spending $2000 on the front three speakers, which ones... (1 Viewer)

[TanD]

i would suggest JM Lab cobalt 816 or 816S and their cc800 center.

 

[Tim Reed]

Agree with the recommendation above regarding the GR Research AV1+s - - by all acounts a great speaker. Keep in mind that it is a "4 ohm" speaker, so it presents a more difficult load for you amplification. If you are looking for a great speaker that is an 8 ohm speaker, then I suggest you give serious consideration to the EFE T-22's/C-2 ($1600 delivered).

 

[george king]

Geno,

If you like the dynaudio sound, then I think that you really will like the GR Research speakers. A review of the A/V-1s (the smaller pair) will come out soon at the Secrets of HT and High Fidelity web page. Supposedly these speakers (prebuilt $700/pair) are favorably compared to a pair of $2K Dynaudio speakers. And the A/V-1+s are even better.

If you are worried about buying something without hearing it, Danny has several pairs of the speakers making a tour of the country, where you sign up, and have a week to audition them in your own home.

Hope this helps.

 

[Scott Oliver]

George, I think one more GR Research recommendation just might make his mind up for him.
:wink:

 

[Craig Amrine]

I highly encourage ya to look at ACI.

http://www.audioc.com

cheers,
-craig

 

[Geno]

Once again, I am looking for a PAIR of great stereo speakers for my apartment. Many of these suggestions seem to lean twoard HT setups that just happen to play music well. the GR's dont even hit 60hz and they are designed for direct listening [you have to be in front of them to get the best soud] meaning those are off of my list. As far as the center goes, that $ amount is neglegable. Id be happy spending $30 on one. What I wouldnt do for a 25 year old pair of Tannoy's that I grew up with!

 

[glenn.arsenault]

Check out the Onix Rocket RS250, RBH Signature Line, Snell K.5 mk2 Bookshelf Monitor or Boston Acoustics VR-M60

 

[Scott Oliver]

Just for the record I was just being sarcastic above and that was not a recommendation for GR.

I would recommend hmm...

Harbeth 7ES-2 which I believe now sells new just under $2k.
http://www.audioreview.com/Main+Spea...4_1594crx.aspx
http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue1/tangdsd.htm
http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/spe...ges/42495.html

or another good pairing would be JM Reynauds either the Arpeggiones, Cantabiles, or used Trentes.
Listener did a review a while back that paired B&K and a more expensive Reynaud model as one of their amp/speaker combos, so I iamgine these will pair up just fine.
Here is some reviews of the Trente and you can also go to Audio Asylum and do a search in the Speaker Asylum for these speakers for more discussion.
http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue5/trenteem.htm
http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue5/trente.htm

I was going to suggest Audio Note speakers as well but they are probably best left for tubes.

I think the ACI Sapphire 25th would be another nice option in this price range.

All of these speakers, I believe will offer the qualities you are looking for, and in the bass department all go down to around the 40Hz mark. For music that means they can reproduce just about every instrument except deep organ, etc. I think you would have a hard time finding another speaker in this price range that is as refined, but goes lower.

A good example would be the PSB Stratus Gold i. This thing can produce a lot of bass, but from my demo of it the bass actually often overwhelmed the rest of the frequencies. Plus the presentation of this speaker is again not as refined as the above IMO.

 

[george king]

Geno,

After this, I will let it go, but I do not understand some of your statements. The F3 for the 1+s is 55Hz. Your in room response will be much lower, so the speakers do go below 60 Hz. I do not understand the comment about being in front of the speakers for best sound. Unless you are listening to planars or some sort of omnipolar type speaker, you have to be in front of the speaker to get good sound. In other words, pretty much any speaker that is drivers in a box, standing behind the speaker will sound pretty crappy. The 1+s were made for music first, and HT second.

Enjoy whatever you get.

 

[Brian Bunge]

Geno,

I'm a bit confused too. Both the A/V-1's and A/V-1+'s have an F3 of 55Hz. And as far as having to be in front of them to get the best sound, well, where else do you plan on listening to music? Or are you referring to using the A/V-1+ as a center channel? Due to the close CTC spacing of the drivers it's got some of the best off axis response of any MTM speaker that I've heard. My father has the exact same setup and you have to sit near a side wall before noticing any comb filtering.

