Seeking recommendations for sanely-priced full-range speakers

that is dedication to the hobby of audio !!!!

 

Hey, somebody must like them, otherwise they wouldn't exist.

 

Pretty sure they would sell more if they didn't look like that (I understand the narrow baffle is needed for the type of drivers used with their dispersion pattern), I have heard them in two owners systems and both said they don't like the look but bought them for the sound. I think others have written the same online.

 

Yes that can be a problem - even in large cities in North America it would be difficult to find the brands and VERY difficult to find the brands in the same store. Thus making comparisons difficult. I remember back in the day I would make a comment on a speaker and they would say something like "did you bring them home?" The implication was that the only way to judge a speaker is if you brought them home. The same people, mind you, who would dump on my speakers having only heard them at a show. One can only laugh.

I was somewhat fortunate that I had a terrific audio dealer in business over 40 years and carried a high number of big name products so I could audition the gear in the same room back to back with the same gear at the same volume level. Here in Hong Kong - 20 floors 20 audio dealers - all the same floor, wall, ceiling construction. So one floor has ATC/Vandersteen the next floor has B&W/KEF, next Magnepan/Paradigm, next Legacy Audio/ next Vivid Audio Giya/Tannoy Westminsters next floor Nola Grand Reference/Tidal and so on and so forth.

And of course connected to the top of the line gear from most everyone. And then there are the consignment and second hand shops again in the same buildings on several floors.

As good as Soundhounds in Victoria is - you'd still have to take a 2 hour trip via ferry to Vancouver to go to the dealers there that carried say PMC or Cabasse if you wanted to hear those.

I think there are generally more rich people in Asia - at least in terms of rich people with disposable cash and not rich people where the money is tied up in pensions or their house.

People here go to the casino in Macau and open a carry bag with $500,000 USD in cash. Vegas is chump change. There are single chips in Macau bordering on half a million dollars - and played on the main floor - then there is the high roller room!

Of course you have several components from several companies that are not exactly common and available in every city either. I see that you live in Florida - there are two Audio Note dealers in Florida - one in Miami and one at Palm Beach Gardens. So at least they're in the State. I would have to imagine the others you list have at least 1 dealer in Florida too. I would expect them to have more than 2 each.

 

I like the looks of the Vivid Audio speakers - Heard them several times at show and dealers here in Hong Kong. I can get past any of the looks if the sound is great. But I preferred the AN E/SPx AlNiCo over the Giya 2 or Oval that I have auditioned - I like the looks of Vivid Audio more. I am more of an at work sculpture kind of a guy than a retro rectangle box kind of a guy. But sound trumps looks.

 

Hi,
I been looking at previous comments/review you have on these speakers. What captures my interest is the full range with tweeter, low wattage (if I'm correct) and now you mentioned its a rear ported. I'm quite attaché to the rear ported speakers because I like the more natural bass sound. I'm trying to get a speaker for my 300b in close match wattage output performance. I have 3 different tower speakers all rear ported and so far out of the 3, the jbl studio 280 comes very close to the overall performance and sound I'm looking for.
If I use the 22 watt amp.. Perfect and I couldn't ask for anything more. I wont even use a subwoofer for it will spoil the beauty of the solid bass lines.
If I use my 300B, almost perfect but I just want to push the speaker a bit harder more. I need a bit more gas or lower wattage speaker. That's exactly what it feels like to me.

Please don't be fooled with the specs of this speaker especially the sensitivity. I have a $1600.00 floorstander 98 db with a the same wattage and specs that does not even come close to the overall performance of this speaker.

Studio 280 | High-quality 3-way Dual 6.5 inch Floorstanding Speaker
Type3-way Dual 6.5" Floorstanding Loudspeaker
Audio Specifications
Maximum Recommended Amplifier Power20 – 200 W
Sensitivity89 dB
Nominal Impedance8 Ohms
Frequency Response40 Hz – 22 kHz

Any high sensitive input speaker cabinet can be move by a lower watt amp. The question is, can they keep up with the high's and the continues bass rolls "tight" (not loose) in 80+db output?
If you know a speaker that you can recommend that's excellent with my 8 watter. I prefer the 7 to 8 inch woofer just 1.

edited:
I have another floor stander jbl studio 170 2-way 7 6.5 inch speaker. It sounds quite identical to the studio 280 in a 2 way mode and 1 woofer. same story just running a bit short for the woofer. what I did is took off the original woofer and switch a 50 watt 6.5 woofer
Dynavox LW6004HR-N 6-1/2" Honeycomb Cone Woofer

Its almost doing it since this is a lower wattage speaker. Since I don't have much option on the 6 ohms selection, the speaker cone is not exactly hard paper but a honeycomb textile. so the bass impact is too soft for me and feels like its not enough travel. I am so tempted to change the whole ingredient from woofer to tweeter to crossover, but I thought about asking you first since you have a lot of knowledge in this area.

