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Post by Tungx2 on May 3, 2016 16:10:40 GMT -5
Hello Folks,
I am in the market to upgrade my polk RTi line to SVS ultra tower package.
through my research and countless hours of reading reviews, I'm considering going straight to Stealth 8 in a 5.1 setup instead.
Yes it's going to be a huge speaker, but it shouldn't be much bigger than the Rti a9 foot print...
Anyways,
I was toying the idea of ditching passive speakers and go fully powered.
In this process, I would have to get rid of my Xpa amps, which would kill me if I made the wrong decision this time.
In my mind, I thought the xpa amps will last me a life time... or a very long time.
I currently have monoblocks all the way.
XMC-1 pre/pro
Rtia9 - xpa-1 gen 2
FXia6 - Xpa-100 gen 2
CSiA6 - xpa-1L gen 2
So should I go with the Svs Ultra package with the tower and the surround?
Or should I buy just 5 stealth 8 and sell all my speakers and amps. Which is the cheaper choice... hey there might be even some cash left.
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Post by vneal on May 3, 2016 16:49:25 GMT -5
You want nice sounding powered speakers---MERIDIAN
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Post by garbulky on May 3, 2016 17:00:12 GMT -5
Hello Folks, I am in the market to upgrade my polk RTi line to SVS ultra tower package. through my research and countless hours of reading reviews, I'm considering going straight to Stealth 8 in a 5.1 setup instead. Yes it's going to be a huge speaker, but it shouldn't be much bigger than the Rti a9 foot print... Anyways, I was toying the idea of ditching passive speakers and go fully powered. In this process, I would have to get rid of my Xpa amps, which would kill me if I made the wrong decision this time. In my mind, I thought the xpa amps will last me a life time... or a very long time. I currently have monoblocks all the way. XMC-1 pre/pro Rtia9 - xpa-1 gen 2 FXia6 - Xpa-100 gen 2 CSiA6 - xpa-1L gen 2 So should I go with the Svs Ultra package with the tower and the surround? Or should I buy just 5 stealth 8 and sell all my speakers and amps. Which is the cheaper choice... hey there might be even some cash left. WOAH WOAH WOAHHHHHHHH!!! DO NOT DITCH THE XPA-1!! You've got it. It's amazing. You can't get another amp like it at the price. It's really REALLY fantastic. The stealth line is I'm sure graet. (I've heard the airmotiv). But seriously you've got the XPA-1.....just keep it!! Get a great speaker to complement. For instance the Tekton Design Enzo or Pendragon or really anything in that tower line you can afford. They've got amazing products from $1000 to 2000. lvdude had the pendragons and he said they were better than the stealth 8s. www.tektondesign.com/pendragon.htmlEdit: also the XPA-1 can do some serious resolution. More than the other amps you've got. And it won't always come through depending on the speakers. So if you upgrade speakers using the XPA-1 you are in for bigger gains than otherwise imo. P.S.S.: I wouldn't go with the SVS towers. It's got some mixed reviews sometimes. I'd go with the tekton's any day of the week! |
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LCSeminole
Global Moderator 
Res firma mitescere nescit.
Posts: 20,494
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Post by LCSeminole on May 3, 2016 18:15:59 GMT -5
I would agree with garbulky, don't get rid of the XPA-1's. Just curious, why are you wanting to move on from your current Polk Audio speakers? Have you actually demoed the SVS Ultra speakers? While I know it can be difficult to actually demo speakers in a showroom with less and less dealers carrying every speaker that they are authorized to sell, I wouldn't blindly buy speakers you haven't heard unless you just have no other alternatives. Personally, I've heard the Tekton's that garbulky mentioned, and I was not at all impressed, but I will preface my opinion as just that, an opinion, as what sounds good to me may very well sound bad to you, so remember with speakers it becomes a subjective matter.
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Post by Axis on May 3, 2016 18:24:31 GMT -5
A speaker that was popular at AXPONA 2016 was the Elac Uni-Fi 3-way Tower UF5 for $499.00 each.
I am betting the new Airmotiv T1 3-way Tower for $349 each kicks it's butt. That AMT is smoooooth !
