Setting a new standard
By
Victor P.
Exceptional speakers for the price. However, they do take quite some time to "break-in." I played music through them for at least 5 hours a day during the weekdays and longer on the weekends but it wasn't until I had them for over 2-weeks that they started to sound better than they did out of the box.
The midrange details brought out by the Borea BR03 are amazing. Details I'd heard in the background before (backing vocals, instruments playing softer behind the main set) come forward enough ...so that they are noticeable but not distracting. Bass response for a 6" paper cone woofer is very good. The tweeters disperse sound into the room effortlessly. The treble and the soundstage is very, very, wide, nuanced, and non-fatiguing.
The fit & finish on these is great. I got a set that has the Walnut finish on the sides, top, and back with a dark grey (almost black) face and the combination looks great. The grills are almost transparent. The magnets at the 4 corners raise the speakers off of the dark fascia and allow the light in behind them so you can still see the tweeter, woofer, and bass ports on the front (but not as obvious as you would without the grills on).
The Borea BR03 by Triangle Audio are outstanding and they have set the bar high for the competition to try and match up. In my humble opinion, no one else out there even comes close at this price.
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Product SKU:
triborteb35b
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Then, Assuming that I have amp+dac already.... this vs the fives?(sound quality?)
modern klipsch has a V sort of signature, you might like it, it's more for home theater and WOW factor, boosted bass and treble, rather than critical listening that the hifi-crowd usually does.
But it's a legitimate design choice because it appeals to a wider market. so just buy both and return the one you like less.
i would say, if you get a decent amp, you can probably get better loudness/ linearity out of these, but this is not a useful comparison, you're almost never going to drive them that loud.
I have recently bought the Triangle Bro 2s and love them. Agree about the poor finish though. That said, I love the look (I went with all white). However, they sound fantastic so I can live with the slightly imperfect mitre joins and cheap vinyl.
I've seen these in person, they look funky, the elacs have way better finish edges.
ELAC b41 @ $68 and debut 2 @ $150 is our black friday hopeful.
I don't think budgetaudiophiles would budge at any other price this season, talked to alot of them, they've all had to cut way back on the hobby due to gas and food prices.
HO, hard skip the b41's. Seriously I can't believe that some folks promote them. Extremely dull, dark sound with no detail, and overall very pedestrian sound and top it of with little speaker bass.
Spend more or go used.
The b5.2 and 6.2 are pretty decent if the price is right. Both are FAR superior to those 41's in pretty much everyway.
I have used all 3.
If the room is not small deff go with the 6.2's though as while the 5.2s do dig fairly deep, they just can't do louder volumes with bass content.
HO, hard skip the b41's. Seriously I can't believe that some folks promote them. Extremely dull, dark sound with no detail, and overall very pedestrian sound and top it of with little speaker bass.
Spend more or go used.
The b5.2 and 6.2 are pretty decent if the price is right. Both are FAR superior to those 41's in pretty much everyway.
I have used all 3.
If the room is not small deff go with the 6.2's though as while the 5.2s do dig fairly deep, they just can't do louder volumes with bass content.
i think you're more constrained by room mod rooskie, i've seen the measurements, all 3 units have very reasonable extension for their size. most room sizes short of very large would eat into 80-120hz it doesn't matter what speaker you get. but it affects smaller ones more. a sub helps if you do some crawl.
In general since these are not towers, near field is probably the most reasonable way to use them, and bass is decent from my experience.
i think you're more constrained by room mod rooskie, i've seen the measurements, all 3 units have very reasonable extension for their size. most room sizes short of very large would eat into 80-120hz it doesn't matter what speaker you get. but it affects smaller ones more. a sub helps if you do some crawl.
In general since these are not towers, near field is probably the most reasonable way to use them, and bass is decent from my experience.
Sure they will be better suited to nearfield but the thread here about borea 3's which are typically farfield units and so I suspect most readers are looking for that here.
In any case, do what you will. I try a lot of speakers and do a fair amount of measuring as well and have full suites of PEQ and subwoofers handy. Obviously JMHO though.
The JBL 530 for $199 right now (refurb) is magnitudes better than the little ELAC and quite frankly better in just about every way even compared with either of the the Debut.2 monitors. Obviously in the 530 is not designed for nearfield though - not at all. They need a few feet for the drivers to sum properly so mid and far only.
Sure they will be better suited to nearfield but the thread here about borea 3's which are typically farfield units and so I suspect most readers are looking for that here.
