Upgrading from Swan Diva 5.1 mains to what?????

[OUGrad05]

Hi all, new here but been at a couple other forums for going on a decade now...was looking for additional opinions and insight on my situation.

At this point I'm kind of all over the map. I've got a Yamaha V1700 and currently have an all Swan setup with an SVS PB12 NSD subwoofer. I have the C3 for the center, the R3 for the rear surrounds and the 5.1s as my mains. I'm looking for an upgrade, primarily for 2 channel music, a center channel upgrade will happen at some point if not immediately. I'll also likely change out my BD player for something that does SACD and has wifi/streaming capabilities.

My primary focus is getting a better 2 channel music experience.

Ascend Sierra Towers with the RAAL upgrade is a strong contender if not at the top of the list.

However, I've had others talk about Gallo, which frankly gets decent reviews but I'm on the fence considering they don't give much info out regarding their drivers and claim to have no crossovers?

I also am considering Von Schweikert VR22's.

At one point the KEF R700s were on the list but after hearing them at RMAF I was thoroughly underwhelmed.

PSB jumped them in the running order with the Imagine T2's. Fantastic speakers.

I have some concerns with the VS's not having a dedicated midrange. A buddy of mine tells me its not necessary and that a properly engineered speaker will have fantastic midrange despite the fact the mids and lows will come through the same 8 inch driver. I'm a bit skeptical....

SVS has their new speakers but they left me wanting a bit more at RMAF, although I hear the production models have some changes?


The room

note: it is not to scale, the home theater end is 10 ft wide and 12 ft deep, it looks the opposite in the drawing.


Any thoughts or help would be appreciated.

 

[gtpsuper24]

I've been very happy with the Arx A5 towers. They would be a step up from the Diva's. Price is kind of misleading at $749.00 plus shipping but I would be confident in putting them up against some more expensive speakers. I actually did a side by side demo with the A5s and the Paradigm Monitor 11s and For being close to half the price of the Paradigms they match and exceeded the Monitor 11s. I think they would compare to the PSB T2s as well.

 

[OUGrad05]

Not familiar with ARX.

My experience has been you can get some truly top notch speakers in the 2500-3500 range. Not necessarily opposed to going lower but find it hard to believe a $750 pair will compete favorably with the VS, Salk or Ascend stuff.

My Diva 5.1s are on par with my buddies Studio 60s.

Another thing to keep in mind is room layout. Whatever I get can't be two or three feet out from the wall. I have some flexibility there but not two feet of flexibility.

 

[gtpsuper24]

Not familiar with ARX.

My experience has been you can get some truly top notch speakers in the 2500-3500 range. Not necessarily opposed to going lower but find it hard to believe a $750 pair will compete favorably with the VS, Salk or Ascend stuff.

My Diva 5.1s are on par with my buddies Studio 60s.

Another thing to keep in mind is room layout. Whatever I get can't be two or three feet out from the wall. I have some flexibility there but not two feet of flexibility.

So the Diva 5.1s were what around $700 a pair? And the Studio 60's retail for $1995 so almost 3 times more than the Swans but yet you said they are on par with each other. Obviously each has there strong points and weak points.

I just tossed the A5s out there cause I think they are great towers and have put them up against more expensive towers from Paradigm, Golden Ear, and Axiom. Also don't forget price doesn't equal better sounding. Some finishes can double the price of a speaker without adding anything to make it a better sounding speaker.

Some companys charge $1,000 or more for a fancy piano gloss. The Ascend Tower is a great tower but at $2500 plus doesn't it make it 3 times better. Doing business in California is expensive (adds to cost) bamboo cabinets add complexity and is expensive, gloss hand rubbed finishes also add to the cost, none of those make it better sounding just better looking. Theres a debate about whether the bamboo is worth the effort or return on investment compared to mdf cabinets.

Are you happy with your current Diva's ? Audio Insider is running a sale on the large 6.1 Diva Swan Diva 6.1 floorstanding loudspeaker&

 

[OUGrad05]

So the Diva 5.1s were what around $700 a pair? And the Studio 60's retail for $1995 so almost 3 times more than the Swans but yet you said they are on par with each other. Obviously each has there strong points and weak points.

I just tossed the A5s out there cause I think they are great towers and have put them up against more expensive towers from Paradigm, Golden Ear, and Axiom. Also don't forget price doesn't equal better sounding. Some finishes can double the price of a speaker without adding anything to make it a better sounding speaker.

Some companys charge $1,000 or more for a fancy piano gloss. The Ascend Tower is a great tower but at $2500 plus doesn't it make it 3 times better. Doing business in California is expensive (adds to cost) bamboo cabinets add complexity and is expensive, gloss hand rubbed finishes also add to the cost, none of those make it better sounding just better looking. Theres a debate about whether the bamboo is worth the effort or return on investment compared to mdf cabinets.

Are you happy with your current Diva's ? Audio Insider is running a sale on the large 6.1 Diva Swan Diva 6.1 floorstanding loudspeaker&

Great point.
The goal is to spend 2500 wish on something that competes favorably with the signature line as an example. There are a few in that price range that punch above their weight if that makes sense.

Vandersteen 3A Signature may be worth considering as well.

 

[Jeff R.]

I have pretty much decided my next upgrade will the the Ascend Sierra Towers with matching center you mentioned. I only hear rave reviews and with the return policy figure I can not go wrong.