Hi Guys ... I need your experience, knowledge and wisdom here if you please...
I am trying to get a home theatre system but I will use it mostly for music, about 80% of time. I have set my mind on Yamaha RX-A1000 and now I have to decide for a pair of floorstand speakers. Now I just want to buy the front ones (maybe the central) ... and I have about 800-1000$ Later I will the surround ones.. I was looking at Klipsch ... but from reviews it seems that they have a metallic sound (because of their Klipsch horn technology) .... which I do not think I will like.
Here are some things I have to keep in mind in my decision:
- I have a small room 12 x 12 feet
- I have to listen to low volume ... I have neighbors
- I listen to all types of music from Country to Classics .. but 70% is Pop and Soft Rock
- I like the warm sound type ... I do NOT like metalic or high mids
- they will be powered by Yamaha RX-A1000
Right now I am looking at B&W ... what do you think ? Also ... I live in a small town ... I do not have hi-fi shops around to go try them out and see how they sound ... so I am blind in my shopping ... but I trust you guys that you would be my ears. Thank you ... I appreciate all replays ...
The
Canton GLE 470.2 has an MSRP of $1200 a pair and should be able to be gotten at $1000.
http://www.canton.de/en/hifi/gleserie/produkt/gle470.2.htm lots of color choices available. You wont find a better built speaker... anywhere. Everything (even the magnets) are designed, engineered, and manufactured in-house & to the highest of standards. This is a unique brand that one would be proud to own.
PSB, as someone else suggested makes a fine product. The
Image T5 http://www.psbspeakers.com/products/Image-Series/Image-T5-Tower MSRP is at $900.
If you want something unique and a little different,
Tannoy makes something called a
Revolution DC4T which go for $1K MSRP per pair. There's also a DC6T that goes for more, but you could swing a deal? These both have a great sound to them and look really sharp with the grilles off.
http://tannoy.com/ResidentialSummary.aspx#&&/wEXBgUEU1NJRAUCMjEFA1NJZAUCNzYFAkZUBQdTdWJNZW51BQNCYW4FHX4vaW1hZ2VzL1Nlcmllc0Jhbm5lcnMvNzYuanBnBQFUBQFEBQNQSUQFAzMxMO4oRVumlLCX3sPf1HKM+VnhWMVu
I'll throw one more out there, the
Totem Arro. This MSRP is above your budget at $1500 a pair, but you could probably find a dealer who could order you a pair and let them go for $1000-$1100 or so. This is an excellent speaker. Smaller than the others, but your room isn't all that big. This speaker is beautiful looking and sounding. Really small footprint, but it can put out excellent sound. Don't be fooled by a 4.5" driver. These can play low. NOT made for super loud theaters, though. Moderate to lower-loud volume is where these shine.
http://totemacoustic.com/english/hi-fi/columns/arro/
In my opinion, based on your room, budget & listening habbits, I would rank them like this (PROS in () )....
A tie at #1
1: Totem Arro (Very small footprint in your small room, excellent with your chosen listening material, small center that matches for down the road expansion, very high fit & finish, excellent for your volume levels, unique to own)
1A: Canton GLE 470.2 (One of the best built speakers you can find, excellent all around sound, lots of finishes available, can play quite loud if desired, very cohesive & very full sound, unique to own)
2: Tannoy Revolution DC4T (Excelent imaging, small footprint, unique sound, great build quality, unique to listen to & look at)
3: PSB Image T5 (All around performer, can find easily, bold design, warm sound, can get loud)
Your biggest problem with what I've recommended is going to be that the top 3 are harder to find and they are all near the top of your budget. However, these speakers are all really really cool & really really unique from each other and designed with different ideas and goals in mind. Any of them fit your needs, are built extremely well, and offer an incredible quality of sound.
Happy hunting!
