Search for my speaker

[yveletnik]

It's taking longer than I expected and becoming a hobby. I' ma total nub here and hopefully it will help someone that starts from the beginning. My budget started as $1500 for reciever, sub and speakers and now at $2000 for a main pair. So I'll just organize my random posts.

 

[yveletnik]

I have an old question what’s the best 5.1 speaker set I can get for $1,500? Music and movies are equally important. Music I listen to would be classic rock. I don’t need it to be very loud but would like to have a nice sound quality. The room size is average and might change.

So far looking at following 3 systems

Klipsch RF-52 Home theater:
"h t t p : / /w w w. k l i p s c h . c o m/rf-52-ii-home-theater-system"
listened to a pair of rf-52s without subwoofer, was OK, didn’t WOW me but 1,500 is probably not enough for that. Kinda aggressive sound I guess all Klipsch’s do that, maybe just need to get used to it. Sound needed more body, maybe the subwoofer will fix that, RF-82 sounded fooler, but it’s out of my price range


Klipsch G-16 Home theater:
"h t t p : / / w w w. k l i p s c h . c o m/gallery-g-16-home-theater"
No reviews on the net whatsoever!!! It cost the same as RF-52 system will it sound the same? Will flat panel be an equal in that price category? White option and flat design will sure make my wife happy.

Kef T205:
"h t t p : / / w w w . k e f . c o m/us/surroundsound/t-series/t205"
That system got whole bunch of awards, some reviews even say that it sounds like a $20,000 set of speakers. I’m having troubles finding a dealer that have those in showroom in Chicago area.

So I guess the question is for the 1,500 set of speakers does it make sense to go with tower or buy the flat panels? On one hand I always thought that you need to have a big box to make a good sound, but times change…
Or is there a better solution for my price?
Any input appreciated
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just looked at my budget and I think I can do this:

KEF
Q300 front, Q200C center, Q100 back, Rythmik FV12 for a sub

NHT
2 or 3 Bookshelf for the front, 2 or 3 center, absolute zero for the back, Rythmik FV12 for a sub

SVS
SCS-02(M) front and center, SBS-02 back, Rythmik FV12 for a sub
or
SBS-02 5.0 surround set $779 with Rythmik FV12

or maybe even

Klipsch
RB-81 front, RC62 for center, RS52 for the back, same Rythmik FV12


if I will not piss my wife with towers I will do it with the 80Lb sub

am I on the right track here? looks like any scenario should be under or around $1,500 which will leave like $400-500 for the reciever
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Just wanted to reopen an old topic. Went for some auditions and dragged the better half alone too. After lots of fighting I was almost ready to settle for a pair of bookshelves to save my marriage.

My test CD consist of following:
(Eagles) Hotel California
(AC/DC) Hell Bells
(Red Hot Chilly Pepers) The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie
(Santana) Europa
(Nirvana) The man who sold the world
(Pink Floyd) Comfortably numb
(Rainbow)The temple of the king
(Metallica)Master of puppets


Martin Logan Sources ($900/pair used) were on top of my list and I expected it to be the best speaker money can buy, so we went to Best Buy
1. ML (theos i think what they had on display):
Eagles Hotel California sounded really nice, I was soooo happy but when i got to rock (Red Hots, Metallica) the sound just started falling apart, highs hurt my ears, bass was just jumping all over the place. I felt like a kid that had his candy taken away.
2. B&W 684 ($1,100/pair at BB) worse sound on Hotel California but reasonably good on the rock music. Red Hots bass just shook the speakers like crazy, kinda sloppy boomy bass. Switched to 685 bookshelves in the middle of a song and in that moment wife sad that I can have the towers and she don't want the bookshelves, thanks to super boxy sound of those bookshelves the fight is won
3. B&W CM9 sounded defiantly better, but 3k/pair is out my league

