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$5k Pair Full Range Speaker Shootout - Help me pick

Hi Guys,

Around the holidays I will be purchasing a pair of (roughly) $5k/pair full range stereo speakers for use in a 2-channel only system. My current JBL Synthesis HDI-1600’s will be accompanied by the matching HDI-4500 Center Speaker and likely an Arcam AVR30 and used exclusively for Home Theater use.


Here’s what I’m currently considering for the 2-Ch speakers. If you all could relay any experiences or impressions you’ve had with these specific speakers, or speakers in their range, it would surely help me make the right choice. I know a lot of people say "I listen to all genre’s", but I truly do have an enormous digital music collection that spans all genre’s. Everything from current EDM and Pop to High Res Classical, Audiophile tester type selections, every one of Rolling Stone Magazine’s top 500 albums of all time in FLAC (classic rock and funk heavy), etc. I like to put all of this content on shuffle and just listen to whatever happens.

2-ch system will continue to be powered as follows:

Digital - Foobar2000 --> SMSL SU-8 v2 --> Classe CAP-151

Analog - Technics SL1300mkII --> Ortofon 2M Red --> NAD PP-3 --> Classe CAP151


The speaker choices:

JBL L100 Classic

https://ibb.co/yhjJHn1

Revel Performa F208

https://ibb.co/TK4PNBD

B&W 702 S2

https://ibb.co/D4qPFcH
128x128dougeyjones
gdnrbob
4,444 posts
 
@twoleftears ,
At least we tried.
As they say:
You can lead a horse to water...

Bob
limomangus's avatar
limomangus
1,426 posts
 
Oh yeah JBL 100s a Babyboomers dream rock and roll speakers...
bigjohn9095's avatar
bigjohn9095
47 posts
 
A little bit more will get you a pair of Klipsch Cornwall IV’s. I bought a pair in January and to me they’re pretty awesome. Great dynamics, solid Bass. They play everything from Jazz to Metal with ease and since they’re super efficient you don’t need a lot of power to drive them.
cd318
2,636 posts
 
Both the Ohm Walsh’s and the Tekton Moab’s seem to offer extraordinary value for money and both could be considered as alternate, if somewhat maverick choices.

They might not be flavour of the month right now but that could all change in the near future. Just when you thought you’d seen all the different designs out there...
glupson
7,842 posts
 
dougeyjones,

Not to advertise any particular speaker, but I did not find Revel F208 harsh and bright at all. Quite the opposite, I would say. It just shows that personal perceptions and preferences will be hard to overcome in a written thread like this. Someone's harsh and bright will be someone's balanced and polite and vice versa. For example, the speakers I recommended you also consider (Tekton Moab) sound unbearably harsh to me while many call it "detailed". Best is to try for yourself.
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