So I Bought XT F200s

[user 49612]

I wanted to hear how much better the new speakers were as well, but I thought I'd try demoing the bookshelves, the B100's. One reason is they would be easy to return just incase there wasn't a massive improvement over my 60Xti's. The other is that I run dual PSA TV3612 subs on all content so realistically the B100's should perform just as well as the towers since I'm not really using the bass of the towers anyway. I do have a large room, 20x50, and wanted to see how well the bookshelves performed in that space. The stands I'm using have a small plate that the speakers sit on so it doesn't cover the full bottom of the speaker so I've ordered the ML speaker stands since I wasn't sure how much that would affect the sound and they should be in this week.

I've had the B100's for about a week and I am still burning them in so I don't have full impressions yet, but from all the reviews I was initially expected to be blown way and I'm not quite sure that I am. I plan on listening to the speakers for a couple of weeks then switch back and
then hopefully I will be able to really hear how much better these speakers are. Initially the biggest change was in the treble as before when listening pretty loud the highs would be a bit shrill but with the B100's that is gone no matter how hot I crank them. I'm running the same volume as I was with the towers so power wise they seem to be able to fill my room with ease, as I sit about 12 feet away. There also seems to be better separation as the vocals seemed more forward than before and the instruments a little more spaced out.

When I upgraded from the Denon 4300h to the Anthem AVM 90 the improvement was massive as it should be with the vastly difference in price. The B100's are about half of what the 60Xti's were at launch so the performance is pretty impressive. Was I wrong in thinking there really shouldn't be a difference in the B100's and the F100's if I only run them crossed over at 80 with subs taking over the bass?

Very wrong. You are asking a little midrange to play all the way to 80hz vs allowing that poor thing to stop at 300(?) and be taken over by bigger woofers. Totally not the move I would make. I know you have your big subs but that just tells me you need big speakers too. They have to blend and overlap well

 

[Russr]

... I do have a large room, 20x50, and wanted to see how well the bookshelves performed in that space.

So, is this a vaulted-ceiling space? Construction type (stud/sheet-rock, flagstones, 11th century cathedral...)? You might be having slightly over-optimistic expectations of bookshelf speakers in that setting. Even with multple pairs, establishing a "sweet-spot" and time-correcting for all that space would be ... challenging for an AVM-90. or probably even a 32-channel Trinnov!

 

[AshCountach]

So, is this a vaulted-ceiling space? Construction type (stud/sheet-rock, flagstones, 11th century cathedral...)? You might be having slightly over-optimistic expectations of bookshelf speakers in that setting. Even with multple pairs, establishing a "sweet-spot" and time-correcting for all that space would be ... challenging for an AVM-90. or probably even a 32-channel Trinnov!

8 foot flat ceiling with sheetrock walls. My room is all open space where the first 20 feet of the room is my theater and then it opens up to the back of the room. I ran compression sweeps on the Left Speaker plus sub which I've posted below. I started the sweeps at -25dB and went in increments of 5dB up to 0dB. The AVM90 is different than all my other receivers where typically 0dB is reference, for some reason the Anthem runs hot . I had the mic pointing at the left speaker and this is with a smoothing of 1/6. I listen to music around -20dB and for movies usually -15dB or -10dB depending on the source.

I've done a ton of reading to see others opinions on bookshelves vs Towers and I can understand TiBoneFramer's reasoning that with the towers you do have more woofers producing sound in the lower ranges vs one in the bookshelf. I assume that this would give you more of an impactful feeling and other benefits. I was just really curious how much of an improvement the new line was without spending $5600.

 

[AshCountach]

I went ahead and ordered the F100's and I've had them for almost 2 weeks and have about 60 hours on them. Maybe it's my room, my just turned 50 year old ears, or my high expectations, but I'm not overly blown away. With the glowing reviews of these speakers I expected to hear the differences easily and immediately. I still lack the 72 hours break in time by 12 or so hours so possibly that could make a difference.

I have Roon/Quobuz, so high quality music. and I've listened to familiar tracks over and over and I "think" I hear some subtle improvements with the F100s. The sound is a bit fuller and the vocals are more forward, but it's not a night/day difference to my 60XTI so maybe my way of comparing them is flawed. I put them in the same spot and turn off all eq, crossovers, and the subs so it's just the speakers playing full range.

Tonight I thought I'd test a movie so I watched the John Wick nightclub scene. No EQ, told my Anthem no subs, even turned them off, so it would just be the fronts producing the bass. I have a large room and I was impressed with the bass of both the 60XTi and the F100 as I have never watched that scene with my subs off. They both sounded pretty similar even when they run into the dance club. I don't really get the chest slam because of my room size, but they both were pretty close. The only difference that really stood out, and it was very obvious, was a specific gunshot. Near the end of the scene when John Wick is shot in the bullet proof vest the first shot that hits John with the F100's there was an extra sound with the gunshot. I'm not sure exactly sure how to describe it, but it was obvious each of the 4 times I watched that part. When I played that back on the 60XTI it was just a normal gunshot sound.

