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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
justinrasbach
4 posts
 
i’ve heard well over 60 pairs of speakers in person including the revel and the b&w but not the jbl

revel is bright harsh and totally overrated IMO detail means nothing if you get irritated listening after 2 songs 

702s2 were much better overall no listener fatigue but not as detailed as revel 

best in that price range by far is going to be 
dali rubicon 6 as a first choice and the polk legend l800 as a second choice 

domimax
12 posts
 
Love the new JBL's. https://jbl-l100classic.com

acmaier3's avatar
acmaier3
56 posts
 
Sonus Faber Sonettos. I have the VIIIs bought at $4K (hard to find that great of a deal maybe). Easily beating Focal and Revel in this price range plus anything else I’ve heard; Dali are thee closest. Deep, fast bass extension, super clear mid, accurate highs that aren’t too bright.
steve59's avatar
steve59
1,789 posts
 
Meridian dsp 7000. for the price used, Get a listen.
millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 
If you can handle its size and appearance then Tekton Moab is unbeatable in this range. Also incredibly easy to drive, and anything and everything you throw at it comes out perfect. They go big, they play intimate. They go deep, and they go extended. Well, to the extent my tired old ears can hear anyway. Which is another thing, they aggravate my ears much less than anything I’ve ever heard. While at the same time being faster, more detailed and dynamic than anything I’ve ever heard. My wife loves them, and actually asks to listen to music now. She even likes the way they look. An awesome combination.

The one downside: two month wait. Oh and there are none used. Apparently nobody who has them has any interest in selling them. When people tell you to buy lightly used, what they mean is there’s speakers out there so bad the buyer’s can’t wait to dump them. There’s a lot of them, and this approach is very popular around here. Not for me. But to each his own.
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