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Post by albireo13 on Jul 16, 2011 6:37:59 GMT -5
Looking for opinions on this one. I've been running with Paradigm Studio-20s (V5) for over a year and want to upgrade. This is for our living room, 100% 2ch music. The Studios have been a nice intro into quality speakers. Now, I'm looking for something with a bit more bass presence plus, smoother highs. Also,I want to get away from speaker stands. My living room is large, 14X24', but we tend to listen at low-mid levels ... jazz, blues, classical, folk, some rock. I don't blast or need "wall thumpers". I really want these to be nice, attractive, to get buy-in from the wife! ; ) Budget? Well < $2K preferrably, can go used. My priorities: high WAF, sonic upgrade from the Studio20s, modest size ... don't want them to dominate the room. Candidates I'm looking into: * Salk spkrs (Songbirds, SongTowers) * Aerial Model 6 * Totem - Staff, Hawk? * Selah speakers - don't know much about them Would love to hear other folks' solutions to this?? Thx  |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 16, 2011 6:44:50 GMT -5
I'd recommend Madisound's ZRT-2.5s but they are plain in appearance and might not suite your partner. Check them out with her though. Trouble is the resale value of "kit" speakers is not high but the value in sound is.
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Post by briank on Jul 16, 2011 6:55:35 GMT -5
The Salk songtower would be a great choice and Rick at Selah Audio can build a very nice tower for you as well. Since both of these options would be custom, you and your wife can select the cabinet finish you prefer.
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Post by albireo13 on Jul 16, 2011 10:04:40 GMT -5
briank ..... How do you like your Selah Prestigio towers? Do you have pics?
Also, what price range are they?
Thx,
Rob
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Post by paintedklown on Jul 16, 2011 10:10:11 GMT -5
I belive that the Anthony Gallo Acoustics Reference towers would be very high on the WAF. They are quite small, and look like works of art with the grills off. Both my GF and I LOVE the way these look. I haven't seen them in person, just pics on the web, but they look nice (for the wives)and cool (for the guys). ;D In addition to having great looks, they are really well reviewed all over the internet. After having heard about them in another thread on this site I started checking them out. I would love to audition these things.  |
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Post by Wideawake on Jul 16, 2011 10:21:53 GMT -5
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Post by Wideawake on Jul 16, 2011 10:26:08 GMT -5
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Post by briank on Jul 16, 2011 10:58:30 GMT -5
briank ..... How do you like your Selah Prestigio towers? Do you have pics? Also, what price range are they? Thx, Rob I'm very happy with my Selah's. The Prestigio's are very detailed with smooth refined highs. I have pics posted in the New Gear section. The Prestigio monitors sell for $2195 and the towers are $3995. Prices include shipping. His speakers also look much better in person as his website photos are not very good. He's a better speaker builder than photographer. ;D |
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bootman
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Post by bootman on Jul 16, 2011 12:06:24 GMT -5
I'd recommend Madisound's ZRT-2.5s but they are plain in appearance and might not suite your partner. Check them out with her though. Trouble is the resale value of "kit" speakers is not high but the value in sound is. Have you owned these at one point? |
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Post by VisN on Jul 16, 2011 13:53:40 GMT -5
Have a look and listen to the B&W CM8. Fantastic looking speakers and they might appeal to your tastes sonically.
