F228Be's measure a solid -3dB down at 23 Hz in my room. Then again my room is pretty small and benefits from a good bit of room boundary reinforcement. I've auditioned the 228Be and 208 side by side using JC2 pre and JC5 amp. The 208 is very good but (in comparison) has some upper mid strain that is very evident on well recorded brass and lends a slight coloration to voices and strings. The 228Be is a bit tighter and deeper in the bass as well with better pitch definition and "tactile" realness on drums, acoustic bass, etc. Overall both are great speakers, but to me the 228Be opens up to a more "realistic" sound and provides a larger deeper soundstage. I could not live with the 208 because of the brass reproduction artifact (I am a trumpet player). Then again the 228Be should be a bit better at 2x the price. I really wanted to save the money and buy 208's, but the 228Be is a special speaker with stunning performance at the price level - IMO
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