In this review, we will be comparing Performa3 F208 and HDI-3800, two Passive Floor-standing speakers from Revel and JBL.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Revel Performa3 F208 and JBL HDI-3800 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Revel Performa3 F208 | JBL HDI-3800 |
|---|
| Brand | Revel
United States · founded 1996 | JBL
United States · founded 1946 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" Hard-Dome with Acoustic Lens Waveguide | 1" |
|---|
| Midrange | 5.25" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 2 x 8" Aluminum | 3 x 8" Aluminum |
|---|
| Frequency response | 31Hz- 20kHz | 37-30k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 88.5 dB | 92 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 8 ohms | 4 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 50-350 watts | 25-300 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 36.27kg / 79.8lbs | 38.08kg / 83.8lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 46-3/4" x 13-5/8" x 15"
1188.0 x 347.0 x 381.0mm | 45" x 11-15/16" x 16-9/16"
1143.0 x 304.0 x 421.0mm |
|---|
What size room are the Revel Performa3 F208 and JBL HDI-3800 speakers good for?
The size of the room in which you are planning to use these loudspeakers is an important decision
factor. Here we have compared their suitability to various sizes of environments considering their size
and max power parameters:
| Listening Environment* |
Revel Performa3 F208 |
JBL HDI-3800 |
| Near-field |
Are you nuts? |
Bad |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Poor |
| Mid-size Room |
Average |
Average |
| Large Room |
Good |
Good |
| Very Large Room |
Good |
Average |
(* Approximate Room sizes: Small < 100sq. ft / 9 m2,
Mid-size: 100-220 sq. ft / 9-20 m2, Large 220-400 sq. ft / 20-36 m2, Very Large: >
400 sq. ft / 36 m2.
Average Floor Height: 9" / 2.7m. Typical room sizes differ from country to country, and the actual
listening experience changes depending on floor height, room shape, surface materials, listening
position, speaker locations, etc.)
The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.
Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Performa3 F208 is a 3-way design whereas the HDI-3800 is a 2-way speaker. 3-way designs utilize a midrange driver in addition to the tweeter and woofer on 2-way designs. Designing a crossover for a 3-way speaker is a complicated process and generally increases the overall cost of the speaker.
Revel Performa3 F208JBL HDI-3800
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
Revel Performa3 F208 |
JBL HDI-3800 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 5.25-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
2 x 8-inch
|
3 x 8-inch
|
Performa3 F208 features a 1" Aluminum Hard-Dome with Acoustic Lens Waveguide Tweeter, a 5.25" Midrange and 2 x 8" Aluminum Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 270Hz and 2200Hz. On the other hand, the HDI-3800 features a 1" Tweeter and 3 x 8" Aluminum Woofer.
Frequency Response
Performa3 F208 has a frequency range of 31Hz- 20kHz whereas HDI-3800 has a frequency range of 37-30k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 31Hz, the Performa3 F208 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the HDI-3800's min frequency of 37Hz.
The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
Neither pair reaches down to 20Hz, the usual definition of full-range, which is normal for speakers of this size. If you want the bottom octave for movies or bass-heavy music, add a subwoofer to whichever you choose. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
Performa3 F208 is a 8 ohms speaker compared to the HDI-3800 which has a nominal impedance of 4 ohms. Lower impedance speakers, especially the ones that are rated at 4 ohms may put more pressure on the amplifier unit especially when played at high volume levels, so make sure the amp you pair with the HDI-3800 can provide this impedance level.
These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Performa3 F208 sensitivity is rated at 88.5 dB and the HDI-3800's is rated at 92 dB. This 3 dB difference makes the JBL HDI-3800 a more sensitive speaker compared to Revel Performa3 F208, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing Speakers
Power Range
Power
range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. Staying
within that range gives nominal performance; driving the speaker beyond its maximum wattage can damage it.
Performa3 F208 can handle a max power of 350 watts RMS, whereas HDI-3800 has a max power handling value of 300 watts RMS, 50 watts less than the Performa3 F208.
Note that higher power handling does not make a speaker louder: that depends mainly on
sensitivity and impedance. The calculator below shows how loud each of these actually plays
on a real amplifier.
Which plays louder on your amplifier?
Starting with a popular amplifier - change it to the one you own, or any you are
considering, and watch both numbers move.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Both Performa3 F208 and HDI-3800 features dual binding post speaker terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring.
Revel Performa3 F208's Binding post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both Performa3 F208 and HDI-3800 have rear firing ports. Rear ported speakers generally need more room between the backside of the speaker and the wall compared to sealed and front/bottom ported speakers. Placing the speakers too close to the walls may cause the bass to sound boomy.
If you are limited in space and can't get the speakers away from the backwall, check our Speakers with Front Firing Ports page.
Physical Specs
The size of a speaker can sometimes be an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare Revel Performa3 F208's and JBL HDI-3800's external dimensions. Revel Performa3 F208 has external dimensions of 1188.0 x 347.0 x 381.0mm (46-3/4 x 13-5/8 x 15inch) whereas JBL HDI-3800 has external dimensions of 1143.0 x 304.0 x 421.0mm (45 x 11-15/16 x 16-9/16inch).
JBL HDI-3800 is 43mm narrower and 45mm shorter than Revel Performa3 F208 but it is also 40mm deeper.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Revel Performa3 F208 and JBL HDI-3800 in scale.
Comparison image of Revel Performa3 F208 and JBL HDI-3800 Size and External Dimensions
Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited.
