Tonal quality up and down the scale. Notes with my Gibbon 8s always seemed a bit lean. I listen to a lot of acoustic jazz and I found that sax and cymbals were a bit brash to my ears. Also, the bass never was quite as present as with the the Super 8s or Nines. Again, I'm not bashing the Gibbons, but I just don't think they stack up to the others.
The 3XLs are amazing little speakers, too -but sound much different than the Nines and the Super 8s. The later have a more "woody" feel like you're listening an acoustic instrument, the 3XL's have a cleaner sound.
I wrestled between all three. Since the 3XL's would've required a sub to help on the low end, it became a horse race between the Super8s and the Nines. In the end, I spoiled myself with the Nines.