I have 2 days left before my return period ends so I have a decision to make. I really like the look of the speakers and the bottom port design I was just hoping for more of a sound improvement.

 

[ttocs]

I went ahead and ordered the F100's and I've had them for almost 2 weeks and have about 60 hours on them. Maybe it's my room, my just turned 50 year old ears, or my high expectations, but I'm not overly blown away. With the glowing reviews of these speakers I expected to hear the differences easily and immediately. I still lack the 72 hours break in time by 12 or so hours so possibly that could make a difference.

I have Roon/Quobuz, so high quality music. and I've listened to familiar tracks over and over and I "think" I hear some subtle improvements with the F100s. The sound is a bit fuller and the vocals are more forward, but it's not a night/day difference to my 60XTI so maybe my way of comparing them is flawed. I put them in the same spot and turn off all eq, crossovers, and the subs so it's just the speakers playing full range.

Tonight I thought I'd test a movie so I watched the John Wick nightclub scene. No EQ, told my Anthem no subs, even turned them off, so it would just be the fronts producing the bass. I have a large room and I was impressed with the bass of both the 60XTi and the F100 as I have never watched that scene with my subs off. They both sounded pretty similar even when they run into the dance club. I don't really get the chest slam because of my room size, but they both were pretty close. The only difference that really stood out, and it was very obvious, was a specific gunshot. Near the end of the scene when John Wick is shot in the bullet proof vest the first shot that hits John with the F100's there was an extra sound with the gunshot. I'm not sure exactly sure how to describe it, but it was obvious each of the 4 times I watched that part. When I played that back on the 60XTI it was just a normal gunshot sound.

I have 2 days left before my return period ends so I have a decision to make. I really like the look of the speakers and the bottom port design I was just hoping for more of a sound improvement.

IMO one should be thrilled with the sound of new speakers. If not, then return them.

It's obvious you are trying to like them, but if it's a struggle to find a benefit to keeping them, then maybe it's not a match for you.

I've only had 5 pairs of main speakers in my life. My first were DIY which I made while in high school. Then a pair of The Advent for a couple years. Next were a pair of JBL L110 speakers I had for 32 years. Then ML Vista, and now 13A. The DIY speakers were ok, but I loved all the rest from the first listen of each, and each new speaker model was a big improvement over its predecessor.

Prior to buying the Vistas, I searched for a couple years. My ears had expensive taste, and my budget needed time to adjust. It finally worked out.

I can hear the doubt in your review, and that just shouldn't be, because that leads to regret. Be happy. Find what makes you happy.

 

[hawk]

I went ahead and ordered the F100's and I've had them for almost 2 weeks and have about 60 hours on them. Maybe it's my room, my just turned 50 year old ears, or my high expectations, but I'm not overly blown away. With the glowing reviews of these speakers I expected to hear the differences easily and immediately. I still lack the 72 hours break in time by 12 or so hours so possibly that could make a difference.

I have Roon/Quobuz, so high quality music. and I've listened to familiar tracks over and over and I "think" I hear some subtle improvements with the F100s. The sound is a bit fuller and the vocals are more forward, but it's not a night/day difference to my 60XTI so maybe my way of comparing them is flawed. I put them in the same spot and turn off all eq, crossovers, and the subs so it's just the speakers playing full range.

Tonight I thought I'd test a movie so I watched the John Wick nightclub scene. No EQ, told my Anthem no subs, even turned them off, so it would just be the fronts producing the bass. I have a large room and I was impressed with the bass of both the 60XTi and the F100 as I have never watched that scene with my subs off. They both sounded pretty similar even when they run into the dance club. I don't really get the chest slam because of my room size, but they both were pretty close. The only difference that really stood out, and it was very obvious, was a specific gunshot. Near the end of the scene when John Wick is shot in the bullet proof vest the first shot that hits John with the F100's there was an extra sound with the gunshot. I'm not sure exactly sure how to describe it, but it was obvious each of the 4 times I watched that part. When I played that back on the 60XTI it was just a normal gunshot sound.

I have 2 days left before my return period ends so I have a decision to make. I really like the look of the speakers and the bottom port design I was just hoping for more of a sound improvement.

Like you, I also replaced my 60XTis with F100s. Unlike you, I am thrilled with the improvement I have heard, even with my 74 year old ears. As ttocs said, you should be satisfied and not agonize over the F100s falling short for you, for whatever reasons have led to that. So yes, you should return them and stick with the 60XTis (still a very nice speaker) or look elsewhere for an upgrade.

 

[Bonscott]

Like you, I also replaced my 60XTis with F100s. Unlike you, I am thrilled with the improvement I have heard, even with my 74 year old ears. As ttocs said, you should be satisfied and not agonize over the F100s falling short for you, for whatever reasons have led to that. So yes, you should return them and stick with the 60XTis (still a very nice speaker) or look elsewhere for an upgrade.

Do you notice the improvement over the 60XTis when listening at low to medium volume or do you have to crank it up to hear it?

 

[hawk]

I could hear it starting in the 70 - 80 dB range, and more so after that. Better-defined bass (even though I have a big SVS sub), more defined vocals, and an overall tighter, more pleasant listening experience.