If I were to upgrade my towers, which one of these is the best deal?

[WARMACHINE4444]

Hi everyone,

Love this site! So, don't laugh too hard, but I actually do enjoy my current Tower speakers I own. KLH T-5AW Here are the specs

1" Soft Dome Tweeter with Ferrofluid
2-Way Ported Design
Black Cloth Removable Grills
Connectors: 5-Way Gold Binding Posts
Dual 6-1/2" Woofers w/Polymer Treated Fiber Cones
Finish: Black with Applewood Side Panels
Magnetically Shielded
Suggested Amplifier Power: 5 to 200 Watts per Channel
Crossover: Crossover: LC Type
Dimensions: 36-3/4"H x 8-15/16"W x 12-9/16"D
Frequency Response: 40 Hz to 20 kHz
Impedance: 8 Ohms Average
Sensitivity: 87 dB @ 1W - 1M
Weight: 62.5 Lbs.

Why would I love a speaker from a Non-Existent Audio company? Well, I think it's one of the few that they made that sound great for the incredibly low price. In regards to the compromises(cheap drivers, basic crossovers etc) KLH made an effort in making this model sound the best that it could. Wasn't KLH the 1st Audio Company to provide HiFi Audio sound to the consumers at affordable prices? I paid $199CDN plus I am a bargain hunter kinda person

I would say my KLH's could stand with if not best the similar price range competitors Pioneer new SP-FS52, Infinity Primus P363, Fluance XL7F etc. Audioholics should have an Ultimate $500 or less Tower Speaker Faceoff!

My speakers are being run in only a 2ch stereo bedroom. I do not have a dedicated home theatre setup yet. My system is really simple and basic, Panasonic XR25, Magnavox Bluray, running my KLH T-5AW. I do also have the matching HT-300 bookshelf and centre speakers NIB. If I were to setup a future HT system.

Do they sound perfect? No, they probably have the same deficiencies that the above price point tower speakers have. But, I did write my own review of them on audioreview.com. I compared them to my B&W DM600i bookshelfs! There are also 2 reviews on epinions of them.

I really never could afford High End speakers. My older brothers' friends were the ones that got me interested in Home Audio. One friend has Paradigm towers, another specific friend had tower speakers Custom Made by a local audio store in the 90's, Dark Wood, pretty sure it had that distinct looking woofer by Dynaudio, Macrom or what Totem use, all being run by NAD separate components. I barely could save up to buy a cd I wanted back then!

The 1st "high end" speaker I ever purchased was my B&W DM600i new in 95. I am a B&W fan! I thought it was sooo much to pay for my B&W's back then just for bookshelf speakers. My older brother actually saw&heard the Flagship Nautilus Speaker, the owner of the audio store I bought my B&W speakers had the Nautilus in his home. I've always wanted to own the Nautilus 805 bookshelf or any evolution of it now. Or even the 705.


Since the prices of some speakers have come down alot, I thought maybe it's a good time to consider upgrading to a speaker that once was out of reach of purchasing. There are some amazing speakers to choose from in the $750 - $1500 range. I really don't want to spend more than $1500 US/CDN Here are a few that I'm interested in. Keep in mind I am in Canada too. Most of these I probably could not listen too in person also.


B&W 684 - $1500 US [I'm a B&W fan, so I'd probably like these]

PSB G Design GT1 - $699 US Cosmetic Blem/$999 US New [These look amazing, great reviews, but impossible to find matching centre channel?]

EMPtek Impression E55Ti - $795 US [Audioholics highly recommended]

Aperion Audio Verus Grand Tower - $1798 US [Just over the $1500 US or CDN equivalent I want to spend, amazing reviewed tower.]

Sinclair Audio Brighton Series 460T Tower - $699 US B-Stock [Canadian Company owned by Jam Industries, who own Korg Canada and Erikson Consumer. Ribbon tweeter and rest look good for price?]

DCM TimeFrame Evolution TFE200 - $1000 US [Audio company with history and I like that the speaker is narrow but long in length, like my KLH towers. No reviews really?]

Swan Diva 5.2 - $1049 US [Looks great, new generation middle line model.]

