$600 to spend on Floorstanders

[mobius1]

I've been looking for a while, and I've come up with a few options, but I'm hoping people with more experience could help me out in choosing a pair of budget floorstanders to give my HT a little more oomph.

I've already got a 5.1 bookshelf set up (from TSC), but I'm looking to shift the current mains to the rear and so on. My ideal choice would have been a pair of TST2s or TST3s, but now that those are long gone I'm looking at the Aperion 4Ts and the Fluance SV-10. Any other recommendations are welcome. Price is my biggest concern. I can't go over $600.

Are there any online retailers out there besides Aperion that offer an in-home trial period?

Hopefully once this transition is complete I can start looking into picking up an SVS cylinder sub

 

[j_garcia]

I don't know that I would recommend Fluance off hand. Not that they are junk, but probably not at the top of my list in your range. I actually would take a look at the Ascend CMT-340s. Yes, not a tower exactly, but with the matching stands you wouldn't know the difference: http://www.ascendacoustics.com/pages/products/speakers/cmt340m/cmt340m.html

The PSB Image line goes for good prices at Audio Advisor:
http://home-audio.audioadvisor.com/search?w=psb+image

 

[mobius1]

I don't know that I would recommend Fluance off hand. Not that they are junk, but probably not at the top of my list in your range. I actually would take a look at the Ascend CMT-340s. Yes, not a tower exactly, but with the matching stands you wouldn't know the difference: http://www.ascendacoustics.com/pages/products/speakers/cmt340m/cmt340m.html

The PSB Image line goes for good prices at Audio Advisor:
http://home-audio.audioadvisor.com/search?w=psb+image

Thanks, those PSBs look pretty good. What kind of sound is PSB known for? From what I've read, the TSCs are pretty neutral, so i'm hoping to match them with something similar.

I'm also remembering that the Energy CF-30s and CF-50s go on sale every once in a while.

 

[j_garcia]

PSBs are pretty neutral as well, but I haven't heard TSCs so I couldn't tell you if they are similar.

 

[shadyJ]

Infinity Primus P362
EMP E5Ti
Elemental Designs A6-6T6
BIC Acoustech PL-89

Those are what I would be looking at.

 

[mobius1]

Infinity Primus P362
EMP E5Ti
Elemental Designs A6-6T6
BIC Acoustech PL-89

Those are what I would be looking at.

Arrrrghh. These all look really good. The horn tweeter on the BICs especially caught my eye.

Looking at these brings up a couple more questions. What difference does the design make to the way these speakers sound? By that I mean how does a dual woofer + tweeter design (like the BICs) sound different from a dual woofer + midrange + tweeter design (like the Elementals or the Infinitys), or even a dome tweeter vs. a horn?

And some of these speakers have considerably lower frequency ranges than others. Is a wider range always better? For example it's 25 hz on the BICs versus 40 hz on the Elementals. That low range on the mains is useful to me for now since my sub isn't very impressive, but once I upgrade it to something more powerful, like an SVS PC-12, will the low range on the mains go to waste?

The help is very much appreciated. I'm gonna have to go back to researching, which is half the fun I suppose

 

[shadyJ]

I don't think there is a big difference in sound between those tweeters and other speakers. I have Hsu HB-1's which use very similar, if not identical tweeters, and they don't sound that radically different. A bit stronger dynamic response, if anything. Lots of slam for home theater and percussive music.

The extension on those speakers probably aren't measured the same, so they don't mean a lot. I know the Infinity speakers do bass pretty well, because I have a pair of those. Those are very highly regarded speakers in their price class. I suspect the BIC's would do bass well too, what with two 8" woofers in a pretty good sized cabinet.

Both the A6 and the EMP speakers have been reviewed by Audioholics, and the bass was said to be insufficient without a subwoofer. But otherwise they were said to be very good speakers for their price.

Your safest bet is the Infinity speakers, but I think any of them will be very good. Your low range kind of goes to waste when you get a subwoofer, depending on where you crossover the speakers at.

 

[JJMP50]

The JBL Studio L890s and L880s can be had within your budget if you look around the Internet a little. I know some around here shy away from JBL because of their inferior "best buy" lines, but I've been pleased with my Studio L set-up. The L890s got a very good review here some time ago.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

I'm so freaken glad I got my tst2 just before shop closed - I barely need sub at all...

My vote goes with P362 as it highly rec'd by WmAx and with few simple mods it can sound even better
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showpost.php?p=684676&postcount=6

Use rest of budget to get room (or waf ) treatments

 

[T2T]

Have you considered used? Monitor Audio RS-6 floorstanders are going for the $600-650 range on Audiogon.

 

[sholling]

I think whatever you get you'll be better off if you replace all 3 front speakers. I just don't think there is any way you'll get a good enough timbre match across brands. The surrounds are less of a big deal but a match across the front three is critical. Fortunately a pair of P362s and a PC350 center can be had for just about $500 shipped. But as always I'd head off to a store and give them a listen and see if they are to your taste.

 

[tcarcio]

I agree about www.audiogone.com also. You can get some higher end speakers for less money. I bought my B+W's on there and I couldn't be happier. Here is an example...http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrfull&1271882595&/Bohlender-Graebener-bg-radia-x

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

I think whatever you get you'll be better off if you replace all 3 front speakers. I just don't think there is any way you'll get a good enough timbre match across brands. The surrounds are less of a big deal but a match across the front three is critical. Fortunately a pair of P362s and a PC350 center can be had for just about $500 shipped. But as always I'd head off to a store and give them a listen and see if they are to your taste.

+1

Agree with sholling, I forgot to mention it, but he's right. You do want your LCR to be timbre matched.

 

[sholling]

Fortunately a pair of P362s and a PC350 center can be had for just about $500 shipped.

Correction: Google shopping had the wrong speakers linked. A pair of P362s and a PC350 center will be close to $600.

 

[Npeart]

I agree about www.audiogone.com also. You can get some higher end speakers for less money. I bought my B+W's on there and I couldn't be happier. Here is an example...http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrfull&1271882595&/Bohlender-Graebener-bg-radia-x

Ditto! Got a pair of Paradigm 20's for $600. They are flawless.

 

[allargon]

I agree about www.audiogone.com also. You can get some higher end speakers for less money. I bought my B+W's on there and I couldn't be happier. Here is an example...http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrfull&1271882595&/Bohlender-Graebener-bg-radia-x

Nice... I auditioned the lower end Z7's and came away impressed by their neutral sound. My wife didn't like them too much, as they lacked punch.

One thing about the BG Radia's (as well as EMP) is that they'll require a lot more amping than the Infinity Primus towers.

 

[SopRage]

I actually would take a look at the Ascend CMT-340s. Yes, not a tower exactly, but with the matching stands you wouldn't know the difference: http://www.ascendacoustics.com/pages/products/speakers/cmt340m/cmt340m.html

I'll throw in another vote for the Ascends. Depending on what you set as your crossover, the advantage of floorstanders over these "mini-towers" will be minimal.

... unless you want your speakers to look like furniture. I love my Ascends but I'm willing to admit that they won't win any aesthetics competitions. That said, their performance (where it counts) is wonderful.

 

[j_garcia]

It is good to have a bunch of choices. Try to listen to as many as possible and then you will end up with the right speakers. Speakers make the biggest difference in sound so auditioning is pretty important.

 

[roscoe1224]

though im not a big fan of klipsch, magnolia home theater at best buy is off loading their stock of icon series speakers. at relatively low prices. they may even knock the prices down more if you give em a hard time

 

[Turkey trot]

bic pl-89 series two.half off on ebay..350 shipped , supposed to sound like small Klipsch