Audiophilepure

Bottom line: The LRS+ is a big improvement over the original LRS. It adds enough color, power, detail, and extension in the midbass and smoothness and coherence in the upper mids and lower treble to make it far more of a true full-range contender than its predecessor. Though you can do better in the Maggie line for about three times the money (the MG1.7i), you’re not going to get the same condo-friendly form factor from the 1.7, which is a foot and a half taller and a half foot wider than the Plus. In cone speakers, you can find much smaller boxes at this price point and, for a bit more money, some self-powered models, but not a one of them that I’ve heard comes as close to sounding like the real thing as this baby Maggie. For folks who are new to the high end or have small listening spaces or are working with limited budgets or just want a second high-fidelity system in a different spot for music or TV, I can think of no better choice for the dollar, particularly if you treasure the sound of acoustic instruments. Its limitations notwithstanding, this is a great little loudspeaker and a sure-fire nominee for one of TAS’ 2022 Product of the Year Awards. 

I suspect that these JBLs had not been given much of a run-in prior to delivery because the results they produced improved markedly over the weeks that they were in the system. I played a lot of music through a variety of sources and amplifiers and came to the conclusion that they are really rather good, their high sensitivity is a definite bonus but ultimately the HDI-3800s are a lot more sophisticated than they look. This combined with their competitive pricing makes them look like rather good value if you have the space.