In any case, do what you will. I try a lot of speakers and do a fair amount of measuring as well and have full suites of PEQ and subwoofers handy. Obviously JMHO though.
The JBL 530 for $199 right now (refurb) is magnitudes better than the little ELAC and quite frankly better in just about every way even compared with either of the the Debut.2 monitors. Obviously in the 530 is not designed for nearfield though - not at all. They need a few feet for the drivers to sum properly so mid and far only.
yea, i'm thinking about the 530 as well, but it doesn't seem priced low enough for refurb.
if it was amazon, i'd go for it, but i don't know how straightforward it is to do returns to jbl.
I'm maining waiting for debut to hit $150 ish again on BF, or the Uni-Fi to hit $200 flat.
I know i know, audiosciencereview says uni-fi has cabinet resonance and some chuff.
but I trust andrew jones's design philosophy, and those resonances are likely less important than the rest of the design goals.
yea, i'm thinking about the 530 as well, but it doesn't seem priced low enough for refurb.
if it was amazon, i'd go for it, but i don't know how straightforward it is to do returns to jbl.
I'm maining waiting for debut to hit $150 ish again on BF, or the Uni-Fi to hit $200 flat.
I know i know, audiosciencereview says uni-fi has cabinet resonance and some chuff.
but I trust andrew jones's design philosophy, and those resonances are likely less important than the rest of the design goals.
I am going to maybe sound like a Harman shill but I am not.
JBL has free returns so can not be easier.
$200 for speakers that are still near the top of their class at $600 is a good deal IMO. I have tested maybe 25 speakers that cost equal to or less then $600 and the 530 is tied with about 4 or 5 pairs for the best of them. Picking from those top models will be purely personal tastes. In my shopping I would actually compare/cross-shop the 530 with the Q350/Q150, DBR62, Focal 806, Polk R100/200, Diamond 12.1/12.2, the JBL 620 is coming out soon as well but I have not heard it.
The point is it competes with are of the above which all cost a lot more. (If I was actually spending $600 though I'd buy the Revel M16's for $589 B-stock or wait for them to go on sale. Best $1k and under option I have heard so far and again that involves many)
For me the OG unifi is okay. Very polite speaker that does not sound good at high volumes unless the room is smaller. There is no chance* I would take it over the 530's for farfield(or mid)myself. I would rather pay $500 for the 530 vs $200 for the unifi's. I had them both at the same time so this is an actual experience for me. *For near field I would take the unifi as I think the benefits of a coaxial design are best observed there where even a few inches of head movement can throw of the integration of a TM. Also the polite sound will work near as at least for me up close I do want a slightly subdued sound.
Andrew Jones is just a designer, there are many excellent designers that are not marketed. Quite frankly some of the most respected and talented in the industry are folks you have never heard of. Some marketing folks just decided to 'rock star' Andrew to shill more units.
Actually Greg Timbers who designed the 530's is one of the most respected designers as well.
Almost all ported speakers have some chuff and even if they avoid chuff there is nasty distortion and garbage coming out of the ports below the fb(tuning). Mainly this is an issue only at high volumes and with specifically challenging content. Likely not an issue with all but the worst speakers in the nearfield and in the farfield I always high pass my ported speakers, even in 2.0 where I will chose a frequency just below the port tuning.
Unless you plan to get on the speaker carousel with me, don't Nickle and Dime yourself. Usually a speaker is a long/longer term purchase and often gets a lot of use. Buy something you like. Saving $50 is pointless here.
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I am going to maybe sound like a Harman shill but I am not.
JBL has free returns so can not be easier.
$200 for speakers that are still near the top of their class at $600 is a good deal IMO. I have tested maybe 25 speakers that cost equal to or less then $600 and the 530 is tied with about 4 or 5 pairs for the best of them. Picking from those top models will be purely personal tastes. In my shopping I would actually compare/cross-shop the 530 with the Q350/Q150, DBR62, Focal 806, Polk R100/200, Diamond 12.1/12.2, the JBL 620 is coming out soon as well but I have not heard it.
The point is it competes with are of the above which all cost a lot more. (If I was actually spending $600 though I'd buy the Revel M16's for $589 B-stock or wait for them to go on sale. Best $1k and under option I have heard so far and again that involves many)
For me the OG unifi is okay. Very polite speaker that does not sound good at high volumes unless the room is smaller. There is no chance* I would take it over the 530's for farfield(or mid)myself. I would rather pay $500 for the 530 vs $200 for the unifi's. I had them both at the same time so this is an actual experience for me. *For near field I would take the unifi as I think the benefits of a coaxial design are best observed there where even a few inches of head movement can throw of the integration of a TM. Also the polite sound will work near as at least for me up close I do want a slightly subdued sound.