So with Martin Logan of the list and 684 as a possible fit we went to a local NHT dealer (Edge Home Entertainment in Chicago area, very nice sales guy spent an hour on my noob questions and auditions).
1. Classic 3 made me WOW for a bookshelf connected to a Peachtree Audio Decco2 with 40w per channel, it didnt go deep in base or playd loud but I could see the band on the stage when I closed my eyes. It didnt shake playing Red Hots bass part maybe because it just does not go that low in frequency.
2. Absolute tower sounded better than classic 3 but not by much. Sound was really "pollite" not sure if it's even a term, pretty neutral. No base, but that's why I'm getting the sub, right? Mid base was really nice, but if I could define base as 'boom', 'punch' and 'flap' with punch being the best I heard more of the 'flap' where I wanted a 'punch'.
3. Didn't want to listen to Classic 4 because I thought it's a classic 3 on top of a 10" passive sub, or is it? Now I kinda feel sorry I didn't give those a chance. but 6ohms and 250W requirement just scares me.

All speakers played was without sub so maybe comparison is not really fair.
So far NHT Absolute tower is a winner, but it left me wanting more, maybe just because it looks too small or I dint play it loud enough.

So with my hands untied in WAF department and now budget of $800 - $1200 for a front pair (those will define the rest). I'm debating staying with Absolute Tower ($675/pair) or going for KEF Q700 ($1K/pair, maybe less if I hustle around) or Q900 for $1,100 half used.
having troubles finding a dealer with KEF Q series on display, so will have to rely on research.

So the question is how does Absolute tower compare to q700 and q900. Could I get away without using a sub-woofer if I go with q900?, i like my pants shaking from bass but hate a loose, boomy bass or humming sound coming from speakers (which some people claim KEF does).

hope there is an easy answer like NHT kicks Q series *** or the other way around. or is there a better speaker for a $1,000/pair, can be open boxed...

 

[yveletnik]

then I listened to KEF Q900, very big sound, really impressed. Punchy bass, warm, rich sound. Makes smaller towers look and sound like a toy. I could leave with those but want to find something better and maybe less "mainstream".
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then I bought Aperion Smaller Verus for home trial and it's just not my pair of speakers. The sub came in 2 weeks after speakers and it gave me a chance to listen to those without sub. I set speakers to small and let me AVR handle crossing over at 60Hz for mains. The sub just muddied the whole lower bottom, I almost rather have no bass than something like that.

 

[yveletnik]

finally listened to famous Salk SongTowers (QWT):

First impression = super clean and detailed sound. And ‘Man those are bigger than I expected’. They look just as big as Q900.

Highs very clean, organized, would be interesting to see what the RAAl tweeter can do, but I could leave with QWT.

Mids is where the problem starts I think they are both AWSOME and AWFUL. Super clean, DETAILED, cold. Examples: Hotel California (acoustic version) sounded hands down awesome, there is no other speaker (except maybe Martin Logans) that played it better (makes me want to give Matrin Logans another chance). Norah Jones’ voice so alive like she was in the room or about to jump out of the speakers and attack me. It was almost too much, but I think it was a good thing. Dire Straights and Eric Clapton sounded pretty solid, no problems there. Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers and AC/DC is where SongTowers almost gave me had ache. So if I only listened to acoustics, voice recordings or light rock I would look no further. As music gets heavier it gets harder not to turn volume down. There is something in the mids of Hard Rock mixes that makes that awesome speakers sound awful. Is it possible that Hard Rock mixes are bad in general and an accurate speaker just brings it out? I’m starting to think mid frequencies are so different between acoustic and rock recordings that 1 speaker is not enough to play both well. They will either lack definition for acoustics or be too bright for hard rock. Overall I liked SongTowers mids on acoustic and light stuff so much that I could learn to leave without hard rock (getting too old for that stuff anyways).

