VPE Event: JBL HDI Series Loudspeaker Tech Overview

[@raymondgranda201]

Bought the HDI 1600s. You guys answered every question I had on them, thank you so much. Love JBL - Love Audioholics!

[@gdwlaw5549]

Three years later…are you happy with them?

[@Dead-bl7to]

I installed a pair of the HDI-3800s and a full surround with HDI- 3600/fronts/center/book shelf surrounds and they sounded incredible. They weren’t even broken in yet.

[@jstoli996c4s]

I just ordered the 3800’s. How long did the compression drivers take to fully break in?

[@SwirlingDragonMist]

I’m so thankful that you asked him about Infinity Brand CMMD and MMD. Really thankful for his elucidating answer too.

[@michelkh87]

thank you very much Gene for making this interview possible .

[@Audioholics]

More are coming my friend....

[@michelkh87]

@@Audioholics that's awesome you are the best 😃

[@lio1234234]

@@Audioholics Could we possibly have one with someone that has experience/knowledge of BMR drivers for some information on possible future use, downsides/upsides, etc? I don’t think there is enough information out there about this interesting technology! Thanks for all of the great content Gene, and thank you Michel for all of the interesting information about compression drivers and waveguides! :)

[@michelkh87]

@@lio1234234 thank you Elliott. I am every day learning something new, and the credit goes to two main sources Audioholics which every video they make has tons of valuable info and the second source of course is Dr. Floyd toole "SOUND REPRODUCTION The acoustics and Psychoacoustics of LOUDSPEAKERS AND ROOMS" ,it's a must have book.

[@lio1234234]

@@michelkh87 Thank you Michel, I will definitely look into it! I figured you might be able to answer this question (been looking for an answer for ages. I am a mechanical engineering student (1st year, 18 yrs old) here in the UK, and other than designing, building, measuring and learning about loudspeakers and acoustics, how could I prepare if I wanted to work for loudspeaker design in the future? Is there any online internship/work experience available, or even something else? My struggle is that I live far too far away from any loudspeaker design company you see, so I am a bit stuck when searching for professional experience. Many thanks, Elliott Dyson. :)

[@rainelBM8567]

Thanks you so much for this amazing video finally someone makes mention to the prestige legendary brand JBL. Beyond the markets promotional in other brands JBL continue making happy listeners like me. Thanks JBL.

[@robg915]

Great video! I just ordered (on black Friday) the 580's, 530's, and 520 center for only $1020 shipped. Ive always loved the sound of JBL speakers since I first heard them in circuit city 25 years ago. I can't wait to set up my system and listen to them. I couldn't pass up on this deal.

[@dmtraptorjesus]

Sounds like a sweet setup man!

[@robg915]

@@dmtraptorjesus thank you 🙏 it sounds really good I couldn't be happier 😊

[@carlsitler9071]

Great interview.

[@michaelduncan123]

I own the JBL Studio 5 series. I have the 590, 520c, 530 for surrounds, and 2 550p subs. They sound great.

[@CharleyClose]

Great guest and video! I currently have the JBL Studio 570's in my home office. They are sitting on chairs behind my computer desk. Not a good setup, but they sound GREAT with my SVS SB-3000 subwoofer. Can the HDI bookshelf speakers be used in a near-field setup (sitting on my computer desk, about 3 feet apart, with seating position about 3 feet from them). I had the SVS Ultra bookshelves, but swapped them out (temporarily) to listen to the JBL 570's. That was 2 weeks ago. The imaging with the 570's is much better than the SVS Ultra's !

[@tonmeister86]

How do I get one of the cool shirts??? Apparently being a Harman Corporate Researcher doesn't cut it :)

[@michelkh87]

That shirt with the JBL L100 is really cool. For me I would love to have one with the JBL DD67000, but its sheer size will not even fit as a print on the shirt 😄

[@jjchmiel78]

Darn, I was hoping to find out what speakers JBL recommends to match up for Atmos duties.

[@tkay4401]

Is there a matching set of HDI speakers for in-ceiling use... for Dolby Atmos? If not, what does JBL recommend using for Dolby Atmos effects?

[@homeboi808]

Why different tweeter heights for the towers. Are 3800 owners supposed to sit in taller chairs than 3600 owners?

[@chriss881000]

Been wondering about that myself😅 my ears are in perfect height to the 3800

[@JamesWilliams-gf8gm]

I wonder if the lag is improved. Competitive gaming seemed unplayable IMO. I currently use the Sony 6000 in 1080p/120hz mode for gaming which gets down to 13ms.

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

Now I really wanna reviewcthe HDI1600!

[@marcgras9064]

Why don't JBL fit fine Phase tunning on the subwoofer and only allow the user to go 0 or 180º? May be they expect the room correcting DSP to do this fine tunning and improve the bass response but I have Audissey and I have to fine tune the phase if I want the best low frequency room modes reduction.

[@baryasaumaga5243]

Are the speakers useful for home karaoke?

[@ramakrishnankrishnan956]

May I know if this series is good for stereo sound ? Do you have any other recommendation for stereo sound speakers from JBL?

[@midevil1980]

So, these or the Revels? 😉👍

[@junior-OG]

Revel👍

[@creativeslink]

I’m nervous that this is a departure from the more stark modern style of JBL. With the grill it looks imposing enough but does it stay true to the JBL aesthetic? I would love to experience them in person and find out.
I just bought my first pair of loudspeakers. JBL studio 570 they look like statues.

