Need advice on Towers and Brands For ROCK N ROLL

[rippon]

Hi. This forum has taught me a lot, but now i need some direct advice. My budget is 1-5 grand for towers. I have a XPA-5 Emotiva AMP w/ denon pre amp. My Room area is not large, maybe 20 ft wide and 30-35 ft long with 8 or 9ft ceiling.


I love ROCK. im 25 btw. 70's rock is my passion, but i listen to lots and lots of current rock. LOUD SABBATH, FLOYD, DOORS, YES, ECT is mainly whats blairing through my system. I watch and appreciate movies, but it isn't priority, music is. I have Polk audio LSI15s and....i just feel like i can do a lot better. I've tried finding threads narrowing towers for rock n' roll but i haven't had a lot of luck. So far i've been eyeballing Klipsch RF-7's and some B&W CM9's. So i would reeeeeeeeeeeally appreciate some advice from some fellow lovers of rock and good loud audio.

I mainly want a good tower and has awesome mids and highs, i have a svs sub that covers my lows no prob.

I'd love and appreciate any advice from anyone

 

[markw]

Hi. This forum has taught me a lot, but now i need some direct advice. My budget is 1-5 grand for towers. I have a XPA-5 Emotiva AMP w/ denon pre amp. My Room area is not large, maybe 20 ft wide and 30-35 ft long with 8 or 9ft ceiling.


I love ROCK. im 25 btw. 70's rock is my passion, but i listen to lots and lots of current rock. LOUD SABBATH, FLOYD, DOORS, YES, ECT is mainly whats blairing through my system. I watch and appreciate movies, but it isn't priority, music is. I have Polk audio LSI15s and....i just feel like i can do a lot better. I've tried finding threads narrowing towers for rock n' roll but i haven't had a lot of luck. So far i've been eyeballing Klipsch RF-7's and some B&W CM9's. So i would reeeeeeeeeeeally appreciate some advice from some fellow lovers of rock and good loud audio.

I mainly want a good tower and has awesome mids and highs, i have a svs sub that covers my lows no prob.

I'd love and appreciate any advice from anyone

Here ya go. Classic HD | Legacy Audio - Building the World's Finest Audio Systems

Enjoy!

 

[rippon]

that i can actually find and purchase

 

[ImcLoud]

Music Direct has wharfedale evo2-40s on sale for $799, I bought a pair and matched them up with a pair for sw300 subs, and an emotiva xpa2 amp, I also play alt rock, classic rock, ect and they sound amazing... My room has 24' ceilings and a similar size to yours...

Or I know where there is a set of Opus 2-3's in piano black for $2700 rataiil was like $6000.... Them have 4" drivers, probably wont even need a sub...

 

[3db]

Take a look at either the PSB Imagine series

Imagine Speakers - PSB Speakers

or their Synchrony series

Synchrony Speakers - PSB Speakers


Both are stellar performers that plays how it the musics recorded without masking any of it.

 

[STRONGBADF1]

Klipsch RF-7's are my first thought that you can find and audition easily.

 

[FirstReflection]

That's a pretty huge range in terms of budget. You also do have a large room - very large, in fact - at over 5000 cubic feet of air volume.

I'll go ahead and toss my current favorite towers into the mix - the Ascend Acoustics Sierra Towers . I'd probably stick with the standard NrT tweeter for maximum dynamics and output capabilities, although the RAAL tweeter upgrade offers even higher resolution and tighter transient response if sheer maximum loudness is less of a priority than those facets. The very nice thing about the Sierra Towers is that if you decide you want to expand to a full surround sound setup, the Sierra Tower Horizon Center and Sierra-1 w/NrT upgrade bookshelf speakers are available to perfectly match the Sierra Towers and complete a 5 or 7 speaker setup! Go for either the "Natural" or "Dark Cherry Gloss" finish Gorgeous speakers - both in sound and looks. Don't hide that lovely bamboo finish behind black paint

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I'm going to recommend KEF Q900, which you can probably get for $1200/pr from Vanns ( going out of business ). They have sold at least 3 5.0 sets for $2200 delivered to 3 forum members.

The set consists of Q900 x 2, Q600c x 1, and Q800 surrounds (2 members got theses). The 3rd member got a pair of Q300 for surrounds. All 3 got for $2200 from Vanns in the past 2 months.

The Q900 are rated for max SPL of 114dB. They have been measured and reviewed by HTM and Stereophile.

Everyone is different. Just because one person likes the KEF for rock music does not guarantee you will too. Same with any speaker out there.

But one of the members bought Salk SongTowers and did not like them at all for rock music. He also auditioned the KEF R300. He auditioned the Q900 for his rock music and fell in love with them. So he sold his Salk, returned the R300, and bought the Q900 system from Vanns.

Again, everyone is different. You may not feel the same as this member. I'm just giving out info.

 

[Steve81]

Blaring rock and roll, yeah I'd say that fits Klipsch to a tee.