Bass is really nothing to brag about, it’s there, it’s clean and fast and it has no punch. Definitely need a sub for them, the guy that let audition me his SongTowers (thanks again a bunch btw, it’s amazing to see Salk has customers like that) had a Rythmik FV12 and it muddied the whole picture big time, maybe because the mids and highs are so detailed on SongTowers that bass sounded too dirty and still gave no punch, I guess would need at least a sealed Rythmik F12 to keep up with SongTowers. I guess The HT2 or maybe even the HT3 would have much better bass and probably a sweet spot for Salk speakers in general.

All being sad a great speaker, best I heard so far (and probably will hear in my price range) in some areas. So the mid range is the best part in these speakers unless you listen to hard rock. Overall I see why lots of people love them so much but also can agree with few haters out there.
At this point I don’t care how speakers play movies; I only want to concentrate on music…


So KEF Q900 is still on the list because they play both acoustic and rock equally good, hard choice between getting average ‘good’ on all music I like as oppose to Great/Awful combo of SongTowers.
NHT, I dunno they are very polite and clean, just too small, I’ll keep them on the list and add NHT Classic 3 to the list as well. Although my wife is strongly against bookshelves now, go figure…
CM8, I know it’s BB, but they image so nicely.


To do:
Def Tech

Philharmonic 2, I think I will have similar opinion about mids, but bass should be better and I might get away without using a sub at all. And it’s the best bang for a buck. I mean it has $1050 (retail) in drivers alone for a 2K speaker. It’s almost too good to be true. I hope Denis still has them when I buy my final speaker.

Maybe ask Denis to upgrade his Philharmonic bookshelf so it can go for a main. Set those on top of a pair of Rythmik subs and I’m set.

KEF R500

DIY the speaker myself, get Drivers from Madison, cabinets from local furniture people, order crossover from Denis, why not... or maybe even repeat some1s DIY project

Sierra Towers, probably punchier bass. Maybe less detailed, but more forgiving mids/highs.

Listen to Martin Logans again.

Get Magnepans for home trial. Maybe I can learn to leave with planars .

http://soundfieldaudio.net/Products.html


Great day overall the mids in SalkTowers is something I will remember for long time. I think I start to understand why you can’t just say this speaker is good or it’s bad. So I’m taking my trash talk about Martin Logans back.

 

[GranteedEV]

With $2K I would get a pair of Philharmonic 2s and never look back!

Bass is really nothing to brag about, it’s there, it’s clean and fast and it has no punch. Definitely need a sub for them, the guy that let audition me his SongTowers (thanks again a bunch btw, it’s amazing to see Salk has customers like that) had a Rythmik FV12 and it muddied the whole picture big time, maybe because the mids and highs are so detailed on SongTowers that bass sounded too dirty and still gave no punch, I guess would need at least a sealed Rythmik F12 to keep up with SongTowers. I guess The HT2 or maybe even the HT3 would have much better bass and probably a sweet spot for Salk speakers in general.

I want to point out that the setup of the subwoofer, and interaction of the speakers with the room, are probably the biggest determinants in the bass including punch and definition.

That said, yes a pair of 5" woofers will have their limits. Overall, they should be capable of roughly 104+db above 40-50hz or so, and with a good 500w / 4ohm amp should deliver > 110db above 100hz especially if crossed WELL to a subwoofer. They won't thermally handle that kind of power so don't expect to drive them to earbleed levels in a huge room, though. While you can feed any speaker with any amp you need to be responsible.

I would still recommend multiple subs, and at least some corner bass traps.

Is it possible that Hard Rock mixes are bad in general and an accurate speaker just brings it out?

Yes, but i will say that the room may have impacted what you heard in the midrange... the song towers at the end of the day are still a speaker with a 5" mid crossed to a flush mount tweeter, and so the tweeter can at times have more influence on the "total sound" than the mid near the crossover region. It's possible that with different placement and room acoustics this would have sounded less "forward". For example, a few inches closer to the wall, some playing with toe-in, a wider, taller room. End of the day any time you audition anything, you're not ONLY auditioning the speaker - you're ALSO auditioning the room.

