Speakers with "Room-filling sound"?

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by ZenArcher, May 31, 2015.

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  1. russk

    russk Forum Resident

    Location:
    Syracuse NY
    Bashing?? More like accurate summation.:laugh: I can't be the only one around here that think those things suck?
     
  2. dat56

    dat56 Well-Known Member

    Location:
    SW Missouri
    My experience with the Bose 901 is quite similar to Slowhand1964's. I bought them for fun but they earned their way into my best rig and room. True, they're not studio monitors and they do have their weaknesses, but dang, they're fun to listen to and they're fun to crank! And I can't name a better "room-filling" speaker for the size and price.
     
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  3. wilejoe

    wilejoe Forum Resident

    Location:
    Parlin,NJ USA
    Bob is looking for something similar to what I will want. I'mean not looking to sit in that one EXACT spot and spend my time listening to music. That's a great thing to have but not what he's asking for.
    He wants to get the best compromise available and listen to his music anywhere in his room. I for one put my stereo on and do all the necessary things that need to be done in my household. I'm not asking for perfection just something that will suit my needs
    thanks
    Joe
     
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  4. jimbutsu

    jimbutsu WATCH YÖUR STEPPE

    Out of curiosity, how come there's so little love for Definitive Technology in these conversations? They're not top tier speakers, but they have quite a few options in the OP's budget and do a very fine job filling a room of decent size (the 8000 series floorstanders would fit the bill quite nicely, IMO). Seems like they never get any press, good or bad...
     
    SandAndGlass, apesfan and russk like this.
  5. russk

    russk Forum Resident

    Location:
    Syracuse NY
    I totally forgot about them. Are the really the same company from the 90s? Those were some pretty nice speakers if you had the space to set them up
     
    apesfan likes this.
  6. wilejoe

    wilejoe Forum Resident

    Location:
    Parlin,NJ USA
    What about Salk Songtowers or Ascend Sierra Towers
    Both beautiful wood and American made
     
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  7. wownflutter

    wownflutter Nocturnal Member

    Location:
    Indiana
    Ii think Mirage speakers were designed specifically with this in mind.
    There are current and used models that would fit any budget.
    Look for their bipolar models.
     
  8. dat56

    dat56 Well-Known Member

    Location:
    SW Missouri
    Bi-polar Def-Techs and the omni Mirage speakers would be good. I didn't think about them. Def-Tech has down-played their bi-polar design lately and...is Mirage still in business?
     
    apesfan likes this.
  9. Electric

    Electric The Medium is the Massage

    I'm no expert but I recently upgraded to Totem Wind speakers from jmLabs Cobalt 820s. I was told that my 820s are directional speakers while the Winds are not and do not need any toe-in. I have an unusual sized space with curves and diagonals and they do fill the room and seem to project around walls.
     
  10. laughalot

    laughalot Forum Resident

    Have come in late to this thread, but if you could find a restored pair of Sonab OA 116's they would give you exactly what you are looking for.
     
  11. missan

    missan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Stockholm

    Jepp, I had these for many years, fantastic speakers IME.
     
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  12. laughalot

    laughalot Forum Resident

    If I could find a restored pair in Israel I would not hesitate to buy them. Still on eof the best speakers I have ever heard.
     
  13. missan

    missan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Stockholm

    Here in Sweden they can be found now and then, but they are very sought after, so one must buy fast, no negotiations, and they are not cheap.
     
  14. laughalot

    laughalot Forum Resident

    I am jealous. Would give my left one for a pair. Not cheap but worth every penny.
     
  15. Yep. When Sandy Gross split from Polk, he started Def. Tech to continue on a similar path. When he left Def. Tech, he started GoldenEar.
     
  16. apesfan

    apesfan "Going Ape"

    I went though all the brands mentioned back in the day and then got into BandW speakers from little 603 to Matrix 801 III, to 802D models and more. After some experimenting with what I considered ohmage swings with the 802d circa 2005 I got Defintive Technology bp7000scs at a retail price of 5000 dollars compared to 15000 dollars for BW 802ds. I paid 3300 for a new pair in 2009. They simply play wonderful for audio when paired with a moderate powered tube amp they fill the room with wonderful sublime sound that was a revelation to say the least with some Auralex paddings in all widths and depths.
    The worse I could say about DefTech is good placement out in the room and sound absorbtion is paramount. Definitly one of the most underated speakers ever and not just for video. Take care, John M.
     