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Post by MusicHead on May 3, 2016 18:31:23 GMT -5
A speaker that was popular at AXPONA 2016 was the Elac Uni-Fi 3-way Tower UF5 for $499.00 each. I am betting the new Airmotiv T1 3-way Tower for $349 each kicks it's butt. That AMT is smoooooth ! Speaking of non-conventional tweeters, the Ascend Sierra towers with the RAALs would be worth considering. |
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Post by Axis on May 3, 2016 18:37:03 GMT -5
A speaker that was popular at AXPONA 2016 was the Elac Uni-Fi 3-way Tower UF5 for $499.00 each. I am betting the new Airmotiv T1 3-way Tower for $349 each kicks it's butt. That AMT is smoooooth ! Speaking of non-conventional tweeters, the Ascenda Sierra towers with the RAALs would be worth considering. I think I am done with Dome tweeters. Check out these new Salk Song 3 speakers with the RAAL ribbon tweeter for $2895/pair. www.audiocircle.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=6god5akd3vtr1ds3u6n77lrsg7&topic=142571.0 |
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Post by Tungx2 on May 3, 2016 18:37:41 GMT -5
I've already modded the cross-overs on my polks, but somehow I don't think it's utilizing the xpa-1. Plus the Rtia9 is a really deep speaker. all the options sounds interesting, will definitely look into them.
I have the stealth 8 in my bedroom in a desktop configuration. It's really good and precise. Pin-drop accurate.
The Polks seems very smeared in a way. There's sound every where, but it's not ideal, if that makes any sense.
I haven't demo-ed any SVS speakers... just basically going by reviews and so forth.
I don't know any big brands other than Maggies, B&W, Klipch, Polks, SVS and Emotiva. The first two is just something that I know they are good brand names with a high price tag. The middle 2 is pretty entry level ones with the exception of ultra high end ones (LSiM). The latter two is the best bang for the buck, so I'd figure I would give SVS a try. I know it's a mistake per-say... without trying them, but I don't have much choice here as shipping to Canada from the States is pretty costly. So to buy and demo them is going to be challenging.
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Post by mshump on May 3, 2016 19:05:48 GMT -5
The Maggies are not expensive. You can get a set of MMG's for 599.00 or the new .7 for 1499.00 a pair
Mark
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LCSeminole
Global Moderator
Res firma mitescere nescit.
Posts: 20,494
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Post by LCSeminole on May 3, 2016 19:21:54 GMT -5
I've already modded the cross-overs on my polks, but somehow I don't think it's utilizing the xpa-1. Plus the Rtia9 is a really deep speaker. all the options sounds interesting, will definitely look into them. I have the stealth 8 in my bedroom in a desktop configuration. It's really good and precise. Pin-drop accurate. The Polks seems very smeared in a way. There's sound every where, but it's not ideal, if that makes any sense. I haven't demo-ed any SVS speakers... just basically going by reviews and so forth. I don't know any big brands other than Maggies, B&W, Klipch, Polks, SVS and Emotiva. The first two is just something that I know they are good brand names with a high price tag. The middle 2 is pretty entry level ones with the exception of ultra high end ones (LSiM). The latter two is the best bang for the buck, so I'd figure I would give SVS a try. I know it's a mistake per-say... without trying them, but I don't have much choice here as shipping to Canada from the States is pretty costly. So to buy and demo them is going to be challenging. Without going into some mis-conceptions you have on certain speaker brands, you really should take a closer look at what speaker companies have to offer as many have several levels of speaker lines to offer. Now that we know you are Canadian, have you looked at what is offered domestically to you. Paradigm, PSB, Totem, Energy and even Bryston(all Canadian speaker manufacturers) are offering what I'd consider affordable. Here's a link to AudioAdvisor that carries Bryston speakers. www.audioadvisor.com/ssearch.asp?txtsearch=bryston#/filter:categories:Tower$2520Speakers |
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LCSeminole
Global Moderator
Res firma mitescere nescit.
Posts: 20,494
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Post by LCSeminole on May 3, 2016 19:36:58 GMT -5
Another internet direct speaker company that I've been interested in, though I've not heard them but would like a demo of their Verus speaker line, is Aperion Audio. They are an American speaker company but ships directly to Canada. www.aperionaudio.com |
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Post by MusicHead on May 3, 2016 21:56:52 GMT -5
I've already modded the cross-overs on my polks, but somehow I don't think it's utilizing the xpa-1. Plus the Rtia9 is a really deep speaker. all the options sounds interesting, will definitely look into them. I have the stealth 8 in my bedroom in a desktop configuration. It's really good and precise. Pin-drop accurate. The Polks seems very smeared in a way. There's sound every where, but it's not ideal, if that makes any sense. I haven't demo-ed any SVS speakers... just basically going by reviews and so forth. I don't know any big brands other than Maggies, B&W, Klipch, Polks, SVS and Emotiva. The first two is just something that I know they are good brand names with a high price tag. The middle 2 is pretty entry level ones with the exception of ultra high end ones (LSiM). The latter two is the best bang for the buck, so I'd figure I would give SVS a try. I know it's a mistake per-say... without trying them, but I don't have much choice here as shipping to Canada from the States is pretty costly. So to buy and demo them is going to be challenging. Without going into some mis-conceptions you have on certain speaker brands, you really should take a closer look at what speaker companies have to offer as many have several levels of speaker lines to offer. Now that we know you are Canadian, have you looked at what is offered domestically to you. Paradigm, PSB, Totem, Energy and even Bryston(all Canadian speaker manufacturers) are offering what I'd consider affordable. Here's a link to AudioAdvisor that carries Bryston speakers. www.audioadvisor.com/ssearch.asp?txtsearch=bryston#/filter:categories:Tower$2520SpeakersYou forgot Axiom!  www.axiomaudio.com/floorstanding-speakers |
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Post by garbulky on May 4, 2016 11:19:12 GMT -5
Loving my axioms. The used M80s tend to sell at very nice prices. They go great with dual subs in larger rooms - able to do heft and depth with dynamics. Smaller living rooms like mine the subs aren't needed.
