Looking for tower and center speaker recommendations (1 Viewer)

[CaptnHowdy]

I am looking for tower and center speakers recommendations for a 15 x 15 room.

 

[gene c]

On the lower end Newegg.com has great prices on Polk Monitor series speakers. http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100008225%20600030002&IsNodeId=1&name=Floorstanding%20Speakers Add a CS1 or CS2 center. Frys sometimes has the Infinity Primus 362's on sale for $199 a pair. Real steal. Add a 350 center. They have also had great prices on Polk RTi series towers like the RTi8's for $199 a pair as well as the 10's and 12's. Add a CSi5 center. Budget not a problem? Revel Ultima2's. :yum: http://www.revelspeakers.com/Products/Details/42 Depends on what type of sound you like and how much you want to spend. Polk is on the bright side, Infinity soft and warm. Klipsch and Energy are other main stream brands to consider. Axiom, Aperion, SVS, Ascend Acoustics, Swan and Emotiva for internet-direct values.

 

[CaptnHowdy]

Ouch!, On the Revel Salon 2's at $16,000 per pair. I'm looking at something much cheaper, but higher quality than the Newegg offerings. I have been looking at the eD EL8.3t towers & EL 8.3c, but that is straining my budget, and I would have to buy a separate amp to add 4 ohm speakers to my 8 ohm setup. I'm trying to step up incrementally, and that looks like moving to a 4 ohm speaker system.

 

[gene c]

If you can find the Salon2's for only $16,000 a pair sell your car! They list for about $26,000/pr. The Monitor series is pretty basic but sounds decent for the price. A pretty good value really. The RTi series is a step up as it's replacement, the RTiA's. Look at the other internet-direct offerings. There are too many good speaker brands to list them all. The ED 8.3t and 8.3c towers and center list for a total of $3,300. You have a lot of options for that kind of money. I'd also look at: PSB and Monitor Audio, http://www.saturdayaudio.com/ Energy Veritas, http://outlet.crutchfield.com/p_732V63R/Energy-Veritas-V-6-3-Rosenut.html?cc=02&tp=185&avf=N&nvpair=FFBrand%7cEnergy Paradigm http://www.paradigm.com/products/products-by-category SVS http://www.svsound.com/speakers/m-series/mts-02?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=19&category_id=9 I have a smaller version of these http://www.ozhometheater.com/ozht_prodcat_htspeakers_floorstanding_6.1bc.htm and the matching center http://www.ozhometheater.com/ozht_prodcat_htspeakers_center_c3bc.htm Here are the newer versions but the original 6.1's and C3 center have a strong following http://www.theaudioinsider.com/index.php?loudspeakers=swan-diva&cPath=21_22

 

[CaptnHowdy]

Thank you for your suggestions. The PSB T-6 tower looks interesting. I've also been reading about SVS M series, and I see mixed reviews, so am unsure about them. I am interested in 4 ohm 3-way speakers. to narrow the search down a little.

 

[gene c]

SVS probably makes the very BEST subwoofers under $2000. The two guys how started the company met here on the HomeTheaterForum a few years ago. No need to be unsure about them. PSB (Paul and Susan Barton) are very underated speakers. I heard a pair of them (not sure of the model number) at an aquantances house and they literaly had to pull me out of the room. I don't think that guy will ever let me in his house again . Here's a rather long thread you should read if you have the time. http://www.hometheaterforum.com/t/297610/how-to-buy-new-speakers

 

[CaptnHowdy]

I purchased a pair of a5-350s last week on advice found on this forum. So that is why I got interested in the EL8s, and the lay away plan they have helps me out. I don't see any affordable Paradigm speakers that are 3-way. The PSB Imagine series looks affordable, but it is not 3-way either.

 

[CaptnHowdy]

I just sold an old car I had for $2,500. So that is my budget. What tower speakers would you buy if you had $2,500 to spend?

 

[Al.Anderson]

What tower speakers would you buy if you had $2,500 to spend?

Axiom M80. I love my Axiom M22 bookshelfs and the M80 is their flagship. One day ....