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

Yeah i 'm curious also , the 530s are a lil laid back and they do like high octane but me 580s are easier to drive and the 580s while they sound great on home theater i prefer the 530s for 2ch music

[@joeydelmarsjr.646]

Has anyone had a chance to audition the Bentley Acoustics R-Line towers or their other models ? They seem like great 3 way speakers and their affordable.

[@Smellslikegelfling]

So after an hour of basically crapping on the dome tweeter design in favor of horn loaded compression drivers, he says the Revel Salon2 is regarded as one of the best speakers that can be bought at any price. But it's a dome tweeter design and not horn loaded... A little contradictory isn't it?

[@zoubtube]

According to Kevin Voecks statement in a recent interview, the 328be is still limited when compared to the Salon2 and he considers the Salon2 the better overall speaker. Interesting that two Harmon lead representatives have two different stories. Considering Jim is a marketing guy and Kevin is a designer, I'd take Kevin's word for it

[@homeboi808]

I believe he said the Salon was better due to the cabinet being more unique and thus being able better reduce baffle diffraction.
It may get louder and with lower distortion though, but looking at the Spins, the F328Be has a better tonality.

[@tonmeister86]

I have the Salon 2s so I am biased.

[@Audioholics]

@@tonmeister86 which one has the aluminum front baffle? 🤔 😆

[@homeboi808]

@@tonmeister86 Hey Sean, still never heard back from you on Twitter about the Band setup for NBD in the speaker preference rating formula (we private messaged in March).😜
As a side note, I’m trying to make my own formula by normalizing the PIR to its own slope, as that is likely one reason the accuracy of your Test 1 formula with bookshelves reduced once you added in 3-way towers (wide directivity).

[@zoubtube]

@@tonmeister86 Same here. I try not to be biased but will say that I love the salon2. Not only did Kevin do an outstanding job with performance, but he really knocked it out of the ball park with the looks. They scream royalty without looking cheesy like so many high end speakers. Most importantly though ,,They easily pass the WAF test! 😁
Haven't heard the 328be yet. I hope they sound as good but ultimately (no pun intended) they have a "me to" look to them, especially when compared to the 2's. just my opinion though which means very little 😉

[@Finite-Tuning]

My best friend installed a set of Infinity speakers in his car while I had a full set of JBL's in mine. We both agreed that JBL sounded better overall, but I couldn't keep the voice coils alive for more than 3 months at a time. I can't remember the number of burnt up speakers I had replaced under warranty, and I was using a JBL amp spec'd properly to drive them! Anyway, the tweeters in those Infinity speakers would make your ears bleed! God I hated those things!
I'd rather replace my speakers every 3 months and love them in between, verses having to deal with those God awful Infinity tweeters of what ever super duper crap material they were mad from!
Cheers 🍻.

[@carlsitler9071]

I don't recall hearing live music. I recall hearing microphones and amps and speakers redition of live music when at concerts.

[@DMSparky]

I want HDI 3800’s and a NAD M22. It’s a shame I’m not rich! Hahaha maybe one day.

[@chriss881000]

Save up and not give up 😉 the 3800's are worth it, I LOVE them

[@jstoli996c4s]

@@chriss881000 I just ordered the 3800’s. How long did it take the compression driver to fully break in?

[@chriss881000]

@@jstoli996c4s i rly dont belive/care about "break in" periods. So u have to experiance that urself.

[@johnsweda2999]

You should put that logo on a cloud like a Batman logo, floating in the sky with the streams of light look good.
How many calibration are there on a mic's I think only 4, plus if you measure with a calibrated mic off axis that throws the calibration of the mic out! because it's not designed for that purpose you have to re calibrate it for off-axis measurements, very misleading people who do this and show you some chart that's off axis is way off.
There's one thing people missing here with horn driver design and nobody's twig to it yet just me I think

[@dihydrotestosterone]

He never answered the Salon 3 question!

[@bigjay1970]

Humm, let's see. $500 a piece for my JBL 590's with shipping or HDI 3800 for $2,500 a speaker. I'll take my older tech in my compression driver THANK YOU VERY MUCH! Add two 550P subs at a unbelievable $189 each and you're all set!🤫🤫🤭🤗😝😬😎

[@roymindmybusiness6908]

Harman suck the way they killed Infinity -car audio joke

[@f22m28]

Speakers are beautiful but they are too pricey... for whats out there. that is way cheaper and allmost the same in performance

[@droidzhunterz6861]

Like what?

[@83cat]

@@droidzhunterz6861 Focal

[@droidzhunterz6861]

@@83cat useless

[@chriss881000]

I dare u to find anything that can perform as good as the hdi series for the money. I paid 5000$ for the 3800 and I would easily paid 8.000$ for them, no joke

[@Sloimer]

@@83cat first of all - completely different design. Secondly Focal are terrible for home theater and video games. If you want to get something that you can be analytical with, but sounds like someone dumping razor blades in your ears, get Focal/BW/Sonus Faber. If you want something fun, get these, RF-7 III’s, Forte, or Cornwall. These audiophile designs are too thin sounding through the mid bass and often have recessed midranges. Terrible.