Which Speaker to Choose?

[cbecker33]

I still say for a lateral move just bring your current speakers to be refinished somewhere. It will be a MUCH cheaper lateral move.

Which finish are you looking at for the paradigms? There's gloss black, gloss white, and espresso grain. The espresso grain is a nice looking finish. It's not as obvious as it appears in the photos unless you have your lights on full blast.

Espresso grain.

 

[NINaudio]

Espresso grain.

It's not as obvious in real life as it is in photos.

 

[shadyJ]

It's not as obvious in real life as it is in photos.

I liked the Espresso finish. My review pics were not great for that speaker though. It looks nicer than what I was able to capture.

 

[j_garcia]

When I say "best sounding", I mean best sounding to you. Not exactly sure the budget, but the Ascend CMTs are always a good option. They're smooth and clear and the 340s definitely have a lot of that midrange that it sounds like you're talking about. I am not sure they're a huge upgrade over the ILs but they'll have a similarly clean sound.

Ascend Acoustics

Ascend Acoustics- Award-winning audiophile loudspeakers and subwoofers for home theater and music, factory-direct. Rythmik subwoofers now available.

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Emotiva actually has a pretty good line of speakers now too. I wasn't sure what to think about them when they released them, but I bought a pair on closeout and they're really quite good. Looks like the bookshelf is unavailable right now. Two center options and towers and atmos options.

Loudspeakers

The Loudspeaker: AKA Speaker - the Voice of Your Stereo or Home Theater System. The loudspeaker converts the electrical signal from your amplifier into sound you can hear, ideally without adding any distortion or coloration along the way, and is the single most important factor in determining...

emotiva.com

.

I have always been a fan of Paradigm too.

 

[kini]

You really need to hear them in your own room to be able to make a good decision. Crutchfield has $75 return fees for large towers. Might be worth it to compare them and the Paradigms. For me the upgrade to Kef was very significant for HT. The soundstage is huge.

 

[cbecker33]

You really need to hear them in your own room to be able to make a good decision. Crutchfield has $75 return fees for large towers. Might be worth it to compare them and the Paradigms. For me the upgrade to Kef was very significant for HT. The soundstage is huge.

Sadly not Paradigm.

 

[Pogre]

Those Infinity speakers are really pretty good speakers already. I'm not sure if your choices

When I say "best sounding", I mean best sounding to you. Not exactly sure the budget, but the Ascend CMTs are always a good option. They're smooth and clear and the 340s definitely have a lot of that midrange that it sounds like you're talking about. I am not sure they're a huge upgrade over the ILs but they'll have a similarly clean sound.

Ascend Acoustics

Ascend Acoustics- Award-winning audiophile loudspeakers and subwoofers for home theater and music, factory-direct. Rythmik subwoofers now available.

www.ascendacoustics.com

Emotiva actually has a pretty good line of speakers now too. I wasn't sure what to think about them when they released them, but I bought a pair on closeout and they're really quite good. Looks like the bookshelf is unavailable right now. Two center options and towers and atmos options.

Loudspeakers

The Loudspeaker: AKA Speaker - the Voice of Your Stereo or Home Theater System. The loudspeaker converts the electrical signal from your amplifier into sound you can hear, ideally without adding any distortion or coloration along the way, and is the single most important factor in determining...

emotiva.com

.

I have always been a fan of Paradigm too.

I'm familiar with op's speakers and they're really pretty good. Very neutral and accurate. We started talking about this in his subwoofer thread. The 340s are great speakers, but it'd be lateral for sure.

I'm kinda with the suggestion either just get your speakers refinished or bump the budget some more and make it a worthy upgrade. Where are you at with just upgrading your front 3 for now, then do your surrounds a little down the road as more funds become available? I know you looked into the Sierra ribbon towers from your other thread. I think they're a clear step up in sound quality and you'll actually feel like it's a true upgrade.

Like I said in your other thread your main problem is that you already have good speakers. A good problem to have, until you get the itch for an upgrade.

 

[j_garcia]

I think it will take a step to the next level to improve meaningfully from the ILs, which means you'll be looking at spending a bit more. SVS Ultra, Ascend Sierra, etc...

 

[cbecker33]

Those Infinity speakers are really pretty good speakers already. I'm not sure if your choices

I'm familiar with op's speakers and they're really pretty good. Very neutral and accurate. We started talking about this in his subwoofer thread. The 340s are great speakers, but it'd be lateral for sure.

I'm kinda with the suggestion either just get your speakers refinished or bump the budget some more and make it a worthy upgrade. Where are you at with just upgrading your front 3 for now, then do your surrounds a little down the road as more funds become available?

I was wondering if you would show. This felt like a better sport for my follow up questions.

I am comfortable just upgrading the fronts and adding the surrounds when the wife forgets how much I already spent.

I know you looked into the Sierra ribbon towers from your other thread. I think they're a clear step up in sound quality and you'll actually feel like it's a true upgrade.

Ascend Sierra's w/ ribbon are a clear upgrade but you do not feel the Paradigm 800F are? One issue I will have with and Ascend setup is the height of the Sierra Horizon (I would prefer not to move the TV any higher as I have a very low couch).

Like I said in your other thread your main problem is that you already have good speakers. A good problem to have, until you get the itch for an upgrade.

You are 100% correct.

 

[cbecker33]

I think it will take a step to the next level to improve meaningfully from the ILs, which means you'll be looking at spending a bit more. SVS Ultra, Ascend Sierra, etc...

With both the Ultras and Ascend Sierra I run into issues. The Ultras side-firing woofer will be either directly facing my wall mounted cabinet, SVS subs or within 4 feet of a wall. I have concerns....

