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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
abd1
155 posts
 
I'm sure all the speakers mentioned here are great in their own ways. I'd check out the Salk Song3 BEAT. They're not solid wood as mentioned above, but they use a wood veneer and look great and you can pick pretty much any finish. If Salk had to cover the marketing, distribution, and dealer commission costs of the brands you're looking at these would likely be $8000 speakers or more. I have base Song3's (I'd buy the BEATS if I did it again), had Songtowers, and have a pair of Salk Wow1 monitors in my office. They just have a great neutral sound that balance detail and musicality so well. Each design just does what it's designed to do perfectly. Similar to Dynaudio in my opinion, but I like the RAAL tweeter a bit more. I haven't heard the beryllium tweeter yet, but the RAAL is the best I've heard. Horses for courses -- enjoy the journey! 

BTW, if I had the proper room I'd check out Spatials too. Once I get a space that will work with those I'll probably push to get the X5's, but the M series looks great too. One day....
rvpiano's avatar
rvpiano
2,424 posts
 
+1 for the GoldenEar.
Wonderfully smooth yet accurate speaker with built-in subwoofer.
helomech
1,513 posts
 
I've heard all three on your list and the Revels are hands-down the best of them, both in my subjective opinion and objective measurements. 

And regarding the claim that Salk builds their cabinets out of solid wood, uhh, no, that is false. They use real-wood veneer (albeit very high quality veneer) over MDF which is standard practice at this price point. 

Regarding mass-production speaker brands, Revel really is at the very top of the game in terms of objective performance. JBLs suffer from the quantitative weaknesses that any such design would and cater to a specific type of listener IMO.

The best bang-for-the-buck I've experienced is Spatial Audio. Their $5K speakers sound like the $10K speakers from these commerical brands. 
dougeyjones's avatar
dougeyjones OP
163 posts
 
@mn2bttb & helomech

I’m leaning Revel, if my listening room is never going to be bigger than say, 20x12’, should I spring for the F208 or should I save a bit and go with the F206? It looks like they use the same mid/tweet and the only difference is the 8" woofers get swapped for 6.5" in the F206. Another difference is that the F206 is not offered in the high gloss Mahogany, which is a bummer for me.. I could do gloss black or white, but would prefer the Mahogany..

I have a Martin Logan Dynamo 10" sub that I like very much to provide bottom fill regardless of which way I go.
gkr7007's avatar
gkr7007
137 posts
 
The Spatial Audio M series Sapphires are making a name for themselves in your price range.  High sensitivity and they love tubes.
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