Help finding speakers
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New member Username: KnitsafghansPost Number: 1 Registered: Jan-06 | Our den currently has an Infocus 61" DLP TV (courtesy of woot), but our audio is quite old. We have a NAD 7140 receiver and twin Boston Acoustic A-150 Series II speakers. Sub is a Definitive Powerfield 15. AUDIO TECHNICA ATPL120 Pro DJ Turntable. JVC XVF80 DVD Player. JVC DRM10S DVD Recorder. Looking to upgrade, but have not been impressed with the KEF's, Martin Logan's, Definitives and Boston's we've auditioned so far. They are very clear, and bright, but sound very small and thin in comparison to what I have now. I don't get a good sense of presence or fullness. And they bothered my ears! Budget is probably around 5k give or take (10k would be too much) for new speakers. Do folks have recommended brands/models I should look for? Think rich, warm, clean, not bright. |
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John Wagner Unregistered guest | Check out www.gr-research.com their new open baffle design speakers, they talk about these over on audio circles forum or www.av123.com Onix Strata speakers on av123.com. Both these speakers are some of the best on the market right now! |
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Gold Member Username: Project6Post Number: 4841 Registered: Dec-03 | Kim, If that budget is for a pair of speakers I highly recommend that you take a look at Sonus Faber Cremona. They should fill the presence and fullness you search. |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 3541 Registered: Mar-05 | Kim, look into the Vandersteen Model 1 and Model 2. You might also want to give the Alegria Audio Emmas a listen even though they are way below your $5K budget. |
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Gold Member Username: T_bomb25Dayton, Ohio United States Post Number: 1371 Registered: Jun-05 | The Cremonas cost over 8k. |
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Unregistered guest | I have a 100-watt Stereo system. I'm looking for speakers. I'll be moving into a smaller place so I want smaller speakers as opposed to the floor speakers I have now. Also, do wireless speakers support a 100-watt stero system |
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Gold Member Username: Project6Post Number: 4848 Registered: Dec-03 | Tawaun, I'm talking about the auditors I should have made that clear. Retired, Please start your own thread and do not hijack this one. Read the terms of use before using this forum. |
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New member Username: KnitsafghansPost Number: 2 Registered: Jan-06 | Thank you for the Sonus Faber Cremona clarification. The Auditors look closer to my price range. I'm in central NJ. Any store recommendations anyone? My old favorite, Woodbridge Stereo, isn't what it used to be. |
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New member Username: KnitsafghansPost Number: 3 Registered: Jan-06 | And, spending less than 5k would be fine too! |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 3547 Registered: Mar-05 | I would think so. Plus you'd have extra cash left over for a really good dedicated CD player as well as acoustic room treatments which will go a long way towards rectifying any "brightness" issues. |
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John Wagner Unregistered guest | http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/frr.pl?rspkr&1133050497&read&3&4& |
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Gold Member Username: Project6Post Number: 4853 Registered: Dec-03 | John, Have you heard these speakers? |
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New member Username: KnitsafghansPost Number: 4 Registered: Jan-06 | Edster922, What bothers me about the brightness issues is that I wasn't listening at home with substandard treatment. I was in a supposedly well treated listening room at what at least once was an audiophile store. Now I think it's more a custom home theater place, but still, the listening rooms are reasonable. I could hear the ways in which what I listened to were "better" than what I had at home, but the overall experience in terms of presence and depth was lacking. Seemed like a number of small crisp precise sounds, but not a full musical experience. |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 3550 Registered: Mar-05 | kim, none of those brands you listed above are usually referred to as "warm" speakers---particularly not the Bostons. However the fact that you found the Bostons in the store a lot "brighter" than the Bostons you have at home would suggest that either Boston's speakers have gotten a lot brighter over the years or it's due to other factors, namely different room acoustics and different power source. Can you find any Vandersteen dealers near you? Their speakers are famously "warm" so you would probably enjoy them. And even though those Alegria Audio Emmas are 1/10th of your stated budget ($600), believe it or not you just might find them very satisfying if warmth, presence and depth are what you're looking for. I find that beyond the really cheap mass-produced stuff, a higher price does not always necessarily guarantee greater satisfaction. |
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Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 2642 Registered: Feb-05 | Keep in mind that Vandy's are a very inefficient speaker. Wonderful to listen to given you have the current to drive them. Lifeless without. |
