Opinions on Floorstanding Speakers - Budget $4K

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by TheVinylAddict, May 6, 2018.

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  1. jcmusic

    jcmusic Forum Resident

    Location:
    Terrytown, La.
    Stay with the Klipsch since you know them already, try the Forte' II's and upgrade the xover done!!! At less than $4000....
     
  2. Obviously most of us will recommend a speaker we have selected for ourselves...having gone through a similar audition experience.

    I narrowed my choice down to ProAcs, Focals and B$W 702s . The B&Ws list for 4500 pr. The others were somewhat more. In the end I went with the B&Ws. I love the sound and design and they work nicely with my system. A good match for me. But it is always a matter of individual taste both aural and visually.

    The B&W 702s took a good 100 plus hours to break in/smooth out and I pushed them pretty hard most of that time. I tend to play my loud whenever possible. Pretty much everything sounds good though them except for the occasional bad mastered record. I play mostly vinyl on this rig and since I updated my table to an RP8 with a Rega Ania MC cart and Aria phono stage, that upgrade made the speakers shine even more. A dramatic soundstage improvement.

    One note; I bought my 702s right after they first were released. I auditioned them three times at three different retailers and tried to get a discount at Magnolia. I also purchased their new center and smaller 700s to use as rears for a 5-1 setup (although 2 channel music was my main goal). They only offered me credit and a set of speaker wire. I wanted to pay cash-didnlt want or need their in-store credit.

    Bottom line; I ended up saving about 10% overall buy paying no tax at an independent HIFI shop. They took a bot more off too. I think they get around the no discount pricing on some brands by offering to pay the sales tax. My local also delivered and set up for me for free. Magnolia wanted to charge about $350 for this.

    It's been about 8 months now and I'm loving these speakers. There is a 700 series thread somewhere here with photos....
     
  3. SubtiltyCypress

    SubtiltyCypress Forum Resident

    Location:
    Levittown PA
    I have listened to Focal Arias 948, Klipsch Fortes and Revel F208s and at first, I really enjoyed them all and my preference was the Focals, but after listening to them at the shop, I checked a different shop and they showed me a speaker from a company I've never heard from. They are called the Hyperion HPS-738.

    Oh. My. God. Best experience of my life. Using a Jolida 1501 with them, is the best experience I have ever listened to.

    The speakers on the side of the enclosures make the soundstage huge and have the speakers disappear. I stood in the middle of the speakers and STILL had the same experience.

    They sell for $4500, but they are on sale from the company website for $1500! I even found a pair I bought brand new for 1000. I'd buy those and buy 2 good subs for the money.
     
  4. You need to buy from a shop who will allow full price trade up for up to a year. It takes time for any new sieakers to warm up and jive with your system. Then close to a year You can decide if you want to pay a bit more for something at a higher level.
     
    SandAndGlass and Bern like this.
  5. NickC4555

    NickC4555 Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Leicester, UK
    I bought a pair of Dali Rubicon 6s last year. I had Linn Kans, which were incredibly musical, but very little bass, so swapped them out for some Tannoy xt6fs, which were the exact opposite - reasonable bass, but not at all enjoyable to listen to. The Dalis tick all the boxes - tight, dynamic and great to listen to for hours on end. Highly recommended.
     
  6. TheVinylAddict

    TheVinylAddict Look what I found Thread Starter

    Location:
    AZ
    Thanks all for the recommendations, there were quite a few that made me dig a little deeper and weren't originally on my radar. There are just so many quality speakers that can be had in this price range, partly because $4K opens up a very respectable level for the used market too... so now my original list of candidates is longer after sorting through some new choices.

    Good to see the theory is still true where you ask 10 people what speaker they like, you will get 15 recommendations!

    I am heading down to a couple of smaller Hi Fi shops to do some speaker auditioning. I am not certain what the trip will bear out but sometimes just doing it is half the fun. I did talk to the owners, so know what they have as far as setup, and both named some speaker lines I had heard of, some that I did not. Like I said, didn't ask a ton of questions, but heard enough to go check it out.

    The best thing for me to do right now is go listen to what I can locally, check out some of the smaller local stores. Key word in that last sentence is listen.... after all, the ears should be buying these, not the wallet, right?
     
  7. Shiver

    Shiver Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    Totally right in getting out there to listen to them - zero substitute for that. If it's not possible to audition at home can you take your own amp or use? Also try to get a feel for how the audition room might compare to yours, and play around with the speaker positioning to see how they perform where expected to be at home. Also, use them at varying listening levels as some speakers don't come alive until turned up a bit.

    I'd recommend trying ProAc, Kudos, and Neat if possible. But personally, hearing Audio Note J and E speakers was a game changer in that they have a natural, organic, weighty delivery at real-world volumes; and unlike most large speakers they can work well placed along walls or in corners - if that's an advantage. High sensitivity - so not sure how they'd go with your amp but it leaves lower powered ones a future option.

    Edit - as in used for the AN options...
     
    Last edited: May 8, 2018
  8. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    Their website is defunct. Unless you have another link?
     
  9. liptrot

    liptrot Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York City
    Another vote for the Spendor D7. Great speaker at a steal of a price. I'd buy them if I didn't already have a pair of the A6R
     
  10. TheVinylAddict

    TheVinylAddict Look what I found Thread Starter

    Location:
    AZ
    With 3-4 recs now on the D7, I did take a look earlier at them earlier, definitely looks nice. It turned out for the size, wattage, etc I ended up liking the D9 even more... but that one is out of budget range even used most likely.
     
