From pro to hi-fi and a little confused...

Why is it any time rock or similar music is mentioned people say things like 'get 15 inch drivers and horns?' Just ridiculous IMO. The reason why these speakers are used in live events is due to the size of the venue, and nothing more. Put a Marshall stack in any sized room in a house and you'll quickly find out why they're used in arenas and not in homes.

What rock music needs is speed, cohesiveness, and accuracy in reproduction. So does every other type of music IMO.

Forget the JBLs, CVs, et al that a lot of people mention here when they see rock music mentioned. It's a bunch of garbage. The majority of posters mentioning stuff like that have no clue.

ATC is a very good suggestion. PMC is another active line that sounds great. There are many others, but my experience with them is pretty limited. Not sure the active Quads are really up to the task. A bit too polite sounding to my ears.

I have a similar setup to what you are proposing. My office system speakers are Dynaudio BM5A's, which use the same tweeter and amps as the Focus 110A, but have a larger woofer. I used to use them with an HSU VTF-1, but replaced that a while ago with a VTF-3 MK III when I upgraded my HT sub. Both are being fed by a Benchmark DAC-1 PRE.

I listen mostly to rock as well, and IMO that is the Dynaudio's strength. The expressive tweeter makes rock a lot of fun. They'll also play plenty loud. I have briefly turned them up to the point where the amps go into clipping (indicated by a red LED on the front of the speakers), but would never listen for extended periods at those levels - it's just way too loud.

They also have the switches on the back that allow you to tailor the sound somewhat to your room or liking.

I had some PMC DB1+'s previously, and the Dynaudio are much more satisfying for rock. They're much more detailed and can play much louder without breaking up. Perhaps the newer DB1i are better, but I didn't feel the PMC were very good for the money. The build quality felt really cheap and the knuckle rap test confirmed it. The Dynaudio's have better build quality and higher quality drivers. Also, PMC's cheaper speakers are not really active; they are just passive speakers with amps bolted onto the back. The Dynaudio's are true active speakers with all the benefits that active crossovers and optimized amps bring.

I'd save my money for a big pair of active ATC's.

A cheaper, and perhaps equally pleasing, path toward rock the way you want would be Tyler PD series. Big active woofer(s) and horn.

Look for a pair traded back to Ty.
Ty is a class act.
Can't really go wrong with Tylers.

Here ya go.

End thread.

http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrfull&1315432737&/Tyler-Acoustics-PD80-Speakers-

I'm glad to see the BM5a's praised, thanks for the response.

Saving money for bigger/better speakers is out of the question. I can't fit them in my area and I'm on a 2 week fast as it is to be able to scrape the $2000 together. I wish I could decorate my cave with amp/speakers that go to 11, but for now, quality over quantity.

Much respect to the intelligent people with solid advice stopping by.