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FLcanuck
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Post by FLcanuck on Jul 16, 2011 14:36:28 GMT -5
A couple possibilites that come to mind... PSB Imagine Tower ($1599 pr. at Saturday Audio or other retailers) www.psbspeakers.com/products/imagine/Imagine-T-TowerAperion Audio Verus Grand Tower ($899 each) You can audition these risk-free including return shipping www.aperionaudio.com/product/Verus-Grand-Tower-Speaker,267,89,803.aspx These should have pretty high WAF and both are well-regarded sound-wise. I also concur with the Salk recommendation -- they are one nice-looking speaker (and are also highly-regarded for their sound)! You coudn't go wrong with those either. |
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Post by briank on Jul 16, 2011 15:34:57 GMT -5
A couple possibilites that come to mind... PSB Imagine Tower ($1599 pr. at Saturday Audio or other retailers) www.psbspeakers.com/products/imagine/Imagine-T-TowerAperion Audio Verus Grand Tower ($899 each) You can audition these risk-free including return shipping www.aperionaudio.com/product/Verus-Grand-Tower-Speaker,267,89,803.aspx These should have pretty high WAF and both are well-regarded sound-wise. I also concur with the Salk recommendation -- they are one nice-looking speaker (and are also highly-regarded for their sound)! You coudn't go wrong with those either. Those Aperions would be sweet. :-) |
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Post by BillBauman on Jul 16, 2011 18:12:51 GMT -5
In this price range, for both aesthetics and sound, my vote would go to the Aperion Verus Grands.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 17, 2011 0:30:24 GMT -5
I really want these to be nice, attractive, to get buy-in from the wife! ; ).....My priorities: high WAF, sonic upgrade from the Studio20s, modest size ... don't want them to dominate the room. I'm so sorry to jump in here and be the Emo fan-boy but I can't help myself. However, first you have a slightly contradictory statement in that you want smooth highs but yet not too large a tower. Well, with many brands that doesn't work because as they go down is size from what many would consider a large tower to a smaller tower they put in a lower quality tweeter or only one versus two in some brands that need the two tweeters for power handling. Enter Emo who puts only one of the exact same very high quality/high power handling silk tweeters in all of their speakers including the top of the line 8.3, their only tower. This tower is way over its modest price in build quality and performance. Check out its total weight (70 Lbs + ..... you'll find many towers recommended in the same general size that are much lighter ..... there is a reason why ..... driver and magnet weight and enclosure quality) and high quality drivers including Kevlar type generic drivers. The 1" silk dome tweeter is ferro-fluid cooled with its own heat sink mounted on the neodymium magnet. This tweeter eliminates the tendency toward the slightly edgy or less than smooth sound one finds with many metal tweeters as in the Studio 20's. Even though the 8.3 might be large (as in taller) than you prefer the dual 8" bass drivers and the rest of the drivers remain ruler flat for extremely and not boomy bass and on up. They will reproduce dynamic volume when required if you turn up the volume at times or have a top quality CD from Chesky, Telarc, or Reference HDCD's, etc. You might be surprised at how much how power handling can avoid those slight moments of distortion that you don't realize are caused by driver distortion or momentary clipping on demanding tracks. Note the satin black finish on the 8.3 makes them appear less tall than a brighter colored or wood cabinet. We have Emo bookshelf speakers with the same exact high quality hand rubbed multi layer lacquer finish. In our room it fits in with our natural wood, brass, tan leather, almond walls, black components and American/Asian decor. My wife absolutely loves the looks of the Emo speaker's subtle and subdued but classy finish and its effect in our room. The online photos don't do justice to the finish. All the Emo speakers have the same quality fit and finish as well as drivers and crossovers. As an alternative I would recommend considering the 6.2 or even larger 6.3 bookshelf speakers (these both start a steep roll off at just below 80Hz and are designed to be matched with a high quality defined sub) on a thin speaker stand (not a thick bulky looking one that overpowers the speaker on it). I would match these two models with the an Emo Ultra 12 sub discreetly off in the corner. It gives excellently tight and defined lower bass for a perfect match. Note that the Emo speakers have a boundary switch to keep the upper bass/lower mids from getting boomy or undefined when near a wall. They also have tweeter and mid controls for fine tuning the response. I find them very flat up to 13Hz-15Hz or so with