which brands should I look at? (1 Viewer)

When I upgrade to my dream speakers, I really have become stuck on Definitive Technologies BP-2000 TLs for the main channels. They retail for $3000 a pair. I was curious what other brands should I listen to that are in a similar price range? These are basically the only high end speakers I have been able to listen to that aren't $20,000 a piece. (Those were nice.) I obviously want to test everything I can before I throw down that much money. I love the way they sound, but if I find something better then that's great. I would use them mostly for movie watching, but I do listen to some music.

And for the surround speakers, I like Definitive's BPVX/P's. I have two questions with these. I haven't actually heard the powered version of these. Will the powered ones sound a lot better than the non powered versions? They are bipolar speakers and I have heard many theories about surround channels. Should I be looking at direct radiating speakers instead? These are $1500 a pair, retail. I haven't found anywhere that sells these cheaper than retail except a store around here that has a 25% off a pair of speakers sale every first week of December.

Thanks for your help and suggestions!

I would suggest checking out
Jamo D870s
or
Canton Karat series

Umm ... Avantegarde Uno's are $12,000/pair.

And the Solo's, which I think you are referring to, are actually $3500 each speaker not per pair.

My question would be what do your local dealers carry line-wise around you, since you mention that you want to check them out yourself before laying down any money.

List the lines, the rest of your system, and your room size and we could give you better recommendations.

Personally I am not a fan of DEF Tech but if you like them go for it.

One problem you may encounter is the typical 80 Hz sub crossover, some processors have an inability to set speakers to varying crossovers. Therefor there is potential that all of that built-in sub power of the Def Techs could become redundant with an additional LFE sub. Those built-in subs can also make the speaker more dependant on room set-up becasue of the amount of bass they will be pumping out themselves, so you may encounter that the speaker placement that makes the bass sound best does horrible things to the imaging or soundstaging.

george...

i own the bp2000tl's, clr3000, and bpvx/ps. i love the way these speakers perform with movies. because of their design, these speakers weren't really made for sitting in one sweet spot and critically listening to music. however, i have gotten excellent sound for two-channel cds(at least to my admittedly untrained ears), and multichannel music (only dts right now, the universal player will come in a few months). just listening to sting and the brand new day dts mix is awesome.

this is not saying that these speakers don't image well, but if you're looking for a speaker that gives you a sweet spot that only one person can appreciate, these are probably not your best choice. however, if your primary need is home theater, or if you entertain a lot like i do(needing a wider sweet spot), or if you just like a wonderful room filling sound(these speakers fill up my whole house of 3100 square feet with great music sound), i whole-heartedly recommend the def tech.

good luck with your choice!

I just wanted to thank all of you who replied. I e-mailed you guys, but if you didn't get, thank you.

Thank you too, Kenneth, since I can't e-mail you.

hey buddy, you wnat 20,000 value for 3,000 price? check out sp technology. i just been there and they look pretty sweet. they just happen to fit right in your price range. im looking forward to some pretty good reviews. they look super-cool, too. im gettin a pair when i get the money.
http://www.4sptech.com

you're welcome, george

if i can answer any more questions, please let me know... i've had my def-techs for about 6 months now

I would say get what alot of studios use the entire M&K S-150 setup. Either S-150 L/C/R, SS-150 Surround (side and rear if going for 7.1), and either a MX-150 or MX-350 sub. This is probably the best all around Home Theater setup for the price.

I've been checking out the sites of speakers that have been suggested. I hope to get to a store or two to listen to whatever brands I have on my newly made list this upcoming week. Although, it'll be toward the end of the year when I am able to actually purchase anything.

Chris, the M & K speakers reviews really sounded impressive. However, they are a little too much for me. (Although, you never know what the future holds.) Thank you for the suggestion.

Ken,

How do the BPVX/P's plug into the wall? Do you need recessed outlets in the wall? Or do the cords show? How do you have your 2000's wired up? Are the subs hooked up to the LFE channel?

Here are a few that are not in the same price range ( lower ) but may be a good for a demo - comparison.
Simply being similar size and design - Powered Towers.
Boston Acoustics VR-970 1600 pr. MSRP @ BA dealers.
Polk Audio Lsi-25 1750 pr. www.acousticsounddesign.com / grey market.
Mordaunt Short F-C-R pkg. 1750 / free shipping www.accessories4less.com / Authorized factory closeout dealer.

