Which is best between these speakers?

[Jon_3003]

Hey guys... I'm new here, so your knowledgeable opinion is requested. I'll try to keep it very simple. Looking into some new speakers for a medium sized room. Looking for a balance between performance, value and asthetics. I kinda have it narrowed down to 2 choices:

Fluance XL7f + XL7c

or

PSB Image 5t + Image C5 (or maybe the 6t)

Now basically the PSB speakers would be about double the cost of the Fluance. I believe the Fluance seem like really good speakers for their price. Would the PSB provide a significant increase in sound for the extra money? I'm torn because the Fluance dark walnut speakers would be an absolutely perfect match visually in my room. I like the PSBs as well and would be willing to go for them if the upgraded performance would be significant. I should mention I'm not too concerned about the low end because I will be running dual SVS subs. Looking for good midrange and highs. Also, regarding the PSBs, wondering if there is a significant difference between the t5 and t6 aside from an obvious better low end on the bigger t6?

Thanks for any input guys!

 

[afterlife2]

Read these to see what you need most:

Fluance XL7F Floorstanding Loudspeaker Review | Audioholics

PSB Image 4T loudspeaker | Stereophile.com

 

[Jon_3003]

Thanks for the links. I've read those reviews and quite a few others. I honestly think either the Fluance or PSB would make me happy. I guess my main question is... are the PSB going to give me noticeable improved sound for the extra money. It's pretty much a matter of $600 or $1200, and that's not even considering the surrounds which will make the price disparity even larger.

 

[afterlife2]

What do you mean by improvement? The Bass or tweeter? There is no better judge than you. Try and see if you can hear them in person. I bought some Infinity speakers that most people liked and well reviewed, but when I heard them I found something missing and resold them. It subjective if you know what I mean.

 

[Jon_3003]

Yeah I know what you mean, because the same thing just happened to me, and now I'm trying to find some new speakers. Unfortunately where I live there really isn't any decent stores to audition speakers. So I'm just trying to get some input and make the best decision. By improvement I mean better mids, better highs, better clarity, smoother response, bigger sound stage, better separation, you know... all the little things that make good speakers good. And good is a relative term because at my price range they're still considered "budget speakers," but you know what I mean. I guess I was hoping someone would tell me, "yes of course the PSB will be better than the Fluance hands down! Not even a comparison!" Wish someone out there has heard both of these speakers...

 

[zieglj01]

If a $1200 speaker (like PSB) can not give you better sound - then there will
not be much hope, or a stalemate in the audio world.

PSB makes some nice stuff - I would aim for them - if you just want to save,
then live with the Fluance.

 

[markw]

This is a preference issue. You seem to be asking if a blonde is better than a redhead.

But, PSB has been around forever and has a great reputation for both build quality and sound.

 

[TheHills44060]

I can speak for the PSB 5T and at a good price I think they're a solid deal. I usually don't like those off the shelf metal dome tweeters but the one in the PSB isn't bad. This is key for me. I have listened for hours at a time and never felt fatigued. The bass was ample and I didn't feel like they struggled with any particular type of music. Now I'm not a fan of the big plastic front baffles and the feet aren't the greatest but typical at this price point.

As for Fluance I have never heard any of their speakers so I cannot tell you in my opinion which is a superior value. I can only go by reviews and they appear to be legit. I like their appearance in general but unfortunately have no idea how they sound.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Hmm, yeah, I'm voting for PSB.

I would also personally choose JBL and Infinity over Fluance. Personally.

 

[Azmaria707]

This may not be your original question but, since you already have the dual subs, I would look into better bookshelf speakers. If the intent is to look for superior highs and mids, IMO a $600-$1200 bookshelf is way better than a floor stander of the same price. Good luck

 

[Jon_3003]

This is a preference issue. You seem to be asking if a blonde is better than a redhead.

But, PSB has been around forever and has a great reputation for both build quality and sound.

Well if this is the same as asking whether a prefer a blonde or redhead, then I guess the Fluance wins because they are half the price of the PSB. I expected PSB to be the better speaker, but I wondered by how much.

I can speak for the PSB 5T and at a good price I think they're a solid deal. I usually don't like those off the shelf metal dome tweeters but the one in the PSB isn't bad. This is key for me. I have listened for hours at a time and never felt fatigued. The bass was ample and I didn't feel like they struggled with any particular type of music. Now I'm not a fan of the big plastic front baffles and the feet aren't the greatest but typical at this price point.