 

Sorry I am not sure what you are asking?

 

I am in a seek for that sound now. Been working on getting the right speaker for my 300b 8-watt. The jbl studio 280 is almost a perfect. I'm just running a bit out of gas and the bass is becoming loose after 76db. I found a 6-1/2 speaker driver replacement for the jbl that has a good cone travel of atleast close to 6mm. the material is just different from what I need.
I am so tempted now to take off the entire crossover, eliminate the tweeters and get me a 30 watt full range speaker. That's the only thing (in my personal research by far) that is matching to the specs I'm looking for............

......If my amp has 2-300b tubes per channel, I shouldn't be in need for a speaker hunt.
I have another amp that is a 22 watt EL84 tube and its just perfect!
.... Anyways, I don't wanna go there because 2 or more tube per channel can be asking for trouble especially if youre not equipped with an "adaptive auto-bias".

 

I went to tubes with the Zu's because I happened to have a PrimaLuna KT88 Prologue Five power amplifier laying around. That, and the fact that I just couldn't take the harshness of the Zu's any more, using the SS amplifier.

If you can't have a superior crossover than you are better off not having one.

As two thirds of your power is going toward the bass frequencies, that is not surprising.

I think that horn speakers are the best match for tube amplifiers in general. I think they are manditory for lower Watt amplifiers.

If your amp is only 8-Watts, then you might be.

I had been using a 3.9 Watt single ended pentode, Decware Mini Torii. But that is with 100 dB sensitive Altec A7's. Even then, it is not going to blow any doors off and I use a sub.

I have a vintage Fisher 222C integrated that has power tubes in the EL84 family and is rated at 22-Watts.

I have also used a Line Magnetic 845 based 518iA, which is a 22-Watt SET.

With either of these amps and the Altec's, they have more than enough power to achieve concert levels.

I have even paired the Fisher with vintage Wharfedale W70 speakers and have gotten some impressive SPL's out of the W70's and that is without ever turning the volume up all the way.

Small power tubes like EL84 do not require biasing.

While larger power tubes do, I have never considered it to be much of an issue.

The Rogue M-150 monoblocks require biasing two quads of KT88's.

I agree that the Adaptive Autobias fearure of PrimaLuna amps is a rather convenient feature. I highly recommend it.

I do think that JBL's as well as other horn speakers that are not in large enclosures, do require a fair amount of power.

 

Are these the things? I like them but in someone else's room or a museum. They must be inspired by some Star Wars characters.

 

...My target speaker driver size and class is either 2-6.5" low wattage woofer (30 watts each) or 1-8" 50 watts all paper cone or treated paper.
If i cant find that, I will just go with an 8" full range, no crossover and use a horn tweeter with a large pio capacitor 500volts and an 8 ohm reostat to dial the tweeters. It should smoothen out and balance that tweeter to the woofer at the same time maintaining its aggressiveness. Let see... Thanks man for the advise. I think I got enlightend more on my direction. Feels like i'm very close just a matter of giving it a bit more time.

 

This is Vivid Audio and the speakers are Giya. I have heard them several times. I believe an engineer left B&W and formed this company which is why it harkens to the Model Nautilus from B&W



The Guya is $50,000 and the Nautilus I think is around $60,000. Musically they do little for me - but YMMV.

 

It makes sense, I've seen the nautilus in person at a show but they weren't demonstrating them, I thought at the time they were $30000 Euros but that was a long time ago. Price aside and while I like them both as a piece of interesting design, I don't fancy either speaker. The B&W 802's I can live with.

 

Those may work.. Duet15 Prelude Open Baffle Speakers by PureAudioProject
They need some space from the wall however..