Affordable upgrade similar to Polk Monitor70?

[yokken]

Hey all,

This is my first post here. There's so much information out there that I don't know where to start! I know a fair bit about headphones, the sound signatures I like, a little bit about amplifier technology, that sort of thing. I just got an Emotiva UMC-200 and UPA-500 to do my fairly-new Polk Monitor70s some justice. I got 'em for $300/pair over the holiday deal season. After upgrading the upstream components and getting 12awg wire, they are sounding damn good. I'm running them 2.0 with bi-amping turned on, but I have done no modifications to the speakers, like removing their crossovers.

However... seeing how good they are for only $300/pair has me wondering what I could get for ~$600-750/pair, with similar characteristics. I live in an apartment with wood floors, and I want to be respectful, so I'd like to go without a subwoofer if possible. The Monitor70s have great bass and it's so much cleaner than the passive Onkyo sub I got in a HTIB set. I want some speakers that have the extension and rumble of the Monitor70s, but all the speakers I've read about might have more detailed or accurate sound, but not as much bass extension.

What would be a good upgrade, no higher than $750/pair, that would give me extensive bass performance and impact, but also increase detail without being sibilant? I've noticed an accurate/warm midrange is a bit more difficult to get from a budget speaker, but I would love a richer midrange as well. I doubt I will get everything I want in an affordable package.

Thanks for taking the time to read, and I appreciate any and all advice!

 

[zieglj01]

HTD Level Three towers
HTD Level THREE Tower Speakers

will be back in stock in mid February - they have a 10% off sale
starting January 24

At least you are one of a few people, that like the Polk Monitor

 

[yokken]

HTD Level Three towers
HTD Level THREE Tower Speakers

will be back in stock in mid February - they have a 10% off sale
starting January 24

At least you are one of a few people, that like the Polk Monitor

Those look pretty nice! I know the Polk Monitor series aren't anything to write home about, but they're my first real speakers. I have a pair of TSi100s sitting in a corner collecting dust. I loved those for a while but it's surprising how quickly you notice improvements in audio when you start from the bottom.

Thanks for the recommendation will wait to see more. Of course I have no objection if the speakers are cheaper... I'd love to go as low as $500/pair but if there are ones that are clearly superior for a few extra Benjamins... I have made the leap before and understand that a lot of the time, you get what you pay for.

 

[j_garcia]

Biamping won't do anything for those speakers and neither will quality gear. You've got nice gear and the speakers are what are holding you back since they are the MOST important thing in the chain. IMO, you'll have another set of Polks gathering dust

CMT-340 SE Mini-Tower Loudspeaker

 

[yokken]

Ooh, those look nice! But they only go down to 45Hz... I listen to a lot of electronic music and one of the things I love is low bass. It doesn't need to shake the building, but I love the low extension down to 30Hz on my Polks.

I'm planning on selling the Polks to my father for $200 if I get a new set. He desperately needs an upgrade

 

[zieglj01]

Ooh, those look nice! But they only go down to 45Hz... I listen to a lot of electronic music and one of the things I love is low bass. It doesn't need to shake the building, but I love the low extension down to 30Hz on my Polks.

I'm planning on selling the Polks to my father for $200 if I get a new set. He desperately needs an upgrade

The HTD will go down in the room

It would be a small miracle if the Polk Monitor really does hit 30 hz usable bass

 

[yokken]

The HTD will go down in the room

It would be a small miracle if the Polk Monitor really does hit 30 hz usable bass

You mean they will put out some thump?

The rolloff around 30Hz is obviously fairly steep as you'd expect it to be, but at least they're advertised to go that low, and they definitely impress me from time to time.

 

[j_garcia]

The Ascends are particularly good with electronic music IMHO because of how they are voiced. You said rich midrange and that's why I recommended those, as that is their strong suit. For the price, I was fairly impressed with them. And for that sort of music, you should be using a sub

 

[yokken]

I know a sub would be best, but I don't want to upset my neighbors any more than I maybe already have! The presentation with the Polks is almost just fine for my living situation. All the frequencies are there (except the ultra-super-duper-xxxtra-low bass) and the music sounds full to me. I like rich vocals but typically midrange-oriented speakers don't have as good of PRaT as those that are more clarity/treble-oriented.

 

[zieglj01]

The presentation with the Polks is almost just fine for my living situation. All the frequencies are there (except the ultra-super-duper-xxxtra-low bass) and the music sounds full to me. I like rich vocals but typically midrange-oriented speakers don't have as good of PRaT as those that are more clarity/treble-oriented.

Well maybe to you - however, a lot of us would feel different.
And, you did say that you was searching.

 

[slipperybidness]

Ooh, those look nice! But they only go down to 45Hz... I listen to a lot of electronic music and one of the things I love is low bass. It doesn't need to shake the building, but I love the low extension down to 30Hz on my Polks.

