out with the old in with the "New"

[BoredSysAdmin]

I have talked to Danny about the Carnegies a few times and he said they are very close to his N Series lineup, with only the midbass drivers being of different manufacture so needing a slightly different x-over, but they should be solid speakers. I heard the N2X before and thought they were excellent, and actually just asked him about the CSB-1 speakers yesterday too

*Edit - I noticed the price was even lower than the last time I talked to Danny, so I *just* ordered a pair of CSB1s

Congrats Jonh !

 

[j_garcia]

That's a ridiculous price for those things. The N1 kit the CSB1s are based on is already the same price as he is selling them for without cabinets.

 

[Alex2507]

Rick is coming out here in a couple of weeks so you could just drive
over to his house and grab his Sig8s. Those sounded pretty good.

He will get to hear some SongTowers out here.
Wait a couple of weeks to get his take on them.
You already know what he's got to compare them to.

 

[Tomorrow]

Sawz,

With your budget, a 5-pack of Philharmonitors for a complete surround package will delight your ears, and leave enough bucks left over for a 6-pack to delight your throat.

 

[STRONGBADF1]

Hey Rob, How's ya been?


SVS has free shipping both ways and are clear and non-fatiguing. If you want a more in depth description ask Swerd and Steve81. We got to hear the Ultra Tower's at Capital Audio Fest...Swerd said to me that he could live with them...I don't know if that was an endorsement or if he was being polite since I own the older SVS MTS-01's and MCS-01. I liked them but preferred The Salks and or the Philharmonics for the money.

 

[Swerd]

SVS has free shipping both ways and are clear and non-fatiguing. If you want a more in depth description ask Swerd and Steve81. We got to hear the Ultra Tower's at Capital Audio Fest...Swerd said to me that he could live with them...I don't know if that was an endorsement or if he was being polite since I own the older SVS MTS-01's and MCS-01. I liked them but preferred The Salks and or the Philharmonics for the money.

Hi Doug

I wasn't just being polite. Those SVS Ultra towers we heard sounded pretty good overall, and I didn't notice anything about them I disliked. But it was late that Sunday afternoon, and if I remember those were the last speakers we listened to. I was tired of trying to be analytical about speakers. We had listened to many speakers in small rooms, and SVS had clearly put some effort into making that large room sound good. So I couldn't easily compare them to anything I had heard earlier that day. Those Ultra towers are the top of the SVS line, and at $2,000 a pair, I'd have to listen to them in direct comparison to the standard SongTowers which sell at the same price before I could say anything more about them.

As a guess, I think the SVS towers are warmer in tone balance than the Salks or Phils, but that may have been due to the room and SVS's efforts at correcting any acoustic problems, like bass cancellations from room reflections, they encountered there. I also suspect the Salks and Phils reveal more mid range detail, but again, that's a guess.

I can say I prefer Salk standard veneer finishes over the glossy black we saw in the SVS towers.

 

[sawzalot]

There is a pair of svs towers on A Gon priced fairly and close enough for a pick up instead of shipping, but, and this is a big one, but, if I dont like em I am once again selling on e bay , a gon, ah, and craigslist. To be parfectly honest , after boxing up the Klipsch I said no more selling equipment as it seems too much like work lol. I like the whole idea of return policies, 30 days , 60 days , 90 whatever it is , it just feels better these days.

 

[sawzalot]

I do like the looks of those Danny Richie Towers, I just dont know a whole heck of a lot about them. They sure are priced fair enough for a try.

 

[Steve81]

Like Swerd and Doug, I did like what I heard in the SVS room, and I did spend a fair amount of time there the day before I met the gents. Like Swerd, I wouldn't be comfortable making much in the way of comparisons as SVS was working with a much different space than Salk, Philharmonic, etc. In their own right, the towers did have considerable low end extension and they played very loudly without strain. I didn't find anything objectionable regarding tonal balance, and as noted the room was lightly treated. The Ultra bookshelf speakers shared the same overall sound quality IMO. They don't offer the same extension as the big towers, but I thought they did reasonably well in this regard even without a sub. I'd also presume with a single 6" driver that they won't get quite as loud as the towers either. If you wanted a taste without having to deal with re-boxing large towers if you didn't like what you heard, they'd be a good bet.