  11. Taylor7108

    Taylor7108 Active Member

    I second the Dynaudio Excite x38s. I auditioned these with a Rogue Audio amp in-store and had an experience like no other....the immersion and precision was surreal! I am saving up to grab them and pair with a Rega Elicit-R and my RP3. If you have the option...DO give these a listen!
     
    bruce2 likes this.
  12. Bring music you know CDs and vinyl if you play that.
     
    George P likes this.
  13. blair207

    blair207 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Fife, Scotland
    I am in the same Process as you in the U.K. I have PMC 25/23 and 25/24, Audio Physic Avanti, and Dali Rubicon 6 and Spendor A7/D7 on my shortlist at the moment. I am listening to them at dealers showrooms at the moment but I am trying to sort out some home demos. I heard the Audio Physics today, sounded good but I need to hear them at home.
     
  14. Helom

    Helom Forum member

    Location:
    U.S.
    The D7s should have no problem pressurizing your room.
     
    avanti1960 likes this.
  15. sbayle

    sbayle Forum Resident

    Location:
    Lexington, MA USA
    Golden Ear Triton 1 or 2 depending on whether you can by the former used. You can save a lot of money buying used but my rule of thumb is never to buy mechanicals - turntables, speakers etc. used as they may have been abused. Buying used electronics much safer. I’ve had the Triton 2s in my home theater since they were first available. Having powered sub is very smart, saves space and money, choose your own amp to power the mids/tweeter. Golden Ear provides the best value for the buck if you are buying through retail. I’m not familiar with speakers sold direct via the web but they are saving 50 points. But you would need a money back guarantee. I’m sure there are knowledgeable people here and on other forums who can advise on direct sales models. Have fun trying out a bunch of new speakers!
     
    displayname likes this.
  16. avanti1960

    avanti1960 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago metro, USA
    The OP has the Parasound A21. He could pressurize the room with a 5" bookshelf speaker :)

    But seriously-
    OP- If you haven't listened / lived with a transparent British monitor like the Spendors, Rogers, Harbeths etc. you really should. Their transparent yet smooth, forgiving and natural sound is something that most other speakers rarely achieve.
     
    Last edited: May 8, 2018
  17. Done A Ton

    Done A Ton Birdbrain

    Location:
    Rural Kansas
    If I had $4k to spend on speakers, I'd be looking hard at these Spatials. M3 Triode Master
     
    dolsey01 and Erik Tracy like this.
  18. H8SLKC

    H8SLKC Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston, MA
    I own Focals, although lesser models than your point in the market (726V). I love them, but I have started to wonder more about the magic that comes from big, fat woofers. If I were going to blow $4000 I would look hard at the Klipsch heritage models.
     
  19. bruce2

    bruce2 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Connecticut, USA
    Hmm I wonder how the Excite X18 large bookshelf model sounds. They are more in my price range.
     
  20. vinylontubes

    vinylontubes Forum Resident

    Location:
    Katy, TX
    Magnepan 1.7is with a pair or Rel subwoofers maybe.
     
    displayname likes this.
  21. 808_state

    808_state ヤマハで再生中

    If I was going to step out on Yamaha in that price range...Dynaudio Focus 340's or Focal Aria 948's. The Dyn's are discontinued but can be found used in the $4k price range.
     
  22. TheVinylAddict

    TheVinylAddict Look what I found Thread Starter

    Location:
    AZ
    Sometimes I am wondering what I am doing with this much power... the Klipsch fronts I have now I could power easily with half that amp, and I did for a while. That amp got moved to a different system... it was a lesser Para (the 2125 v2). I am thankful for the low volume performance of the A21 though --- you can't always have it cranked!

    I talked to someone locally (he owned one of the shops I called) - he said he loves Klipsch speakers, and has vintage Heritage line speakers and Fortes and powers his with 30 and 40 watt amps.

    I haven't. One of the small shops I called said he had some small British lines like Ram Acoustics, ProAc, Falcon.... but I am not sure what is in stock or not, let alone installed. Then not sure how similar they would be to Spendor, Rogers anyway. So many choices! It'll be fun checking some new lines out.
     
  23. TheVinylAddict

    TheVinylAddict Look what I found Thread Starter

    Location:
    AZ
    The Aria's get a lot of mention.... the 936 is not bad either on the Focal line.

    Does anyone know the width of the 936 and 948 CABINET??? The measurements on the specs are all width of the base as width, I am curious to the upper cabinet width.
     
    Last edited: May 8, 2018
  24. samurai

    samurai Step right up! See the glory, of the royal scam.

    Location:
    MINNESOTA
    Haven't heard these but found them fascinating.
    Check out the Grail Loudspeakers article on Enjoy the Music.
    Also free book about the speakers from the Grail net site.
    Plus price is below your limit.

    I would really like to hear pair of these.
     
    Last edited: May 8, 2018
  25. johnnypaddock

    johnnypaddock Senior Member

    Location:
    Merrimack Valley
    I recently auditioned D7 and D9 speakers back to back, and the D9 were a big step up. On a few tracks with difficult/busy passages, the D7's had a tough time and sounded congested. The D9's easily handled the same material with no issues. I didn't feel that the D9's were worth the much higher price, but the comparison left me a little disappointed in the D7's. Still very nice speakers though, and they had a sweet sound.
     
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