It's Been Said That "Speakers are What Matters," and so...

[PearlcorderS701]

you got plenty of good options in your situation. I certainly wouldnt call that reciever a p.o.s.

Thank you ohsk -- as I said to another member above, the only reason I mentioned that was I just wanted to nip any comments like that in the bud; I don't feel the 8555 is a POS -- FAR from it. I merely didn't want people responding with "Oh, well, hook any damn speaker up to that Best Buy Special receiver..."

that said, this is actually a texbook situation for the much mentioned Infinity speakers noted above in there price range might be a perfect fit. I've never laid ears on them and Infinity usually does float my boat, but the price I hear they go for you can't go too wrong.

It seems this is the concensus -- the Infinitys that is -- but can you give me some more insight as to why this is a "textbook situation" in terms of a perfect match for the Onkyo 8555? Do they simply "play well" together? Is the Infinity a musical speaker?

also note, do the R20's sound good to you stand issues be damned?

Well, that's a tough one...I really can't say either way; I mean, I have had these R20's for many years now, since I set up my first surround system, and they have traveled through multiple moves, across country even...when we moved to our new house we're in now, I upgraded the HT system speakers with RTi12 towers and moved the R20's into the 2-channel room I created, just to use something in there. They are actually not bad at all, honestly...jazz, rock, even dance/rap all come across with a nice force with a nice punch. Which brings me to this:

if so don't rule out Polk's old R line towers, Monitor line, or new TSi line as well (new, used..whatever), as they are similarly voiced and those lines have floor standers.

I hear you. It's not that I didn't want to go Polk again, I was merely asking for recommendations for a good speaker that would mate with the 8555 well and that was more inclined towards music rather than HT, if this was possible...it didn't have to be Polk. But I will consider those.

The thing about the TSi's though is that they really do scream "cheap" to me -- even looking at them in the Crutchfield catalog, you know? I don't know what it is...I would just like to "do better" if I could...

while i have had issues with stands, usually sanus are pretty solid......but know the annoyance of a stand that just doesnt do it's effin job right, so I feel ya.

I can't stand it -- these things are just junk. They're from Sanus' Natural Foundations line, and they have been a pain in the junktrunk from the day I put them together...now, they're just leaning and bending and ready to keel over.

are the stands fillable? if so, FILL THEM. I learned this lesson the hard way, a 5 dollar bag of sand can be a huge win. if not, broom em and get the floorstanders

No, they're not fillable. I think I need to just start over with new floorstanders...

whatever works bud, cause if your rig is annoying you, it defeats the purpose.

Indeed -- thanks bro. Looking forward to hearing back from you with thoughts!

 

[PearlcorderS701]

I think you've got the wrong forum!

Why? Is that only the type of thing that "goes on" at Audiokarma and such? I just thought that these were the types of replies I would get; I didn't mean anything deeper than that KEW. Thank you for this though:

The TX-8555 may not be a high end unit, but it is a modern 100WPC receiver from a competent company.

Thanx for putting my brain pan at ease... It's not marketed as a "high end" unit, but I have to tell ya, I have been really happy with it ever since Anamorphic on here suggested it to me and I put it in the system...this is a really solid, nice-looking, powerful and weighty piece that really reminds me of a good integrated amp that happens to have a tuner.

If you want to improve your sound, you are correct - replacing the Polks is the route to take. You didn't mention a budget.

I don't really know a specific budget -- I'll know what I can do once I see prices.

I'll be a ditto head - at $350 to $450 (sale prices vary widely) the Primus P362's are way better than you would think.

This speaker appears to be highly recommended here -- I'd like to get some more insight as to why.

 

[PearlcorderS701]

Wow! My first thought was the Infinty 362's would be a nice upgrade but I see that almost everyone has already suggested them. Nothing left for me to say, but I will try. The Totems mentioned would be a step up from the Infinity's IMO, but would cost you more. They also tend to need a little more power than most receivers can give them to sound their best.

Thank you, 'michael! Indeed, the 362's appear to be getting all the votes here -- I really didn't expect that kind of preference. What is it about these speakers -- are they just really well suited for music?

I'd be interested in the Totem being that it was mentioned twice now -- do you not think, though, that the 100 watts per channel of my amp would be enough to drive them?

