$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
I used to have the Usher MD II’s, great speaker, I upgraded to the larger Ushers. The revel’s are very good too. Another very good speaker is the Totem Wind or totem forest. I used to have the Classe cap151 and it’s a nice integrated but not sure if it has enough power for the revel or totem to perform their best.
take the jbls off the list. they were a little meh when demoed

id go with used so you can go a level higher.


used pair of Dynaudio contour 20 or 30's would be nice
Rosso Fiorentino Elba 2
Tekton Double Impact
Dynaudio Evoke 50

Different sound signatures 
I have experience with Revel F208 and think it is great in some unnoticable way. It is not a heavy metal speaker, but will play that good enough, too.

I also second the poster who suggested trying Focal 948.
Your amp doesn't have a ton of power. How big a room do you have? How loud do you like to listen? 

If you like to listen loud (at least occasionally), have a larger room, or heavily damped room, you may want to focus on fairly efficient speakers. None of these speakers is > 90db/w sensitivity, so 60w/channel isn't going to give you much reserve in a mid-size or larger room unless you never listen at higher volumes. 
Post removed 
I think you need to broaden your search. 
Considering your minor hearing impairment(mentioned on another thread), I would look at a phase/time aligned speaker like Vandersteen, or an electrostatic like Magnepan or Sound Labs.
Not that they would alleviate your hearing issue, but they seem to not aggravate it.
At least in my opinion.

Bob
 
Go gently used, and you can widen your horizons considerably and get a lot better than those three.
I’m familiar with the 702S2. Not a bad choice at 5k. I’d suggest adding Spendor A7 and the $5k Dynaudio model (forget what it is called) to your list if you are open to options. 

When I did my speaker search 18 months ago those were my top picks under 5k before I raised my budget. 

At 5k I also thought Focal 948 was solid. Those are the ones that come to mind, and maybe also a Linn model. Again, sorry don’t remember the number. 

Listen to as many as you can. Doesn’t matter what we think, only you. Those are what I liked at that price point
I’m familiar with the original JBL L100s but haven’t been able to find a single comparison between them and the new ones. Very strange, as that would be the first thing I’d want to know.

The originals are fabulous speakers, open, airy and clean and quick with just a bite in the treble. If the new ones are better then they must be excellent.

So then why has no one claimed that the new ones are better? Not even JBL. I’m now beginning to suspect that maybe they aren’t.

Whilst I’m certain that the B&W 702s will be excellently engineered speakers, how could they not be, I’d still go for the Revel F208s which will have a lot of practical and technical know-how behind them.