Recommendation: Adam S3V vs JBL LSR 708P

[beefkabob]

I have to agree. The more I listen to that little tiny 705p, the more impressed I am. They don't give up much to the 708's...

Probably mainly volume.

 

[jhaider]

Thanks @ JHaider. if I go for S3V, what is the surround that you will recommend. S2V is too big. My living room couch is just 50 cm from the back wall. Hence I wanted have a flat speaker or a small one that can be angled towards the lister. The surround speakers will be 4 Mts apart.

I am not adamant that the surrounds need to "match" the mains. I want you to get the HST just because I want to read some impressions of them.
Revel Concerta3 also has a slim wall mount model that is attractively finished. I don't know NHT's availability, but they have an on-wall monitor and I've never heard a bad NHT. Tannoy AMS-DC is another option if you're looking for something paintable.

If you didn't already have 2 competent subs I'd worry a little, but if the monitors are just handling 80Hz-20kHz - then they are right in the band those specs are taken at. I know that would be plenty for me... but you might have different listening habits. However, much more output than that (for more than a few minutes at least) and you'll be doing damage.

I've tried 705i's (BSS BLU-50, ATI AT4007 amp, 120Hz crossover to 4 subs) at 12' listening distance, and I thought their SPL was adequate. The big hangup for me is that it just seems wrong to use mains that are smaller than the rears (NHT Classic 3), and I don't want to go to the effort an expense to change the rears!

 

[digicidal]

Probably mainly volume.

True, but even in that it's only a few dB... IIRC about 5dB more... so enough to be noticed, but arguably not enough to be significant. Although the increase in power might also contribute to a better overall sense of dynamics at lower listening levels.

I've tried 705i's (BSS BLU-50, ATI AT4007 amp, 120Hz crossover to 4 subs) at 12' listening distance, and I thought their SPL was adequate. The big hangup for me is that it just seems wrong to use mains that are smaller than the rears (NHT Classic 3), and I don't want to go to the effort an expense to change the rears!

I can understand that. Despite it being completely possible to have physically smaller fronts that could be driven to much higher levels, the visuals would seem "wrong" to me as well.

 

[beefkabob]

I wish I picked up some 705p at the b-stock price. No regrets over the 708p, though.

 

[veeceem]

I was considering Revel Salon2s but after my Revel M16s arrived, I play them in the room and they're quite loud already, so I dont think Salon2 will be a good choice. A friend then mentioned he has Studio2 for 6 years and listened to Salon2 already, but he prefers these S3Hs from Adam audio.
Are Adam S3H or S3V as stereo speakers for music listening a good idea? And which model is better?
My room (in meter): 4x5.8 and Height: 3m (with aluminium panel ceiling)
I place speakers along the longer wall, usually sit 1.5-3m from speakers.
My goal: big soundstage, wide sweetspot, neutral sounding, enough SPL.
Thanks

 

[Ilkless]

I was considering Revel Salon2s but after my Revel M16s arrived, I play them in the room and they're quite loud already, so I dont think Salon2 will be a good choice. A friend then mentioned he has Studio2 for 6 years and listened to Salon2 already, but he prefers these S3Hs from Adam audio.
Are Adam S3H or S3V as stereo speakers for music listening a good idea? And which model is better?
My room (in meter): 4x5.8 and Height: 3m (with aluminium panel ceiling)
I place speakers along the longer wall, usually sit 1.5-3m from speakers.
My goal: big soundstage, wide sweetspot, neutral sounding, enough SPL.
Thanks

S3V without a doubt. A vertical orientation of drivers ensures that horizontal dispersion (more important) is smoother. The S3H style of horizontally-orienting the drivers is meant to provide a speaker with lower height to be placed on a mixing console in a studio, which is a different placement and height from most homes. Horizontally-orienting drivers ensures that some lobing inevitably shows on the horizontal plane.

 

[beefkabob]

I was considering Revel Salon2s but after my Revel M16s arrived, I play them in the room and they're quite loud already, so I dont think Salon2 will be a good choice. A friend then mentioned he has Studio2 for 6 years and listened to Salon2 already, but he prefers these S3Hs from Adam audio.
Are Adam S3H or S3V as stereo speakers for music listening a good idea? And which model is better?
My room (in meter): 4x5.8 and Height: 3m (with aluminium panel ceiling)
I place speakers along the longer wall, usually sit 1.5-3m from speakers.
My goal: big soundstage, wide sweetspot, neutral sounding, enough SPL.
Thanks

SPL is pretty easy to attain in most rooms, at around the $300/pair level. A bigger speaker will get louder still, which maybe you'll be able to stand for a song or two. I usually listen to my 708p at -10 to -25. There is a noticeable increase in sound quality going from the $300/pair range to the $4000/pair range, of course, but it's a lot smaller than I thought it would be. I would budget for a sub or two before targeting your speakers.