 

[sholling]

The Infinities would be a good choice, but I'll toss out the odd suggestion. One Call still has some NIB long discontinued Boston Acoustics VR3s. They originally sold for $1250/pr but they are clearing them out for $615/pr shipped. That's a heck of a deal on a mighty fine pair of speakers. I ran a pair of these for about 4 years before I bought my Salks and they're outstanding speakers. They're also very easy to drive, easier than the Infinities because the P362 is supposed to dip down to 4ohms at some frequencies. I've listened to both and honestly I think you'll like the VR3s a whole lot better.

# Recommended Amplifier Power 15-250 watts
# Nominal Impedance 8 ohms
# Frequency Response (3dB) 35Hz-20kHz
# Bass Unit Dual 7 copolymer
# Midrange 4-1/2 neodymium copolymer
# Crossover Frequency 400, 2800Hz
# Dimensions (HxWxD) 40 x 9 x 15
# Finish Black Ash vinyl veneer
# Sensitivity (1 watt (2.83v) at 1m) 93dB
# Tweeter 1 (25mm) VRH.O.(TM) anodized aluminum dome with AMD(TM)
# Weight 54 lbs

 

[PearlcorderS701]

The Infinities would be a good choice, but I'll toss out the odd suggestion. One Call still has some NIB long discontinued Boston Acoustics VR3s. They originally sold for $1250/pr but they are clearing them out for $615/pr shipped. That's a heck of a deal on a mighty fine pair of speakers I ran a pair of these for about 4 years before I bought my Salks and they're outstanding speakers. They're also very easy to drive, easier than the Infinities because the P362 is supposed to dip down to 4ohms at some frequencies. I've listened to both and honestly I think you'll like the VR3s a whole lot better.

# Recommended Amplifier Power 15-250 watts
# Nominal Impedance 8 ohms
# Frequency Response (3dB) 35Hz-20kHz
# Bass Unit Dual 7 copolymer
# Midrange 4-1/2 neodymium copolymer
# Crossover Frequency 400, 2800Hz
# Dimensions (HxWxD) 40 x 9 x 15
# Finish Black Ash vinyl veneer
# Sensitivity (1 watt (2.83v) at 1m) 93dB
# Tweeter 1 (25mm) VRH.O.(TM) anodized aluminum dome with AMD(TM)
# Weight 54 lbs

Thanks so much, Sholling, as always!

This is much appreciated, and a very seductive suggestion...are these towers? What about the modern-day Boston roster...any good models worth pairing up to my 8555?

UPDATE: I see the model in the link you provided...wow, those are nice, and pretty big -- and I see they're floorstanders (with bookshelves available). However, I don't think I could pull the trigger in three or less days...we need some more time to decide than that, and I think One Call's sale is only for three days...

 

[shadyJ]

The Infinities just sound very good. I don't think they have any serious weaknesses, which is great for as cheap as they are (I got a pair for 260). Sure there are better speakers, but not for the price. One thing they are highly regarded for is all the research and development that goes into their drivers. A lot has been said about their driver technology, and a search here or on google will give you a wealth of information about that matter.

 

[PearlcorderS701]

The Infinities just sound very good. I don't think they have any serious weaknesses, which is great for as cheap as they are (I got a pair for 260). Sure there are better speakers, but not for the price. One thing they are highly regarded for is all the research and development that goes into their drivers. A lot has been said about their driver technology, and a search here or on google will give you a wealth of information about that matter.

Thanks a lot, J -- appreciate the info!

Would I need to worry about the bass output from the 362s? My stereo receiver does have a sub pre out so I can add a sub when I'm ready, but would the 362s pump out a healthy dose of bass on their own?

 

[sholling]

Thanks so much, Sholling, as always!

This is much appreciated, and a very seductive suggestion...are these towers? What about the modern-day Boston roster...any good models worth pairing up to my 8555?

They are great big towers. Boston made a business decision to concentrate on more WAF friendly products to compliment flat screen TVs and such. None of their newer reference line has the sensitivity of the VR3.

UPDATE: I see the model in the link you provided...wow, those are nice, and pretty big -- and I see they're floorstanders (with bookshelves available). However, I don't think I could pull the trigger in three or less days...we need some more time to decide than that, and I think One Call's sale is only for three days...

I don't think you're going to miss much if anything in 3 days. They've had a clearance sale on them for a while. The last time that I looked they were only $40 more. One Call is like Vanns in that they buy up warehouses full discontinued product and blow it out until it's gone. Too bad they're all out of cherry because they were flipping beautiful. Too bad you're not close or I'd give you a deal on mine but they are too huge to be shipping.

 

[PearlcorderS701]

They are great big towers. Boston made a business decision to concentrate on more WAF friendly products to compliment flat screen TVs and such. None of their newer reference line has the sensitivity of the VR3.

