speaker reccomendations needed

[crippledchicken]

I plan to purchase a Parasound Halo 21a 250 wpc rms power amp and would like to find some better towers to go with it the ones I have now are just the Polk Audio monitor 70s. My budget would allow 1500-2k for a pair of course, I don't expect a whole lot for that kind of money but, I would be willing to buy used if possible to get better sound quality I have a 15" powered sub to go with them. All suggestions would be greatly appreciated this is for music use. Thanks!

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I recommend auditioning all brands of speakers.

I will recommend one, and I am certain others will recommend many different brands. Everyone has his different opinion and favorite speakers. You will have to audition and see which speaker fits your goal the best.

My one recommendation is the RBH SX-6300 tower. MSRP is $2750, but you may be able to find discount with your local RBH dealer @ 20-30% off, which brings the price down to about $2K.

Of course, I like the way they sound. Sound quality is salient. But the feature I like best about the SX-6300 is that you can actively bi-amp the bass drivers with an external amp using LFE/Sub output from the processor. One tower has the bass equivalent of a single 10" subwoofer. Thus, 2 SX-6300 towers have the equivalent of dual 10" subwoofers. Because you can actively bi-amp the bass, you can easily adjust the bass output of the towers by turning the level up or down.

 

[zieglj01]

Since you have a 15 inch sub - look at the Philharmonic slim towers
http://philharmonicaudio.com/slims.html

Also, some RBH tower speakers here - on Audiogon
http://app.audiogon.com/listings/full-range-rbh-sound-1044-se-tower-audiophile-speakers-black-oak-brand-new-factory-sealed-car-2014-10-18-speakers

Also, look into Joseph Audio - Audiogon
http://app.audiogon.com/listings/full-range-joseph-audio-rm22si-signature-ii-rosewood-updated-photos-2014-10-18-speakers

 

[Cos]

Sometimes these threads seem so repetitive LOL

For that price range you might want to consider the Triton 7s with a nice Sub. I would definitely add that to you auditioning list. I really like their HVFR Tweeter.

$1400 List should be able to get for around $1200, leaves you a little extra to invest in a nice sub.

http://www.goldenear.com/products/triton-series

http://hometheaterreview.com/goldenear-technology-triton-seven-loudspeaker-reviewed/
http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/floor-standing-speakers/floor-standing-speakers-reviews/goldenear-triton-seven-home-theater-speaker-system/all-pages.html
http://www.goldenear.com/community/forums/goldenearblog/55-goldenear-awards/363-triton-seven-is-a-sound-vision-top-pick-of-the-year

 

[tom white]

You should try renting some speakers and subs from companies such as aarental.com. They have plenty of different models and sizes before you make the decision.

 

[jcparks]

Look for a pair of Vandersteen Model 2Ce sigs on the used market... you should be able to grab a pair for under 1500 easy. They aren't the most attractive speakers, they are very warm and listenable though.

 

[Saturn94]

The Salk SongTower is an awesome speaker to add to your short list.

http://www.salksound.com/songtower home.htm

I know you said your looking for tower speakers, but if you consider otherwise, Soundfield Audio makes a great speaker as well (I own a pair of the original Monitor 1)

http://www.soundfieldaudio.net/monitor-2-a.html

I also second the Philharmonic Slim Jr suggestion.

Definitely audition as much as you can. Speaker preference is such a personal thing.

 

[GIEGAR]

I plan to purchase a Parasound Halo 21a 250 wpc rms power amp and would like to find some better towers to go with it the ones I have now are just the Polk Audio monitor 70s. My budget would allow 1500-2k for a pair of course, I don't expect a whole lot for that kind of money but, I would be willing to buy used if possible to get better sound quality I have a 15" powered sub to go with them. All suggestions would be greatly appreciated this is for music use. Thanks!

Hi Crippled. Firstly, the plan to buy an amp first and then speakers to go with it seems backwards to me. But I guess it could just be that you've spotted the amp first.

Secondly, from a quick bit of research the rough ask for the Parasound seems to be from about $1500 to $2000. While I'm sure it's a beautifully engineered amp, if it only leaves you with $1500 - $2000 in the kitty for a pair of speakers, you will be grossly overspending on the amp and doing yourself a disservice as far as potential for improved sound quality goes. If you're chasing better sound quality (who isn't, eh?), you need to spend the bulk of your budget on the bits that make a real difference... speakers!

Presuming a total budget of around $3000 - $4000, and knowing that well engineered power is relatively cheap, you could aim to spend $2500 - $3500 on a pair of towers. This will open up a lot more options and give you quite a high level of performance.

Towards the lower end of the price range, an excellent choice is the Ascend Acoustics Sierra Tower with RAAL ribbon tweeter (from $2700/pr shipped). At the top end of the price range there's the PSB Synchrony Two ($3500/pr). These are simply an outstanding speaker and are at close-out pricing. Somewhere towards the middle are these keenly priced Wharfedale Jade 5's ($3040/pr shipped). There are many other quality options in this price range to audition.

For a power amp, something like the Emotiva XPA-200 ($339) is good value and is capable of driving a pair of 88dB/1W/1m sensitivity speakers to over 110dBSPL peak at typical listening distances. If you really must have around 200 - 250WPC, you could go with a pair of small monoblocks like Emotiva XPA-100's ($640) or Outlaw Audio Model 2200's ($680), but theoretically these will only give you peaks around 1 to 2dB higher.

Alternatively... you could step out of the passive speaker > amplifier > passive speaker equipment upgrade churn completely with a pair of active/powered speakers. Something like this Dynaudio Xeo 5 system ($3800) might fit your budget. (The new Dynaudio Focus XD 400 looks even better, but I don't think pricing has been announced yet.)

Anyway, that's about all I've got. The main message is: please don't overspend on a nice amp at the expense of quality speakers.

Good luck!

 

[herbu]

please don't overspend on a nice amp at the expense of quality speakers.

Agree. Suggest you go for the cheese w/ the speakers first. Easier and cheaper to upgrade the amp/AVR later, than to upgrade the speakers. One very nice AVR is less than one very nice speaker... and I suspect you would want 2 speakers.

Listen to your choices if possible, and consider specs and builder/designer reputation when you shop.

Here are some published specs to compare:
Philharmonic3 -------------------- $3500/pair --- +/- 2dB 25-20kHz
Aperion Verus Grand Towers --- $2k/pair ------ +/- 6dB 35-22kHz
Revel Salon2 --------------------- $20k/pair ----- +/- 3dB 23-45kHz
PSB Synchrony Two -------------- $3500/pair --- +/- 3dB 34-23kHz
Status Acoustics 8T -------------- $50k/pair ---- +/- 3dB 20-40kHz