End Game(ish) Speakers - Help Deciding
Hi folks,
Long time lurker, posting for input on upgrading my speakers to an end game(ish) purchase - famous last words I know. I’m middle aged, and listen to a broad range of music, predominantly classic rock.
Current core system:
I’m looking to upgrade my speakers. I’ve done a significant amount of research, which has - in some ways - left me more confused than certain. There are many choices and exponentially more opinions.
One of the key things I am looking for is a floorstanding speaker with sufficient bass and presence to not require subs. I am also looking for a speaker which can pressurize the room and provide that visceral feeling you get from the right combination of components. My room is 14’x34’. Decently dampened in terms of floor and reflectivity - however it’s also my living room and I do need to consider my (tolerant) wife’s aspects of decor as well.
I grew up hearing friends’ parents’ speakers like Klipschorns - which made a BIG impression on me. We didn’t know what they were at the time, only that they absolutely rocked. Same with the Altecs. So I had some influences there in terms of horns and large speakers.
I have found that many of the newer floorstanding models that I’ve heard in demos lack that presence - other than the top models where you typically find woofers in the 8"+ range and hence you get what I would call a full dynamic range (say below 40Hz-20KHz). It’s unfortunate that the larger woofer options aren’t provided in lower end models, but I suppose this is how they market the top tier models and differentiate them.
I’ve narrowed my list down to the following, and would welcome comments and suggestions. I live in Canada, my budget is around $20K CAD - give or take, and I am fine with used equipment vs. new and for this list I’m mostly assuming used.
An issue I have is that I haven’t been able to audition some of these in person. I would aim to do so before purchasing. My research thus far has been academic, and also some subjective listening on YouTube to various channels and samples and piecing that together.
Thanks for your time/interest.
Thank you all again - so much to consider! It’s not an easy decision. I’m going to audition in person and hope something really jumps out for me. i do really wish the major players we’ve all discussed here could offer a speaker with larger bass drivers at a lower price point vs. paying $50-75K for the upper tier models. I’ll update once I’ve made a decision. Again - thanks to all who took the time to respond, I appreciate it. Hope you have a great holiday season! |
Hi @chris71 Listen to all speakers yourself with your favorite music.
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I would like to 2nd the Arendals. I have the 1723 Towers and love them. They have taken every music genre I have thrown their way and done great. I have them at my desk running in a stereo configuration without a sub. Unless you want to feel like you are in a battle when the canons fire in the 1812 Overture, they provide plenty of bass. Not that I am judging if you do. There are reasons I have subs on my other systems (that either use bookshelf speakers or are primarily for home theater). I am powering with a couple of Outlaw Mono amps in a fairly open environment with rooms, hallways, and stairs blending together along with vaulted ceilings. They fill the space well enough that my neighbors could call in some noise complaints (with all doors and windows shut in a modern, fairly well insulated house). The 1528 Towers are supposed to be even better. While they are not cheap by any means, they seem to be a wee bit less than some of the options on your list. Depending on your situation that difference in price could allow you to upgrade other components, buy more LP's, or may mean the ability to get new vs finding a set 2nd hand. Good luck in your search. |