To tell you the truth, I don't really have the room for towers that big -- in my HT, that was another thing, as getting gigantic floorstanders like the RTi12's in there was no problem, but in my 2-channel room, they need to be more slender in width...

I don't think you're going to miss much if anything in 3 days. They've had a clearance sale on them for a while. The last time that I looked they were only $40 more. One Call is like Vanns in that they buy up warehouses full discontinued product and blow it out until it's gone. Too bad they're all out of cherry because they were flipping beautiful. Too bad you're not close or I'd give you a deal on mine but they are too huge to be shipping.

Thanks for your offer!

 

[PearlcorderS701]

Okay, fellow 'Holics, here's what everyone has suggested thus far...

Totem STTAF
Infinity Primus 362
EMP E5Ti / E55Ti
PSB Image T6
Polk R Series Tower / Monitor Tower / TSi Tower / RTiA-8?
Boston VR3

Now, out of these, I never even heard of EMP before this (according to their site, their towers are pretty pricey) and I have concerns about some others here...would the Totems be so "exotic" to be put out of an average price class? Are there any other Totems I should consider? Is this mainly an audiophile-oriented "golden ears" boutique speaker?

What about the PSB's...are there others I should be looking at other than the Images? And should I be considering any other Infinitys other than the Primus? What about any other brands...JBL? Salk? Thiel? The Thiels I think are out of my price range...Crutchfield has 'em for like $3,000 a piece (one certain model).

What about considering a Definitive Technology tower, perhaps with a built-in powered sub?

 

[sholling]

One more idea... if you don't mind the appearance. Walmart (in store only) sells a decent looking oak bar stool for $21ea. They'd make a super stable speaker stand.

 

[PearlcorderS701]

One more idea... if you don't mind the appearance. Walmart (in store only) sells a decent looking oak bar stool for $21ea. They'd make a super stable speaker stand.

You know something? It's really funny you just mentioned this, because I was JUST reading some threads on AVS I think it was about someone who bought oak bar stools to put his bookshelves on -- THAT was ironic...

I really don't want to go that route, but thanks anyway, sholl...also, I think it's time for an upgrade of my R20s...

What about Axiom, Paradigm?

 

[3db]

The Polks are really that bad, you feel?

Just trying to hold back the sobs because I just dropped a nice amount on a pair of RTi12's for my HT...

Its all about personal preference like Gmichael says. If you enjoy them, thats all thats important.. and congrats!!

 

[lsiberian]

SVS MTS-01 should be considered.

If you want the best reference speaker near your budget unfortunately it's a bookshelf, but it's good enough to demolish most of the other speaker and is a huge step up from the Primus towers IMO.

http://www.studiogears.com/jbl_lsr6332l_three_way_mid_field_12_differential_drive_woofer_63411_prd1.htm

 

[gmichael]

like Gmichael says. If you enjoy them, thats all thats important..

I said that? I must be smarter than I thought.

 

[Matt34]

So what's your price range exactly, lets try to narrow the range down from the current $350-$2500.

 

[shadyJ]

Thanks a lot, J -- appreciate the info!

Would I need to worry about the bass output from the 362s? My stereo receiver does have a sub pre out so I can add a sub when I'm ready, but would the 362s pump out a healthy dose of bass on their own?

The Primus don't have bad bass, you could use them without a sub, depending on what music you listening to. You would want a sub eventually, but you will still be able to enjoy whatever you listen to without it. It does pretty well down into the low 40 hertz range.

 

[Ito]

You should think about considering some Monitor Audio speakers as well.
I have the BR1's in my room, the bottoms of the barrel in their line, and they sound excellent. I've spent some time listening to their other speakers as well and they all sound awesome, especially the new Silver line (RX's). They just recently released new models of there Bronze series too, the BX's, and while I havn't listened to them, if they are better than the BR's then they are worth the price for sure.
http://www.whathifi.com/Review/Monitor-Audio-BX2/

Also, I would keep a look out on audiogon for them

 

[3db]

Workout the budget, audition until the cows come home and then do more auditioning, and take notes and start to narrow down your choices. And have fun!!

 

[bandphan]

If you are interested in hearing Salk Speakers, here is the link to owners that provide demos. IMHO the song bird @1299 and the song tower @1899 are good prices for the value you receive. Excellent bass and imagining. Here is a link to Rich's review with excellent detail. Here is another peer review by Dr. Mark on another of their products with Dennis Murphy (crossover designer) adding notes.