Polk Audio LSI15 - $1250 CDN BNIB [Local person selling. I always liked the look of these and wanted to hear the tweeter they use.]

Monitor Audio RX6 - $1425 CDN [Price at local audio store, and I could listen to them. Great reviews, but it has a fake phase plug?]

Martin Logan Motion 40 - $2000 CDN [Wow this is so expensive at Future Shop. At least I can listen to them I guess. The older line Motion 12 is hard to find now.]

Energy Veritas V6.3 - $1499 US [Great reviews, although it's discontinued now?]

Totem Sttaf - $1895 US [Always loved their design, engineering and that it creates amazing sound they say from such a small speaker. Umm too much money for me I guess.]

Tekton Design Lore-S - $1399 US [Interesting design, ummm I read the Tekton thread. Other speakers seem to be more of a deal?]

XTZ 99.36 MKII - $800 US [This speaker looks like an insane deal? They look amazing too, from the audioholics poster who just bought them.]


If it seems like I have a whole bunch of different priced speakers that don't really compare equally, it's just that these are some of the towers I'd be interested in owning maybe.

I know I've left out alot of companies like Dynaudio, Focal, Paradigm, Salk Sound etc...If anyone has suggestions as to what the best deal on a tower speaker right now in the $750 - $1500 range. I've never owned a really nice high end tower speaker.

If I don't buy anything at all, I am still happy with my current KLH T-5AW speakers. Just because it's expensive, doesn't necessarily mean I'll like how it sounds right?

Thanks to all who reply!

 

[zieglj01]

If you are serious - then look at Focal
Brand new at AC4L - and good pricing.
Accessories4less: High End Audio at Low End Prices!

 

[ImcLoud]

I've only herd a few on your list.. But I can tell you first hand my Lores are absolutely awesome, and you can power them with a balloon and short haired ginger...

Everything about them is just the way it should be, for a 2 speaker system you can not go wrong, I power mine with a jolida 202brc tube amp, but I have had them on other amps and they sound great no matter what... SUPER loud with just a few watts...
The only thing about them is, to get the best sound you may want to lift them a few inches, which isnt a big deal, a 4" thick piece of wood with some spikes on the bottom of it {can be bought for $50}, and tip them back a little if you are going to have a higher listening seat, Mine are in my bedroom and I listen while I am lying in bed so they dont need to be lifted or tilted they sound great... I want the S's but they came out after I got the lores... I heard them and they sound really good.... But anyway, for a 2.0 system the lore, oriel, lore-s, and m-lore are my choice, You may want ot check out the ZU-Omens too, I went and listened to the Zu Omens before I went with the Lores and I liked the lores better {even if they were the same price}, but they were nice too... I think they are $100 or so more...

Them Focals are a good buy, also I bought some wharfedale evo2-40's from music direct for $800 that is a good buy {but I tend to need a sub for most of the HT towers I hear, the 5-7" subs just dont do it for me...

Also about Tekton, I know the design is different, but honestly, all other towers I hear feel like they need a sub to get that punchy bottom end to fill a room {I like strong bouncy bass} and the lores do it for me, they have this fill the space with sound intensity that Ive never heard from 2 speakers before... And If you like live music they cant be beat for any price {that I can afford}, I have a bunch of Brus live recordings and I can not listen to them on anything besides these, feels like Im there..

 

[gtpsuper24]

I'd add Arx A5s too your list. Awesome speakers and would perform just as well as the rest of your speakers on the list. Falls right in the middle of your budget depending on shipping costs, which you can add to the cart and it will give you a list of shipping costs depending on options.

Arx A5 floorstanding loudspeaker

Great sounding planar tweeters, XBL2 woofers, cast alloy frames, which is very rare for this price point. Nothing but extremely positive reviews.

 

[monkish54]

EMPtek Impression E55Ti

Aperion Audio Verus Grand Tower

or

Products

If AJ will ship to Canada, I would most definitely go with the Monitor 1. A 3-way monitor with an excellent concentric driver and an 8" woofer that will play down to 38hz. This is probably the best deal, and certainly one of (if not THE) most neutral of all the speakers on your list.