I also want to point out that again, a pair of 5" woofers have their limitations. When you listen to dynamically compressed recordings, they are being asked to do a lot and the result can be unpleasant. While they can get loud for instantenous peaks, they might not necessary handle an "onslaught" in the midrange. You might prefer to throw away some absolute accuracy/definition for a speaker that's more forgiving of your choice in music... perhaps something like a JTR Triple 8? Remember, just because there's tradeoffs, doesn't mean you're picking a "worse" speaker. You have to decide for yourself which tradeoffs you prefer.

Which does remind me, if you're committed to some monitor sized speakers, my recommendation would be these:

Products

Their coaxial design makes them very forgiving of room acoustics, and capable of pretty high SPLs thanks to the 8" woofer.

 

[yveletnik]

With $2K I would get a pair of Philharmonic 2s and never look back!

It's probably what I would do if I pulled the trigger today.
Thanks, I'll add those bookshelves to the list as well. The more time I spend searching the more I'm open to any kind of setup

 

[GranteedEV]

Another monitor i'd strongly consider, if you're willing to stretch the budget a bit, is the Vapor Aurora:

Vapor : Exquisite Audio Reproduction

 

[zumbo]

You would have to choose BEECH color for a matched set due to limited quantities of these. If you did all books(4)530's, with the matching center(1)330, it would be $1898.98. Total for towers up front (2)830's, (2)530's, and (1)330 would be $2198.98. I would recommend the towers. Well worth $300 extra.

Speakers

 

[zieglj01]

It's taking longer than I expected and becoming a hobby. I' ma total nub here and hopefully it will help someone that starts from the beginning. My budget started as $1500 for reciever, sub and speakers and now at $2000 for a main pair. So I'll just organize my random posts.

Thanks for the good and interesting feedback on your auditions.
I enjoyed reading them. I also enjoy watching movies - however,
music is most important to me. Also, Vapor Audio is getting a lot
of attention and good feedback. Also, the Philharmonics look to
be a solid winner. Good luck in your continued journey - Enjoy!

 

[yveletnik]

update

it's been a while but I got a couple more auditions:
1. def techs, the biggest they had at BB was 8060 i think. I never listened to them before because they just don't look like an audiophile speakers. but DenPureSound recommended them and I was really impressed with what I heard. It was like the whole wall was playing. Soundstage was so big that it was like comparing projector screen to a PC monitor. The sound was very full, heavy with lots of presence. I can see how some1 would be very happy with those speakers. if I would listen to rock/metal exclusively i would buy DefTechs in a blink. Good thing my wife was not with me otherwise my search would be over

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Long story short I bough a pair of SongTowers and the SongCenter. i have no sub but for towers of their size I'd expect them to go full range with no probs.
In my room they play down to 25Hz, I can even hear the 20Hz test tone, so I'll leave the sub out of equation for now.

So anyways to right off the back I played 'Chris Rea - The road to hell' it has a nice steady bass and drums and my first impression was where the hell is the bass???????!!!!!!!! I mean nothing, nada.
Then I tried watching Transformers and another surprise came along when I could actually feel the building collapse. For movies STs play absolutely fine without sub woofer for my taste (I leave in apartment and have a couple of small kids...). The dialog is absolutely great and details are unbelievable.

So I was kinda puzzled how come STs play the deepest bass of sound effects, measure flat down to 25Hz and yet lack in bass department when playing music?