The Ascend Horizon is a tall speaker - this would mean that I would need to raise the TV which is already as high as I like with my low couch.

 

[kini]

Maybe take a look at these- https://www.aperionaudio.com/collections/verus-speakers

30-60 day trial period- "free" shipping but a 10% restocking fee on returns which is kind of high and more than the return shipping would be.

 

[NINaudio]

Ascend Sierra's w/ ribbon are a clear upgrade but you do not feel the Paradigm 800F are? One issue I will have with and Ascend setup is the height of the Sierra Horizon (I would prefer not to move the TV any higher as I have a very low couch).

I ended up with a set of speakers also using RAAL ribbons. When I went to listen to them I really wanted not to be impressed by them so I could save some money. I was not that lucky. To say that I was impressed with the ribbons would be an understatement. I heard details I didn't know were there in music I'd been listening to for 20 years. The Paradigm 800F's were my front runners up until that point, but there was no way I wasn't getting RAAL ribbons after hearing them.

I am not familiar with the Infinity's you currently have, so can't really compare them to the Paradigms. Having said that, I do really like the Paradigms and would have gotten them if I never listened to a RAAL ribbon.

 

[Pogre]

I was wondering if you would show. This felt like a better sport for my follow up questions.

I am comfortable just upgrading the fronts and adding the surrounds when the wife forgets how much I already spent.



Ascend Sierra's w/ ribbon are a clear upgrade but you do not feel the Paradigm 800F are? One issue I will have with and Ascend setup is the height of the Sierra Horizon (I would prefer not to move the TV any higher as I have a very low couch).



You are 100% correct.

I think the Paradigms are a pretty good choice for you, and I really don't think you'd be disappointed. They're very good for the price range. I'll refer you to @NINaudio's post about the RAAL ribbon tweeters.

The Horizon is a big center channel, yes, but they do have other, smaller centers with the RAAL that are pretty good performers too. The Sierra Duo might work out really well for you, depending on how loud you like to listen. I've never listened to the Duo but Ascend does have their forum and Dave (owner) quite often pops in and answers questions with lots of details.

Duo RAAL Ribbon Tweeter Bamboo Cabinet Mini-Monitor

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Ascend Acoustics- Award-winning audiophile loudspeakers and subwoofers for home theater and music, net-direct. Hsu subs and Harman Kardon receivers now available. We proudly manufacture some of the world's most accurate loudspeakers.

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[sweetness34]

I'm very curious what you will end up deciding on and how this turns out. I also have iL40s paired with an iL36c and an iL100 sub (that I think is on it's last limb, the power button broke off the other day). I really like them and feel I'd have to spend a pretty significant amount of money to really get an upgrade.

 

[Pogre]

I'm very curious what you will end up deciding on and how this turns out. I also have iL40s paired with an iL36c and an iL100 sub (that I think is on it's last limb, the power button broke off the other day). I really like them and feel I'd have to spend a pretty significant amount of money to really get an upgrade.

If I find a pair of IL40s out here on Craigslist for the right price I'm getting them. I picked up a pair of IL30s for a steal and I'm pretty impressed with them. I even went as far as saving an Audyssey calibration file for them because I pull them out every once in a while and listen to them still.

 

[sweetness34]

If I find a pair of IL40s out here on Craigslist for the right price I'm getting them. I picked up a pair of IL30s for a steal and I'm pretty impressed with them. I even went as far as saving an Audyssey calibration file for them because I pull them out every once in a while and listen to them still.

If you're pretty impressed with the iL30s I think you'd really like the iL40s. They were the best speaker in the Interlude lineup in my opinion and the opinion of all my coworkers at the time (way back when I sold home theater equipment).

 

[Pogre]

If you're pretty impressed with the iL30s I think you'd really like the iL40s. They were the best speaker in the Interlude lineup in my opinion and the opinion of all my coworkers at the time (way back when I sold home theater equipment).

Yeah, I've read about them. I guess even Floyd Toole himself supposedly said the 40s were his favorite in the series, and one of his favorite speakers overall for the price range. They're very neutral and accurate. I'll bet your system sounds really nice. I do keep an eye out for them on CL and if I see a good enough deal I'll pick 'em up. The 50s and 60s look nice too, but they have those powered bass sections, which always makes me nervous. Especially in older speakers.

 

[ryanosaur]

So glad for the thread title edit! Thank you.

 

[robladw]

I recently upgraded my subwoofers (with tremendous help from this thread). It is now time to replace my aging Infinity ILs (IL40s f, IL36C, IL30s r). Due to the design of my room I have roughly 19" from the front of the face of the front speakers to the wall. The front speakers I have been considering are:

• Paradigm Premier 800F
• Klipsch RP-8000F
• Monoprice THX-460T
• KEF Q950
• SVS Prime Pinnacle

Obviously these are vastly different speakers (and ones that I will not be able to demo) but I am wondering if the deep speakers with rear-facing ports will run into issues when places 'close' to the wall. Am I overthinking this or is it a valid concern?

Just ran across this. I am on here today for the same reason checking on speakers. You are looking for a bit more speaker than I am. Let me link you to 2 pretty well reviewed speakers currently on sale for less than half price. These are really good speakers for this sale price. Not to mention if you like the old Infinity stuff I think you would dig these. A good bit more refined and party animals.

Studio 580

Studio 590

You can find a ton of reviews on these. They are liked pretty well and JBL keeps bringing them back. Again excellent buys at this sale price.

 

[Audioluvr!]

If the Infinity's sound is what you love, maybe you should consider having the crossovers rebuilt and doing some cabinet mods. If they are over 20 years old there will be a night and day difference in sound quality. Especially if you use quality caps and resistors.