I need tower speakers for a 2.0 music setup in my living room. It will be connected to my main tv, and my tv:music ratio is probably 75:25. However, the 25% that I use it for music is the part I care about. Within music, it’s really classical and opera that I care about. So... I’m looking for a pair of towers that are great for classical. I do want them to function well enough for rock/electronica and for watching tv/movies, but that’s not the most important goal.
My budget is around $2,500 for an amp and speakers. I’m leaning toward a Cambridge CXA80 amp, which is $1k, so that leaves around $1,500 for the pair of speakers, though spending less would be welcome. I’m not interested in a 2.1 bookshelf plus sub setup, I just want one pair of floor standers. The living room is 19x18x8, hardwood floor, big area rug, three wood panel walls and one brick wall. It’s a pretty open sounding room (not choked), but not so much that there’s huge reverb or echo. Speakers will flank the media cabinet against a wood panel wall, and I don’t want them to stick out too far, so ones that have to be like 12-18” out from wall would not be ideal.
Models I’ve considered:
Q Acoustics Concept 40 ($1k) or 3050 ($800 in gloss black)
Monitor Audio Silver 6 (or the model that’s about to replace it) ($1400)
Wharfedale Diamond 10.7 ($1400)
Focal Chorus 726 ($1400)
Polk Rti A9 ($900)
Would appreciate people’s thoughts about those models or any other recommendations. Thanks in advance!
A great option would be the Philharmonic Audio BMR Philharmonitors. They're stand-mounts, but definitely on the large side for stand-mounts, and dig deeper than most towers. Plus, with the RAAL tweeter and BMR midrange they have a very wide dispersion so you'll get that wide sound stage that's great for classical.
Have you considered Klipsch Heresys? Sure, new Heresy iii's will run $999/ea... but Craig's List frequently has older models for $400/pr up. Sealed enclosure with a 12" LF driver and compression horns for mid and high frequencies, they are sensitive to a fault (96-99 dB SPL). There is no free lunch - the bass rolls off by 50 Hz - but what there is sure is good - even 'musical'. Don't expect room-shaking HT sounds - explosions - without the assistance of a sub, however - just fantastic sounding music, classical, folk, jazz, or r&r. Position sensitive - to an extent - against or out from a wall - or spanning a corner - each will have it's 'sound'. My pair of 1977 vintage Heresys cost me $375 on C.L. over a year back - and the walnut veneer still looks freshly oiled. They are still made in Hope, Arkansas - and available in different veneers. Mine are driven by a MP-301 MK3 6.5 Wpc VT amp - and can get too loud in my 11' x 12' x 9' br-turned-office with carpet on a slab (garden home). It's the best sounding stereo (2.0) I've ever had!
I need tower speakers for a 2.0 music setup in my living room. It will be connected to my main tv, and my tv:music ratio is probably 75:25. However, the 25% that I use it for music is the part I care about. Within music, it’s really classical and opera that I care about. So... I’m looking for a pair of towers that are great for classical. I do want them to function well enough for rock/electronica and for watching tv/movies, but that’s not the most important goal.
My budget is around $2,500 for an amp and speakers. I’m leaning toward a Cambridge CXA80 amp, which is $1k, so that leaves around $1,500 for the pair of speakers, though spending less would be welcome. I’m not interested in a 2.1 bookshelf plus sub setup, I just want one pair of floor standers. The living room is 19x18x8, hardwood floor, big area rug, three wood panel walls and one brick wall. It’s a pretty open sounding room (not choked), but not so much that there’s huge reverb or echo. Speakers will flank the media cabinet against a wood panel wall, and I don’t want them to stick out too far, so ones that have to be like 12-18” out from wall would not be ideal.
Models I’ve considered:
Q Acoustics Concept 40 ($1k) or 3050 ($800 in gloss black)
Monitor Audio Silver 6 (or the model that’s about to replace it) ($1400)
Wharfedale Diamond 10.7 ($1400)
Focal Chorus 726 ($1400)
Polk Rti A9 ($900)
However, with your not wanting them to require too much rear clearance, I would pick one of the new downward-ported models like the 230, 240, or 250 instead, also from Music Direct.