I'm planning on selling the Polks to my father for $200 if I get a new set. He desperately needs an upgrade

"Only go to 45Hz", that is pretty good for a bookshelf. And, from AA you know that it is a true 45Hz.

You can't go by the specs on the Polks. You need to see 3rd part measurements. I doubt that the Polks -3dB point is anywhere near 30Hz (prob -6dB or worse at 30Hz).

 

[yokken]

I know a lot of it is marketing, so I believe you guys there. What's the consensus on the Arx 5 towers? They look pretty awesome...!

 

[zieglj01]

I know a lot of it is marketing, so I believe you guys there. What's the consensus on the Arx 5 towers? They look pretty awesome...!

They do look good, and the word on them is good.

 

[ousooner2]

I'd get a small sub. Just keep your volumes reasonable.

Look at the EMP e5 and ARX a2 also.

...that Jade 1 bookshelf in the classifieds would be a HUGE upgrade

 

[yokken]

I read some reviews for the Wharfedales and I'm not really interested in them. Bookshelves are cool and all, but they demand a subwoofer and I can't drop $600-800 on a pair of speakers, then buy stands, and then drop another $300-400 on a subwoofer. That's why I'm looking at towers.

 

[ousooner2]

A $300-350 pair of bookshelves and a $300 sub ($50 stands).....you're at the same price as what you want to spend on towers. Move the bookshelves to surround duty and upgrade to towers if you like the speakers or just want more dynamic range up front. There are A TON of very solid bookshelves in that price range. If I didn't have a kiddo that will be playing with stands soon enough I would have went with bookshelves/subs combo.

 

[j_garcia]

I read some reviews for the Wharfedales and I'm not really interested in them. Bookshelves are cool and all, but they demand a subwoofer and I can't drop $600-800 on a pair of speakers, then buy stands, and then drop another $300-400 on a subwoofer. That's why I'm looking at towers.

Bookshelf speakers do not demand a sub. Bass demands a sub. But the way I look at it is $500 gets you a REALLY good bookshelf or an average tower. So for sound quality, spending more in the right place is a better plan. The reality is your current towers probably don't go much lower in-room than the Ascends I mentioned. My former bookshelf speakers are a very similar configuration MTM with a -3dB of 55Hz and I could easily listen to music with them with no sub.

What zieglj01 and I were trying to say nicely is the Polk Monitors aren't that good.

 

[yokken]

I know the Polks aren't that good, but I'm glad I enjoy them. I can't do 5.1 due to the way my living room is configured in my apartment. Those Wharfedales were $600 for the pair if I recall, not $300... either way I'm not interested in them.

As I said, I listen to a lot of electronic music that depends a lot on bass response, specifically in the 20-60Hz area. I don't want to feel like I have to buy a subwoofer just to be pleased with my music.

But let's say I want to just LOOK at some other bookshelves... besides the Arx A1b, which ones could I get (new) for $400-500/pair?

I really appreciate all the advice and I mean absolutely no aggression towards you guys. I'm just trying to explain my situation and my preferences to see if you have any recommendations. I'm open to new ideas so I'll definitely give some bookshelves a look, but I'd rather not get a sub which is why I'm leaning towards towers. Thanks again.

 

[zieglj01]

But let's say I want to just LOOK at some other bookshelves... besides the Arx A1b, which ones could I get (new) for $400-500/pair?

JBL Studio 530
Studio 530 | 125-watt, 5-1/4" (130mm) bookshelf loudspeaker with a classic JBL bass driver and a horn-loaded high-frequency compression driver | JBL US

Focal 706
http://www.musicdirect.com/p-41246-focal-chorus-706v-bookshelf-speakers-pr.aspx

 

[ousooner2]

There are very few bookshelves that will give any usable output anywhere near that low end that you want. If you want that....you're going to need a sub or a tower. And towers still wont get that low.....not at this price. Not anywhere near this price. Don't think that just because you have a sub it's going to be loud and annoy neighbors. You can always turn a sub down. You can't turn up what you can't reproduce. I really think, given what you listen to and what you're after, you'd be MUCH better off with a bookshelf/sub combo.

I told someone this in another thread that was looking for bookshelves, if I were looking for a bookshelf setup in this price range, one of the speakers I'd look at would be the ARX A2rx-c (a pair obviously). Jon might work a deal if you buy 2 so call it $400/pair. That leaves you with about $250ish for a sub and $50ish for stands. If you can squeeze another $50 and see if EMP will do the e1010i sub for $300 then that's another option. Check your local craigslist also as you might find a decent deal. The STF-2 from HSU, NXG 500, rw-12d, bic f12, etc. Some decent performers in this area that will yield a lot better results than a $500-600 pair of towers. A helluva lot better than the monitor's you're using