The base surface area of the Revel Performa3 F208 is approximately 1322.1cm2 / 204.9inch2 and base area of the JBL HDI-3800 is approximately 1279.8cm2 / 198.4inch2. The Performa3 F208 requires 3% more surface area than the HDI-3800 which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.
Weight Comparison The weight of a loudspeaker can become an important factor if you need to move and reposition the unit often. Weight of a speaker can also "sometimes" be an indicator of the rigidity of the enclosure and the quality of the internal components used. The Revel Performa3 F208 weighs 36.27kg / 79.8lbs and the JBL HDI-3800 weighs 38.08kg / 83.8lbs. This makes the HDI-3800 5% heavier than the Performa3 F208.
Here is a comparison of how Performa3 F208 and HDI-3800's weights compare with the average, max and min weights in Passive Floor-standing class.
Weight
All Floor-standing Speakers
What's in the Box of Revel Performa3 F208?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of Performa3 F208:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Grille
- 4 Spike feet
- 4 Locking rings
- 4 Washers
- 2 Terminal jumpers (pre-installed)
- Foam port plug
- Owners Manual
What's in the Box of JBL HDI-3800?
Here are the items that come with the HDI-3800:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Grille
- 2 Jumper-straps (pre-installed)
- 4 Spike feet
- Owners Manual
 Max Input Power |
350 watts
vs
300 watts
|
Handle more power from your amplifier |
 Driver Setup |
3-way
vs
2-way
|
Have a dedicated mid-range driver |
 Nominal Impedance |
8 ohms
vs
4 ohms
|
Less selective with amplifiers |
 Low Frequency Response |
31 Hz
vs
37 Hz
|
Generates deeper bass |
 Sensitivity |
92 dB
vs
89 dB
|
Play louder with same amount of amplification power |
|
Number of Woofers |
3
vs
2
|
More woofers |
 High Frequency Response |
30k Hz
vs
20k Hz
|
Generates higher frequency |
 Height |
1143mm
vs
1188mm
|
Easier to fit in smaller spaces |
 Base Surface Area |
1279cm2
vs
1322cm2
|
Takes less floor space |
| General |
Revel Performa3 F208 |
JBL HDI-3800 |
| Brand |
Revel |
JBL |
| Speaker Type |
Floor-standing speaker |
Floor-standing speaker |
| Power Range |
50-350 watts |
25-300 watts |
| Sensitivity |
88.5 dB |
92 dB |
| Impedance |
8 ohms |
4 ohms |
| Frequency Response |
31Hz- 20kHz |
37-30k Hz |
Drivers |
|
|
| Woofer Quantity |
2 |
3 |
| Woofer Size |
8" |
8" |
| Woofer Composition |
Aluminum |
Aluminum |
| Woofer Surround Material |
Rubber |
Rubber |
| Tweeter Size |
1" |
1" |
| Tweeter Type |
Hard-Dome with Acoustic Lens Waveguide |
n/a |
| Aimable Tweeter |
No |
No |
| Midrange Driver |
5.25" |
No |
| Crossover Frequency |
270Hz and 2200Hz |
n/a |
| Firing Direction |
rear |
rear |
Physical Specs |
|
|
| Height |
1188.0mm (46.8") |
1143.0mm (45") |
| Width |
347.0mm (13.7") |
304.0mm (12") |
| Depth |
381.0mm (15") |
421.0mm (16.6") |
| Weight |
36.27kg (79.8lbs) |
38.08kg (83.8lbs) |
| Enclosure |
Bass Reflex |
Bass Reflex |
| Finish |
Wood/Lacquer |
MDF/Lacquer |
| Available Colors |
Gloss Black |
Gloss Black |
| Grille |
Yes |
Yes |
| Moisture Resistancy |
No |
No |
Connections |
|
|
| Biamp Inputs |
Yes |
Yes |
Other |
|
|
| Parts Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
| Labor Warranty |
5 Years |
5 Years |
A generation apart: JBL HDI-3800 is the newer design, against a 2013 model. Newer is not automatically better, but the older one is more likely to be discounted or near run-out.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | A | Revel Performa3 F208 digs deeper - 31Hz against 37Hz. A subwoofer would even that out. |
| Amplifier needs | B | JBL HDI-3800 is more sensitive (92dB vs 89dB), so it goes louder on the same amplifier. |
| Amplifier match | A | Revel Performa3 F208 is the easier load at 8 ohms; the other is 4 ohms and wants an amplifier rated for it. |
| Headroom | evenly matched | Similar power handling (350W vs 300W). |
| Size | depends | Similar cabinet size - neither is easier to fit. |
| Expandability | depends | Revel Performa3 F208: bi-amping; JBL HDI-3800: bi-amping. Revel Performa3 F208 sits in a wider range (8 models), so a matched surround system is easier later. |
| Price | evenly matched | Much the same money ($5,500 vs $5,500 a pair). |
A Revel Performa3 F208 B JBL HDI-3800
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, your system or how you will use them. Only specs published for both speakers are judged; anything missing on either side is left out rather than guessed.
Which should you choose?
Revel Performa3 F208 has the edge on paper, though the margin is not large. The rows marked "depends" may matter more to you than the score does. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 37Hz anyway, so judge these on the other rows instead. Match it to your room: we rate Revel Performa3 F208 the better fit for a very large room; elsewhere the two are rated the same.
And remember what a spec sheet cannot show: how each looks in your room and whether the finish suits it, what dealer support and warranty are like where you live, and how they actually sound to you. If you can hear them first - ideally with your own music - that will tell you more than any number above.