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New member Username: KnitsafghansPost Number: 5 Registered: Jan-06 | About the Bostons - remember that the Bostons I have are very very old - circa 1985. So there has been plenty of time for evolution :-) |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 3551 Registered: Mar-05 | http://www.vandersteen.com/pages/2celit.html I would think that 86db sensitivity might be ok for a NAD 7140 though of course it'd be better if you could upgrade to a NAD c372 for an extra $800-900 and still remain comfortably under your $5K budget with the Vandy 2ce which should go for around $1500/pair. |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 3553 Registered: Mar-05 | of course if you got 2-channel NAD separates plus add the NAD c542 CD player, you should be very happy with the results. http://www.yawaonline.com/miva/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=YO&Category_C ode=NADAMP |
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Silver Member Username: DakulisSpokane, Washington United States Post Number: 788 Registered: May-05 | Kim, I'll try and give you two perspectives. Last year, I came to this forum to get help, and I was overwhelmed with help BTW, to upgrade my HT and combined stereo. I went to my local audio store and listened to probably 20+ speakers including current BA models because I already had BA surrounds and I was hoping to timbre match one of the pairs of my then current speakers and my then fronts are no longer made. After much listening, I narrowed it down to about 5-10 pairs of speakers, including VR 50s, 60s and VR1s by BA. Like you, I found the 50s and 60s to be very clear highs and mids and, maybe a bit bright which I attributed to the room, and not very impressive bass, which was OK because I had a powered subwoofer. At this point, I would have been about $1400, without a center speaker but I asked a similar question to the one you're asking. First, I was told to provide more information. How much HT vs. music listening. Size of room, condition of roof - carpets or hardward, location of equipment, types of music you listen and approximate percentage you listen to it, what type of sound I enjoyed, what I listened for in music, etc. I don't see that we've asked you any of these questions and I think they are important answers to know before we start suggesting speakers. What you might like or what we guess you might like may be irrelevant if we don't know how you intend to use the speakers. For example, no one asked you whether you're looking to stay with a 2.1 channel system or you're looking to go 5.1 or 7.1 and that's very important as I'll explain. To continue a little of my story, Edster suggested that I listen to Ascend speakers. It's a mail order company and their speakers have gotten good reviews. So, I ordered four CBM 170s and the larger 340c center for about $1100, including shipping. I found the sound to be, at least, comparable and IMHO better than the more expensive BAs. I kept them because my HT sound was considerably better. The point being that I got a considerable upgrade in sound over the 12-15 year HT speakers with new speakers without spending anywhere near the money that you're talking about for 2 speakers. BUT, I wasn't satisfied with the stereo sound, even though it was much better than what I had previously. So, I started looking at ways to improve this sound so I bought a used Denon 2200 universal DVD/CD play and an Adcom power amp. These additions caused a definite improvement in the HT and stereo but it still wasn't audio nirvana for music listening. So, I started talking to this group about options and it was almost universal that the only way to get great music is to separate the HT and stereo. Not exactly what my wife wanted to hear given my earlier expenditures. But, I started looking at options and I got lucky. A buddy of mine offered to refurbish a 40 year old Fisher tube amp and recone my 30 year old Altec Lansing Stonehenge IIs. I bought a very good, higher end CDP and I have now reached near nirvana status with vintage equipment, for about $1100. (Notice the correlation with my HT expenditure.) The longwinded story is to point out that the mere fact that because some of your equipment is old does not mean that newer equipment is better, it depends on what you're trying to accomplish and what you like. In my case, the new HT speakers made a huge difference and my HT is a heck of alot better BUT it's still a modest system by many people's budget. The vintage stereo sound is incredible and puts the "new" speakers in the HT to shame on 2 channel listening. So, you need to ask yourself what you're trying to accomplish, what's important to you and you need to listen to speakers before you buy them. In retrospect, I wish I had left the audio desert where I live and listened to a few other speakers before buying the Ascends, not because I would have spent $2500 or $5000 more for a 10% increase in sound (sorry Art, I heard the Paradigms way too late, I'm afraid) but so I would have known that I would not have spent that much more in order to get a 10-15% improvement in HT sound and, even then, I would not have been happy with the 2 channel listening experience. Yeah, it's longwinded, sorry guys but some thoughts before you spend $5000 to $6000 on two speakers, especially if you're really looking for improved HT sound, which I couldn't tell because you reference the new TV but not the purpose of the improved audio. Good luck, Dave |
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John Wagner Unregistered guest | I listen to some Polk Audio lsi-15 speakers today and they sounded damn good to me! www.onhifi.com/product/polk_lsi15.htm |
