Suggestions for big floorstanding speakers? (1 Viewer)

[AxlCrucifix]

Hey guys,

I posted a little while ago about having the drivers replaced in my old floorstanding studio monitors, and the general consensus seemed to be that replacing the drivers just wouldn't cut it.

You see, while my home was having some renovations done, my giant speakers were damaged, and insurance is covering them.

I am looking for big floorstanding speakers that would be a suitable replacement. I am looking to replace monitors that had 15" woofers, 4" midranges and 3" tweeters. The power handling is not a huge deal, but I am trying to keep the prices a bit reasonable. (Unlike JBL K2's for around 40+ thousand a pair!)

I found Klipsch Klipschorn's of similiar specs, 15" woofer, 2" midrange and 1" tweeter and around 100 watts rms rated power, are these any good, or can anyone recommend anything different for me to approach the insurance adjuster with?

Thanks,
Dave.

 

[Cloud]

Where are you located at? I've got some floor standers with 15" woofer, 4" mid, 3" tweeter that I have sitting in my garage because I have no room for them in the house any more

 

[AxlCrucifix]

I am in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
I appreciate the offer, but as I have the upgraded replacement cost insurance, I am looking for a brand new speaker from a current lineup.

 

[SethH]

What price range are you considering?

Some potential options:

More expensive than Klipschorn: B&W 801D or B&W 802D
Less expensive than Klipschorn: DefTech BP7000SC

 

[JohnRice]

Dave, you have never indicated what the speakers actually are. It is not realistic to price speakers based on the size of the woofer. In fact, any speaker with a 3" tweeter is not likely to be of very high quality. Good tweeters aren't that large. I am saying this because I think you are being unrealistic if you think your old speakers will be replaced with Klipschorns, which cost 7.5K a pair.

The insurance company will most certainly demand to know the exact speaker model being replaced and will determine a suitable replacement.

 

[David Willow]

I believe we've had this discussion before:

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/...-question.html

I betting these would be close to what you have now:

Fluance™ High-Fidelity Three-way Floorstanding Loudspeakers SV-10

Now, if you want something that truly sounds great and are willing to spend the money (or your insurance will), have listen to B&W CM7's.

Oh, and don't stop there... Go listen to as many as you can that fit the price range you (or your insurance) have.

 

[AxlCrucifix]

Yes, we did have this convo before! I had lost the thread and couldn't find it. Basically, the insurance company has given me instruction to research and find something of similiar dimension to what I had before that I would be happy with.
Obviously the size of the drivers does not indicate the speakers quality, thats not what I am trying to say, what I AM trying to say however, is that my insurance is replacement cost and will replace them with something on the market that is along the lines that I had.

My adjuster understands that finding drivers for my old ones, or finding new Fisher speakers is not going to happen, and has said to find a mainstream brand name pair that I would be happy with. That being said, I am looking for big floor speakers, not smaller ones that you might think may sound the same. I had big floor speakers before, and I would like to find a big pair of speakers to replace them with. Thanks.

 

[David Willow]

Well in that case, here ya go.....

Shop Cerwin-Vega - Dual 15" 3-Way Tower - Single Unit

I still suggest you at least listen to the B&W, Polks, etc. You may be surprised how good a "little" speaker sounds.

 

[JohnRice]

OK!!! We are finally getting somewhere. Fisher speakers. Sorry to be blunt, but those are extremely low quality speakers. I have a feeling if you even suggest Klipschorns as replacements you may end up looking over your shoulder for the rest of your life. I would surmise the Fishers are worth $100-$200 each. The speakers David linked are not even entirely realistic, but if you can convince them to foot the bill for These, you should consider yourself lucky and move quietly along.

 

[gene c]

When I saw "Fisher" my first thought was KLH. But I can't seem to find any. Didn't look that hard either. Anyway, these should work too and they're a little cheaper though they are refurbished. Infinity Beta 50's can be had new for the same price so you should really look at other possibilities.

 

[thrca]

I personally would use the slightly more expensive set that John suggested (about $400 a set) to use for your insurance. They arent out of the norm for replacement of your fishers, so your insurance company shouldnt complain too much and it probably wont get you put on "the list". I would then take the check they give you and drop a few hundred bucks of my own to do a slight upgrade, since the first 400 bucks is paid for.

Then again, thats just my $.02, since I don't own anything at this price point. Somehow over the years my wife has ignored the amount I have spent on toys.

 

[JohnRice]

I would say the speakers Gene linked are a virtual match. The ones I linked would fall into "if you can get away with it".

I think the ones Gene linked are discontinued. The current model would seem to be These.

 

[thrca]

right.. I guess it depends on your moral compass and your adjuster. My moral compass got demagnetized years ago.

 

[JohnRice]

Well. like I said, the first speaker would be an "if you can get away with it" model. It is clearly superior to anything Fisher ever made. I should also point out it is not $400 a pair, but $400 each. A big stretch from Fisher.

 

[robert bartsch]

Either of these would be nice:

http://www.performanceaudio.com/medi...100/1254_s.pdf

JBL Professional 3678 at Performance Audio

 

[gene c]

I know a speakers actual sound quality is more important than it's specs but numbers like these, 45-20k (-10db) and 42-12k (+/- 3db) give me pause for concern. Might be O.K. in an auditorium but not so sure about my living room. But I admit that I've never really "listened" to that type of speaker so maybe I'm wrong.

But at this point I'm more interested in what his insurance adjuster is going to give him then what speaker he winds up getting .

 

[JohnRice]

You would be correct Gene. Those speakers are specifically designed for large venues and despite the perceptions of some, are far from suitable or ideal for home use, unless that home is a very large frathouse.

 

[AxlCrucifix]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. Keep in mind, these speakers sounded great, as they had different drivers in them. I understand you guys don't have much value for Fisher, but I am looking for stuff that is like mainstream brands (as suggested by the adjuster, he told me to find a pair i would be happy with, since there were many many other screwups with my renovation, a one week job turned in to 6 months, so they just want to make me happy and wrap things up). Some brand that were recommended to look for were JBL, Klipsch, Energy, etc. as in stuff that can be found around town in typical speakers shops kinda thing.

 

[Cloud]

Best Buy and Circuit City carry similar speakers from Sony, MTX, and Pyle. A quick search of their websites will show you the specific models. The JBL, Klipsch, etc. aren't going to carry exact looking 3 way floorstanders at most retail stores but they will have some comparably priced units.

 

[David Willow]

Then I suggest you get the "bigger is better" idea out of your thoughts and go audition JBL, Klipsch, Engery, etc. and see what sounds best TO YOU. I'm pretty sure none of these mentioned brands will sound like your Fishers... The Cerwin-Vegas should be the closest (I think).