. You often pay more for very modest gains, sometimes a lot more especially once you leave the sweet spot. I think $500-800 a pair is a very sweet spot for current monitor speaker value, the industry can really give you much of what it has to offer these days at that price point. Also sometimes the "gains" are not sonic - such real wood veneer, applying that drastically increases the cost of production. It is much more than you would expect.
Anyway.
Word on the street is that the R200 is perhaps the better speaker and the L200 is deff already a speaker I liked. The R200 is the subject of a very nice review by a member here @napilopez
He suggested the R200 is better and he did comprehensive reviews of both.
The slight tweakes and voicing of the R200 might have elevated it even beyond the L200. Basically both the R100 and R200 have been extremely highly reviewed subjectively and measurements seen thus far are also prettt legit. Of course your mileage might vary.
https://thenextweb.com/news/polk-reserve-r200-is-budget-hifi-greatness/amp
Good deal, thanks for response. It’s funny because I returned the ELACs and kept the Polks. I can’t really put it into words but the sound was just more enjoyable to me. Which is why I started thinking about the higher model. I did notice that the same tweeters are used in all models (reserve and legend). But going from 700 to 1500 you would think there is some major differentiator! To your point the physical cabinet of the l200 is of higher quality, at least from what I can see on their website.
 

napilopez

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Good deal, thanks for response. It’s funny because I returned the ELACs and kept the Polks. I can’t really put it into words but the sound was just more enjoyable to me. Which is why I started thinking about the higher model. I did notice that the same tweeters are used in all models (reserve and legend). But going from 700 to 1500 you would think there is some major differentiator! To your point the physical cabinet of the l200 is of higher quality, at least from what I can see on their website.

As noted by @rooksie, I found the R200 to be at least in the same tier as the L200, and very likely better. I didn't hear them next to each other or even in the same home, but I really thought the R200 was a standout speaker.

It's tempting to assume the more expensive speaker is better. I mean, surely they wouldn't have made their cheaper speaker better than their flagship right? But it happens. The L200 may use better materials for the cabinet, but that does not necessarily mean it's a better cabinet purely in terms of acoustics. For example the L200 has much more pronounced cabinet/port resonances than the R200 (which isn't perfect, but still). The R200 measures as well as speakers far more expensive, even if it's not perfect.
 

phoenixdogfan

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Behringer Truth 2031 A. They're powered and $358pr. Then get a Topping D10s DAC for $100, and the $29 Drok
USB volume control.

Total cost of $487 for a complete system and it will play 50hz. And you'll have room left in you budget for Pi, Raspberry, that is.
 
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JohnnyNG

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Generally these days wouldn't go speaker shopping with only $600 in the bank....I'd rather eat and pay rent etc
I'd spend it at White Castle. If that seem ludicrous to anyone, you must not have one near you.
 

egellings

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If my checking account were that low, I would not be worrying about speakers at that point.
 
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