Speaker selection and preference is incredibly subjective and driven by the listener. While some will rave about one band, anther will poo poo it. I just recently went through this same process. The best advice I can give you is do some homework on Shops and Showrooms in your area. Go demo various speakers in person. Take with you 1 or 2 of your favorite recordings. Something you are very familiar with. Sitting down and listening to Speakers in Stores and Showrooms can be an eye opener. However, in the end, you want speakers that hit all the right notes for your listening requirements.
Buying Speakers Blind without ever hearing them in person. Something I did once, and regret. Take your time and go demo as many different brands of speakers as you can. Then and only then can you make an educated decision of what YOU like the best.
Good Luck Sir. This can be a fun and exciting journey. These speakers may need to last you many years. So why rush to make that decision. The More you hear to more you will know what sound you like.
I thought I wanted speaker X and was ready to just order them. Then a good Friend on here @mthomas47 gave me similar advice I just gave you. I ended up getting speakers I had not even considered and had never heard them before. Once I demoed them it was game over. BTW they were Martin Logan Electrostatic speakers.
Buying Speakers Blind without ever hearing them in person. Something I did once, and regret. Take your time and go demo as many different brands of speakers as you can. Then and only then can you make an educated decision of what YOU like the best.
I agree in theory---but in reality, many people live in areas where the only local listening options are sub-optimal big box places like Best Buy with a very limited range of options. And/or overpriced boutique shops, many of them employing high-pressure sales and upselling strategies, sometimes while pushing voodoo cables and other snake oil accessories.
This is why I tend to recommend that people actually budget for return shipping so that they can order and test out at least 2-3 stereo pairs at home. I've never heard of any internet vendor or manufacturer that does not offer at least a 30 day trial period, and many now offer free return shipping to boot, which eliminates any risk factor whatsoever. And even with the cost of return shipping, buying online especially from internet-direct manufacturers usually provides a tremendous price to performance benefit over buying from a brick and mortar dealer, especially when buying closeout or (alleged) B-stock inventory.
Home auditioning has the additional and priceless advantage of hearing how the speakers will sound in REALITY---i.e. with one's individual equipment and room acoustics, which can often be very different than how they sound in a treated listening room on megabuck amplifiers.
I'd second the bmr. They are 20" tall, so larger than bookshelf, you can stand them if you like, and they are rated at a realistic +-2db to 30 Hz so no sub is really necessary. For a little extra you can get them front ported and with a gorgeous finish, and they'll be 22", but according to Dennis the sound is still the same. But that way you can match them to your decor, and they have some fine Salk finishes....albeit if you get the custom there is a wait.
In my experience Sonus Faber sounded the best for classical music and not necessarily towers, the bookshelf speakers sound delicious with solo classical music, the only times you will miss towers will be for large orchestral pieces but adding a sub can fix that if you must.
I'd look for used SF bookshelf speakers OR look for used Harbeth speakers, these again sound terrific with classical music.
If you MUST go traditional tower speakers, I think Monitor audio is a good pick, I think the Silver 6 is on sale for like 1200 a pair or something from crutchfield and that is a really nice pair of towers for that price that will handle all music quite nicely.
Years ago, after I bought actively-powered loudspeakers [Paradigm Reference Active 40s] I was never much interested in passive speakers again. There are many advantages to speakers designed with well-matched amps and crossovers built-in, rather than buying your amp and speakers separately, especially if you are assembling a 2.0 system for Classical Music (as I was, when I bought the Paradigms). The Paradigm Actives were discontinued a long time ago, but if I were doing things over today, here is the approach I would take:
A pair of Emotiva Stealth 8s, $1,800/pair
with a rated Frequency Response of
30 Hz to 23 kHz + / -1.75 dB
28 Hz to 32 kHz +0 / -6 dB
And if you absolutely wanted to fill-in the lowest octave of sound
Yes, I realize I have put you a few hundred dollars over budget, and you asked for tower loudspeakers / no subs. But stack your Emotiva Stealth 8s on top of your Rythmik L12s and you have just assembled your own actively-powered tower speakers.
