I've had a chance to listen/compare these and figure out how they compare. I also had
@TheWarrior come over and listen blind to them, although time was limited so he only listened to Norah Jones on them. I say that. but he listened to several songs off of her "Come Away with Me" album and probably listened to "Don't Know Why" about 8 times as he wrestled with trying to decide which he liked better - they really are that close! He did not reach a firm conclusion!
However, they do not sound the same by any stretch!
You'll have to forgive my "stream of consciousness" organizational structure, but this covers the places where I heard distinctions between the speakers!
Here are my thoughts!
Bass - the TFE is the winner - Both of these speakers have pretty full bass and they
sounded very similar except with the kick-drum I would
feel the TFE "pressurize the room"(?) where both of my eardrums felt like they were bottoming out (obviously not literally) on the drum kicks. This is likely of no consequence if you will use a sub, but it gives the TFE a strong recommendation if you will not use a sub! There have been reviews talking about the TFE200 having too much bass. I can say that the TFE100 has very much the same level of bass (sound-wise) as the JBL 580 (which I do consider to provide strong bass)! The bass is very good in my book!
HT - JBL is the winner - Something there is about a horn that provides an immediacy which makes something like an action movie more exciting! There is a heightened immediacy to impacts. Things tend to pop with an engaging vividness! I am of the opinion that this is like some film that would render photographs with more dramatic colors than reality. I have mixed feelings about accurate vs "better" for music, but with HT, I'll take "better" any day of the week ... without hesitation!
Rock Music - JBL is the winner - As above, the horn effect is an enhancement that I generally like and it plays well (IMHO) on most modern music which uses electric and electronic instruments and drums. Very nice for rock!
Acoustic music - trombone - TFE is the winner - I have a lot of exposure to acoustic instruments and the trombone (especially when played aggressively) is one of my favorites for discerning audio quality! The frequency range and balance of fundamental tones with harmonics is a pretty comprehensive test! I actually like the sound of the trombone from both speakers, but realized that the depth-location of the trombone on the JBL was not as locked in as it was on the TFE. The subjective impression I was getting is that the immediacy effect of the JBL's compression horn caused the upper frequencies to arrive sooner (or stronger?) than the lower frequency which resulted in a sense of a trombone bell that is blurred over depth. Side to side imaging was fine on both speakers.
Snare drum - Tie - Again, I think it is the effect of the horn, but if I were to resolve the differences in the sound of the snare between these speakers, I would say the TFE was playing a snare with a slight tilt towards the drummer (say a 10 degree angle from level) while the JBL played a snare that was tilted more (say 40 degrees from level) so that the direct sound of the hits were more aimed at me! The horn effect is neat, but again, perhaps a bit more than reality. I can't judge which would be better for myself, much less attempt a blanket assessment for others! For that matter, I don't know how that drummer actually sets up his kit!
Both speakers manage a very good overall composure and balance of sounds. For soundstage, the same type of effect I heard with the trombone being "elongated" in the depth direction was present. This sounds like it would be a negative, but it somehow manages to to provide a little more resolution and detail by have "more room/more openness" on stage. In comparison, the TFE stage was better defined in the depth direction. I hate what I just wrote in this paragraph, because it most surely sounds like BS to me, but it is the best description I can give of my perceptions.
The real story here is that the TFE (Time Frame Evolution) towers are a super-steal at $125 each in that they are in the same league as the JBL 580 (which was a super-steal at the ~$380 each I paid for them)! That makes these clearance DCM speakers the best value I have seen over the past 10 years!
If I had a choice of either for free, I probably would lean towards the JBL's because I am not a purist and I enjoy the effect of the horns, whether it is accurate or not. But hey, I also liked using Kodachrome or whatever film made the colors pop more than they did to the naked eye! The 580's are a bit more "in your face" by their very nature, so if I was looking for speakers to put in my office for use as background while I did other things, the 580's would be a poor choice.
Edit: The TFE100 mid-range is about a foot below my ear-level which puts the tweeter about 20" below ear-level. I was very concerned that this would be a problem and I would have to put these on a 20" riser. I don't know if the engineer(s) at DCM sacrificed their first-born or what! All I can say is that it works!