Also, I think you might need a new receiver:

http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/MARSR6004/Marantz-SR6004-110w-X-7ch-Home-Theater-Surround-Receiver/1.html

$1300 + $500 = $1800. Same price as the Verus Grand, except your system will be better IMO.

 

[fuzz092888]

I'll just point out that the XTZ speakers you mentioned are $1600.

 

[nogaro]

I'll just point out that the XTZ speakers you mentioned are $1600.

Actually that $800 price is for the pair!! Quite impressive given the drivers.

 

[fuzz092888]

Actually that $800 price is for the pair!! Quite impressive given the drivers.

Well then they should change it on the website because it says $800 per piece which I assume to mean per speaker. That from the xtz us website not their us distributor's website. When I added one to the cart a popup box even showed up reminding me to add two to the cart in order to have a pair.

 

[ImcLoud]

Well then they should change it on the website because it says $800 per piece which I assume to mean per speaker. That from the xtz us website not their us distributor's website. When I added one to the cart a popup box even showed up reminding me to add two to the cart in order to have a pair.

I thought they were $1600
link for $800?

 

[fuzz092888]

I thought they were $1600
link for $800?

I'm pretty sure they are $1600.

At least that's what their website leads me to believe.

Floor speakers

$800 per speaker

 

[ImcLoud]

I'm pretty sure they are $1600.

At least that's what their website leads me to believe.

Floor speakers

$800 per speaker

I will buy a set right now for $800 them look really nice..

 

[nogaro]

That second pop-up is new. If you look at the bottom of that page it says:


Sales unit: pair

They may have changed the price recently. There is another post where, iirc, the person purchased the pair for $800

 

[ImcLoud]

Them a re a really good deal for $800 there has to be more than that in parts..
Damit now i want a pair, they will match my wharfedales perfectly... same basic shape...

 

[monkish54]

What's the crossover frequency to that 6.5"?

The off-axis could look like this:

 

[nogaro]

What's the crossover frequency to that 6.5"?

The off-axis could look like this:

I was told 3.5khz for the tower and bookshelf, but I saw some UK forums listing it at 3.7khz for the bookshelf. Lower end is 200hz.

 

[monkish54]

I was told 3.5khz for the tower and bookshelf, but I saw some UK forums listing it at 3.7khz for the bookshelf. Lower end is 200hz.

At 3,500hz the wavelength is ~3.9". I'd want to see the off-axis before I put my money down. The drivers are great, but a 6.5" midrange mated to a ribbon tweeter at 3.5khz might be cause for concern.

 

[WARMACHINE4444]

If you are serious - then look at Focal
Brand new at AC4L - and good pricing.

Thanks zieglj01 for the focal suggestion! That speaker looks amazing for that price. Especially under $1000, good one to consider in buying. I kinda left out companies like Focal because they were always quite expensive towers.

I've only herd a few on your list.. But I can tell you first hand my Lores are absolutely awesome, and you can power them with a balloon and short haired ginger...

Everything about them is just the way it should be, for a 2 speaker system you can not go wrong, I power mine with a jolida 202brc tube amp, but I have had them on other amps and they sound great no matter what... SUPER loud with just a few watts...
The only thing about them is, to get the best sound you may want to lift them a few inches, which isnt a big deal, a 4" thick piece of wood with some spikes on the bottom of it {can be bought for $50}, and tip them back a little if you are going to have a higher listening seat, Mine are in my bedroom and I listen while I am lying in bed so they dont need to be lifted or tilted they sound great... I want the S's but they came out after I got the lores... I heard them and they sound really good.... But anyway, for a 2.0 system the lore, oriel, lore-s, and m-lore are my choice, You may want ot check out the ZU-Omens too, I went and listened to the Zu Omens before I went with the Lores and I liked the lores better {even if they were the same price}, but they were nice too... I think they are $100 or so more...

Them Focals are a good buy, also I bought some wharfedale evo2-40's from music direct for $800 that is a good buy {but I tend to need a sub for most of the HT towers I hear, the 5-7" subs just dont do it for me...