 

[Geno]

Frequency response is flat down to 68 Hz when it drops very quickly and is -3db down at 55 Hz

thats what i am refering too. I am in not means trying to say that the Gr's are in any way inferior to what ppl claim they are. I am just "pake" [cheap] when it comes to my money. Ive spent less that a total of $4000 on my whole HT and to commit to 50% more into two speakers is a bit unnerving. i am really trying to get as many different choises as possible before I go window shopping with my ears. Although the GR's may be a no-frills straight up approach to speakers, I am considernig more than just a good deal. Like when you go out to shop for a car, if everyone wanted the no-frills greatest deal out there, they would all buy a Honda Accord, right? So pardon my confussion and misguided approach to speaker shopping, please.

 

[Geno]

ps, its off the subject but i just saw these and oooooooooh!!!!!

http://www.passdiy.com/speakers.htm

 

[Scott Oliver]

Hey Geno what lines do dealers in Kansas carry?

The only dealer I know of is Kief's in Lawrence and they don't carry much in terms of "great" lines. Of all their stuff I guess I would lean towards KEF, but hopefully you have more options then the brands Kief's carries.

 

[Brian Bunge]

Geno,

This is merely for clarification purposes, but a pair of A/V-1+'s will only set you back $900, or $1000 with the capacitor upgrade. So that's only 25% more. And three will set you back still less than 50%.

And using the above quote to deduct that they won't "do" 60Hz is rediculous. A speaker's F3, or -3dB point is an anechoic measurement, not in room. But even if it were in room, it's still only down half the acoustic power as the reference point. I'm afraid if you use frequency response specs as a make or break spec then you may very well miss out on some very good speakers out there.

 

[george king]

Geno,

I do not understand what you mean by no frills. Brian will CUSTOM make you a pair of the A/V-1+s, you do not get something off an assembly line. This is handmade, and take it from one VERY satisfied customer, Brian's work is stellar (see the other thread on GR speakers currently running).

You are getting something better that a commerical speaker, and an amazing speaker to boot.

 

[Geno]

to answer your ? Scott, I havent been in Keifs for years, they are too expensive!


well george, I have seen brian's veneer work and i do say it is top notch. Brian, kudos on having the patience to do detailed work like that. "Brian's work is stellar", I agree. You cant find that quality of work on many speakers below $4000.

As far as the 60 Hz issue, i guess I am just looking for something with a much lower range.

George, what I meant about the no frills thing was that the Av+1s and counterparts were designed to listen to and not to make a profit off of. meaning that no corner was cut just for the fact that someone could make more money.

Put it this way, I usually know what I want when I see it. [or hear it]
neither has happened. now of course I havent heard the GR's yet but im not jumping out tommorrow to buy these. I will make an effore to listen to them, based on your persistence.

Last stupid question. Brian, do you do custom xovers?

 

[Brian Bunge]

Geno,

No I don't do any crossover design work. But if there's something you're interested in, Danny will do something custom for you.

 

[Geno]

ok, just been surfing around the gr site. the AV-3's look more to what I am looking for than anything else. as the other speakers I had mentioned or looked at, they were all 2 or 3 way design full floor standing speakers. $300 for the kit! taint bad!!! maybe I just dont want bookshelf speakers? i dont know. could I get the enclosure plans from GR??? Brian, do you have any listening time with thesemodels? any experience?

 

[Scott Oliver]

Geez is this a GR Research commercial or what.

Geno, actually you didn't really answer my question. What I would like to know is if you are determined to audition the speakers in person (as you should) then it makes no sense for folks to throw out various brands to look at (like I did earlier with Harbeth, etc.) if they are unavailable in your local market. So my question is what brands are carried by dealers around you?

I know Kief's carries Boston Acoustics, Mirage, NHT, Klipsch, KEF, Monitor Audio, and PSB. Are there some more brands carried by other dealers in Kansas or Lenexa to be specific?

 

[Geno]

b&w, mission, nrg, m&k, martin logan of course, Klipsch, BA, Polk etc... theil,

http://www.audioport.com/

thats the closest locally owned i know of

KEF, are they any good?



there are mini highend chains stores and localy owned high end stores. each claiming this and that.
hard to listen to speakers when they are hooked to $10,000 amps