FWIW - I picked up a pair of B212XLs a few months back for our home gym and absolutely love them - especially after some tweaking and a bit of EQ. Here's the setup:

2 X B212XLs wall mounted, crossed at 100hz
Crown XLS2000 powering the B212's
Numark M2 mixer as a pre-amp
2 X JBL MPRO 418 subwoofers - powered by another XLS2000
Balanced 2x4 Minidsp for eq

Going to be experimenting with a dbx drivecore PA2 EQ shortly as well

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I'm not sure you really need the Crown XLS2000 to power the B212XLs but if you so chose, that's a lot of power for them.

Definitely no real 'need' but I picked up this pair of amps in the classifieds for a great deal and figured I'd put it to use. We tend to listen LOUD during heavy lifts and this combo does not disappoint. Even when we take it to "eleven" we're still barely tickling the -10db signal levels on the amp with extremely clean sound and tight bass.

I'll be using this combo outdoors in the summer - looking forward to testing it there as well soon.

I graduated up on my setup, no longer running the berries but I'm running my mains with a NU4-6000 So I hear ya on overkill.

Can anyone tell me how to remove that passive crossover from the enclosure? I'm guessing it's also adhered with some adhesive because it doesn't come off even after screws removed. I tried very little prying since I am worried of damaging. I want to try this also open baffle with the passive crossovers, because I don't want to buy a minidsp and multiple amps for a distant secondary (third or fourth actually, somewhere in there) system.


EDIT: Nevermind. I figured it out after trying more than a hammering and prying with a screwdriver.... You have to disconnect the inputs (xlr and unbalanced) from the rear of enclosure.

Okay so I have been reading around this thread, but you can't blame me with it having 100+ pages, I couldn't find a comparison between the Fusion or the HTM 10/12 by DIYSG, i am sure they sound better, maybe, but HOW much better?

Is it worth going through the extra effort to DIY (I hate DIY) & obviously the extra costs and time?

I currently have a pair of Zaph Audio 5.3T towers, and I am not happy with them. Can something like the Berries 215xl be a worthy upgrade to my zaphs? Running on Denon AVR-x2400H.

I am serioulsy considering either the HTM 12/Fusion(BY DIYSG), or the Berries 15's. Just want to know how much the difference is!

If you hate DIY (I don't actually hate it, but I'm not very good at it), these or the Monoprice (https://www.avsforum.com/forum/89-spe...er-review.html) are certainly good options if you have the room and don't need "pretty" speakers.
Michael

Thankyou so much Michael. So I understand these monoprice are better than the Berries? I have the room, and i dont care about looks. Will these play reference level with AVR power? Lile 95 watts?

They're PA speakers; they're designed for loud and they're very efficient.
I don't think anyone has directly compared the Berries and the Stage Rights. I'm very happy with my monoprice speakers, but I'm not sure what the return policy is and shipping is expensive. If you can find the Berries somewhere with a generous return policy, give them a try. They appear to be "comparable."
Michael

This may be your best bet:
https://www.amazon.ca/1000-Watt-Spea...rolive+passive
Michael

A buddy up in Jax, Mattcc22 has the HTM10's and is pretty good with speakers having built a few himself and heard lots of them too. He did pick up a pair to test out and I think it was the Berries but not sure if it was the 12's or 15's. He returned them and I can agree with that assessment. Maybe he'll chime in and give his thoughts.



While I never have directly compared the Berries and HTM's/Fusions in an A/B scenario, I've heard many of the DIYSG options, like Fusions10's, Volt6/10's. And I own the HTM12's and Concentric8's. I've also heard the pro speakers, Yammy's, QSC's, including the Berries in showroom stores. While they sound ok in there and can get loud, they never really gave me that "WOW" factor. And I think they would sound worse in a home use where usage is different and may have acoustically treated walls.


That said, if you're on a strict and absolutely non-negotiable budget, they'll do. But I feel the DIY options are way better and will last much longer. So hear me out...