Andrew Jones is just a designer, there are many excellent designers that are not marketed. Quite frankly some of the most respected and talented in the industry are folks you have never heard of. Some marketing folks just decided to 'rock star' Andrew to shill more units.
Actually Greg Timbers who designed the 530's is one of the most respected designers as well.
Almost all ported speakers have some chuff and even if they avoid chuff there is nasty distortion and garbage coming out of the ports below the fb(tuning). Mainly this is an issue only at high volumes and with specifically challenging content. Likely not an issue with all but the worst speakers in the nearfield and in the farfield I always high pass my ported speakers, even in 2.0 where I will chose a frequency just below the port tuning.
Unless you plan to get on the speaker carousel with me, don't Nickle and Dime yourself. Usually a speaker is a long/longer term purchase and often gets a lot of use. Buy something you like. Saving $50 is pointless here.
If I were to use these with a laptop (when it's used at my desk), is there an affordable preamp or all-in-one that supports USB input and a sub out and can drive them sufficiently? I can't drop four figures on an amp and stuff, but I would like to avoid using the headphone output.
I am going to maybe sound like a Harman shill but I am not.
JBL has free returns so can not be easier.
$200 for speakers that are still near the top of their class at $600 is a good deal IMO. I have tested maybe 25 speakers that cost equal to or less then $600 and the 530 is tied with about 4 or 5 pairs for the best of them. Picking from those top models will be purely personal tastes. In my shopping I would actually compare/cross-shop the 530 with the Q350/Q150, DBR62, Focal 806, Polk R100/200, Diamond 12.1/12.2, the JBL 620 is coming out soon as well but I have not heard it.
The point is it competes with are of the above which all cost a lot more. (If I was actually spending $600 though I'd buy the Revel M16's for $589 B-stock or wait for them to go on sale. Best $1k and under option I have heard so far and again that involves many)
For me the OG unifi is okay. Very polite speaker that does not sound good at high volumes unless the room is smaller. There is no chance* I would take it over the 530's for farfield(or mid)myself. I would rather pay $500 for the 530 vs $200 for the unifi's. I had them both at the same time so this is an actual experience for me. *For near field I would take the unifi as I think the benefits of a coaxial design are best observed there where even a few inches of head movement can throw of the integration of a TM. Also the polite sound will work near as at least for me up close I do want a slightly subdued sound.
Andrew Jones is just a designer, there are many excellent designers that are not marketed. Quite frankly some of the most respected and talented in the industry are folks you have never heard of. Some marketing folks just decided to 'rock star' Andrew to shill more units.
Actually Greg Timbers who designed the 530's is one of the most respected designers as well.
Almost all ported speakers have some chuff and even if they avoid chuff there is nasty distortion and garbage coming out of the ports below the fb(tuning). Mainly this is an issue only at high volumes and with specifically challenging content. Likely not an issue with all but the worst speakers in the nearfield and in the farfield I always high pass my ported speakers, even in 2.0 where I will chose a frequency just below the port tuning.
Unless you plan to get on the speaker carousel with me, don't Nickle and Dime yourself. Usually a speaker is a long/longer term purchase and often gets a lot of use. Buy something you like. Saving $50 is pointless here.
Have you tried Revel M16 close to the wall ? They are rear ported and supposed to be used on stands but I have to place them at the wall. Have you noticed how they sound and is it possible to plug the ports ?
Would these be good front speakers to start an eventual 5.1.2 setup? Thinking about getting these as front L/R, and the matching Center. Then eventually add sub , rears, and upfiring front dolby atmos in the future.
Also would the Denon AVR-X4700H be a good receiver for this?
Are these a huge step up from something like the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1? IDK about using passive speakers with amp for a computer setup, but guess it doesn't really make a difference other than the volume controls are a separate device than built into the speaker.
I want a system that can also produce good bass for music, though listen to lot of genres.
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Then, Assuming that I have amp+dac already.... this vs the fives?(sound quality?)
But it's a legitimate design choice because it appeals to a wider market. so just buy both and return the one you like less.
i would say, if you get a decent amp, you can probably get better loudness/ linearity out of these, but this is not a useful comparison, you're almost never going to drive them that loud.
