Best Monitors for Rock N' Roll under $2500


Hi,
I'm looking for some suggestions for a great pair of monitors that work great with POP & ROCK music.

Here's my equipment:
Rotel 1080 amp
Rotel 1090 preamp
MMF-5 turntable
Rotel 1055 cd
Signal Cable power cords and interconnects
Anti-cable speaker wire
Richard Gray 600S

I'm currently using Aurum Cantus Leisure 2SE's. They sound fantastic with Jazz, Vocals, acoustic music but not the sound I'm looking for to handle my everyday listening; lots of New Wave, Punk, Classic Rock. Can anyone help?

Brands I'm considering:
Paradigm Signature series
JM Labs Electra 907 BE, 906
PSB Platinum 2's
Dnyaudio Contour 1.3SE

Thanks,
Robert
theb2826
Hands down I think used Aerial 10T's are a steal! Those speakers can seriously Rock!
i would recommend a quality floorstander. lots of cool brands in this pricerange that are very balanced from top to bottom. even the finest monitor(other than a larger vintage model) just doesn't nail rock and roll.
I recently saw Judas Priest live at Cricket Pavillion in Phoenix AZ.
The main thing I noticed about the sound was the ENORMOUS impact and clarity of the bass guitar/kickdrum. To say it was "visceral" is a vast understatement.
My friend said it very well: "THIS is the sound I've been trying to reproduce with my stereo system all these years!"
BTW, the concert was phenomenal, and easily in the top 3 I've seen in the past 25 years.

To put some perspective on it, my B&W 9NTs with Servo-15 and Adcom GFA 5800 250wpc amp cannot even come close to reproducing this level of bass impact. (Not that this system is state of the art or anything, but it's fairly well endowed in the bass department)

To duplicate live Rock, you need speakers of extraordinary sensitivity with clean bass response at high levels.
$2500 is a tough nut; probably the Paradigm Studio100 or Klipsch RF-7 would be a good place to start, and an interesting contrast.
The klipsch will stomp all over the Paradigm in terms of raw acoustic output, but the Paradigm will have a more refined sound and fairly decent punch.
If price were no object, the JBL K2($25,000 pair) would easily be my first choice for realistic reproduction of live rock.

IMO you should Forget about refined "audiophile" mini-monitors and floorstanders with teeny woofers (especially in the $2500 range); most lack the raw punch and air moving capability required to adequately reproduce the emotional impact of live rock music.
Rock is not about retrieving subtle nuances and throwing out focused holographic images at 90db.
Green Mountain Audio Callisto. 90-91 db effecient, rated at 50 hz, but I sold my sub since they go way lower than that. I listen to all kinds of music, but rock kicks butt on the Callisto's. Best speaker and company for the money and worth much more. Please take the time to hear these before you commit to another speaker. These will change your life.

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/gma2/callisto.html

http://www.greenmountainaudio.com/
If you haven't heard the new Platinum
M2's their really good PSB has really entered the world of audiofile speakers with this line, not only do these look fantastic but sound awsome!

I recommend them for anyone shopping under $2500.

well...at least that's what you said 3 months ago.