So i started going through my collection and when recording does fit the STs they play awesome. Stuff like Norah Jones, Eagles, Dire Staights, Elbow sound just right. Perfect voices, lots of details I could actually hear a singer breathe in some spots. Piano sounds full and real, acoustic guitar is real. Bass is super clean and tight. Norah Jones is my personal favorite for STs, they add something special to her voice, you just really have to hear it.
but with every new recording I play it is like a gamble, will it sound great or will it sound like an old radio?
So the bad ones I hit is Nirvana, AC/DC, Barry White, Chris Rea and many more, I can honestly say that I can not enjoy listening to about 1/3 of my collection. I can kinda guess that a recording has a chance to sound bad usually when lots of instruments playing at the same time. Or for example then you normally expect to hear a ROAR from a tab on electric guitar STs play a high toned shriek. Or when the whole band starts playing there is so much going on in highs that it overshadows the bass and makes my had heart. Barry White got blacklisted because he sounded kinda like Barry Junior (without his usual deep tone).
My wife's comments after a few days were harsh "These speakers sound just a little better than the TV and a lot worse than the last ones (Verus Forte Towers)".

So the bottom line is when STs have a right recording their awesome (Usually acoustics, voice, jazz), but if a recording is not right for them it's just impossible to listen (really thin, bodyless and bright).
i found a couple workarounds for bad recordings, MDAX on Marantz makes them sound better (it's not what mdax for but it helps somehow), the manual EQ with lows maxed out and highs toned down a little helps on some recordings.

I have a slight suspicion that my Marantz SR6005 is not handling STs too well on dynamically compressed recordings maybe I need to test a stronger amp.
Another possibility is that I just never heard what a real quality speaker sounds like. All my life I was listening to either old communist Russia speakers or latly my PC or car speakers, Now that I hear the real thing it's just different from what I'm used to. So now i guess I need to visit some HiFi shows and listen to other quality speakers and see how they play records that sound bad on STs. Hopefully I can make it to AK fest.
And another possibility is that all those bad sounding recordings are just mastered for mass production speakers and not for HiFi. But it would be just amazing how many poorly mixed stuff is out there. But i guess it would make scene if STs is already on the bright side and a producer increases highs to make recording sound good on car stereo, then the STs will play that record as a shrill.

A couple times I almost put them back on audiogon but I'm just afraid that if I get something else I will miss all the details, clarity and imaging (o yeah, imaging/soundstage is great btw, once I found a good stop for STs they really disappear, for the first time I can hear all the soundtage/imaging stuff I was reading about). I think I might have to get 2 pairs of speakers (DefTechhs for rock and STs for light stuff).

Please don't take my opinion too seriously as I'm not an audiophile by any means. It's my absolutely first system and I might not be ready for a real speaker.

So for now the plan is to get a sub and try to listen to PhiharmonicIIs.
KEF Q900 is a backup plan as it's a good all arounder..

 

[3db]

Check into PSB as well.. These have been getting great reviews


PSB Speakers Imagine T Tower Speaker First Look — Reviews and News from Audioholics

 

[GranteedEV]

Be patient with the songtowers. I've experienced "whoa, this recording is awful" moments myself before, and while it can be distracting, the truth is if you "gloss it over" with lesser speakers, then you're also reducing the quality on good recordings.

As far as brightness... they have flat response so yes they might be bright on some recordings. You can always go into your receiver's EQ settings and gradually EQ down HF.

IE

2khz - -0.5db
4khz - -1.0db
8khz - -1.5db
16khz - -1.5db

Use something like the above EQ, for recordings that sound shrill. That's a common EQ curve. It's not that the STs are bright, but that they're "not dull".

 

[zieglj01]

A couple times I almost put them back on audiogon but I'm just afraid that if I get something else I will miss all the details, clarity and imaging (o yeah, imaging/soundstage is great btw, once I found a good stop for STs they really disappear, for the first time I can hear all the soundtage/imaging stuff I was reading about). I think I might have to get 2 pairs of speakers (DefTechhs for rock and STs for light stuff).

Please don't take my opinion too seriously as I'm not an audiophile by any means. It's my absolutely first system and I might not be ready for a real speaker.

It is interesting, when a lot of poor recordings are exposed.

