At one point in the past, I helped my wife host a going-away party for her best friend who was moving out of state, and who likes EDM. In addition to fog machine + DMX laser show, the sound system consisted of two
JBL SRX835P’s EQ’ed to be flat down to 30hz, plus a pair of Rythmik F18 subwoofers. I tuned the in-room response with a gradual downward slope where 10hz was +20db or so louder than 10khz.
This system in even a moderately large indoor room has effectively limitless headroom 30hz and up (and still excellent below 30hz thanks to the Rythmik’s), as it can reach instant hearing damage levels easily with its powerful horns (130 dbA), which is also why I EQ’ed the bass louder to satisfy without dangerous treble levels. Many of the guests being accustomed to live EDM shows were extremely pleased that it could play extremely loud, exactly as it is in a live show.
If I remember correctly, my SPL meter was reading somewhere around
125 dbC at peak moments. Switching to dbA mode, I think it was somewhere in the high
90’s dbA. For me, very uncomfortably loud, but according to NIOSH still “safe” for up to 30 minutes of exposure, and according to OSHA “safe” for up to 2 hours of exposure. The guests were all
thrilled by the sound, with their reference point being big live shows. Still, it was a bit much for me, and I took breaks upstairs, and found that all the dishes in the cabinets were rattling from the bass, it was so powerful
While the SRX835P were great for this sort of thing, it’s ultimately not high fidelity enough for me (nothing like the Genelecs or Revels or Neumann’s), so I ended up selling them. But it’s still nice to be able to host such things (or even for momentary loud explosions in movies, loud peaks in classical music, etc.), and for that reason I really am loving what the 8361 offers: it’s a fantastic speaker that truly is near-perfect in every way, from SPL to sound quality.
P.S. Yes I know 8351B’s + W371A’s are definitely better, and definitely “the ultimate” system for sure. I just don’t anticipate I’ll be ready for W371A’s for at least a good number of years, until either they come down in price or I succumb to the temptation. Even if I do, I still love the 8361A’s for what they are — an incredible performance in every possible aspect, in an impressively “small“ package relative to what power it is capable of.