towers or bookshelf? what is used for what

[selkec]

I dont quite understand something I hear on here. Why do people choose towers over bookshelf speakers? The reason I ask is I hear people say set the x-over at around 80hz in the pre-pro and even with towers set the speaker size to small! Now this does not make any sense to me. Why buy a tower that is supposed to have a full range sound when you are going to cut out half of the bass with the receiver, making it sound much more like a bookshelf. Why not just save your money and buy bookshelf speakers then? Is it that towers can play louder or handle more watts? Someone help me understand this concept.

 

[mike c]

aside from the fact that the towers can play louder ... it has more drivers doing the same job. e.g. mid driver for the mids, sometimes multiple woofers for the upper bass.

whereas a bookshelf's driver will have to do BOTH the mids and lows.

 

[billnchristy]

I think a lot of times it is just preference, and I understand what you are saying.

I cross my towers over at 60 though which is pretty much the very lowest you could go with a bookshelf and when I play 2ch I run them full range because they extend into the 30s and I dont need a sub.

That being said I have towers in the dedicated HT and bookshelves upstairs.

A lot of people buy fancy bookshelfs, fancy stands and end up paying as much as a decent set of towers that would take the same amount of real estate.

Think of speakers like women, they come in all shapes, sizes and prices...you get to pick what you like best!

 

[j_garcia]

I spent a fair amount on my bookshelf speakers, but not too much on stands. The towers from the same manufacturer would have cost me almost $500 more and don't yeild much more than lower extension for me. Since 80hz is the lowest x-over I have, it made more sense for me to go with the bookshelf speakers.

If your receiver doesn't allow different crossover points for different speakers, you are still stuck with whatever works for the speaker with the least extension, so figure that in as well.

 

[MDS]

I dont quite understand something I hear on here. Why do people choose towers over bookshelf speakers? The reason I ask is I hear people say set the x-over at around 80hz in the pre-pro and even with towers set the speaker size to small! Now this does not make any sense to me. Why buy a tower that is supposed to have a full range sound when you are going to cut out half of the bass with the receiver, making it sound much more like a bookshelf. Why not just save your money and buy bookshelf speakers then?

This is a common misconception. You are not 'cutting off half the bass'. A xover has a slope and frequencies substantially below 80 Hz will still reach the speaker (just greatly attenuated). In general, its best to have speakers that can reach a full octave below the xover frequency (40 Hz if using an 80 Hz xover).

If towers don't meet your needs due to size or price or any other metric, then bookshelves are a viable alternative but nothing beats a good pair of floorstanders that can accurately reproduce the frequencies well below the xover.

 

[MACCA350]

.....but nothing beats a good pair of floorstanders that can accurately reproduce the frequencies well below the xover.

Totally agree. I changed my standard center speaker for a tower and was very surprised at the difference it made. I have a bookshelf and sub setup in my bedroom but it doesn't hold a candle to my main setup(a bit apple and oranges, although they are from the same model range)

cheers

 

[Davemcc]

I had to go with bookshelves because of the size and layout of my room. However, with the quality of my main speakers and sub, I don't think that I'm missing anything that floorstanders could offer. I love my Era 5's, but if the room were much larger, I probably would have gotten towers.

 

[Joe Schmoe]

Some people prefer towers because they like to listen to music in "pure direct" mode, which bypasses the sub and sends everything to the mains.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

My wife only would allow bookselves at first, by the time I talked her into towers I had already discoverd that I couldnt tell much of a difference between the tower I was looking at and the bookself once a sub was in the mixture. Easy way for me to save 600 bucks or so.

 

[zumbo]

I chose towers because I didn't want stands. I have cats. These towers only have 6.5" mids. Same as bookshelf, with one extra driver. Most people with an HT system are not using fullrange towers.

Also, the B&W 805's were too expensive. After I heard them, there was no other bookshelf to consider.

 

[Joe Schmoe]

Also, the B&W 805's were too expensive. After I heard them, there was no other bookshelf to consider.

The 705s offer well over 99% of the sound quality of the 805s for $1000 less.

 

[zumbo]

The 705s offer well over 99% of the sound quality of the 805s for $1000 less.

I auditioned both side-by-side on the same equipment. IMO, there is no comparison. The 805's are the best bookshelf speakers I have heard to date.

I also auditioned MA S6's at the same time. I chose them over the 705's as well.

Then I heard my Quarts.