It takes time to adjust and get use to a more realistic speaker.
A speaker with real good resolution - detail, definition and depth
with real good imaging and soundstaging, is hard to deny. There
is not much to go against the SongTower for the price. Getting a
good sub would be my first option, before doing more speakers.

If you do go looking - then look at the Philharmonics.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

def tech 8060...DenPureSound recommended them and I was really impressed with what I heard. It was like the whole wall was playing. Soundstage was so big that it was like comparing projector screen to a PC monitor. The sound was very full, heavy with lots of presence. I can see how some1 would be very happy with those speakers. if I would listen to rock/metal exclusively i would buy DefTechs in a blink.

Yes, DenPureSound loves his DefTech BP7001SC. However, his wife prefers the Klipsch RF82.
I thought my BP7000SC were fantastic as well, but just not as detailed as my current speakers. However, I don't know if that (slight lack of finer details) was due to me turning up the bass on the built-in subs.

I bough a pair of SongTowers... it is like a gamble, will it sound great or will it sound like an old radio? Sobad on Nirvana, AC/DC, Barry White, Chris Rea and many more, I can honestly say that I can not enjoy listening to about 1/3 of my collection...

Wow. I never heard anyone say that about any Salk speakers before.

I've listened to some Heavy Metal. I own some Motley Crue, Poison, Van Halen, etc., CDs from my teenage years. Of course, I don't think they sound as good as "Eagles Hell Freezes Over" regardless of speakers. I don't think they make my speakers sound terrible, though.

My wife's comments after a few days were harsh "These speakers sound just a little better than the TV...

Hurtful.

I have a slight suspicion that my Marantz SR6005 is not handling STs too well on dynamically compressed recordings maybe I need to test a stronger amp.

I don't think your amp is the issue.

I think I might have to get 2 pairs of speakers (DefTechhs for rock and STs for light stuff).

Not a bad idea.

So those DefTechs really just shine with the other 1/3 of your collection? They blow away the Salk speakers on these CDs?

 

[yveletnik]

Be patient with the songtowers. I've experienced "whoa, this recording is awful" moments myself before, and while it can be distracting, the truth is if you "gloss it over" with lesser speakers, then you're also reducing the quality on good recordings.

As far as brightness... they have flat response so yes they might be bright on some recordings. You can always go into your receiver's EQ settings and gradually EQ down HF.

IE

2khz - -0.5db
4khz - -1.0db
8khz - -1.5db
16khz - -1.5db

Use something like the above EQ, for recordings that sound shrill. That's a common EQ curve. It's not that the STs are bright, but that they're "not dull".

thnx
I'll give that EQ a try, was pretty close to that already with bass maxed out

 

[yveletnik]

It is interesting, when a lot of poor recordings are exposed.

It takes time to adjust and get use to a more realistic speaker.
A speaker with real good resolution - detail, definition and depth
with real good imaging and soundstaging, is hard to deny. There
is not much to go against the SongTower for the price. Getting a
good sub would be my first option, before doing more speakers.

If you do go looking - then look at the Philharmonics.

thnx,

yeah, getting a sub is my next step, I'm looking at a DS1200 kit from rythmik as I can get a box custom made and match the finish to STs.

and then probably sell the whole thing and get Philharmonics without a sub. But Philharmonics are voiced same as song towers so I need to be sold on the whole sound signature.

 

[yveletnik]

thnx

I don't think your amp is the issue.

nice, some $$$ that I dont have to waste

So those DefTechs really just shine with the other 1/3 of your collection? They blow away the Salk speakers on these CDs?

that I don't know. i'll have to burn a new test CD (with all the records that sound bad on STs) and go bug my BB sales guy again.
Somehow my impressions of STs are similar to Matrin Logan ESLs, will check that in BB as well...