I've heard and tested a lot of speakers in my life and feel the DIYSG options are probably the best bang for your buck around. Quality components that work great with each designed by well known guys on AVS. You would probably need to spend 3-4x their costs to find something comparable from a speaker company.



Also, this is something I've tried telling friends when they consider spending money on something. Few things in your home theater are not changed out too often due to technology advancements, costs, etc. Screens, seats and speakers are likely the top ones. So if you think about it, saving a little more and getting these DIYSG speakers and amortizing that over their life of say, 5, 10 or 20 years, is almost a negligible cost increase over the Berry's.


Lastly, I'll address your concerns of the DIY aspect of them. I too was very hesitant to go this route. I didn't have the time, tools or technical know-how to complete them. I had a busy schedule. Didn't know how to cut a lot of wood or have the tools for that. Nor enough clamps to glue all the pieces together. Also should mention I was doing 11 speakers at once, 3x HTM12's for LCR and 8x Concentric8's for Surrounds/ATMOS. I'm patient, but not enough to do one speakers at a time.



But, if there's a will, there's a way. Plenty of helpful and smart guys on here to give advice and Erich responds to questions pretty quick. Start a build thread and people will subscribe and help you out. And I was able to talk to Erich and figure out how to cut the most work out that I couldn't/didn't know how to do. Like he had all the cabinets assembled and then prepped and sanded. Didn't really cost much more either all things considered. So all I had to do was prime, paint and then install all the components which is really easy. I also ordered the Crossovers assembled and made sure I had all the required parts sent with the speakers. So you might be able to take a similar approach to help you.



Hope this helps.... or maybe make things worse.

@Mattcc22

@kustomize

Just noticed you're in Canada. But Michael is right. Amazon might be your best option to test them out and see how you like their sound. Not sure on Amazon.ca's return policy or restocking fees if any.


I'd go with their warehouse deals if return policy or restocking fees are the same as buying new. Not too bad a price there. $192 Canadian used vs $322 new.





https://www.amazon.ca/gp/offer-listi...condition=used

Wow. EXACTLY what I needed to hear!

Thank you so very much! Both of you!

It wasn't exactly the budget I was concerned about, because lets see, there is like 200-250 dollar difference between the berries and something like the HTM 12. I was more concerned about the DIYing part, as I mentioned, I have a Zaph audio kit, the 5.3T towers, and the 5.3C center, but I feel like I have messed it up somehow/somewhere or I just don't like the speakers, although they had great reviews, that's why I am trying to avoid DIY, basically doubting my own building skills.

But as you mentioned, if somehow I could get their flatpacks, all I really have to do is ASSEMBLE, right? Just glue it all up and paint? So might aswell go that route if it really is worth it...I agree about spending more now...and enjoying the next few years! Thankyou very much!

Not to confuse the issue (), but I did that with Fusion 8 towers and center. Preferred the first generation AJ Pioneers I had before them and much prefer the monoprice I have now.
Just sayin'.
Michael

I had the 12" version of the Berries for about a week in my living room theater...was not impressed with the sound quality at all. They would get loud and sound okay with movies, but playing music you could very easily tell they lacked detail. I now have the HTM-10's and they sound amazing. Very realistic and detailed sound. Highly recommend them.

I have the B215XL Berries in my theatre, and they do a great job there for movies, but I built some Zilch designed speakers using a Beta 8A woofer and 18Sound XT125 CD with waveguide that kinda became the Fusion 8s at DIYSG , and I much prefer them for music. I think some DIYSoundgroup 12 or 15s would be the way I would go if they were available here in the UK - shipping them here makes them a great deal more expensive.

As has been said, the Berries are great for what they are and what they do at their price point, but if you want to spend a few more bucks and not have to upgrade, DIYSG would be the way I would go.

I'll be swapping my JBL 3677 (left, right, phantom center) + 8340A (surrounds) to 5x Behringer B215XL (floor level speakers) + 8340A (Atmos front heights and rear heights). Hope this will be an upgrade.

