I didn’t read every post in this thread but surely someone else has mentioned Bose 901’s powered by a Phase Linear 700 amp! If you wanted to feel like standing in the pit at a Who concert this would do it. :)
What is the best HEAVY METAL speaker?
I know totally blasphemy question here on Audiogon. But you like what you like, right? Anyway, I know most metal music is totally compressed and recorded horrible (aka Metallica) however there is a new age of metal bands out there that are starting to change that (Opeth started with Blackwater Park). So what speakers out there can take the pounding of a double bass drum kit hitting at full throttle and give the roar of metal guitar justice. There has to be a set up that would make Glen Tipton turn his head and say hell ya!
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I do not find any USA distribution on these Magnat products @reubent |
@canibefrank - You're welcome. Would love to actually hear a pair. Might be right up my alley too... |
@reubent wau those look really cool thanks for posting 🏍 |
You may have to roll-off the tweeter a little but Revel Salon 2's supported by a Velo DD15+ is a great combination. The ATC 150 asl’s moved to the (big) wardrobe :-) If the musicians and the technicians wern’t so death I think we would have better recordings. But Bloodmoon:1 (Converge, Chelsea Wolfe) is not so bad. |
Listen to mostly various extreme metal bands; defeated sanity, archspire, blood incantation, paysage de hiver, cobalt, etc. Looking for a faster sound bookshelf speaker. Right now running BW cm s2s with a rogue sphinx and an svs 3000sb. I have a lot of fun with this system, but I'm wondering if I can take it up a level. Heard the fortes, but for this room I have to stick with bookshelf speakers. Ls50 didn't do it for me and dynaudio sounded muted with the sphinx too. Would like to stay under 2k so I can build out my second system tho. Dac is schiit multi bit. |
Good value right now on used market is B&W 804D2 would do everything right especially with a separate receiver on bass with tone control. Compared them to ATC SCM40 and I am sorry t say it but B&W sounded better, natural, great stage and separation while ATC was muddy and flattish with crap imaging. I realize that might be dreaded floor stander SCM40 as I remember my old SCM20s were amazing. But all in all for around 1000USD get beemers. |
Although pretty inexpensive, I am using Polk Reference R700's, with a Michi X5. My preferred genre is Metal (Maiden, Megadeth, Anthrax, Opeth etc) and for sub 2k for the pair, they kick. Dual 8 woofers around 30 hz (with room acoustics) low range, I played Stinkfist and Justin's bass sounded amazing. Good detail and nice driver integration, decent off axis listening, kind of meh in the looks, not ugly, just not very exciting. a picture of the setup, I had just put up the bookshelves, so the speakers are not in their normal space (out another foot each way is where I usually have them) (The picture is from my review on Polks website) |
Transient speed becomes an issue for modern metal given the tight distortion profile of the guitar intended to be percussive. The type of speaker that falls apart with funk will fall apart with this sort of metal.
Other than that, older or more classic sounding "heavy metal" isn't much different than rock in terms of play back needs. |
I've got a pair of ATC 110s and it's hard to imagine anything better for loud, amplified music. They can play very loudly without distorting. I doubt anything can compete with their combination of high volume, low distortion, and excellent in-room behavior. I also think they make a tradeoff that other companies should make. They don't use the port to lower the -3 db bass frequency. They let the bass roll off slowly starting at a higher frequency. It means they don't excite room nodes as badly as a typical ported, -3db at 30 hz speaker. It doesn't make for good marketing but practically speaking, it's better if you want top quality bass and don't want to mess with equalization. I think it actually increases dynamics, the punch is great, and if you want more bass get a sub to fill in anything you want. |
Find myself repeating myself because the answer does not vary. Wrote this response for another thread. Now, stop mucking about. These will blend you into the wall paint, affect your blood circulation and rearrange you on a molecular level. Oh, and they reproduce music very cleanly. ATC SCM110ASL Pro Dual 9" Powered 3-way Studio Monitor ATC 1" dual-suspension S-Spec tweeter ATC 3" Super Dome midrange driver Twin SL Spec 9" bass drivers Onboard ATC grounded-source 350W Tri-amp pack Maximum continuous SPL (1 meter): 115dB Amplifier output: LF 200W, MF 100W, HF 50W Weight: 160.6 pounds |
Agree on the Polk Monitor 10's for rock. Still have a pair in rotation today. The OP should budget $2750 for a high end speaker that will have excellent sound stage an imaging. Then find a pair of Monitor 10s for $150 on Craigslist and upgrade the caps for another $100. The more expensive speakers should undoubtedly sound more refined. But when it comes to rocking out and cranking it up........vintage Monitor 10's still rule. |