And perhaps I have made your choice even more difficult by opening up an entirely new field of options you hadn't considered before (active loudspeakers). There are many other excellent active monitors available for less than the Stealth 8s that would keep you within budget. I encourage you to give them a look, read some reviews, and see what you think.
Thanks for all the recommendations and food for thought.
Yes, I had the price wrong (doubled) on the Wharfdale 10.7.
I’m very familiar with biamped studio monitors (I have Genelecs in my project studio), but for my living room need a multi source receiver/amp anyway, so I just want passive towers.
Interesting there have been no thoughts (good or bad) about the Q Acoustics.
Will post some follow up questions shortly about specific recommendations above.
I need tower speakers for a 2.0 music setup in my living room.
My budget is around $2,500 for an amp and speakers. I’m leaning toward a Cambridge CXA80 amp, which is $1k, so that leaves around $1,500 for the pair of speakers
Models I’ve considered:
Q Acoustics Concept 40 ($1k) or 3050 ($800 in gloss black)
Monitor Audio Silver 6 (or the model that’s about to replace it) ($1400)
Wharfedale Diamond 10.7 ($1400)
Focal Chorus 726 ($1400)
Polk Rti A9 ($900)
Would appreciate people’s thoughts about those models or any other recommendations. Thanks in advance!
I'm soo sorry I'm late to the party. I like to give my 2 cents when it comes to Classical music as I'm a trombone player (orchestra) and love classical music. Start a new thread about the amp as I do not want to get into it here... Yamaha
Forget the list you have above but Q Acoustics and Focal would be higher on my list.
I have spent a lot of time with it's big brother the LA SCALA and I love this speaker for rock music or popular live music but classical music can be hit or miss with them and I really only liked a few reel to reel recording on them. Most of my CD's/SACD's did not sound the best.
Speaker selection and preference is incredibly subjective and driven by the listener. While some will rave about one band, anther will poo poo it. I just recently went through this same process. The best advice I can give you is do some homework on Shops and Showrooms in your area. Go demo various speakers in person. Take with you 1 or 2 of your favorite recordings. Something you are very familiar with. Sitting down and listening to Speakers in Stores and Showrooms can be an eye opener. However, in the end, you want speakers that hit all the right notes for your listening requirements.
Buying Speakers Blind without ever hearing them in person. Something I did once, and regret. Take your time and go demo as many different brands of speakers as you can. Then and only then can you make an educated decision of what YOU like the best.
I thought I wanted speaker X and was ready to just order them. Then a good Friend on here @mthomas47 gave me similar advice I just gave you. I ended up getting speakers I had not even considered and had never heard them before. Once I demoed them it was game over. BTW they were Martin Logan Electrostatic speakers.
I agree with this if you are not educated about speakers and or do not do some digging on the people giving the recommendation. I see too many people will love brand X and will recommend it for anyone looking for a speaker. While others will read what the OP is saying and recommend based on that.
In my experience Sonus Faber sounded the best for classical music and not necessarily towers, the bookshelf speakers sound delicious with solo classical music, the only times you will miss towers will be for large orchestral pieces but adding a sub can fix that if you must.
I'd look for used SF bookshelf speakers OR look for used Harbeth speakers, these again sound terrific with classical music.
If you MUST go traditional tower speakers, I think Monitor audio is a good pick, I think the Silver 6 is on sale for like 1200 a pair or something from crutchfield and that is a really nice pair of towers for that price that will handle all music quite nicely.
Thanks for all the recommendations and food for thought.
Yes, I had the price wrong (doubled) on the Wharfdale 10.7.
I’m very familiar with biamped studio monitors (I have Genelecs in my project studio), but for my living room need a multi source receiver/amp anyway, so I just want passive towers.
Interesting there have been no thoughts (good or bad) about the Q Acoustics.
Will post some follow up questions shortly about specific recommendations above.
For me I have very high standers when it comes to classical music since I play it and heard a lot of concerts. I hate the thickness that a lot of people like in some speakers that sound great with other music but makes classical sound fake. I prefer the imaging that can be had with bookshelves. Also a good mid range driver is key and I will almost always pick a 5.25" over a 6.5" driver. I will save the more technical talk for later.
