So many deals, so little knowledge.speakers

[concertnotthatloud 3]

I have the fortune to live reasonably close to a major city and I'm seeing on a few buy/sell sites what I think must be very good deals on different brands of high end speakers.

I listen to mainly rock old and new ,I like a fair amount of bass and too bright makes me cringe.

So what I'm asking is for opinions on make/model/price on floor speakers that may suit my preferences so I can keep an eye out.

The room they are for is 15 x15 with carpeted floor and wood walls and ceiling.Power will be two M 1.5t's and ct 17 pre/tuner.Loud and clean is my objective.

[Daddyjt 9,617]

Find a nice set of Infinity Kappa 9, and never look back:-)

[MORE CARVER'S PLEASE 99]

For me Klipsch is my speaker of choice....The one that comes to mind is the Chorus and Chorus II's..yea they are horn loaded and they do have some highs but they are clean and crisp. If you like it loud you really need to look at them. They are rated @ 101db's at 1 watt and they can handle all kinds of power they peak at 1000 watts. If your bridging two M1.5t's then you have lots of power. 

The sound I like the  best out of my Chorus II's are powering them with my TFM-55x, I've also powered them with two 400t's and two Adcom 555 II's bridged... But the TFM-55x really gets those 15'" woofers woofing... The bass is nothing short of chest pounding.

Also it's a speaker you can buy that's not alot of money....$400-$800 range sometimes less sometimes more if they have been upgraded..

One last thought the Klipsch Forte II just a tad smaller that the Chorus line....buy it also hits hard...

Well that's my two cents at ya...... good luck 

MCP :-) 

[jldeni 439]

It is a very personal choice and may have a lot to do with a lot of different variables ranging from your personal preference and your ears to the type of music and type of room you are equipping.

 

That said, I have a definite passion for horns. Klipsch Cornwalls are my current choice and I find them to be very smooth and extremely efficient. I picked up a vintage pair a few years back for $600 and still very pleased. Currently driving them with a M500 MK II or, sometimes, a M-4.0T. Sooooo much power and such a clean sound!

 

 

[PMAT 2,039]

Find some Polk SDA, do some research first. Smooth clean high end, huge bass capability and will do classical to rock with aplomb.

[Ar9Jim 6,512]

Its a very personal choice that you ultimately come to your own conclusion about.The truth is that we are not all hearing the same thing.You will get many different responses about brands of speakers and the people will be very passionate and sure that their suggestion is best.Its similar to asking whats your favorite color.If you like bass and you are planning on 1 pair of full range speakers then look at the many suggestions you will be given and take the time to listen to as many as you can.Read reviews of them and look at measured performance.If your not planning on using a sub woofer than look for speakers that will go close to 20 hz with minimal roll off in response.There are many with great bass response.One of my favorites is the Acoustic Research AR9.You will get many recommendations and they are all correct to the person making them.When you hear the ones that change your pulse and give kind of a startled response in your breathing pattern,when you feel an emotion----Buy those!Thats the one for you and no one else knows which one it may be or what brand or model.

[zumbini 6,147]

....If your bridging two M1.5t's then you have lots of power.....

The M-1.5(t) is NOT bridgeable, but connect only right or left and it can "borrow" power from the unused channel.

 

 

[Belvedere2 232]

 

 

Its a very personal choice that you ultimately come to your own conclusion about.The truth is that we are not all hearing the same thing.You will get many different responses about brands of speakers and the people will be very passionate and sure that their suggestion is best.Its similar to asking whats your favorite color.If you like bass and you are planning on 1 pair of full range speakers then look at the many suggestions you will be given and take the time to listen to as many as you can.Read reviews of them and look at measured performance.If your not planning on using a sub woofer than look for speakers that will go close to 20 hz with minimal roll off in response.There are many with great bass response.One of my favorites is the Acoustic Research AR9.You will get many recommendations and they are all correct to the person making them.When you hear the ones that change your pulse and give kind of a startled response in your breathing pattern,when you feel an emotion----Buy those!Thats the one for you and no one else knows which one it may be or what brand or model.

Acoustic Research AR-90s as well. I'd also suggest the AR-91,92, or 93 models. All built during the Teledyne phase and should work well.

[concertnotthatloud 3]

Well I have to say that I appreciate the responses so far and I'm glad to see nobody has the exact same opinions or this wouldn't be any fun at all,it is giving me a better idea of what to look for and research so please don't hesitate, it's not falling on deaf ears haha.

[Hibernator69 47]

I'm partial to the NHT brand starting with the VT-2 towers which can be had for $300-$400. After 15 years I finally found my dream set of the M3.3s and for good measure also snagged a very rare set of VT-3s. Both are incredible. Not to diminish the VT-2s, but it's a night and day level of difference. VT-3 and M3.3 can be had for $1000-1500 usually, but you have to be patient and ready to jump.

 

If a little more flexibility is needed I'm also a big fan of the Sunfire XT Trio speakers (rosewood finish or in-wall). You can outfit a whole movie room for $1500-$2000 (subwoofer is extra) if you just watch eBay. For that matter the VT-3 is a killer video speaker as well when mated with the nearly unobtainable VS-3s or the much more commonly available M-6 speakers (I've got 5 M6 speakers to complement the VT-3s in my movie room along with a pair of Sunfire CRM2-BIP for OCCD requirements). According to one of the NHT engineers/designers the M-6 is a full sonic match/replacement for the VS-3.

 

I just bought a set of Carver ribbon ALS Silvers. I've been dreaming of getting some of those large ribbon drivers since the mid 90s and hope it's all it's cracked up to be. Can't make the recommendation yet as I haven't even heard them yet, but others here will definitely swear by them.

 

Pretty much all of the speakers mentioned are power hungry, but if you've found this forum you probably are on your way to owning multiple M1.5, M500(t), Silver 7T, Sunfire Cinema Grand Signature, etc, etc, so that really isn't an issue.

 

The OCCD answer to you problem is simple: Buy 5-6 different sets of speakers and see what you like best. Your spouse has to accept your disability and support the treatment (buy ever more Carver and other audio gear). Doghouse, shmoghouse! This is medical science!

 

[RichP714 3,163]

 

 

.....Loud and clean is my objective.

 

Those two principles can be antagonistic, as distortion is one of the parameters a human ear uses to perceive 'loud'

 

For example, my Cornwall II are extremely transparent, dynamic and clean

 

While listening, I sometimes don't realize how high I have the volume (it just sounds clean and natural) until I try to talk to the person sitting right next to me and find that I have to cup my hands and shout into their ear

 

 

[concertnotthatloud 3]

My wife is onboard with me as long as I don't get" too out of hand".She really is lovin the clean sound and I can see that look in her eye when hears stuff she's heard before but never really heard,and I'm just getting started.I feel lucky to have her.