Floorstanders or monitors at $3-5k/pr

I'd recommend the Sierra RAAL Towers because they're super slim, efficient, and has super flat freq response. Not because I own them...

I'd go high-sensitivity. Budget isn't high enough for Klispch Jubilees but it's right for slightly used Klipschorns and double what is needed for vintage Klipschorns in excellent condition. Other than those, there are JTR, Danley, JBL Pro to consider (but I have unfortunately never heard those).

If the 23-foot wall has corners with 4 feet of wall in either side, the size is just about perfect to drop Klipschorns into them. Here's a pair on my 20-foot wall:



They are big but since they don't need to be away from wall, they actually take up less space than most speakers:

I still think the SongTower's and Ascend Sierra Towers are the best value for your dollar. Go with whichever fits your requirements better.

JTR T12s and either a Captivator or a Seaton box should do it. JBL 6332s are pretty amazing too, though not quite as sensitive or bang for buck. I think they measure better.

Indeed, there's room for La Scala II (new, maybe without budget) with no corners required, but old La Scala in black birch would not pass WAF in a livingroom (they didn't for me anyway).

You definitely should be looking at larger speakers capable of higher output levels. 5.25" woofers are not going to cut it in a room that size when you decide to crank it. A few options for LCR around $5k

JBL LSR6332
Adam GTC77
(both speakers have moveable baffles for center channel usage)

Paradigm Studio 100 and cc690

What does the moveable baffle do for you?

Good point: what does he mean by "crank it?"

saeyedoc,

Will you be listening at 90+ dB and watching movies at reference levels? If so go with something high sensitivity. You'll lose musical performance going that route, but they'll play very loud without distortion.

Man, do we ever disagree on that! Remember he said up to 5K$ for a pair, yet you recommended speakers at $850 and $2000. I really don't think that my high-sensitivity suggestion would lose out on musical performance versus your cheaper recommendation. Being able to play loud doesn't mean they have too, and ability to play loud doesn't have to mean high distorsion.

The JBL allows you to rotate the baffle of the TM so you can lay it on its side without negative impact to off axis response. The Adam allows you to move and rotate the TM array and each woofer so you can have a WtmW layout.

Just remember, what ever the output is of your speakers at the LP (3m), your speakers are playing 9db louder at 1m. So if you listen at 90db when you jam out, you need speakers that can cleanly do 99db, and if there are dynamic peaks you could be looking at 110db or more.

$850 a pair? I made no such recommendation. As far as you disagreeing with me, it's a free country. I never knocked your recommendation, by the way.


The latter does sound like a plan; I don't think they'll have an issue filling your space. Being crossed over to subwoofers helps a lot too, especially if you want to go the monitor route. If you do, though, try to go with something with a higher sensitivity unless you have tons of power to drive them. Even with 200+ watts into 8 ohms those SoundScapes ate those amps alive at the GTG.

I've heard the paradigm studio series and only can imagine how good these would be...

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/home-...e-theater.html

I see. Very cool. Thanks!

If you need to play it loud (HT oriented):

2 x JTR Triple 8HT

http://jtrspeakers.com/home-audio/triple-8ht/



If you want pure Hi-Fidelity (Music oriented):

Swan T900F

Specs: http://www.mockupworld.com/swan_spea...&shopp_pid=155 (T900F is the same as the T1000F except no built in sub)
Dealer: http://www.lockwaresystems.com/t900f-121-239.html



Good luck!~

- Kh[a]os

I was referring to the Philharmonic 3, but monitors should work very well also. Whether or not the monitor is easier to drive than a floor standing speaker all depends on the speaker's measurements. In other words, there is no unanimous correct answer.

Sorry, I looked up the plain Sierra.

Well, you implied it came at a cost of being less musical. I disagree. A lot. I spend hours listening to stereo music at low levels on my high sensitivity speakers.

I assume he made that statement because in most cases high sensitivity speakers are made for the sole purpose of HT, hence why there is so much emphasize on high output. It's not a direct statement that all high sensitivity speakers sound worse than less efficient, but assume this, if a low sensitivity speaker is not focusing on high spl, it's probably focusing on accuracy with a "no compromise" musical listening experience. High Sensitivity speakers in most cases will beat lower sensitivity in HT due to sheer dynamics; nevertheless, I would say that I feel any speaker optimized for Hi-Fidelity would beat HT oriented speakers in a heartbeat when it comes to music. These speakers, in most cases, tend to have a lower sensitivity.

Either way, once two speakers are level matched, sensitivity will mean nothing. My opinions are based on comparisons between certain highly efficient models and less-efficient models in both musical and HT applications.

This is my own opinion, and does not reflect that of Nuance's. I'm just merely providing some insight as to what may be his way of thinking.

- Kh[a]os

When you get into the 5K a pair high-sensitivity speakers, they can sound way good.
Don't forget that high-sensitivity may mean lower excursion and therefore lower distorsion.

Of course they can sound good, however making a claim that high-sensitivity will sound better because of x amount of reasons is an opinion, not a fact. Any two speakers, regardless of sensitivity, will sound different from each other once level matched, for better or worse. There are many low sensitivity speakers out there that have quite low distortion measurements.

To each his own.

- Kh[a]os

Nope. Level matching will be fine for lower volumes. But once the lower sensitivity speaker sucks all the juice out of your amp then you will have clipping and lots of distortion. The higher sensitivity speaker will get much louder while remaining clean and undistorted.

It should be obvious I was talking under situations where both speakers would have an adequate amount of power. Obviously if the amp isn't pumping out enough juice, then the comparison would be invalid. My argument was that "sound quality" is not affected by sensitivity. If you want to say that not having enough power = worse sound quality, then we are now blaming the amplifier, not the speaker. This also agrees with my point that high-sensitivity works in coherence with high spl. A Hi-Fidelity speaker with low sensitivity will most probably have no issue's with music at regular-higher listening volumes provided the amp provides enough clean wattage because most "peaks" where high-sensitivity shines are involved in an HT application.


I was proving that high-sensitivity != better sound quality, given the proper pre-requisites. This quote is in direct agreement with my claim. As long as the amplifier has the power, this should apply all the way up to until you breach the threshold of pain, at which point it will no longer matter how much louder the "other" speaker can get without distorting.

We are in a thread where the OP is looking for speakers in the 3k-5k range. If the OP does not have a good amplifier, he should not be investing in speakers at this price point.

I will say, you are in fact right. If the amp cannot supply the power to the less efficient, then the more efficient will sound better. Nevertheless, this is no longer a fair comparison.

OP's Amp Ratings:
220 watts RMS x 5, 20 Hz - 20 kHz,
8 Ω, all channels driven;
300 watts RMS x 5, 20 Hz - 20 kHz,
4 Ω, all channels driven

His subwoofer is handling the lower frequencies (where the excess power actually comes into play). With this in mind, it's safe to say he has more than enough power.


My argument is valid.

- Kh[a]os