 

[CaptnHowdy]

The Axiom M80 and the 180 look great, and the price is great. I have to tell you I am still confused as to why speakers cost so much. Most of the prices seem unjustified. I honestly don't care if the speaker cabinets are made from plywood & spray painted with black paint as long as they sound good. Is it fashion? Are speaker brands fashions for men? like Gucci or Prada are for women? What costs so much more in a $30,000 speaker from Paradigm, I don't get it? Anyway, these speakers sound like a good deal. I’d like to hear other opinions on the Axiom M80. I really like the PSB flagship towers, but they are just too expensive. I’ve also been thinking hard about the SVS M series because all of you here at the forum praise that company so highly, but they are pretty expensive as well.

 

[gene c]

Axiom is a popular choice and I can't believe I didn't post a link for them like I did with the others . There's a pair of M60's on CL in Northern Caifornia for $495. The SVS MTS-02's are $1399 a pair with free shipping. Worth every penny. Leaves you plenty left over for their center channel. Probably the biggest cost in a loudspeaker is the cabinet. Particularly for tower speakers. That's why many people think a bookshelf for the same price is a much better value. But we all like our towers! And in the higher end category people expect furniture grade construction and finish adding to the cost. AscendAcoustics.com kinda side-stepped that theory by spending more on the drivers and design while keeping the cabinets rather simple and plain. And their tower speaker is basically their bookshelf on a pedestal so I didn't include them with the others. But maybe you should give them a peek Another big part of the cost is designing the crossover. A lot of time goes into designing the higher end speakers and time is money. Smaller, cheaper speakers also sell much better which keeps their prices low. You know, cheaper by the dozen (although, have you prised a dozon donuts lately ). I suppose speakers can be a fashion statement. Certainly explains the popularity of Bose. And truth be told, when I bought my speakers 5-6 years ago I compared my Swans with Aperion and Ascend side-by-side and a big selling point was the Swans appearance. They're gorgeous! Anyway, there are just too many different brands for anyone to have knowledge of them all and at $2500 you've blown past my area of knowledge. And at that price you can't take someone elses word for it, you have to hear them for yourself. Most all internet speaker companies offer a 30 day in-home trial period but the buyer usually pays for return shipping. That's why I ordered three different bookshelves, kept the ones I liked for use as surrounds and returned the other two. Aperion will pay shipping BOTH WAYS which deserves mention. $2500 is a real tough price point. High enough for most consumer level and internet brands best offerrings but not quite enough for the very best (except for the obsurd) brands like PSB, Vandersteen, Salk,Theil, etc. Maybe Golden Ear has something for you. Anyway, you really should hit the showrooms and listen to some high end brands like Paradigm, Totem, Monitor Audio, things you won't find at Fry's. But to at least learn a little more about some of them here are some places to look for speaker reviews: HomeTheaterHiFi (also known as Secrets of HiFi) has some great reviews of speakers. http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/speakers.html Also look at HomeTheaterMag http://www.hometheater.com/category/floorstanding-speaker-reviews and SoundAndVision http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/category/site-channel/gear/speakers And Audiogon is an old, well respected site for buying and selling quality used gear. I use it often. You can get a better idea of just how many options there are to choose from. Scroll to the bottom of the page to the "View Classifieds" link for even more to drool over :yum: . http://www.audiogon.com/cgia/fsb.pl?spkrfull

 

[CaptnHowdy]

I thought the SVS M series were 1399 each. I ruled out bookshelves because I wanted a 3-way speaker. I am reconsidering bookshelves now, because the cost is just too high for a 3-way system.

 

[gene c]

It looks like AscendAcoustics is about to release their new Sierrs tower. This looks real interesting. Their sierra bookshelf has gottin rave reviews. Can't say I care for the matching center, though. http://www.ascendacoustics.com/pages/products/speakers/SRT/srt.html The Swan D2.1se+ is another speaker that I've always been interested in. http://www.theaudioinsider.com/product_info.php?loudspeakers=swan-high-end&p=swan-d2-1se%2B&cPath=21_23&products_id=69 Same for the M3 but it's pretty much way out of my price range. No matching center either http://www.theaudioinsider.com/product_info.php?loudspeakers=swan-high-end&p=swan-m3&cPath=21_23&products_id=138 This has happened to many others. The more you learn the more confusing it gets.

