Looking to Spend $3k-$5k on a LCR---Suggestions?

Any size requirements? HT or Music?

Salk SongTowers or Philharmonic 2's. Also check out Dynaudio, Revel and Kef.

You should look into Pro speakers like JTR. The Klipsch THX Ultra2 is another good option. These would be amazing for home theater. Just not sure it can fit your budget and not sure if you'll need more power to push them than what you have. Might want to look into what eD's Cinema speakers design for home theater. Unfortunately, there is a lack of reviews on these due to the fact that it's still new.

Those would have been my top 2 recommendations as well, but if the wife does not like the look I think the Dynaudio suggestion is a good one along with the Paradigm Studio 100's.

What sub/subs are you using?

a suggestion

paradigm studio 100's

studio cc-690 center

Focal Electra
http://www.musicdirect.com/p-38930-f...eakers-pr.aspx

http://www.musicdirect.com/p-38940-f...l-speaker.aspx

More important than room size for LCR is distance from the speakers. It doesn't matter if your room is 100' x 100' if you're only 10' from the speakers. Unlike subwoofers, the LCR does not need to pressurize the room. It only needs to get the sound to your ears at the levels you want.

If WAF said no to the Salks, pro speakers may also be out of the question as well as they were not meant to look pretty, just to perform. I would second Revel Concerta series if you're not too far from the speakers. They are very nice, but aren't terribly efficient. I have the Performa F52s and am about 9' from them. I am able to run them off a Denon 4311 to very high volumes.

Martin Logan's electrostats also sounded exceptional to me, but require both speaker wires and an outlet near each of them. Not sure how they would do in a HT environment though. I haven't heard any speaker in that price range that sounded anything close to Revel or ML. My experience is very limited though.

Not sure anyone else will second this but IMO the Aperion Grand Verus series are great speakers and should have a high WAF.

Brandon, I noticed in your "Journey" thread that you dismissed the Aperion Grand Verus, but I'm not sure whether you actually auditioned them. These were pretty high on my radar before I [am pretty sure I've] decided on Salk SoundTowers, but I'm curious whether you had any previous experience with them.

Thanks in advance.

Agree with Nuance on this and also check out Kef R series of speakers as well!

Go with high sensitivity!

Just curious-do your Sierras have the NRT upgrade?

Yes sir, I did hear them, but obviously it was a ways after I had purchased the Salks. I made the right choice, though, as the Verus Grand were a little sloppy down low and had a grainy mid range to my ears. It's all about tonality/timbre accuracy and detail for me, and while the Verus do a lot right they came up short in those areas. They are still a good value, just not as good as the Salks, which is why I still own them. I've yet to find better for the money. YMMV, of course.

Except the walls raise the sound power in the room. The reflections increase the overall volume a lot...like 3dB I suspect. 100 foot room would have those reflections decaying a lot.

If your wife is that sensitive about looks, DIY is probably not the best option unless you are very good with DIY projects

What about the Paradigm Studio 100's? Or the Golden Ear tower?

Yes

Understood, but if you are getting boundery gain for your mains I would think you need acoustic treatments since you will not want those reflections getting to you to distort the sound. Some reflections are desirable, but not if they are adding an additional 3dB of volume. That's just my thoughts. I could be entirely off on that train of thought though.


DIY usually will give you better quality for the same money or same quality for less money. Unless you are REALLY good at wood working, you may still have WAF issues from the sounds of it. I know my simple sub build is not a thing of beauty, but it should outperform many retail subs out there.

^ This. If she didn't even like the look of Salk's stuff she certainly won't like DIY. I doubt any DIY design could match the beauty of some of these professional cabinet makers. Unfortunately it seems you'll have to purchase based on looks rather than sound, which is a real shame. I let my wife pick the veneer, but I pick the speakers.

What about the Paradigm Studio's? They should be within your budget, and are fairly efficient. Also, make sure you show your wife what these look like with the grills on lol.

Fronts: www.lockwaresystems.com/t900f-121-239.html
Center: http://www.lockwaresystems.com/T1000C-117-235.html
High Quality Pictures: http://swanspeakers.com/products/pro...&cmenu=gallery

Review: www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1396991

You stated you already had 2 subs, The T1000's are the same as the T900s except have integrated subs. Unless your getting rid of your current subs, then opt for the T900's.

If she doesn't like the way these look then good luck xP.

Without knowing what the criterion is for the WAF (if any), it is difficult to make any recommendations without shooting from the hip. This process could take a long time indeed. Is the room in a basement and effectively your man-cave? If so forget the WAF. If however in a shared space like a living room or rec room, then unfortunately WAF comes into play.

For value and performance it is very difficult to beat the Golden Ear Twos or even Threes. The comparative weak link (if considered such) would be the CC.

When I got my JTR Triple 8's recently I warned my wife the base finish might be a bit rustic and suggested she choose a finish. Her response was to get the base finish since "all speakers are ugly anyway".

Jeez, why do women hate speakers so much? Anybody have a spousal unit that actually enjoys this hobby as much as their partner?

One in million, maybe two....