I had an opportunity to listen to both the HRE1 and the ILE3 at the Alameda, CA roadshow a few months back. Listening conditions were far from ideal with an outdoor setup in windy conditions near the noisy Oakland container port. I preferred the sound (and looks!) of the ILE3. Subjectively the HRE1 was very clear and bright, whereas the ILE3 appeared to be a little "easier listening". However, the measurements of both speakers indicate that they should sound very similar (flat frequency & phase response - See attached spec sheets).
My big takeaway was that the HRE1 uses a synergy horn that is very similar to the
SM60F, and therefore has a narrow coverage pattern of 60 x 60 degrees. This may not be ideal for a home audio speaker like the HRE1, where it is deployed only 45 inches off the ground, so vertical first reflections are likely going to be an issue. In the horizontal direction, the narrow coverage pattern makes for a pretty narrow listening area. This may be ok for single listener active listening, but not a good setup for having good stereo coverage across a wide swath of the room.
I made a quick CAD model to illustrate the point above. The HRE1s are 8 feet apart, the listener is seated 10 ft from the speakers. Each speaker is toed in by 20 degrees. Basically enough coverage for a large couch. The good news is the first reflections from the left and right wall should not be an issue.
The ILE3 appears to incorporate a
SBH20 Paraline type speaker. The coverage pattern here is 120 x 20 degrees, which greatly reduces the chance of vertical first reflections, while increasing the possibility of having horizontal first reflection issues from the room's side walls. Each speaker is toed in by 10 degrees to optimize coverage area.
I'm strongly considering buying a pair of ILE3s - Have any other forum members purchased either of the Danley Signature Series speakers discussed above? I would love to hear your feedback before making the investment.
www.danleysoundlabs.com
tomdanley.com