 

[CaptnHowdy]

What do you think about the ribbon tweeter option on the new Sierra Towers? http://www.ascendacoustics.com/pages/products/speakers/SRT/srt.html

 

[gene c]

I'd just be guessing. I have heard the Swan M1's which have a very good ribbon tweeter and they sounded FANTASTIC! Which is why I'm dreaming about the other Swan Monitors. Ribbon tweeters are very detailed and acurrate by design and have a wide left/right soundstage. Their verticle dispertion isn't as great as a soft dome tweeter but some think this is an advantage if the speakers are positioned properly (which is hard to do with towers). Others feel they can be a bit bright and/or fatigueing but I've never felt that way. And if you look at some of the best speakers out there many of them have ribbon tweeters. The good thing about internet-direct companies is when you call or e-mail them with a question you actually get someone who knows what they're talking about. Sometimes the owner or other top guy will answer you. Shoot them an email and see what they say. Like I said before, you're way out of my knowledge/price range. When I bought my original Swan Diva 5.1's, 2.1's and C3 center they were $1375 shipped for all of them. You're looking at a whole different level .

 

[CaptnHowdy]

I live in a rural area, so there really aren’t any showrooms to listen to this stuff. So I am buying deaf, and I am relying on the internet community to be my ears. The M3’s look interesting, and will work perfectly for replacement of my current mains. As you said, I don’t see a matching center. I was also interested in towers not only for 3-way, but also to make use of the full-band setting on my Onkyo receiver. I don’t know if I could use the full-band setting with the M3 speakers?

 

[gene c]

I wouldn't use the Full Band anyway. You just bought two good subwoofers. Let them do their job . Movies in particular can have an awfull lot of really deep bass in the LFE channel. Regardless of how large or expensive your front speakers are they can still be damaged by sudden explosions and cannon blasts. At least use a 40 or 50 crossover setting. You would be safe with music for the most part.

 

[CaptnHowdy]

Thank you for that useful information. This makes the Swan M3's look very attractive to me except, for the fact, there is no matching center. Do I need to match the wide speakers with the mains. My current speakers are 8ohm speakers. The Swan M3's are 4ohms, so I need to buy a 4ohm amp to run them. I am using an Onkyo TX-NR5008. I am hoping to pickup Onkyo's new 9.2 channel amp on sale, but there doesn't seem be a lot of the on the market, so they will probably hold there price. I am slowly trying to transition out of my current speakers. The new subs will fix my bass problems. I want the new front speakers because the center dialogue is not clear, and I would like higher quality sound in the mains. I might buy dipole surround speakers next year. I'll probably leave the heights and back speakers alone. So I imagine I'll have an equal mix of 8 ohm and 4 ohm speakers in the end.

 

[gene c]

Mixing 4 ohm and 8 ohm speakers isn't an issue that i know of but mixing brands and/or types of speakers can be. The speakers up front, be they front, center, width or height, really need to be from the same series and brand for "timbre matching" of the vocals and other sounds that pan from one side of the room to the other otherwise they could sound different as they travel from one speaker to another. It isn't as important for the surround to match but you should make the effort. I'm kind of sorry I brought your attention to a speaker that doesn't have matching center and surrounds but it really is important. That Onkyo 5008 can probably power 4 ohm speakers. In fact, I bet there's a 4 ohm setting in the menu or a switch on the back panel. All that does is cut the power from the amp in half. It's very difficult for receiver manufactures to certify their receivers for 4 ohm use even though they can power them anyway so even though most higher-end receivers can run 4 ohm speakers they don't bother to get that certification. You probably want to keep the same brand of amp as the receiver but Emotiva amps are very good and most likely much cheaper than the Onkyo. Maybe you just need a good two channel amp for the fronts (or a 3 channel for the center too) and let the receiver do the rest.

 

[CaptnHowdy]

The Onkyo receiver can power 4 ohm or 8 ohm speakers, but it is all or nothing. All 8 ohm or all 4 ohm. I'm wondering now if I can just substitute the center speaker with a better 8 ohm speaker to improve the dialogue. I suppose the center needs to match the mains.