Need Suggestions for Speakers

My wife and I are considering purchasing new speakers to replace the sixteen-year-old Ohm Sound Cylinders currently in use with our main system (see my profile; the receiver generates 100 watts per channel into 8 ohms, 120 watts per channel into 6 ohms). We're sticking with two channel, not surround. We're looking to spend $800-$1500. We're looking for floor-standing speakers to reproduce at least down to 40hz without a separate subwoofer. Our listening room (living room) is irregularly-shaped, measuring 18'9" by 17'0" (according to our apartment floorplan). We listen to a wide variety of music (pop, rock, classical, standards); see my profile for my favorite music.

My research so far, working off of Sound & Vision's Buyer's Guide 2004 and www.ecoustics.com, has resulted in the following possibilities:

Axiom Audio Millennia M60ti
Axiom Audio Millennia M80ti
Energy Connoisseur C-5
Energy Connoisseur C-9
Klipsch Reference RF-5
Klipsch Synergy SF-1
Mirage Omni 260
Monitor Audio Silver S8
NHT ST4
Paradigm Monitor 7
Paradigm Monitor 11
Polk Audio LSi15
PSB Image 5T
Vienna Acoustic Bach

Any suggestions are welcome.

Thanks.

Paul

 

Vintage AR-3a's, you cant beat them in terms of smooth highs, and deep lows. These are 4 ohm speakers. These are the finest loudspeakers I have ever heard.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=50597&item=3091865096&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

The bass is truly the finest, as is the mid and upper range. They have a 12 inch acoustic suspension woofer, which crosses over to the dome tweeter at 500cps, the mid dome crosses over to the tweeter dome at 7500cps. My avatar is an AR-3a. You will not be dissipointed with these. They have power handling up to around 400 watts. The woofer magnet and voice coil is huge. You do need a pretty rugged amp or receiver to drive these. If you cant drive 4 ohm loads, have a look at some vintage AR-5's. They are the same as the AR-3a except they have a 10 inch woofer, and they are 8 ohms. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=50597&item=3091113819&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW The only issue with the AR-5, is that the woofer uses a foam surround, which tends to deteriorate over time, and needs to be replaced. The AR-3 and 3a with the alnico woofer, has a cloth surround which doesn't really age.

Both of these models are bookshelf speakers, but work very well sitting on the floor. I have my AR-3's on the floor and they sound great! There is nothing that beats the sound of acoustic suspension! I use them in my recording studio as monitors. If you want floor standing, the vintage AR-9 was the best loudspeaker ever made...ever. But you need a really beefy amp to drive them, at least 150 watts per channel. They have two 12 inch acoustic suspension woofers!

As far as "new" speakers go, I cant really help you. I really dont care for any of the speakers currently being manufactured.

 

You can get a pair of Vandersteen 2ces brand new for slightly more than $1500 now. They go down to a healthy 32hZ, and the sound for the money is phenomenal. This is the Honda Accord of speakers...it isn't the best in any one thing, but across the board it is the most well-balanced of affordable speakers.

 

I'd check out B&Ws - love 'em. If you're looking for a floor standing, the DM603S3s are probably worth a look and anything around/above that ...

 

Paradigm Reference Studio 60's I think are still under $1300 and sound great IMO. Definitely worth checking out.

 

Hi Paul,

If you like the Klipsch sound, you'd be wise to checkout a pair of older Klipsch Cornwalls. They are very dynamic(live) sounding. Very sensitive at 98db. Little power will drive them easy. They sound great with anything from classical to rock. They are rated down to 38hz. They come in a variety of beautiful veneer finishes(walnut, teak, birch, etc.) and can easily be found in the $600-1000 price range. Also, they hold their value extremely well. If you buy a pair for $800, you could easily turn around and sell them for $900. Good Luck!

 

Buying speakers is a personal thing. It is what you like when listening. You can read all the reviews, recommendations, and the like from all the people and all the web sites you want until you go cross-eyed. For instance I would not recommend buying Klipsch or Polk because "I" do not like they way they sound. But I will not be listening to them in your home, you will. I like the Vandersteen speakers, but again that is me and my listening preferences.

Go out to as many Stereo Stores you can visit, and take along a whole bunch of music you like to listen to (5-10). Sit down and listen to many different speakers with similar electronics - Solid State, Tubes, CD, Vinyl, etc. Then make your decision based on what you like from what you heard in the price range you have set. If the shop will not hook up any speaker you want to hear to the electronics you want to hear them from, walk out and go somewhere else. The shop that wants you business will cater to you and your listening times. Some shops will also let you take home some demo models to listen to (you pay for them, but they hold the Credit Card or check until you bring them back) over a weekend while they are closed.