 

[yveletnik]

ER0W2 ie MBOW1 ie CAOW1

Got old Woodtarts speakers from Dennis and had a chance to A/B them with SongTowers.
Great example of a family resemblance. Sometimes I had to check which speakers are playing.
The highs and mids are really close, STs have more open highs, but the ER0W2s i have has the highs toned down so that might be the reason. STs are more sensitive but not by much. STs are kinda more "confident" overall. The big difference is in the bass. The ER0W2s are more relaxed (loose), the bass just hangs in the room and it creates an illusion that ER0W2s have more bass. STs are very tight, I guess the benefits of transmission line. I dont have a subwoofer atm, so without subwoofer an extra $1,000 for STs is totally worth it, if you add a sub it might be different. Overall for $1,000 you get a good taste of Salk sound which is a pretty good deal.
I didnt spend much time auditioning monitors but, the ER0W2s is much better than anything I heard (NHT 3, B&W 685). In fact I think they trump all the small factor towers I've heard maybe except CM8s. I think it's a pretty strong contender in the "under $1K monitor" class.
I will probably use those as my PC speakers but for now I set them as surrounds for my ST setup. First thing I did is watched the Eagles - Hell Freezes Over in 5.0, it sounded just so awesome in PureDirect. I finally felt satisfied with my setup. Btw Audisey set them as full range, so that's pretty cool to have 4 speakers capable of full range. I kinda promised Denis I will not use ER0W2s as surrounds, but the music sounds so nice in 5.0 with them.

For some reason I have no desire to get a sub with my setup, I'm afraid that any sub no matter how fast will muddy up the bottom end. And for most music I don't think STs need a sub anyways.

 

[Nuance AH]

Overall I see why lots of people love them so much but also can agree with few haters out there.

Like who?

thnx,

yeah, getting a sub is my next step, I'm looking at a DS1200 kit from rythmik as I can get a box custom made and match the finish to STs.

and then probably sell the whole thing and get Philharmonics without a sub. But Philharmonics are voiced same as song towers so I need to be sold on the whole sound signature.

Exactly. The Phil's also won't make bad recordings sound good; No good measuring speaker will do that. You'll get more bass, but if anything the Phil's will be more resolving in the midrange. If the recordings sucks so will the sound. Garbage in, garbage out.

Can you take some in-room measurements so we can see what's going on?

For some reason I have no desire to get a sub with my setup, I'm afraid that any sub no matter how fast will muddy up the bottom end. And for most music I don't think STs need a sub anyways.

It won't muddy anything up if it's a good design and properly implemented. We'd all be happy to help you do that if you pick up a subwoofer. Trust me - it'll be worth it. Any speaker that doesn't reach down to 20Hz can benefit from a sub, or even better multiple subs.

By the way, I listen to heavy metal on my SongTower's and it sounds awesome. It will, of course, depend on the sound quality. For instance, Redemption's "This Mortal Coil" sounds like they recorded it in a garage - just terrible. The same can be said with Metallica's "Death Magnetic." While playing the same albums in my car it is more listenable, but I am missing a lot of detail. On the other end of the spectrum, Dream Theater's "Awake" sound amazing, and so does the Joe Satriani's "Electric Joe Satriani: An Anthology." Bad recordings shouldn't sound good on hi-fi speakers; if they do there is something wrong with the speaker. Rock music just isn't recorded well, which is something we should all know by now. It breaks my heart but it is what it is.

My advice is to measure your room, post said measurements so we can assist if necessary, experiment with placement and buy a subwoofer. You'd be surprised what a great subwoofer can do to fill in the missing octaves. It'll also take strain off the dual 5 inchers in the SongTower's. Go sealed and never look back baby!

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

It seems the issue is with the high frequency.

With the Philharmonic, you can adjust the HF response with the 2 tweeter pads. If you prefer the HF tapered down from 5kHz to 12kHz (-5dB for example), you use 2 pads.

I prefer a flat FR from 200Hz-12kHz, so I will be using just one tweeter pad.