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Seeking help Choosing Between Floorstanding Speakers

Why worry? It's a pretty simple passive loudspeaker with little to go wrong. Drivers or XO could be sent to you for self-fitting if by chance you were to damage one - but you probably won't, so don't worry about a perceived lack of "product support". Revel is a well-established and respected brand so spares are always likely to be available - even if by post to India.

PS - And the Revel is no more likely to need support than the other speakers on your list, so perhaps just go for the one you think is best.
I agree, I'm being too fatalistic, over-thinking worst case scenarios, perhaps I should just bite the bullet and practice more positive thinking-- Putting The Law of Attraction," to work for me rather than against.
 
I'm veering towards the JBL HDI3800 mainly because it's half the price, but would gladly pay more for the JBL/KEF if the advice I get from this esteemed forum recommends so!
The JBL HDI3800 has very good measurements:


I would get that.
 
The JBL HDI3800 has very good measurements:


I would get that.
Hi Mark, I read this review from Erin several times over the past 2 months, and if one reads between the lines, he kind of puts down this speaker, although there are rave reviews from Audioholics and other renowned sites, including user reviews on Reddit.
The problem I face, is that this would be a blind buy as I have nowhere to audition them to make an assessment.
I too, am sorely tempted mostly because it's pegged at a great price-point; however I'm also a bit skeptical about a 2 1/2 way speaker, not knowing if there's a smooth transition between the midrange and tweeter-- something that Erin talks about-- That actually is my only concern, because everything else seems flawless!
Thanks for reading and taking the time and effort to help!
 
Hi Mark, I read this review from Erin several times over the past 2 months, and if one reads between the lines, he kind of puts down this speaker, although there are rave reviews from Audioholics and other renowned sites, including user reviews on Reddit.
The problem I face, is that this would be a blind buy as I have nowhere to audition them to make an assessment.
I too, am sorely tempted mostly because it's pegged at a great price-point; however I'm also a bit skeptical about a 2 1/2 way speaker, not knowing if there's a smooth transition between the midrange and tweeter-- something that Erin talks about-- That actually is my only concern, because everything else seems flawless!
Thanks for reading and taking the time and effort to help!
Measurements look very good, I would not hesitate to buy them in your situation. No speaker is perfect so there is always something to quibble with.

For comparison, my speakers are GoldenEar Triton Sevens, passive two-way small towers. Each speaker has just two 5.25" mid/bass drivers and an AMT tweeter. In the US they are priced about 30% below the JBL HDI-3800. I bought them unheard during the pandemic, and before discovering ASR. Measurements from NRC (not a full spinorama) are OK at best. I also have one SVS 3000 Micro sub.

Despite these on-paper flaws, the system sounds great to me. I listen mostly to classical (small ensemble to full orchestra), classic and progressive rock. I go to a lot of live classical concerts, and when I listen to my system afterward, it sounds enough like the real thing that I feel no need to upgrade.

Now I do also have room correction (via a Lyngdorf integrated amp). Without it, the bass is a little bloated in my room. So you might want to investigate room correction at some point. Devices from mini-DSP are usually the least expensive route, they should be available in India.

So I would just stop thinking about it and go buy those JBLs. :)
 
Measurements look very good, I would not hesitate to buy them in your situation. No speaker is perfect so there is always something to quibble with.

For comparison, my speakers are GoldenEar Triton Sevens, passive two-way small towers. Each speaker has just two 5.25" mid/bass drivers and an AMT tweeter. In the US they are priced about 30% below the JBL HDI-3800. I bought them unheard during the pandemic, and before discovering ASR. Measurements from NRC (not a full spinorama) are OK at best. I also have one SVS 3000 Micro sub.

Despite these on-paper flaws, the system sounds great to me. I listen mostly to classical (small ensemble to full orchestra), classic and progressive rock. I go to a lot of live classical concerts, and when I listen to my system afterward, it sounds enough like the real thing that I feel no need to upgrade.

Now I do also have room correction (via a Lyngdorf integrated amp). Without it, the bass is a little bloated in my room. So you might want to investigate room correction at some point. Devices from mini-DSP are usually the least expensive route, they should be available in India.