Some of the larger chain-store mid-fi places, even have a 30 day return if you do not like what you have.

Later....Dan

 

Good advice. I myself prefer the sound of British made speakers. The Klipsch are nice if you're running a low wattage amp. The Castle Acoustics that I use are rated 28KHZ to 20HZ and very nicely reveal the bottom end. The Conway II's like mine should run you around the the price range of $1000.00 to $1300.00 in mint used condition. They're not huge and require a stand, but they sure sound sweet.

 

Pinnacle Purchase

My wife and I went speaker-shopping yesterday. Before going shopping, we had narrowed our choices -- based on our budget ($1,000-$1,500), reviews, what we would be able to listen to in easy-to-reach-without-a-car stores in our area, and aesthetics (floor-standing but not significantly bigger than my 1988-vintage Ohm Small Sound Cylinders) -- to the NHT ST-4 and the Paradigm Reference Studio 60. We grabbed a bunch of CDs with a wide range of music and off we went to Sound City in midtown Manhattan.

We told the salesman, Steve, our budget and preliminary thoughts, and showed him a diagram of our living room. He also asked what equipment we already had. He suggested that we also consider the Pinnacle BD 1000. We were able to do A/B comparisons of the NHT and the Pinnacle (the Paradigm Reference was in another listening room set up more for home theater).

First up were "Don't Know Why" from Norah Jones's Come Away With Me and "She Loves You" and "I Want To Hold Your Hand" from a CD-R of the Beatles' 1 (compiled almost entirely from the CD Singles and EP Collections) on the NHT. The NHT was rather bass-shy; despite being rated down to 31 Hz, the bass response was weaker than with the Ohm, which is rated to 44 Hz. We switched to the Pinnacle, and the difference was striking. The bass was solid but not bloated, and the midrange and highs were clean. The Pinnacle had strong "presence" with no part of the frequency range sounding exaggerated. These impressions were confirmed through A/B comparisons using a microphone-in-the-congregation CD-R from our recent wedding of Widor's Toccata from Symphony No. 5, which has floor-shaking organ pedal notes; Sinatra's "I've Got You Under My Skin" from The Capitol Years 3-CD set; "Let the Bright Seraphim" from the Kathleen Battle/Wynton Marsalis Baroque Duet CD; and Bernstein's 1959 Columbia recording of "Rhapsody in Blue." The NHT did close the gap a bit with the last two. After a quick listen to the Paradigm Reference Studio 20, a bookshelf speaker, to get an idea of the Paradigm Reference "sound," Steve took us into the other listening room to sample the Paradigm Reference Studio 60.

"Don't Know Why" sounded a little "fuller" on the Studio 60 than on the BD 1000. However, on "She Loves You" and "I Want To Hold Your Hand," the upper bass sounded tubby. We noticed the same sound on "I've Got You Under My Skin"; whereas the bass was solid and percussive on the BD 1000, it was slightly bloated on the Studio 60. The Studio 60 was a bit muddy on the Widor (the recording has a lot of natural chapel reverb to begin with). It did a little better on "Rhapsody in Blue." By this time we had decided to go with the Pinnacle BD 1000, so we went back to the other listening room for a final confirmatory listening.

We ended up purchasing the Pinnacle BD 1000, with a 7-day home trial. Through the process, Steve was very patient with us; he gave us a couple of brochures with specifications, but pointed out that the most important criterion was what our ears told us, and he let us take our time to be sure we were satisfied.

Since setting the speakers up at home yesterday afteroon, we've tried various CDs. The sound is consistent with what we heard in the store: detailed but not exaggerated. With the Ohms, I had noticed that the bass on the A Mighty Wind soundtrack was somewhat boomy; on the Pinnacles, it was deep but tight. On the Tony Bennett/k.d. lang A Wonderful World CD, the bass had sounded exaggerated on the Ohms, but sounded "right" on the Pinnalces. I need to call Steve on Tuesday to find out what the "break-in" period for the Pinnacles would be (anyone here have any ideas?), but, so far, so good.

Paul

 

Paul, an excellent example of how to buy a hifi component. You knew well the pieces of music you took with you to the audition - the wedding recording was a clever touch - and you took your time to make a decision based on what you both heard. The store gave you 7 days to determine that your choice worked OK in your room, so you've covered your bases.

All speakers take a little while to give of their best. I'm sure you will notice over the coming weeks improvements in the sound. The mechanical aspects of break in will show up in deeper bass (as the woofer suspension relaxes a little) and smoother, more open treble (as the components of the crossover set up). You should perceive a more coherent sound over a month or so - sounding more like music.

After a month or so you may want to look at positioning again, espcially if extra bass energy is exciting a room node.