If I had 5 grand to spend, I'd be taking a real hard look at a pair of Cornwalls to compare to the RF-7s. If anything screams "I'm a 70s rock and roll speaker", that would be it...

 

[Steve81]

PS: You can also find Cornwalls on the used market for relatively cheap. In the used market, I'd also consider the La Scala, Chorus, and Forte speakers.

 

[markw]

Ya gotta understand...

that i can actually find and purchase

It's really hard to offer guidance on were to buy stuff when you don't specify where you are...

Maybe this dealer locater will help if you're really, really serious about wanting to try them. You can bet your bippy that if I were looking to spend 5k on speakers I'd go through a little effort to hear them first.

 

[afterlife2]

Not sure If you read this:
The Klipsch RF-7 II: A great rock speaker | The Audiophiliac - CNET News

 

[rippon]

I'm going to recommend KEF Q900, which you can probably get for $1200/pr from Vanns ( going out of business ). They have sold at least 3 5.0 sets for $2200 delivered to 3 forum members.

The set consists of Q900 x 2, Q600c x 1, and Q800 surrounds (2 members got theses). The 3rd member got a pair of Q300 for surrounds. All 3 got for $2200 from Vanns in the past 2 months.

The Q900 are rated for max SPL of 114dB. They have been measured and reviewed by HTM and Stereophile.

Everyone is different. Just because one person likes the KEF for rock music does not guarantee you will too. Same with any speaker out there.

But one of the members bought Salk SongTowers and did not like them at all for rock music. He also auditioned the KEF R300. He auditioned the Q900 for his rock music and fell in love with them. So he sold his Salk, returned the R300, and bought the Q900 system from Vanns.

Again, everyone is different. You may not feel the same as this member. I'm just giving out info.

appreciate the advice. your speaker collection makes me huuuurt with jealousy. I've never heard KEF in person, but i've read lots of good things. I was considering salks too but i kept reading "for small space" or "small footprint". I want a speaker that can put out more than i actually ask of it.

 

[rippon]

That's a pretty huge range in terms of budget. You also do have a large room - very large, in fact - at over 5000 cubic feet of air volume.

Update: my Room is actually 13FT wide x about 20FT Long

 

[rippon]

Blaring rock and roll, yeah I'd say that fits Klipsch to a tee.

If I had 5 grand to spend, I'd be taking a real hard look at a pair of Cornwalls to compare to the RF-7s. If anything screams "I'm a 70s rock and roll speaker", that would be it...

ive been trying to audition them, the horns are either loved or hated. So can't buy rf-7 without a audition.

 

[Steve81]

ive been trying to audition them, the horns are either loved or hated. So can't buy rf-7 without a audition.

They're different for sure. I'd definitely try to audition some Heritage Klipsch as well, as they will sound different than the Reference line.

 

[STRONGBADF1]

If you want really loud but clear mids and highs in a room 13' x 20' I'd look into some room treatments also.


***Fatherly advice alert***

Be careful not to damage your hearing.

 

[rippon]

That's a pretty huge range in terms of budget. You also do have a large room - very large, in fact - at over 5000 cubic feet of air volume.

I'll go ahead and toss my current favorite towers into the mix - the Ascend Acoustics Sierra Towers . I'd probably stick with the standard NrT tweeter for maximum dynamics and output capabilities, although the RAAL tweeter upgrade offers even higher resolution and tighter transient response if sheer maximum loudness is less of a priority than those facets. The very nice thing about the Sierra Towers is that if you decide you want to expand to a full surround sound setup, the Sierra Tower Horizon Center and Sierra-1 w/NrT upgrade bookshelf speakers are available to perfectly match the Sierra Towers and complete a 5 or 7 speaker setup! Go for either the "Natural" or "Dark Cherry Gloss" finish Gorgeous speakers - both in sound and looks. Don't hide that lovely bamboo finish behind black paint

Sierra tower looks very nice, and i was considering the RAAL tweeter in some Salks, but there are days where i just need masssss amounts of "maximum loudness" like you said. So from what i've heard, these choices might not be best suited for me. I don't want to keep tabs on my volume levels or be "cautious" with my gear.

 

[STRONGBADF1]

Sierra tower looks very nice, and i was considering the RAAL tweeter in some Salks, but there are days where i just need masssss amounts of "maximum loudness" like you said. So from what i've heard, these choices might not be best suited for me. I don't want to keep tabs on my volume levels or be "cautious" with my gear.

Just be careful. Bad recordings can sound ok on good speakers but real bad on great (revealing) speakers. Ribbons can be very unforgiving.

 

[zieglj01]

Update: my Room is actually 13FT wide x about 20FT Long

Good mids and highs - and very good bass, and they can take the power. Boston VS336 >
BOSTON ACOUSTICS VS336 VS Series 3-Way 6-1/2 in Tower Speaker Black Each | Accessories4less