Also about Tekton, I know the design is different, but honestly, all other towers I hear feel like they need a sub to get that punchy bottom end to fill a room {I like strong bouncy bass} and the lores do it for me, they have this fill the space with sound intensity that Ive never heard from 2 speakers before... And If you like live music they cant be beat for any price {that I can afford}, I have a bunch of Brus live recordings and I can not listen to them on anything besides these, feels like Im there..

Hi Imcloud, I really got interested in the Tekton line after reading the thread. I like how it's only a 2way design using quality components. I read their website too, I was kinda more open when they said they are designed to have a more "live" sound. Using a bigger driver than say a 6 1/2" in it also, I wondered can a 2way provide adequate full-range from this speaker? Thanks for your detailed opinion on your Lores.

I'd add Arx A5s too your list. Awesome speakers and would perform just as well as the rest of your speakers on the list. Falls right in the middle of your budget depending on shipping costs, which you can add to the cart and it will give you a list of shipping costs depending on options.


Great sounding planar tweeters, XBL2 woofers, cast alloy frames, which is very rare for this price point. Nothing but extremely positive reviews.

gtpsuper24, I was looking at the Arx A5s too But, I was only looking for designs using 6 1/2" woofers or bigger. But that ribbon tweeter and multiple drivers on it got me looking more and more.

EMPtek Impression E55Ti

Aperion Audio Verus Grand Tower

or


If AJ will ship to Canada, I would most definitely go with the Monitor 1. A 3-way monitor with an excellent concentric driver and an 8" woofer that will play down to 38hz. This is probably the best deal, and certainly one of (if not THE) most neutral of all the speakers on your list.

Also, I think you might need a new receiver:


$1300 + $500 = $1800. Same price as the Verus Grand, except your system will be better IMO.

Hi monkish54, Thanks for your suggestions. I like the Verus Grand cause it's probably the most full range speaker I listed. Still alot of money. That Monitor 1 I've never heard of!? I've always compared high end bookshelfs looking at the N805s, Dynaudio, Totem, etc...I still have a lust for bookshelfs, but seeing how much comparable towers cost, it's confusing I am looking at companies using high quality component drivers, tweeters etc.... I got read more at the website of the Monitor1. Thanks

I'll just point out that the XTZ speakers you mentioned are $1600.

Hey fuzz092888, I assumed that they were $800 a pair?!

Actually that $800 price is for the pair!! Quite impressive given the drivers.

Thanks nogaro, That's why I have them on the list, that has to be the best components in a speaker at the most affordable price, although I don't know what they sound like.

Thanks for everyone that has responded! I forgot to add the PSB Image T6 tower, it's around $1100 US. I appreciate everyones suggestions and knowledge

 

[nogaro]

At 3,500hz the wavelength is ~3.9". I'd want to see the off-axis before I put my money down. The drivers are great, but a 6.5" midrange mated to a ribbon tweeter might be cause for concern.

I agree, that is some cause for concern. If you look at the other post on these speakers there is a link to avforums where there is some discussion about using low impedance to control the cone breakup. Unfortunately, I don't understand that much about crossovers. If you do, I'd love to hear your thoughts on that.

http://www.avforums.com/forums/xtz-f...ii-series.html

 

[slipperybidness]

The EMPs go on sale for quite a bit less than $800, probably a couple times a year....just FYI

 

[ImcLoud]

Hi Imcloud, I really got interested in the Tekton line after reading the thread. I like how it's only a 2way design using quality components. I read their website too, I was kinda more open when they said they are designed to have a more "live" sound. Using a bigger driver than say a 6 1/2" in it also, I wondered can a 2way provide adequate full-range from this speaker? Thanks for your detailed opinion on your Lores.

If you are anywhere near me you are welcome to come and hear my lores, if you are looking for full range no sub setup, I would seriously consider them... I like that tight effortless bass, and with the 6.5's I have heard its very lacking... With my wharfedale towers there is no way I would keep them for a 2.0 system, hence the dual subs, it finishes off the sound... Not saying its bad to have subs for music, that system sounds really good. But the cost is almost doubled and the room they take up is doubled... Now for some music I prefer that system {anything hip hoppy, bass-E, and rock with a heavy drum} the tektons are good with female vocalists, rock, live concerts, {aerosmith and Bruce scream on them}, and a lot of country sounds good on them too..