"1(Fast deep Bass, however not too over powering or boomy 2)Treble smooth and accurate that defines the lead guitars accurately without a brash blur of distortion. 3)Treble that lays the drummers symbols on top nicely to the rest of rhythm 4)A midrange that gives the vocals a clean but not harsh edge. 5)Good separation of the different instruments playing in the music 6)Good live sound, if you know what I mean." You've already purchased your speakers, but for future reference, consider some Tekton speakers. I've owned a few of the speakers mentioned in this thread. Polk, Paradigm (Signature Series), JBL, Usher Dancers and a couple of others, all with the purpose of playing loud, hard rock. More recently I bought some Tekton loudspeakers and as much as I try to find fault with them (just my nature I guess), it's difficult to do. The characteristics you mentioned are all met by these speakers. The Double Impact or Double Impact SE will rock your socks off. |
i love metal of all variety, but when listening to metal at home, I tend to prefer fast transients, detail, and refinement.The Sound Labs are great for classical and jazz too. BTW if you want them to play bass right, you need a tube amp. The Sound Labs have a high impedance in the bass (30 ohms) and its hard for solid state amps to make power. As a result, a 100 watt tube amp can keep up with a 400 watt solid state amp (and by that I mean it can make the same measured sound pressures) on that speaker. |
I think a lot of what makes a good “Metal’ speaker is what sound characteristics you enjoy in your presentation. i love metal of all variety, but when listening to metal at home, I tend to prefer fast transients, detail, and refinement. Listening to Revocation’s “Greatest is our Sin” right now on a pair of two month old Sound Lab M645s with the new bass focus panels, and loving it. The bass isn’t cracking the walls, but I can hear every thing with excellent delineation. |
Some of my favorites for metal, and I do like a bit of volume with my serving of metal. Ohm Walsh 4000,4900,5000 (4900 is the best bargain of the bunch if buying new). Or get some old 4's/5's and do the upgrade. In a smaller room the 3000's or the older Sound Cyl's do a nice job (I have some beat to absolute piss Pro-200's I'm rocking to Trivium "The Crusade" right now, they are my back-up speakers but still a fun listen). One note with the Ohm's, you want a solid amount of power. JBL 4367/M2 Older Klipsch Epic C4's (but with a subwoofer and the right electronics) The Legacy Signature and Focus SE's Wilsons with the soft dome tweeter. The Tekton DI's do a nice job Spatial M3sTurbo's (possibly with a sub) Note, these speakers put you in the front row. I liked what I heard from the Golden Ear Triton 1's with some megadeth. Right now though my tops would be the Newer Ohm Walsh stuff (in the right room) or the JBL's I believe. |
I think there is WAY more to a good metal speaker than just being able to "rock" or shake the walls or whatever. Being loud doesn't mean it sounds good. Details and dynamics, tight bass, clear smooth highs... served with a massive helping of metal guitar punch in the gut. I'm starting to wonder at what price point do you get there.. ?Sky's the limit! The best metal speaker will also be the best classical, jazz, prog rock or downtempo 90s speaker as well. Again, one of the biggest myths in audio is that speakers somehow are good for one genre as opposed to another. The JBL L100s are trotted out as a good example for 60s and 70s rock, but that is mostly because people that had them and were listening to that kind of music liked them. Speakers are mechanical transducers and don't care a whit about what you put through them as long as you don't burn them up. Earl Root (RIP) pretty much founded the metal scene here in the Twin Cities. His goto speaker was the Snell model B. It went to 22hz and could be driven easily by tube amplifiers to satisfying levels. They were very revealing so it was helpful not to feed them with junk electronics. But all their properties made them good for classical, folk, ethnic, deep trance, techno, prog, jazz, acid jazz, acid folk, dub step, medieval, chamber, death metal, speed metal, hip hop, country AND western, downtempo 80s and a lot more. |
Great thread. I'm still looking for a the right metal speaker. Just wanted to chime in that I posted/lurked here many years ago and read lots of suggestions for Klipsch Heritage. My current Dali speakers are great, ive kept them for 10 years and I can't see parting with them. But as mentioned in other posts... well recorded metal just brings them to their knees. They are a wonderful speaker but it is obvious they were not voiced with hard rock or metal in mind. Anyway, I tried the Klipsch Quartets. Ebay find with the Crites midrange mod. Overall, they are pretty nice, yes they do "rock", they will literally shake the walls with my Mcintosh 6900. They are a fun speaker. They are great for what they do, but overall a bit unrefined for my taste. I lived with them for about a year, and I believe I don't care for the horn sound, not that it is bad, its just its own thing. Its very forward, subtle is not a word I would use, I see why people like them, just not for me. I think there is WAY more to a good metal speaker than just being able to "rock" or shake the walls or whatever. Being loud doesn't mean it sounds good. Details and dynamics, tight bass, clear smooth highs... served with a massive helping of metal guitar punch in the gut. I'm starting to wonder at what price point do you get there.. ? . |
Outstanding for rock, techno, prog-rock, etc...; - Legacy Focus 20/20 if you are looking used and low budget - Legacy Focus HD if you are looking used and slightly more budget - Legacy Focus SE, used or new, under $15K if memory serves on new price - Legacy AERIS with Wavelet used is under $15K and is outstanding... All these will move your walls and let you feel and hear the greatest rock material out there and so much more....Focus SE and AERIS are the 2 best.... |
