JBL HDI-4500 Center Channel Speaker Review

[ErinH]

Full written review is on my site here:
https://www.erinsaudiocorner.com/loudspeakers/jbl_hdi-4500/

I just posted my review of the JBL HDI-4500 center channel speaker on my website. I may not have time to make a video for this so if you are interested in this speaker, I encourage you to read the review. I made some detailed "notes" at the bottom that should help those of you who don't quite grasp the data at this moment. If I do find some time to create a video for this speaker review I will. I just don't know if that will happen with all the other things I have going on.
As always, if you have questions, ask.

 

[ryanosaur]

Good review, Erin. Thank you for sharing!

 

[shadyJ]

Good stuff. The horizontal lobing wasn't as severe as I would have expected. Comparing the vertical vs horizontal responses, you could use this on its side as a vertical speaker as well as horizontally.

 

[Tachead7075]

Thank you Erin, we all really appreciate your hard work.

 

[ErinH]

Good stuff. The horizontal lobing wasn't as severe as I would have expected. Comparing the vertical vs horizontal responses, you could use this on its side as a vertical speaker as well as horizontally.

I dunno, man. The off-axis response suffers a great deal as you go past 10 degrees horizontally. 20 degrees would be absolute maximum because you lose midrange past this angle.

I agree that it could have been worse given the CTC spacing between ends but it is far from ideal.

 

[shadyJ]

I dunno, man. The off-axis response suffers a great deal as you go past 10 degrees horizontally. 20 degrees would be absolute maximum because you lose midrange past this angle.

I agree that it could have been worse given the CTC spacing between ends but it is far from ideal.

Taking a closer look at the horizontal angles, you are right. The non-normalized horizontal polar map makes it look broader than it really is if you don't look closely. A typical response pattern for an MTM only alleviated somewhat by using a 2.5-way design. I believe that Klipsch uses 2.5-way designs for some of their centers, as well as one of the new Polk Reserve center speakers.

 

[ErinH]

I decided to go ahead and make a video discussing this speaker. Here is the link if you want to watch.