 

[j_garcia]

I do like the looks of those Danny Richie Towers, I just dont know a whole heck of a lot about them. They sure are priced fair enough for a try.

I auditioned a lot of speakers when I was originally looking for my speakers. A friend is a DIY guy and brought a pair of the smallest GRs over for a shootout and they instantly ruined everything. They were so much better than all of the other speakers we brought together for our budget bookshelf shootout that there was no point in listening to any of the others again. I ended up buying a full set and have have not changed my main speakers since then; that's about 10 years now. The N series are a definite step up from them in terms of high end detail, but the midrange is pretty much the same smooth, clear sound (same driver). I should have my CSB-1s next week and I can provide an idea of how they compare to the N2Xs I heard, as I have not heard the Carnegie version of this speaker, though Danny assured it will not disappoint.

Also, if you want to get a feel for how those sound, you can contact GR and see if he still sends out the "traveling" pair of N2Xs; that's how I heard them, he sends them to you to listen to them and then you send them to the next listener.

I'm not a fan of gloss black speakers either, but that's the only way the Carnegie's come. For the price, I can live with it.

 

[slipperybidness]

Sawz,

With your budget, a 5-pack of Philharmonitors for a complete surround package will delight your ears, and leave enough bucks left over for a 6-pack to delight your throat.

The only thing is that it is almost a shame to use such a nice speaker on surround duty

 

[jcl]

The SVS Ultra towers are $849 ea at the outlet when they have them and the center is $599. The outlet page touts no hassle returns, Purchase 100% risk free, Free shipping both ways. I'd double check to make sure it does apply to outlet products but that would let you try them without risking having to sell on ebay.

 

[Alex2507]

after boxing up the Klipsch I said no more selling equipment

After getting SongTowers I said no more buying speakers ... just sayin.

They f^%&in' look good too.

 

[Swerd]

After getting SongTowers I said no more buying speakers ... just sayin.

They f^%&in' look good too.

+1



Unless I win the lottery … then I'll get HT2-TLs in Pelin Burl .

 

[Adam]

After getting SongTowers I said no more buying speakers ... just sayin.

And then you bought a center...

Right?

 

[Tomorrow]

The only thing is that it is almost a shame to use such a nice speaker on surround duty

You are right, of course. But the sound, man, the sound. I can't imagine a better surround system for the price. Sawz could also do a pair of Phil Slims for mains and any-ol'-thang for surrounds. Bit more cash, though.

Sawz, I'm sure a lot of these other suggestions here would result in satisfaction for your HT needs. But I have to say (along with others who have heard them), anything that Dennis Murphy puts his hands on is pure audio gold.

 

[Alex2507]

And then you bought a center...

Right?

Not quite right. I bought YAA's center first but either way my point stands.
Considering my budget this set up is nicer than anything I ever thought I'd have.

 

[Adam]

Not quite right. I bought YAA's center first but either way my point stands.
Considering my budget this set up is nicer than anything I ever thought I'd have.

Woah. My timeline is way out of whack.

Yep, you got some outrageously good deals from some really good folks here. That's one of the great things about having friends. I am a bit jealous of the Salks. Well, and that silver amp...

Sorry for the excursion, Sawz. Best of luck in picking out some new gear. If I had the coin, I'd probably go Salks after everything that I've read around here. The Phils seem like a good value (not as great as last year with the price increase, but still great), but I like the more refined look of the Salks. I'm an SVS fanboy, but I just can't get into their Ultra line. They look, and have drivers, too similar to my NHTs for me to think that they'd be hugely different...and even if they are a bit better, it would cost me thousands to swap out my seven speaker setup.

 

[j_garcia]

I think in this price range someone already mentioned the Joseph Audios. Those are definitely some of my favorite speakers out there. I'd definitely try to swing an audition of those too just to get an idea.

 

[slipperybidness]

You are right, of course. But the sound, man, the sound. I can't imagine a better surround system for the price.

Yes, yes. I am certainly considering a full 5 channels of the Philharmonitors myself, I am quite impressed with running them 2.1 with a wimpy 10" velodyne sub.

I guess one other item, they are kind of on the large side for surrounds too. But I have no doubt that I would be dang happy with 5 channels of them.