ELAC b41 @ $68 and debut 2 @ $150 is our black friday hopeful.
I don't think budgetaudiophiles would budge at any other price this season, talked to alot of them, they've all had to cut way back on the hobby due to gas and food prices.
Spend more or go used.
The b5.2 and 6.2 are pretty decent if the price is right. Both are FAR superior to those 41's in pretty much everyway.
I have used all 3.
If the room is not small deff go with the 6.2's though as while the 5.2s do dig fairly deep, they just can't do louder volumes with bass content.
Spend more or go used.
The b5.2 and 6.2 are pretty decent if the price is right. Both are FAR superior to those 41's in pretty much everyway.
I have used all 3.
If the room is not small deff go with the 6.2's though as while the 5.2s do dig fairly deep, they just can't do louder volumes with bass content.
In general since these are not towers, near field is probably the most reasonable way to use them, and bass is decent from my experience.
In general since these are not towers, near field is probably the most reasonable way to use them, and bass is decent from my experience.
In any case, do what you will. I try a lot of speakers and do a fair amount of measuring as well and have full suites of PEQ and subwoofers handy. Obviously JMHO though.
The JBL 530 for $199 right now (refurb) is magnitudes better than the little ELAC and quite frankly better in just about every way even compared with either of the the Debut.2 monitors. Obviously in the 530 is not designed for nearfield though - not at all. They need a few feet for the drivers to sum properly so mid and far only.
In any case, do what you will. I try a lot of speakers and do a fair amount of measuring as well and have full suites of PEQ and subwoofers handy. Obviously JMHO though.
The JBL 530 for $199 right now (refurb) is magnitudes better than the little ELAC and quite frankly better in just about every way even compared with either of the the Debut.2 monitors. Obviously in the 530 is not designed for nearfield though - not at all. They need a few feet for the drivers to sum properly so mid and far only.
if it was amazon, i'd go for it, but i don't know how straightforward it is to do returns to jbl.
I'm maining waiting for debut to hit $150 ish again on BF, or the Uni-Fi to hit $200 flat.
I know i know, audiosciencereview says uni-fi has cabinet resonance and some chuff.
but I trust andrew jones's design philosophy, and those resonances are likely less important than the rest of the design goals.
if it was amazon, i'd go for it, but i don't know how straightforward it is to do returns to jbl.
I'm maining waiting for debut to hit $150 ish again on BF, or the Uni-Fi to hit $200 flat.
I know i know, audiosciencereview says uni-fi has cabinet resonance and some chuff.
but I trust andrew jones's design philosophy, and those resonances are likely less important than the rest of the design goals.
JBL has free returns so can not be easier.
$200 for speakers that are still near the top of their class at $600 is a good deal IMO. I have tested maybe 25 speakers that cost equal to or less then $600 and the 530 is tied with about 4 or 5 pairs for the best of them. Picking from those top models will be purely personal tastes. In my shopping I would actually compare/cross-shop the 530 with the Q350/Q150, DBR62, Focal 806, Polk R100/200, Diamond 12.1/12.2, the JBL 620 is coming out soon as well but I have not heard it.
The point is it competes with are of the above which all cost a lot more. (If I was actually spending $600 though I'd buy the Revel M16's for $589 B-stock or wait for them to go on sale. Best $1k and under option I have heard so far and again that involves many)
For me the OG unifi is okay. Very polite speaker that does not sound good at high volumes unless the room is smaller. There is no chance* I would take it over the 530's for farfield(or mid)myself. I would rather pay $500 for the 530 vs $200 for the unifi's. I had them both at the same time so this is an actual experience for me. *For near field I would take the unifi as I think the benefits of a coaxial design are best observed there where even a few inches of head movement can throw of the integration of a TM. Also the polite sound will work near as at least for me up close I do want a slightly subdued sound.
Andrew Jones is just a designer, there are many excellent designers that are not marketed. Quite frankly some of the most respected and talented in the industry are folks you have never heard of. Some marketing folks just decided to 'rock star' Andrew to shill more units.
Actually Greg Timbers who designed the 530's is one of the most respected designers as well.
Almost all ported speakers have some chuff and even if they avoid chuff there is nasty distortion and garbage coming out of the ports below the fb(tuning). Mainly this is an issue only at high volumes and with specifically challenging content. Likely not an issue with all but the worst speakers in the nearfield and in the farfield I always high pass my ported speakers, even in 2.0 where I will chose a frequency just below the port tuning.
