This is a follow-up to my first review of this speaker. I recently acquired a beautiful pair of B&W 801 Matrix Silver Aniversary editions with stands and the high pass alignment filter. Needless to say I had the opportunity to do a side-by-side comparison between the B&W's and the JBL's.

The aplifiers used were Bryston 4BST's.

This time I also had the very hard to find JBL DX-1 active crossover for the XPL's.

I must admit that in the beginning I expected the B&W's to outperform the XPL's, but I was shocked! The XPL's outperformed the B&W's in every way. Their imaging was superior, the frequency response was flatter, and the details of the music were astonishing. Considering that the JBL's cost half as much as the B&W's at new retail, they performed at level beyond anything the B&W's were capable of.

If I removed the DX-1 from the system, the XPL's continued to excel against the B&W's but by a much smaller margin. The B&W High Pass Alignment Filter did not help the B&W's sound at all.

Similar Products Used:

B&W 801 Matrix Silver Aniversary, many others

very detailed imaging, ruler flat frequency response, the only dynamic speaker that sounds like a ribbon

very narrow sweet spot, low frequency transducer's crossover frequency and slope can cause blurred imaging if not bi-amped.

This is quite possibly the best home audio speaker ever built. It is not subject to dramatic changes based on placement or room size. It works well with almost any amplifier. The quality of construction and attention to detail are second to none. It's quite a handsome piece of furniture and not too big or overwhelming. The USA version is black lacquer while the european version is walnut. The crossovers in the two versions are completely different and they do not sound the same. The USA version is designed to be placed close to a wall while the european version is designed to sit in the middle of a room. The crossovers can be modified to either standard.

It has two weaknesses, one of which is easily fixed by bi-amping, the other is more difficult. The narrow sweet spot can be widened depending on placement and room size. One very interesting aspect of this speaker is how deep the sound-field goes as the listener moves closer to the speakers. If the speakers are 8 feet apart and the listener has positioned himself between them and 5 feet in front, they seem to almost create a surround effect on their own.

Similar Products Used:

L-100, L-112, L-220, L-250, L-250ti, B&W 801, Altec 19

Speed, dynamic range, accuracy, build quality

Discontinued model. Accessories no longer available.

I first heard the XPL-200 speakers at a mid-fi dealer being demonstrated in a room with very poor acoustics. They were being driven by Hafler electronics using a dvd as source material. I was immediately struck by their dynamic range, and apparent speed of the drivers, especially in the mid-range frequencies. The two features that most interested me were their use of JBL's 2nd generation titanium tweeter, and a new titanium dome upper midrange driver.
I located a seller who was liquidating his JBL line. He had the XPL-200s sitting directly on the floor, and frankly they sounded awful. I agreed to purchase them after he locate the stands. Even though they are floor standing speakers, they are designed to be raised above the floor and tilted back slightly.
For several years I appreciated their relatively flat response and ability to perform well with all types of music. They also were accurate enough to benefit from periodic upgrades in my electronics, especially preamplifiers. I had been satisfied with them, but not overwhelmed.
One day I decided to bi-amp them, just to see what they would sound like. I couldn't find a DX-1, so I just used a linkwitz/riley 24 db/octive active cross-over and set the low/high pass between 300Htz and 400Htz. I was literally blown away by the difference in sound. The speakers literally came alive. They sounded much cleaner and less congested. The dynamic range was much better. Bass reponse went much lower, with much more punch. Voices were clearer, and on good recordings they are so eerily realistic you could close your eyes feel the vocalists in the room with you. With the cross-over, the speakers literally disappear. Sound comes from behind, outside, between and in front; much like it does with fine mini-monitors.
I still occasionally audition fine quality loudspeakers from time to time just so that I know where the state of the art is. I have yet to find any single speaker for less than $15,000 that approaches the XPL-200. Audio-snobs still snicker when I mention that I'm using a pair of old JBLs, but their jaws drop once they hear the music coming through these speakers.

Similar Products Used:

Thiel, Vantersteen, Fried, Mission, Celestion, Magneplaner

beautiful sound because of the titaniun high en mid speakers.
ffine low bass

there is no weakness

A great speaker for a great piece of music

Similar Products Used:

nothing