I don't believe it will be. I switched away from the berries to JBL G-734s close relative of the 3677. I found them to be far better, of course I switched from the B212XL. I had 8340s but I also switched to JBL 2152Hs and JBL 328C for atmos.

I would be surprised if you perfer the B315XL over the 3677.

That switch from 3677 to 215xl might not be an upgrade. I did like the Berry 215xl better than CHT SHO-10s, JTR 888LP, and SEOS pure 10 for movies. I had a better version of the JBL 3677 using a much better horn and CD and the 2035 woofer, and the berry was good enough to replace requiring no EQ. I had all DSP for the JBLs. The JBLs played bigger and more detailed but I could fit an all matching Atmos system with the berries which made a bigger difference than a better front stage and small surrounds.

https://www.avsforum.com/forum/89-spe...l#post56259296

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2077...?ref=bookmarks

Maybe You can help someone out that doesn't know about places like AVS Forum etc and save them some Dollar$?

Just recently got a pair of b212xl's to use as surrounds. They work pretty well for that purpose and keep up with my mains volume wise but are definitely not even close on sound quality. They do beat most consumer stuff in the same price range.

I wouldn't expect them to beat my mains though. I am comparing 12" $150 passive crossover speakers to 15"/3" active biamped speakers that (15 years ago) would have retailed for around $2,200. (ev xi1152/64f)

Unboxing and setting Audyssey.
Thank god the B215XL stands firmly on the conventional speaker stand.
You can see my poor man's equipment rack at the center of the room (made with Ikea Lack), which also supports the projector.
I will put a stop to my speaker upgrade journey. Finally, 5 matching floor level speakers.

Mom wants my JBL 3677 in her living room for her classic audio.

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Enjoy! Still really liking my stereo pair and planning to go Atmos at some point.

I just setup my B215XL behind an AT projector screen with the speaker grille still intact. I'm surprised that the yellowish Behringer logo on the front doesn't reflect on the screen itself. Yay!

Good to know - what screen material are you using?

I'm using two layers of Spandex but I took the grills off just to reduce the amount of attenuation going on, though I think metal grills are said to attenuate less than cloth - perhaps because the holes are bigger.

How do they compare?

Draper AT1200. You can refere to my screen thread here:
https://www.avsforum.com/forum/23-sc...pict-gain.html


Haven't got much time to test. Still busy adjusting my projector placement due to moire issue. However, Audyssey XT32 on my Marantz SR6011 receiver gives weird correction - crossover for LR = 200Hz, crossover for C = 80Hz, while still giving me massive EQ cut below 100Hz.

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That's weird - I have a Denon 7200wa with Audyssey XT32 and it wants to cross my 215XLs at 40hz (they're in a baffle wall) but I change it to 80 - I would expect something like 80hz if it's not in a baffle wall. If you swap the left and right speakers (or even with the center) and re-run Audyssey, I wonder if the results will be the same (room effect) or reversed (problem with the speaker).

Are the FR images part of Audyssey? I've not seen that on mine, but then I haven't looked

It's not speaker problem. Before I have AT screen, my B215XL were directly on the floor (refer a few posts above when I first got the speakers). But they are also placed at the wall corners - probably added bass boom there. Back then, my AVR set the crossover to 60-80Hz. When I remodeled my HT room (basic false wall construction) and upgraded to AT screen setup , I placed the speaker on a 2' stand so it's properly centered to the screen. They are no longer placed at corners - gotta bring them in within the picture frame. It seems there's more low bass below 100Hz right now, hence Audyssey is cutting it, but 200Hz xo? . Audyssey also gives some bump at 150Hz-200Hz area. Probably that 's why.

Anyway, I've added 8" thick bass traps at the front wall corners (corners of front wall to side wall). Re-run Audyssey and now the crossover is being set at 150Hz. Definitely my poor man cave acoustic issue.

Yes. You can review the Audyssey correction graphs in the receiver itself.

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