So I would just stop thinking about it and go buy those JBLs. :)
Thanks so much Mark, I sure need some positive reinforcement! I've also got in touch with another member on this forum who has the HDI line for his home theater/audio requirements and have requested him to provide me with his personal observations and experiences so as to gain a better understanding if the criticisms of the JBL's are warranted or not; and, if there are indeed some flaws-- how great/little/noticeable/unnoticeable they are--
I greatly appreciate your time, help and effort in my search!
 
Measurements look very good, I would not hesitate to buy them in your situation. No speaker is perfect so there is always something to quibble with.

For comparison, my speakers are GoldenEar Triton Sevens, passive two-way small towers. Each speaker has just two 5.25" mid/bass drivers and an AMT tweeter. In the US they are priced about 30% below the JBL HDI-3800. I bought them unheard during the pandemic, and before discovering ASR. Measurements from NRC (not a full spinorama) are OK at best. I also have one SVS 3000 Micro sub.

Despite these on-paper flaws, the system sounds great to me. I listen mostly to classical (small ensemble to full orchestra), classic and progressive rock. I go to a lot of live classical concerts, and when I listen to my system afterward, it sounds enough like the real thing that I feel no need to upgrade.

Now I do also have room correction (via a Lyngdorf integrated amp). Without it, the bass is a little bloated in my room. So you might want to investigate room correction at some point. Devices from mini-DSP are usually the least expensive route, they should be available in India.

So I would just stop thinking about it and go buy those JBLs. :)
Thanks so much Mark, I sure need some positive reinforcement! I've also got in touch with another member on this forum who has the HDI line for his home theater/audio requirements and have requested him to provide me with his personal observations and experiences so as to gain a better understanding if the criticisms of the JBL's are warranted or not; and, if there are indeed some flaws-- how great/little/noticeable/unnoticeable they are--
I greatly appreciate your time, help and effort in my search!
Missed that

At least you can get a 4367.

:)
I can't afford the 4367, it's about $20000, isn't it?
 
Thanks so much Mark, I sure need some positive reinforcement! I've also got in touch with another member on this forum who has the HDI line for his home theater/audio requirements and have requested him to provide me with his personal observations and experiences so as to gain a better understanding if the criticisms of the JBL's are warranted or not; and, if there are indeed some flaws-- how great/little/noticeable/unnoticeable they are--
I greatly appreciate your time, help and effort in my search!

I can't afford the 4367, it's about $20000, isn't it?
Yes, I just checked--1.5 Million Indian Rupees!
 
My current equipment is Athem Pre-Pro, a pair of GoldenEar Triton 2+ speakers and 2 SVS SB 1000.
My Tritons are just 3 years old, and my overall SQ is excellent, so, in theory, I don't really need anything!
However, after reading and watching reviews on the Revel line, I got, "Upgraditis," and decided to use the Tritons on surround duties.
My recommendation is that you keep what you've got.
 
My recommendation is that you keep what you've got.
Perhaps, I should amend my previous statement(s)-- The Tritons are great for home theater and excellent for some types of music, especially, "Oldies" with their accentuated vocals and Classical Music; with most other genres, the HVF tweeter is awful, no matter how much EQ I try, in addition, the mids are overwhelmed by the lows and highs and the Anthem ARC has merely made a marginal difference.
That's why I decided to keep the Tritons for home theater and plan to keep either the Revel's or JBL's solely for music-- Best compromise I can make without wasting the money spent on the Tritons.
Thanks for reading and taking the time to help me out!
 
Thanks so much Mark, I sure need some positive reinforcement! I've also got in touch with another member on this forum who has the HDI line for his home theater/audio requirements and have requested him to provide me with his personal observations and experiences so as to gain a better understanding if the criticisms of the JBL's are warranted or not; and, if there are indeed some flaws-- how great/little/noticeable/unnoticeable they are--
I greatly appreciate your time, help and effort in my search!

I can't afford the 4367, it's about $20000, isn't it?
M2s with amps are more! OTOH the HDI speakers have received generally very good reports that I've seen. Good luck in your search!
 