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  17. phred

    phred Forum Resident

    Dont consider JBL studio 590, they are absolute dross (From an earlier misguided poster)
    I owned a pair of these ghastly bass light horror boxes for a short time
    To be avoided like the town bike
     
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  18. SandAndGlass

    SandAndGlass Twilight Forum Resident

    [

    Bob,

    As long as you are ready, willing and able to throw out the standard way of setting up a stereo and are willing to give up the "pinpoint imaging" concept, then you can certainly achieve a full room filling sound, in a large room like you have.

    Two things to get moving in the right direction, 1) large speakers, either horn loaded or ones with multiple drivers, 2) use 2-3 pairs of speakers and amps.
    Bob,

    By giving up pinpoint imaging, you open many new and interesting doors...

    When you have a large room , as you do, there are many creative ways to create the effect of a much larger room, with room filling sound and without the traditional head in a vise approach to the "sweet spot".

    Two things to get you headed in the right direction, 1) large speakers, either horn loaded or with multiple drivers, 2) use 2-3 sets of speakers and amps.

    My room is about the size of a two car garage with an extra 6' of depth on the left rear wall. I have a 60" TV for the HT set up in the left rear corner and the couch is on a diagonal just about in the middle of the room. I have a 50-wpc amp driving the rear Klipsch speakers with a Sherbourn / Emotiva amp. The amp has two inputs, one input is used for the rear HT channels from the processor and the other channel is from the stereo preamp output when listening to two channel sources.

    There have been comments about Bose 901 series speakers, love 'em or hate 'em, they do present a huge soundstage that most speakers simply do not. I have never been a fan of Bose but I took note of their soundstaging abilities.

    Over the years, I have tried many good sized column and other front speakers and with just two speakers alone I could never achieve the effect that I was looking for until I added a rear pair of speakers. I cross-over the rear speakers, the front left to the rear right and vise versa. This brings out the depth in an otherwise flat stereo image. I do not run two channel sound through a processor except to filter the sound for the subs.

    You indicated that you like the Decware speakers. The 2 pairs of Decware ERR's being offered for sale by another forum member might be a particularly good way for you to go. Suggest about 3' or so out from each corner. If you sit along the long wall, arrange them in a semi circle and listen to the extra sized soundstage.
     
    Last edited: Jun 9, 2015
  19. rushed again

    rushed again Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Jersey
    My feelings exactly. I've had my 901's for about 15 or so years. They do need a lot of power to get the most from them, and positioning is crucial.
    For room filling, they would be my choice.
     
    slowhand1964 likes this.
  20. John76

    John76 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Midwest
    I purchased these Tannoy DMT 15's to replace a pair of Quad ESL's a few years ago We like to listen to music while sitting in our kitchen and these fill up the house quite well and are very efficient at 98db @ 1 watt. They put out a nice full sound and also sound great in the 75-80 db levels which is the level I normally listen at.

    [​IMG]
     
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  21. sunrayjack

    sunrayjack Forum Resident

    I like what you said about frequency response and what you hear, the most important question about a speaker is , does it sound good to you.
    I buy and build my speakers for me, not the neighborhood, so as long as I like the sound ,they stay and are keepers.
    It does not matter what it is,ties,shoes car tires,or speakers, everyone has their opinion of what is best and that's a good thing.
    I have two pairs of older 601's and they sounded good ,until I started acquiring altec speakers with horns, now there is no going back.
    I now, just buy components and build what I want, I listen to all types of rock,country ,classical and jazz and I have yet to find any speaker that sounds better to me than these horns.
    It's all about what you like and not really about golden ears, test equipment or any other method of labeling speakers great,good or bad, just my opinion.
     
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  22. sunrayjack

    sunrayjack Forum Resident

    AAH!!!!! I see.
     
  23. Richard Austen

    Richard Austen Forum Resident

    Location:
    Hong Kong
    I like these things - and I also really like the Tannoy Prestige - What stands are you using here? WTF did they stop making the DMT 15 - I always thought this was one of the better models they ever made.
     
  24. John76

    John76 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Midwest
    The stands were custom made by Tyler Acoustics.
    http://www.tyleracoustics.com/stands.html
     
  25. new world man

    new world man Member

    Location:
    UK
    AVI DM10, or save some cash and get the ADM 9RSS or 9RS models. Active speakers, not floorstanders alas, but apparently a beautiful sounding pair of speakers.
     
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