For you and your price range I would recommend the Philharmonic BMR made but Dennis Murphy (he is an Orchestra player also). It's a large stand speaker but will play as low or lower than all the speakers above. Plus the smaller mid range driver will give you a great dispersion of sound.
Then, this is not needed but if you move to a sub look at a pair of Rythmik L12 at minimum or Salk Rythmik 15 at the high end as Salk will match the look of the Philharmonic (You have an option to get Salk to make your BMR's)
Not really atleast with regards to Sonus Faber, SF bookshelf speakers can be had used for under $1500 quite easily. Older Concerto, Concertino Domus etc are available on ebay/craigslist for 1k range (Concertino Domus sounds great with piano and violin)
If you have a Magnolia/Best Buy in your area I would get over there before too late and ask them about Sonus Faber Venere. For your musical tastes they would be excellent. I use the monitors in a bedroom set-up.
Magnolia is discontinuing Sonus Faber for KEF. There is still left over inventory out there they are getting rid of and I am certain you can get an awesome deal if you can track them down before it's too late.
I am really surprised at Magnolia lately. I don't know if it's due to me being a good customer or not but they are giving me awesome deals on an amp and pre-pro. They even bought back a one year old piece of gear I had for an incredible price (purchased there).
I would seek them out and see if anything in Venere is available and make them a 50 percent offer and move from there.
I was at the closest Magnolia last week, they had no Sonus. And last time I tried calling a Best Buy location to check the stock of something, it was an endless menu dive to get to the corporate line that says you can’t check stock at local stores by phone (so why do they have phone numbers?).
you need to listen to different tweeters and price points to get a feel for what you value/like. maybe trial some small bookshelves with raal tweeter like martin logan vs focal aria 905 vs qaccoustic to give you an idea and not cost you a fortune in shipping. I really like classical on my focal aria towers, but they not in price range. raal tweeters do sound very good, I wouldnt pass up listening to them. all speakers have compromises...so dont expect perfection
Dennis discontinue the Phil slims about 6 months ago, but I will echo the thoughts on the Phil-BMR- excellent speaker. Hits low with authority, hit mid with excellent dispersion giving it a nice soundstage and the crystal clear and detailed high end from a RAAL ribbon tweeter is spectacular!! !! If there is a better speaker for ~2000/pr or under, I haven't heard it...
IIRC he discontinued them due to losing his cabinet maker and Salk introducing the Song3 at about the same time, which is an extremely similar design at about the same price point. If you're hankering for a pair of Philharmonic Slims, Song3s would likely fit the bill (though they're above the OP's price point).
For a bit more than Song3s though, you could go with the full-on Philharmonic 3s, which are amazing from what I've read in the Philharmonic Audio thread.
I know you don't want a 2.1 system (actually, 2.2 would be the right thing to think about) but it would be remiss to not mention that you'll get more accurate frequency response in room with a 2.2 system. Okay, we got that out of the way.
---
For classical music, I think that Magnepan does the best job of throwing a large, deep soundstage with beautiful timber. (Actually, anything acoustic is well suited to Maggies.) If you are used to box speakers, it may be a bit far from what you are used to, so getting the version they offer with a money back guarantee via mail order is probably the safest way to dip your toe into the water.
Thanks for all the input, everyone. After (probably too) much consideration, I’m going to go with the QA 3050s for now, and save up for something like the Salk SongTowers in a couple years.
If you want a very smooth easy to listen to speaker, then Wharfedale are certainly worth considering. The current equivalent to the Diamond 10.7 is the Diamond 240which are$1000/pr-
Music Direct does still have someDiamond 10.7 for about $700/pr but it is limited to available stock. Once gone they are gone, and the finishes are limited to Black and Rosewood.
OP, even if you do not going with the a Philharmonic speaker you should take Dennis up on his offer and take a listen to a RAAL tweeter. You will have a better idea of what works for classical music for room placement and amps too.
for music please listen to raal tweeter. when I listened they were closest to panel/electrostats sound. which most music lovers think sound the best but dont end up using due to space. I honestly dont think a darker sounding speaker like qaccoustics would be best choice for classical.
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