American Made Speakers for $2000

[GranteedEV]

I looked at the Sierra Tower and the Salk Song Tower. My question is will I notice a difference between these two speakers and lets say the JBL 890's which are less then half the price but not made in the USA.

Yes there will be a difference, and it extends beyond the Foreign vs Domestic factor.

Would you conciously recognize it? Probably not - but that might be a good thing. Sometimes absense of problems can have long term benefits to your enjoyment.

Would it be there on all source material? Again, probably not. Better speakers like those sierra towers etc tend to hold their composure VS complex material, whereas lesser speakers can still sound great on simple sources.

Another factor you might want to be looking at is the quality of the center channel speaker. Sometimes great tower speakers don't come with a great matching center - even if the drivers appear to be the same.

 

[wilejoe]

Thanks for all the responses so far.
I realize most of the parts will be made elsewhere but I would take assembled in the USA
I am strictly using this system for music and was hoping to just use 2 speakers
I picked the yamaha rs700 because it was designed for music with 100 watts at a very low distortion rate.
That was part of my question, if I'm using a receiver like that one will the Sierra's , Salks etc sound good or will they be an overkill with that setup and I'd be better iff with a less expensive prehaps smaller American made speaker

 

[Pyrrho]

For a stereo pair of speakers at $2k, made in the US, I would go audition these (the number in the link is referencing the old model that has been replaced; it is the 1.7):

http://www.magnepan.com/model_MG_16

 

[markw]

Great speakers. These would have been my recommendation.

For a stereo pair of speakers at $2k, made in the US, I would go audition these (the number in the link is referencing the old model that has been replaced; it is the 1.7):

http://www.magnepan.com/model_MG_16

But, alas, these are one of the reasons i made my previous post in this thread. I have their predecessor, the 1.6's. I needed a Rotel RB-991 to get these to sing. Currently, these are on loan to a friend and being driven by a big-arse Emotiva of the same class.

Plus, they would require a very understanding wife.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

So you want speakers specifically made in USA, or you just don't want speakers made in China?

In any case, loudspeaker sound quality is not predicated on where they are assembled.

They also sound great made in France, Denmark, England, Canada, etc.

 

[cpp]

In any case, loudspeaker sound quality is not predicated on where they are assembled.

They also sound great made in France, Denmark, England, Canada, etc.

well said kemosable

 

[wilejoe]

So you want speakers specifically made in USA, or you just don't want speakers made in China?

In any case, loudspeaker sound quality is not predicated on where they are assembled.

They also sound great made in France, Denmark, England, Canada, etc.

I of course understand and believe that
But contrary to popular economic books I prefer to keep
American factories open

 

[Pyrrho]

But, alas, these are one of the reasons i made my previous post in this thread. I have their predecessor, the 1.6's. I needed a Rotel RB-991 to get these to sing. Currently, these are on loan to a friend and being driven by a big-arse Emotiva of the same class.

Plus, they would require a very understanding wife.

Perhaps, but my wife is okay with my Apogee Stage speakers in the living room, and I would guess that she would slightly prefer the look of the Magnepan 1.7 which, though taller, are narrower and one does not see the drivers.

I don't see the point in marrying a woman who is not understanding, but if other people prefer to marry women who are not, that is their choice and they get the consequences of their choice. But that is the subject for another thread, and I don't particularly wish to pursue it.

 

[markw]

Perhaps, but my wife is okay with my Apogee Stage speakers in the living room, and I would guess that she would slightly prefer the look of the Magnepan 1.7 which, though taller, are narrower and one does not see the drivers.

I don't see the point in marrying a woman who is not understanding, but if other people prefer to marry women who are not, that is their choice and they get the consequences of their choice. But that is the subject for another thread, and I don't particularly wish to pursue it.

Good for you! But you're not the one asking for advice here.

 

[Pyrrho]

Good for you! But you're not the one asking for advice here.

Yes, well I did not introduce that aspect of the matter. In my original post, I simply replied to the opening post question of American speakers for $2k. If he does not like the ones I suggested auditioning, or his wife won't let him buy them, then obviously I am not forcing him to buy them. In fact, my advice is simply to audition them, and then he should decide for himself based on that and on whatever else he hears, and based on whatever other considerations matter to him.

Some people love Magnepan speakers, and some others don't. Which sort of person he is can only be determined after he listens to them. If he listens to them and he does not like them, then it will not matter whether his wife would accept them or not, and he will not later wonder whether he should have gone with them instead of what he selects.

Really, one should audition as many speakers as one can stand to audition, of as many types (e.g., ribbon, horn, dome, whatever) that one can reasonably find, of as many different brands as possible, so that one will be less likely to regret one's choice later on. With $2k, one can get some really good speakers, though no matter what he buys, they will not be perfect and something else will be better in some way or other. Which will be best for him depends on which virtues he requires, and which vices he can tolerate.

 

[Swerd]

I am strictly using this system for music and was hoping to just use 2 speakers. I picked the yamaha rs700 because it was designed for music with 100 watts at a very low distortion rate.

That was part of my question, if I'm using a receiver like that one will the Sierra's , Salks etc. sound good or will they be an overkill with that setup and I'd be better off with a less expensive prehaps smaller American made speaker?

I think the Yamaha R-S700 might be really good at driving SongTowers. I can't speak for the Sierra Towers, but they might have generally similar power needs.