As for Fluance I have never heard any of their speakers so I cannot tell you in my opinion which is a superior value. I can only go by reviews and they appear to be legit. I like their appearance in general but unfortunately have no idea how they sound.

Thanks for your input.

Hmm, yeah, I'm voting for PSB.

I would also personally choose JBL and Infinity over Fluance. Personally.

I do own some Infinity speakers, Infinity Primus to be exact, and they're pretty good IMO. I wouldnt want to downgrade to Fluance. I want to at least match the performance of my Infinitys or preferably go up!

This may not be your original question but, since you already have the dual subs, I would look into better bookshelf speakers. If the intent is to look for superior highs and mids, IMO a $600-$1200 bookshelf is way better than a floor stander of the same price. Good luck

A couple others have mentioned this. I guess I figured a floorstanding speaker with 2 woofers (low freq and midrange) would give me better performance than most small bookshelves. Which do you recommend personally?

 

[zieglj01]

A couple others have mentioned this. I guess I figured a floorstanding speaker with 2 woofers (low freq and midrange) would give me better performance than most small bookshelves. Which do you recommend personally?

I own a pair of Boston VS260 speakers (1 6-1/2 woofer), and it still has bass in the 36-42 hz range.

Look at Monitor Audio Silver RX-2 bookshelf - and a real good price - black is out of stock
RX8* Rosenut and Walnut Only

 

[markw]

Well if this is the same as asking whether a prefer a blonde or redhead, then I guess the Fluance wins because they are half the price of the PSB. I expected PSB to be the better speaker, but I wondered by how much.

you really need to qualify "best".

Best bang for the buck or best speaker? There's a difference. Remember, you're comparing to items of s similar function with a tremendous disparity in price. Where your own personal PODM" kicks in is a mystery to us so it's impossible for us to really giove you a satisfactory answer.

So, yes, the PSB is a better speaker in all respects but whether it's worth twice the price, well, only your own ears can answer that.

And, yes, cheap women, just like cheap speakers, can be fun for a short period of time but for long term satisfaction it might not be the best move.

*Point Of Diminishing Returns

 

[Jon_3003]

And, yes, cheap women, just like cheap speakers, can be fun for a short period of time but for long term satisfaction it might not be the best move.

HAHAHA now this is the perfect metaphor! I think I understand what youre saying now!

On a different note, I found a pair of used Martinlogan Motion 40 for $800. I love the look of these speakers but was never considering them as they were out of my price range. At $800 they're the same price as the T5s. Can anyone comment on the Motion 40?

 

[markw]

I've heard another M/L speaker with that "folded motion" tweeter and was quite impressed with the way they handled the mids and highs. It was a bit smaller and the bass wasn't quite as forceful as I would have as liked but, again, this was a smaller M/L.

Didn't I read earlier that you had subs?

 

[Azmaria707]

A couple others have mentioned this. I guess I figured a floorstanding speaker with 2 woofers (low freq and midrange) would give me better performance than most small bookshelves. Which do you recommend personally?

I own Energy Veritas 5.1 bookshelves. I like them but, i think you can do better for your money. Of the bookshelves I have heard, I like the Sierra 1 (haven't heard the 2's yet but expect them to be even better).
RBH SX series as well. They are a little out of your price range but perhaps go with their sister company EMP Tek. I haven't heard them but, EMP Tek's E41 bookshelf maybe simular.
For mains I have Philharmonic 2s and love them so I'll definately recommend their Philharmonitor. Even though I have not heard them, I suspect them to sound very simular to the top portion of my Phili 2's.
My apologies if these seem to be poor recommendations, two speakers I haven't heard yet but, others will chime in on whether those are good possibilities and if my logic has any merrit.

In addition to these, check out some of the bookshelf speaker threads on this forum. Lots of people in your shoes with a lot of knowledgabe people responding.

 

[Jon_3003]

Didn't I read earlier that you had subs?

Yes I will be running dual SVS subs, so honestly I'm not too concerned about the low end much.

 

[Jeff R.]

How about a pair of Carnegie CS1 bookshelves? With a pair of SVS subs you can't go wrong.


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