Unless you plan to get on the speaker carousel with me, don't Nickle and Dime yourself. Usually a speaker is a long/longer term purchase and often gets a lot of use. Buy something you like. Saving $50 is pointless here.
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
JBL has free returns so can not be easier.
$200 for speakers that are still near the top of their class at $600 is a good deal IMO. I have tested maybe 25 speakers that cost equal to or less then $600 and the 530 is tied with about 4 or 5 pairs for the best of them. Picking from those top models will be purely personal tastes. In my shopping I would actually compare/cross-shop the 530 with the Q350/Q150, DBR62, Focal 806, Polk R100/200, Diamond 12.1/12.2, the JBL 620 is coming out soon as well but I have not heard it.
The point is it competes with are of the above which all cost a lot more. (If I was actually spending $600 though I'd buy the Revel M16's for $589 B-stock or wait for them to go on sale. Best $1k and under option I have heard so far and again that involves many)
For me the OG unifi is okay. Very polite speaker that does not sound good at high volumes unless the room is smaller. There is no chance* I would take it over the 530's for farfield(or mid)myself. I would rather pay $500 for the 530 vs $200 for the unifi's. I had them both at the same time so this is an actual experience for me. *For near field I would take the unifi as I think the benefits of a coaxial design are best observed there where even a few inches of head movement can throw of the integration of a TM. Also the polite sound will work near as at least for me up close I do want a slightly subdued sound.
Andrew Jones is just a designer, there are many excellent designers that are not marketed. Quite frankly some of the most respected and talented in the industry are folks you have never heard of. Some marketing folks just decided to 'rock star' Andrew to shill more units.
Actually Greg Timbers who designed the 530's is one of the most respected designers as well.
Almost all ported speakers have some chuff and even if they avoid chuff there is nasty distortion and garbage coming out of the ports below the fb(tuning). Mainly this is an issue only at high volumes and with specifically challenging content. Likely not an issue with all but the worst speakers in the nearfield and in the farfield I always high pass my ported speakers, even in 2.0 where I will chose a frequency just below the port tuning.
Unless you plan to get on the speaker carousel with me, don't Nickle and Dime yourself. Usually a speaker is a long/longer term purchase and often gets a lot of use. Buy something you like. Saving $50 is pointless here.
Such a great amp
JBL has free returns so can not be easier.
$200 for speakers that are still near the top of their class at $600 is a good deal IMO. I have tested maybe 25 speakers that cost equal to or less then $600 and the 530 is tied with about 4 or 5 pairs for the best of them. Picking from those top models will be purely personal tastes. In my shopping I would actually compare/cross-shop the 530 with the Q350/Q150, DBR62, Focal 806, Polk R100/200, Diamond 12.1/12.2, the JBL 620 is coming out soon as well but I have not heard it.
The point is it competes with are of the above which all cost a lot more. (If I was actually spending $600 though I'd buy the Revel M16's for $589 B-stock or wait for them to go on sale. Best $1k and under option I have heard so far and again that involves many)
For me the OG unifi is okay. Very polite speaker that does not sound good at high volumes unless the room is smaller. There is no chance* I would take it over the 530's for farfield(or mid)myself. I would rather pay $500 for the 530 vs $200 for the unifi's. I had them both at the same time so this is an actual experience for me. *For near field I would take the unifi as I think the benefits of a coaxial design are best observed there where even a few inches of head movement can throw of the integration of a TM. Also the polite sound will work near as at least for me up close I do want a slightly subdued sound.
Andrew Jones is just a designer, there are many excellent designers that are not marketed. Quite frankly some of the most respected and talented in the industry are folks you have never heard of. Some marketing folks just decided to 'rock star' Andrew to shill more units.
Actually Greg Timbers who designed the 530's is one of the most respected designers as well.
Almost all ported speakers have some chuff and even if they avoid chuff there is nasty distortion and garbage coming out of the ports below the fb(tuning). Mainly this is an issue only at high volumes and with specifically challenging content. Likely not an issue with all but the worst speakers in the nearfield and in the farfield I always high pass my ported speakers, even in 2.0 where I will chose a frequency just below the port tuning.
Unless you plan to get on the speaker carousel with me, don't Nickle and Dime yourself. Usually a speaker is a long/longer term purchase and often gets a lot of use. Buy something you like. Saving $50 is pointless here.
Also would the Denon AVR-X4700H be a good receiver for this?
I want a system that can also produce good bass for music, though listen to lot of genres.
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