The 2000tl are very hard to beat,great speakers I really liked em'.I auditioned these at home and was very impressed,when cranked up they just kept on jammin'.I did however decide to keep my klipsch rf7's,with rsw 15 sub,which were about the same price,I could have traded almost even.The klipsch are so lifelike,sub so powerfull,2400 watt peek,I could not bring myself to trade in.The def tech 2000/3000 tl are right up there with any at their price range.

My two favorite speakers for HT are... Klipsch and M&K.
They have great clarity and dynamics which is what HT is about.

My favorite for music are...Revel and Vandersteen. They handle instruments and vocals very naturally. Nothing harsh or fatiguing from either.

I'll second the GR-Research (my next purchase)
VPMS (everyone loves their ribbons)
Vandersteen (We have the 2ce signatures here, but with your budget you could go for the 3's)

george...

WARNING: i hope that my description of the speaker mounts doesn't give you a headache...

in regards to the bpvx/ps, i built a frame from 1x2's in the shape of an upside-down "u" to mount my speakers(with the vertical sides the heighth of the speaker, and the horizontal side the width of the speaker, and cords and wires coming from the open bottom, and this frame mounted to wall studs with long wood screws). i then had room to insert my banana plugs into the back of the speakers. when facing the speakers, the frame is hidden behind. i then used some adhesive wire routers from lowe's to conceal my speaker wires and power cords down the door frames, and i think i achieved a pretty nice result for do-it-myself(even the wife doesn't complain!).

in my opinion, the only drawback to the bpvx/ps(or any powered speaker, that is) is that power outlets must be accessible for each powered unit. i was lucky in that i had power outlets located beneath or behind all positions for my speakers. i personally love the sound of my deftechs, but as i noted in an earlier post, they may not be for everyone. be sure to audition several different speakers before you commit, because whether you end up with the deftechs, or another brand, its a bunch of pesos to shell out for something you wont be happy with for a while(i use "a while" loosely, because we all suffer from intermittent "upgrade fever").

good luck!

Kenneth,


Thanks for the info. Although, some of the salesman at the store here that sell Definitives are knowledgable about home theater, none of them could tell me or even show me how the cords came out of the speaker. I just want to know beforehand, because things like that will obviously affect a purchasing decision according to what I have to work with in my room. For instance, the way my room is, I cannot get floor standing speakers for the rear channels. As for the powered speakers, I happen to be an electrician.

It'll be a few months until I can buy anything, but I am going to start looking Monday at the brands I haven't heard yet.

****Update****

Hello again,


I have started to audition some speakers. When I compared Paradigm to Definitive I still thought that the DefTechs had a slight edge. However, yesterday I heard two speakers that have intrigued my interest: Magnapans and Von Schweikert.

The sales guy said that the Magnapans should be placed about three feet from the wall to sound best. This is impossible at my current home, so I think I have to eliminate these. But, soundwise, they were very impressive. Does anyone have experience with these? Is that placement imperative?

Von Schweikert is a brand I haven't heard of until yesterday. I listened to a movie I brought and the fronts sounded good, but the rear surrounds were a different brand so I didn't get a full feel for a surround setup. For two channel music, he showed me the VR 1 bookshelf speakers. Those were very impressive and he said that when he receives the new VR 2's he's going to call me to check them out. Does anyone have experieince with this brand? What models do you recommend I condsider?

Thanks for your help and opinions. On my way to check out some more.....

George,

Both of those are very good brands, also glad you were able to hear some speakers made by some non-mass market companies. I would encourage you to keep seeking out anymore brands that you haven't heard of that are carried locally. For as I mentioned in my email to you, I think you would benefit from continuing to build up your audio databank. At the end of the search you may decide that the Von Schweikert's are the best you have heard or the best in your price range, but you have only listened to 4 brands out of 1000's and I would imagine close to a hundred brands are carried locally in Cleveland.

However as the dealer mentioned Magnepans are speakers that in order to get their best you really need to be able to have a space dedicated to them because they interact with the room so much. If you do have that ability 20.1's and 3.6's are some of the best speakers made and 1.6's are a tremendous bargain. Another problem with Magnepans is that for awhile now their center and surrounds have not been close to being as good as the speakers designed to be the fronts. They may have remedied some of this by now, with a new center channel they have been working on.


Hey being in Ohio you might also be interested in attending this event coming up in April at Lima, Ohio.
Midwest Audio Fest

The Revel Performa F30's are in that price range and the Dali Grand Diva also.