I only have the Kef Q series and they replaced some Klipsch RF62IIs. The Kefs sound a little better and are not harsh at high volumes, but the biggest difference is the sound stage. I know they are wide dispersion, but because of the off axis linearity both horizontally and vertically they produce a very large and enveloping sound.

My next set of speakers will be some other model from Kef, once my kids move out and I can have a music room.
 
The Tritons are great for home theater and excellent for some types of music
Oh, I missed that your current speakers are Tritons, and that you already have room correction.

The JBL compression tweeter should give you a different sound. I have no experience with them though.
 
I have listened to JBL HDI3800 and Revel PerformaBe F228Be in the same acoustically good demo room, but mind you it wasn't in direct comparisons as it was on different occasions. The speakers were positioned about the same in that demo room.

The thing I didn't like with the JBL speakers was that the tweeters drove a lot of attention to themselves, almost to the point that I could hear a "double-effect" of the singer's voice coming from each speaker instead of the phantom center between the loudspeakers. I think that has to do with the very low crossover point already at 1800Hz for the tweeter, which makes these speakers highly sensitive to how they are set up when it comes to toe-in adjustments, and the demo setup I was listening to had the speakers with almost no toe-in at all.
That should of course be blamed on the demo setup, but it also showed a speaker characteristic I don't like and why I usually prefer speakers with a wider directivity, as I rather use the toe-in adjustments for the overall tonal balance in the sweet spot instead of having to use it to avoid the tweeters drawing too much attention to themselves.

In my opinion, the Revel PerformaBe F228Be are some of the best speakers I have heard in that demo room. There weren't any distractions I could blame the speakers for and I could just focus on the music presentation itself which sounded clear and tonality-wise well-balanced. I have also heard the stand mount speaker M126Be in another demo room at the same store, and it had the same qualities of not "getting in the way" of the music as the bigger brother. If you have to save up more money to afford the Revel speakers, I think you should do that.
 
I have listened to JBL HDI3800 and Revel PerformaBe F228Be in the same acoustically good demo room, but mind you it wasn't in direct comparisons as it was on different occasions. The speakers were positioned about the same in that demo room.

The thing I didn't like with the JBL speakers was that the tweeters drove a lot of attention to themselves, almost to the point that I could hear a "double-effect" of the singer's voice coming from each speaker instead of the phantom center between the loudspeakers. I think that has to do with the very low crossover point already at 1800Hz for the tweeter, which makes these speakers highly sensitive to how they are set up when it comes to toe-in adjustments, and the demo setup I was listening to had the speakers with almost no toe-in at all.
That should of course be blamed on the demo setup, but it also showed a speaker characteristic I don't like and why I usually prefer speakers with a wider directivity, as I rather use the toe-in adjustments for the overall tonal balance in the sweet spot instead of having to use it to avoid the tweeters drawing too much attention to themselves.

In my opinion, the Revel PerformaBe F228Be are some of the best speakers I have heard in that demo room. There weren't any distractions I could blame the speakers for and I could just focus on the music presentation itself which sounded clear and tonality-wise well-balanced. I have also heard the stand mount speaker M126Be in another demo room at the same store, and it had the same qualities of not "getting in the way" of the music as the bigger brother. If you have to save up more money to afford the Revel speakers, I think you should do that.
Thank you so much, you made my day!
I was indeed concerned about the tweeters' acoustics, being a horn-type, and like you, I share a dislike for those ultra-high frequencies, the type I'm presently experiencing with the Triton 2+.

Your well thought out, detailed explanation has decisively ended my dilemma and convinced me to buy the Revel 228Be!
--- And has also saved me from making yet another expensive mistake if I had to go ahead and buy the JBL's, which I'm now certain, I would pretty much dislike!--

Yes, I do presently have funds available to make an immediate purchase, but was initially tempted to go down the JBL route as they are priced less than half than those of the Revel's.
But, hey, I'd rather make a larger investment for quality sound on a quality product, which will provide me with immense joy and satisfaction for years to come, which in itself is reward enough!

Once again, I greatly appreciate your feedback and advice, and for taking the time and effort to help me out!
Best Wishes, Prashant Rodrigues.
 
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