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LCSeminole
Global Moderator
Res firma mitescere nescit.
Posts: 20,494
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Post by LCSeminole on May 4, 2016 18:19:26 GMT -5
Ahhhh yes, how could I forget Axiom? I'm sure there are several more that I've forgotten as well. |
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Post by gus4emo on May 4, 2016 19:06:47 GMT -5
NHT are no slouch.
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Post by ronmuck on May 7, 2016 18:43:00 GMT -5
I am currently looking to get a new pair of speakers also.I am interested in the new Emotiva flavors.I would really like to know how they will compare to a lot of competition in this arena.I do like the pricing but feel they might be to small to be competitive serious contenders in the tower market. This is my current front runner after they are re released with a new crossover. www.fluance.com/floorstanding-speakers/signature-series-hi-fi-three-way-floorstanding-speakers |
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Post by frenchyfranky on May 8, 2016 9:13:18 GMT -5
I've already modded the cross-overs on my polks, but somehow I don't think it's utilizing the xpa-1. Plus the Rtia9 is a really deep speaker. all the options sounds interesting, will definitely look into them. I have the stealth 8 in my bedroom in a desktop configuration. It's really good and precise. Pin-drop accurate. The Polks seems very smeared in a way. There's sound every where, but it's not ideal, if that makes any sense. I haven't demo-ed any SVS speakers... just basically going by reviews and so forth. I don't know any big brands other than Maggies, B&W, Klipch, Polks, SVS and Emotiva. The first two is just something that I know they are good brand names with a high price tag. The middle 2 is pretty entry level ones with the exception of ultra high end ones (LSiM). The latter two is the best bang for the buck, so I'd figure I would give SVS a try. I know it's a mistake per-say... without trying them, but I don't have much choice here as shipping to Canada from the States is pretty costly. So to buy and demo them is going to be challenging. If you like the pin point precision and the ribbon tweeter sounds of the Stealth 8 maybe the next passive speakers line of Emo should be interesting for you. |
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Post by Gary Cook on May 8, 2016 20:28:16 GMT -5
If you like the pin point precision and the ribbon tweeter sounds of the Stealth 8 maybe the next passive speakers line of Emo should be interesting for you. +1 if you really like the air motion transformer tweeters then I'd suggesting waiting a little longer. Cheers Gary |
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novisnick
EmoPhile
CEO Secret Monoblock Society
Posts: 27,223 
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Post by novisnick on May 8, 2016 20:33:07 GMT -5
If you like the pin point precision and the ribbon tweeter sounds of the Stealth 8 maybe the next passive speakers line of Emo should be interesting for you. +1 if you really like the air motion transformer tweeters then I'd suggesting waiting a little longer. Cheers Gary
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Post by leonski on Jun 7, 2016 23:40:32 GMT -5
The best advice you never got was to GO LISTEN TO STUFF. Anything but what you have now.
Also, try to figure out WHY you want to change. What do you value in what you are currently hearing? What would you like more or less OF?
Reviews are a REAL Jungle unless you know a LOT about the reviewer. And his or her prioritites. A few reviewers I ALWAYS disagree with can be depended on for that reason. But I read so FEW actual bad reviews, I'm convinced one of the MAIN jobs of a reviewer is to both find nice things to say about a piece and to find out those things of value about said piece. Be that speaker or DAC or preamp or even headphones.
Relying on internet reviews? Wrong approach without a good listening background. Or at least MORE exposure.
What good would a review from ME do you? NONE whatsoever.
And since I'm a Magnepan user for 30 years+, I'll tell you the MMG is sold internet direct with a 30 day return and I think maybe still has the 'upgrade' provision where you take the speakers in and get full credit going UPLINE.
have a larger room, or at least be able to have the speakers 4 feet or 5 feet from the wall. Doesn't do you much good, does it?
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