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Silver Member Username: ChitownPost Number: 674 Registered: Apr-05 | Edster you wouldn't consider Martin Logan's warm? (good to have you back BTW) Kim which model did you listen to? |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 3554 Registered: Mar-05 | Stof, not the electrostats I listened to..."neutral" would be more like it, esp. in comparison to speakers like the Polk LSi's, Vandys, and Alegrias. Loved the enveloping soundstage of the MLs though. Heard some Acoustic Artistry speakers at a very snooty local shop that came close but cost about 3 times as much. |
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New member Username: KnitsafghansPost Number: 6 Registered: Jan-06 | I listened to the Vantage, Summit and Mosaic MLs. |
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New member Username: KnitsafghansPost Number: 7 Registered: Jan-06 | Dakulis, I am on such a steep learning curve. A week ago I didn't even understand that there was an HT vs. music dichotomy in the decision! I would say perhaps 60/40 HT vs. music, but I really care more about the music, because some of the HT is just - "the tv is on." Size of room - about 12 x 20 with an 8 foot ceiling (plasterboard). Carpeted floor and panelled walls. TV and speakers are aligned with one of the 12 foot walls of course, but there is a small issue that there is a 1.5 x 1.5 foot square column missing from that corner of the room due to a chimney/ducting. So the speakers are actually about 3 feet out from one corner, though only a foot away from side wall and about 1 foot out from the other corner. Subwoofer is in the corner. Types of music: folk, rock, classical, swing. I play piano as do my 2 kids. #1 son is in a madrigal group. In terms of 5.1 - I honestly thought that I could upgrade my 2.1 to a 5.1 and keep the 2.1 quality as a natural progression. Silly me! |
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Silver Member Username: GavincummNew York USA Post Number: 480 Registered: Feb-05 | kim, the mosaics are NOT electrostatic speakers, they use planar magnetic drivers, which operate on a different, but similar principal than stats. They both use a thin film driver. However, planars use magnets vs. a static charge. I don't have much experience with the BRAND new (summit and vantage) ml's outside of the clarity, and think they sound FANTASTIC. If you are looking for a warmer sound, try to hunt down a pair of Aeon i's. They have a slightly different panel design, so they MAY give you that warmth you are looking for. |
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New member Username: Godsson420Post Number: 8 Registered: Jan-06 | jbl has the best 5.1 ive ever seen,each surround speaker has a 5 1/2" woofer and thats just awesome,i love jbls,plays stringy guitar sounds like no other,jbls been used at woodstock for like 50 years,BECAUSE THERE THE BEST, i just sold JBL 10inch 3way floorspeakers for more then i paid for them years ago,lol |
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John Wagner Unregistered guest | I wish I still had my JBL L150A speakers, that was the good old days! |
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New member Username: KnitsafghansPost Number: 8 Registered: Jan-06 | Gavin, I agree on the clarity. They were very clear. But the experience I had listening to them was that I was listening to a clear speaker, not clear music - i.e. I was always aware of the presence and directionality of the speaker as opposed to the speaker's projecting the music such that I was aware of the music. I'm sorry I don't have the words to express this well. Again - the clarity was superb. I don't know if it's warmer per se I'm looking for - but it is definitely fuller. Thanks! |
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the_real_maui Unregistered guest | Kim, Kim, Kim....Green Mountain Audio has just introduced the Pico Executive at $4995.00/pair. The designer, Roy Johnson is one of the most respected in all of audio and he is THRILLED with this speaker, to say the least. If you do nothing else, give him a call at 719 636-2500 and tell him "Maui" referred you. I have dibs on the first pair, but feel free to snag the 2nd pair. This speaker will compete with the worlds finest speakers....at any price. You will not be sorry you called Roy....promise. |
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Silver Member Username: GavincummNew York USA Post Number: 483 Registered: Feb-05 | kim, where did you go to audition the ML's... if they aren't placed properly you will experience a lack of an image, like the sound is comming from only the speakers, and have little semblence of a "soundstage." if you liked the fullness of the clarity, I would highly reccomend trying to find another MartinLogan dealer. The set up could be at fault. I myself have heard the speakers sound the way you described it, and had to play with the positioning in the store a little bit to get them to image well. But, when they do, the speakers melt away, leaving you with a beautiful portrait of the original performance that extends in every concievable direction. |
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Unregistered guest | JBL L150A speakers for sale - classic speakers - amazing sound. Very good condition - one careful lady owner - sound brill. Moving to small flat so sadly they have to go. |
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Gold Member Username: Project6Post Number: 5669 Registered: Dec-03 | Pat do not post your spam here. Sell your stuff on ebay. |
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