This winter, I briefly had my hands on a Yamaha A-S700 integrated amp (a friend from out of town bought it used, and I picked it up for him). It's somewhat more powerful than your R-S700 but they may be otherwise similar. I tried it with my SongTowers and my CAOW1s (nearly the same as Salk SongSurround I) and I thought it worked very well on those speakers. I don't remember the power of that amp, but it was more powerful than the 100 watt amp I use for my CAOW1s and a bit less powerful than the 200 watt amp I use with my STs.

The SongTower designer, Dennis Murphy, says any amp or receiver that can deliver at least an honest 50 watts per channel (at 8 ohms) will drive them well. With 100 wpc, your Yamaha will be good. I already owned the 200 wpc amp that I now use with my STs. They don't require that much power, but they can easily handle it. If I were to buy a new amp or receiver for those speakers, I'd be looking for something in the 100 to 125 wpc range.

 

[markw]

Yes, well I did not introduce that aspect of the matter.

I assume you're referring to the WAF statement I made. True, you didn't bring it up, but OP did say it was a factor somewhere around post 10. That's the only reason I mentoned it.

Having lived with (and loved) my Maggies, I'm not uaware that it takes somewhat of a committment to get the most out of them, and anyone considering them should be made aware of it before getting their hopes up. Point being, they are very sensitive to placement and have quite an appetite for clean power. If he decides to go for these he should count on getting an external power amp from day one.

But, yes, if one can live with their placement and power demands, they are a wonderful speaker. That's why I bought them.

And, yes, one should always audition every speaker before buying them if it's possible. I don't believe i've said differently.

Now, are we done here?

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

well said kemosabe

Thanks, compadre.

 

[wilejoe]

I assume you're referring to the WAF statement I made. True, you didn't bring it up, but OP did say it was a factor somewhere around post 10. That's the only reason I mentoned it.

Having lived with (and loved) my Maggies, I'm not uaware that it takes somewhat of a committment to get the most out of them, and anyone considering them should be made aware of it before getting their hopes up. Point being, they are very sensitive to placement and have quite an appetite for clean power. If he decides to go for these he should count on getting an external power amp from day
But, yes, if one can live with their placement and power demands, they are a wonderful speaker. That's why I bought them.

And, yes, one should always audition every speaker before buying them if it's possible. I don't believe i've said differently.

Now, are we done here?

I did speak with a salesman about the maggies and my receiver might not be powerful enough.
Wife approval is very important because she prefers the small cubes I currently have in my bose acoustimass 5 system.

 

[Jimz711]

I did speak with a salesman about the maggies and my receiver might not be powerful enough.
Wife approval is very important because she prefers the small cubes I currently have in my bose acoustimass 5 system.

Yet another reason not to get a small cube system.

Clearly, you should start with the biggest, ugliest set of speakers you can find so anything looks good in comparison.

I've seen the Boston RS series on closeout, the towers are not short, but they are rather thin, might not meet the American made requirement though.

 

[wilejoe]

Yet another reason not to get a small cube system.

Clearly, you should start with the biggest, ugliest set of speakers you can find so anything looks good in comparison.

I've seen the Boston RS series on closeout, the towers are not short, but they are rather thin, might not meet the American made requirement though.

I started out years ago with a nice pair of cerwin vega Ohm I's if I remember correctly.
Played them loud for years starting in college. The big woofers just fell apart on me at about the time we were moving into our first home a small one at that.
It was a compromise between none and small. I should have gone your route of big and ugly and it would have been a cake walk after that

 

[Jimz711]

I wish I had the Cerwin Vega in college thing, but our dorm rooms were so small I would have had to sleep in the hall.

What I couldn't believe is my mother was visiting and listening to my small towers and she said to me you know when your father and I move to a town home I wouldn't mind getting bigger speakers like yours. Maybe that's where the marrying someone like your mother idea came from.

I can say on the American made speaker idea, I don't know of anything that would compete with the Sierras and Salks, not unless you upped your budget. There are probably some speakers if you lowered your budget. I'd also like to get something American made, not a requirement but all things being close to equal I'll go the American route just like with a new car.

 

[cornelius]

The three classic American-made speaker brands, that are still going strong:
1. Magnepan
2. Ohm
3. Vandersteen

All well made, great sounding speakers - and great value...

 

[Pyrrho]

I did speak with a salesman about the maggies and my receiver might not be powerful enough.
Wife approval is very important because she prefers the small cubes I currently have in my bose acoustimass 5 system.

I recommend taking your wife with you to listen to different speakers (at least, to hear the finalists, not everything you audition along the way). By looks alone, my wife is less than thrilled with our Apogee Stage speakers. But she can hear that they sound better than anything else she has ever heard, and so she is okay with them. Also, my wife liked the idea of little cube speakers, until we went to an acquaintance's house for a party and she heard them in action. She later told me how horrible she thought they sounded. She would not have them now even if I wanted them.

In the case of Magnepan, if you can get a loaner pair from a local dealer, you can set them up in your home and put on your wife's favorite music while she is looking at them and see how she responds. If she really likes how they sound, she might even insist that you buy a pair.

 

[maccat39]

The three classic American-made speaker brands, that are still going strong:
1. Magnepan
2. Ohm
3. Vandersteen

All well made, great sounding speakers - and great value...

Another choice at the $2000 mark, are Def Tech Bp 8060ST. Made in the good old USA, I have a pair as my mains sounds sooo good! give them a audition, you won't look back.