Please help! Floor standing speaker decisions!!

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Simpko22

Audiophyte
Hey all,
I need some help finding an awesome pair of floorstanding speakers to add to my 5.1 system, I want a pair that can really handle bass and loud music. Although I only have $600 to spend. I listen to dubstep and party music and watch movies on it. I really want the best pair for my budget something that can handle my music and the occasional party of need be. I also have very high ceilings so it has to be able to fill my room.
Also I have an Onkyo tx-nr525 receiver if that helps. And It would be aaas ice bonus if they could handle low bass without the need of a sub as I like to hook it up to my xbox for that ground shaking grenade blast hehehe.

I have found some, but please tell me if I'm on the wrong track or you have better alternatives:

Klipsch synergy f-30
$200 each

Polk tsi500's
$200 each

And some ones of eBay called
Accusound 8.6XD floorstanding towers, don't know much about them other then they have 2, 8" woofers, one 125mm mid driver and a 1" tweeter.
Don't know if they are any good but they sell for $299

Looking forward to your answers
Thanks in advance!
 
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shadyJ

Speaker of the House
Staff member
I would go for the Klipsch over the Polks. Polks are awful until you get to the Rti line, which don't sound bad to my ears at least. The Tsi and Monitor lines are horrendous. You would be far better off buying a subwoofer and some bookshelf speakers for your purposes though, it will sound more powerful than towers. If it were me at a $600 budget, I would get a pair of these Primus p153s and one of these Reaction dual 12 subs. If you can push your budget just a teensy bit, these Behringer 2031p monitors would be well worth the extra cash, and, with a sub, would be so much better than the Klipsch and especially the Polks.
 
J

jkgsxr

Junior Audioholic
If you like the sound of your current setup and are looking for more bass then I would suggest you spend that 600 on sub/subs. I own a set of emp e55ti towers and while they have better bass then a set of emp bookshelves they still won't touch the bass output of a dedicated subwoofer. These are the towers
EMP Tek E55Ti Tower Speakers
 
yokken

yokken

Junior Audioholic
I have a pair of Polk Monitor70 II's that had ample bass output for my ears. It's nothing like the sub I have now, but I thought they did pretty well for electronic music. If you have the budget, go for better speakers now, but despite all the negative comments about Polk, they're okay. The fidelity is not up to par with the higher end speakers, but like I said, they're quite enjoyable with electronic music. Go to any speakers stores, a Best Buy Magnolia, something, and just listen to whatever you can. Try and get a feel for the signature you want. A sub is your best bet for bass, but there are towers out there that will satisfy you as long as you're not expecting huge bass.
 
M

Muzykant

Audioholic
I also would advise you to buy a pair of bookshelves and a subwoofer. Your current receiver will simply not have enough juice to pump meaningful bass out of speakers that are entirely passive. A powered subwoofer will relieve your amplifier from low bass duty and your system will sound louder and cleaner overall. I would just like to warn you about Infinity's Primus line of speakers: their high frequencies can be slightly fatiguing to the ear due to the tweeter they use. Their discontinued Alpha series sounded better (I've owned both).
 
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copmagnet82

Junior Audioholic
If you want bass you need a powered subwoofer. I haven't heard any floor standing speakers with passive subs that produce enough bass to satisfy my tastes, yet. Do it right and get a sub :)...no matter if you get bookshelf or floor standing speakers.
 
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Simpko22

Audiophyte
Ahh thanks for the options guys, yeah I currently have 2 bookshelves and a sub, but the sub is very boomy and loses it's way on complex bass lines, it also drowns out very quickly on my carpeted floors and high ceilings, this is why I am really looking for towers that will give it a boost and add some bassy definition and also to give me some surround sound for future movies. I will probably get another sub when I can afford a decent one, but for now I am really just looking for some towers to give me surround sound and give my music a punch, I can expand my budget to a max of $1500 so what towers in that range could best handle the task? Also is there any towers with built in subs in that range or not?
Thanks so far anyways haha sorry for being difficult
 
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copmagnet82

Junior Audioholic
You could try def tech with built in powered subs, which would be in the $1500.00 range.

What sub do you have?
 
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Simpko22

Audiophyte
Ahhh are they any good in your opinion and worth the money?
Umm I have a klipsch sw450 at the moment, and another question, what is the best cheapish sub woofer out there for the money you pay in terms of keeping it's form on complex bass lines and having enough output to best fill a large room?
 
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copmagnet82

Junior Audioholic
Ahhh are they any good in your opinion and worth the money?
They are not bad... in reality you need to decide if they are good/bad to your ears. You wanted a floorstanding speaker w/ good bass. Def tech 8020 or 8040 will work, but IMHO they are not a replacement for a dedicated sub.
 
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copmagnet82

Junior Audioholic
what is the best cheapish sub woofer out there for the money you pay in terms of keeping it's form on complex bass lines and having enough output to best fill a large room?
How big is your room? You could try SVS, ported pb-1000/2000, or sealed sb-1000/2000.
 
M

Muzykant

Audioholic
I am sorry to push my line, but for that expanded budget I would get the new SVS PB-2000 (based on reviews) and a pair of Def Tech SM-55s or 45s. I own both 55s and 65s and like them a lot. I doubt there are any towers with built-in subs in that price range that could match the clarity and extension you would get from that setup.
 
Last edited:
zieglj01

zieglj01

Audioholic Spartan
Do not be surprised if the OP turns into a Cerwin Vega owner!
 
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copmagnet82

Junior Audioholic
I am sorry to push my line, but for that expanded budget I would get the new SVS PB-2000 (based on reviews) and a pair of Def Tech SM-55s or 45s. I own both 55s and 65s and like them a lot. I doubt there are any towers with built-in subs in that price range that could match the clarity and extension you would get from that setup.
agreed, that would be a great set-up for the money
 
BoredSysAdmin

BoredSysAdmin

Audioholic Slumlord
Do not be surprised if the OP turns into a Cerwin Vega owner!
yes, quite so ...

But If I was in OP's position I would rather go with pair of HSU's hb-1 bookshelves and a hsu sub. Combo would a bit over the budget, but huge improvement over anything discussed here
 
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