I am looking to buy some top of the line, big rock and roll speakers. I want towers, I want plenty of bass (big woofers), and I do not want to hook up a subwoofer. I want plenty of bass, but I also want crystal clear highs, but not too harsh. It would be mainly for music, but the TV/DVD player would also be hooked up to the speakers. I listen mainly to rock, hard rock, some pop, some hip-hop and the occasional electro-techno inflected record. They would be in a big room. I live in Switzerland, and there are not a whole lot of places where you can check out the kind of speakers I am looking for, so I have been doing a lot of homework on Internet. And the more I look, the longer my list of possible candidates gets !
Here goes : Paradigm Studio 100, Klipsch RF-7, Energy C-9, Energy Veritas i; Axiom M80, Athena AS-F2, Infinity Beta 50, JBL S412P (or S312), Jamo X870 or 790. Other possible choices I have come across are Wharfedale (Opus or Evolution series) and Monitor Audio (GR and S series). I am even considering Cerwin-Vega (used to love them, don't know if I still would; I know they are frowned upon). Big list, I know, and not all in the same price range, I realize. It seems sometimes price is not the only criteria, i.e. you can like a cheaper pair of speakers. So far, I have only been able to listen to Klipsch (not the RF-7, but the RF-35). I did like the bass, but thought the tweeters were maybe a bit harsh. I don't know, they were impressive, but I don't know if those highs were not a tad analytical for my taste, maybe a bit lacking in warmth. I am not sure, though, I want to listen to those RF-7. I also listened to the Jamos, and the bass was impressive, but boomy. I don't want to drown out the rest. Next week I will be going to Montreal, where I will be able to have a few other listens. Any comments on any of these speakers, their individual or compared merits would be greatly appreciated.