a very gentle roll off after that. They are extremely natural and defined and are perfect for acoustic jazz, vocals, classical as well as dynamic rock when needed. Some find them boring and dark. That is a great compliment in disguise to me and means they are not exaggerative in any part of the frequency spectrum that tends to grab attention at first but tires quickly after extended listening. No cringing here like with those speakers that make blatty trumpets and horns sound edgy and irritating. I can listen all day to jazz horns, strings, piano, blues guitar and Norah's voice and never get fatigued. The dispersion of the Emo tweeter is superb! One caveat, these are 4 ohms speakers that sound great at low levels but also never run out of dynamic range and can take tons of power when needed for an always low distortion presentation. They need an Emo class amp for the best results. Right now thru Monday I believe the 8.3's are on sale for $1278/pr. While not all folks here prefer the natural, flat and defined sound of the Emo speakers, none of them can dispute that these are an amazing speaker for the price. If you think I am putting on the full court press here, wait until Roadrunner wheels in (private joke) with his dog, Kobe. He is really going to lay the Emo speaker whammy on you. ;D  (Emo bookshelf on Bello stand ..... the Emo 8.3 tower actually has a slightly smaller footprint (13.25 x 10) than my Bello stand (13 X 11.5 .....the 8.3 is 43.75 high and my Emo ERM-1 bookshelf on the Bello is 42.75 high ..... the 8.3 actually takes up a very reasonable amount of space) and puts the tweeter right at ear level for many folks)  (note the milled aluminum front baffle plate and superb quality ... camera makes black finish look gray, luxurious sheen on lacquer finish is actually very subtle)  (even the rears controls are on a milled aluminum plate and bordered by a brushed aluminum frame)  PS: Thru Monday only, I am offering a free mounted framed photo of my favorite girlfriend with every Emo speaker purchase. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 17, 2011 4:40:56 GMT -5
I agree, the 8.3 is a bargain. I have the ERD-1s and they have the same tweeter. I cannot fault them (after Emo bucks were about $170 LOL). They aren't pretty though and depending on your partner may or may not be acceptable. One pays a lot for a pretty enclosure.
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Post by bitsandbytes on Jul 17, 2011 4:58:00 GMT -5
If you can get the Totem Hawk's used at that price, you may consider giving them a listen first at a dealership. Very natural sounding and extremely smooth - the music seems to just flow beautifully. Was personally amazed that such tiny floor standers could put out a huge, enveloping sound. For their size and attractiveness, their WAF rating is remarkable. Would recommend a subwoofer down the road with these speakers. Your USP-1 will perform the transition in the lower frequencies almost seamlessly. Best of luck in your search. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 17, 2011 6:02:42 GMT -5
"Even though the 8.3 might be large (as in taller) than you prefer the dual 8" bass drivers and the rest of the drivers remain ruler flat for extremely and not boomy bass and on up. They will reproduce dynamic volume when required if you turn up the volume at times or have a top quality CD from Chesky, Telarc, or Reference HDCD's, etc. You might be surprised at how much how power handling can avoid those slight moments of distortion that you don't realize are caused by driver distortion or momentary clipping on demanding tracks."
+1
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Post by eusebio on Jul 17, 2011 8:26:46 GMT -5
Used pair of Tyler acoustics. Excellent sound and beautiful looking cabinets. I picked up a pair from Mr Bauman (Bill do you still have that gallery on your site?)
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Post by Deleted on Jul 17, 2011 8:37:23 GMT -5
Here's another recommendation for the Gallo Reference 3.1s. They are very good-looking speakers and their sound quality is superlative. Look on the web for reviews, the critics rave about these speakers.
I have had mine for several years now and they are probably the last speakers I will buy. You can find them gently used on Audiogon for $1,500-$2,000/pr. If you can find a retailer nearby who has them, go audition them. They are incredibly good speakers and you would have to spend over $10,000/pr. to better them...
-RW-
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Post by tapornap113 on Jul 17, 2011 10:25:47 GMT -5
I say you have nothing to lose auditioning the Aperion verus grands, so you should definitely try them out. Also I love the B&W CM 8's at that price point. They are definitely " smooth" as you said you were looking for. You could genuinely listen to them for hours and not feel fatigued. Good luck with your search! |
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