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$1500 for fronts - recommendations?

post #1 of 40
4/27/12 at 11:21am
Thread Starter 
Hey folks; looking for some recommendations on what speakers would be worthwhile to go and audition up to the $1500/pair price range.

I had been saving for my “dream” system but have recently realized that my dreams and my income are extremely disparate and are likely to stay that way for a while. So I am resetting my expectations since I have been in the upgrading “process” for years now (I know technically it will never end ).

I’ve currently got an Anthem AVM-30 and Rotel RMB-1075, along with a B&W HTM4. The idea long ago was to get a pair of 805s for the front, but the truth is that I can’t save fast enough to keep up with how much they cost, so I am resetting my budget for fronts to $1500/pair.

I was planning on auditioning the B&W CM5’s, but I haven’t been keeping up on what other brands I should listen to. I’ve seen folks recommend Linn Majik 109, Focal 807v, and KEF Q300 – any other brands should I include on my listening tour? I live in the Seattle area. (I realize there will be a timbre matching issue with the HTM4 – I might just have to live with that).

My room is fairly long and narrow – about 12’ wide x 20’ long with one end open to the kitchen, which extends about another 20’ – so it’s not a huge space, and I will probably have to keep it to a bookshelf speaker (I will be looking at subs next), or a very small footprint floorstanding speaker for WAF concerns.

I’d be doing 75% movies/TV/Xbox and 25% music.

Thanks in advance and please let me know if I need to provide more info!

EDIT: Forgot to ask - if anyone has any experience with the Salk Songbirds and think they would be worth considering, that is another that is on my radar.
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post #2 of 40
4/27/12 at 11:50am
Salk Songbird for $1500 or Philharmonic 1 for $1600. Either would be great.

The Phil1 has ribbon tweeters. It has the same BG Neo8 midrange as the flagship Phil3 towers. It has same bass woofer as the Phil2.

http://philharmonicaudio.com/philharmonic1.html
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post #3 of 40
4/27/12 at 11:55am
Quote:
Originally Posted by AcuDefTechGuy View Post

Salk Songbird for $1500 or Philharmonic 1 for $1600. Either would be great.

The Phil1 has ribbon tweeters. It has the same BG Neo8 midrange as the flagship Phil3 towers. It has same bass woofer as the Phil2.

http://philharmonicaudio.com/philharmonic1.html

Not sure the Phil meets the OP's requirements of bookshelves or small form factor floorstanders.
Songbird would though.
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post #4 of 40
4/27/12 at 12:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by saeyedoc View Post

Not sure the Phil meets the OP's requirements of bookshelves or small form factor floorstanders.
Songbird would though.

Oh, well, I think there are so many bookshelf speakers from Salk, Philharmonic, & Ascend and other brands that will work.

Salk Songbird should be good.

NHT Absolute Towers should be good for $499 each. They offer free 30-day return.
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post #5 of 40
4/27/12 at 12:10pm
One of the Vapor or Selah monitors in that price range would probably be good contenders as well.
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post #6 of 40
4/27/12 at 1:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by JRocket View Post

Hey folks; looking for some recommendations on what speakers would be worthwhile to go and audition up to the $1500/pair price range.

I had been saving for my dream system but have recently realized that my dreams and my income are extremely disparate and are likely to stay that way for a while. So I am resetting my expectations since I have been in the upgrading process for years now (I know technically it will never end ).

I've currently got an Anthem AVM-30 and Rotel RMB-1075, along with a B&W HTM4. The idea long ago was to get a pair of 805s for the front, but the truth is that I can't save fast enough to keep up with how much they cost, so I am resetting my budget for fronts to $1500/pair.

I was planning on auditioning the B&W CM5's, but I haven't been keeping up on what other brands I should listen to. I've seen folks recommend Linn Majik 109, Focal 807v, and KEF Q300 - any other brands should I include on my listening tour? I live in the Seattle area. (I realize there will be a timbre matching issue with the HTM4 - I might just have to live with that).

My room is fairly long and narrow - about 12' wide x 20' long with one end open to the kitchen, which extends about another 20' - so it's not a huge space, and I will probably have to keep it to a bookshelf speaker (I will be looking at subs next), or a very small footprint floorstanding speaker for WAF concerns.

I'd be doing 75% movies/TV/Xbox and 25% music.

Thanks in advance and please let me know if I need to provide more info!

EDIT: Forgot to ask - if anyone has any experience with the Salk Songbirds and think they would be worth considering, that is another that is on my radar.

Trust me, "dream" speakers don't have to cost an arm and a leg, in fact, most of the speakers on the market are highly overpriced.

Good example of a nice pair of reference sounding monitors that wont cost you an arm and a leg are the older Kef XQ10 and XQ20 monitors. Point source array monitors that coupled with a good sub or subs can and will give you high quality audio reproduction. THey are basically being discontinued now, but you can find the XQ20's brand new for less than $1k(original retail was $2k)and the XQ10's for about 5-600(Original retail was $1500). I ended up returning my Kef Reference 201/2's for a pair of XQ20's, took the thousands saved and put some of the money back into a high quality pair of matching subs.

Some no bull quality monitors to look at:

Kef XQ10's and 20's(Best bang for the buck IMO now while still available)with point source imaging/front port arrangement for optimal placement potential.

Ascend Sierra-1's (Good midrange near the Kef's potential above)

Revel M20's(If you can find a pair of mint one's, used only), also with excellent midrange.

Sonus Faber Concerto's or Concertino's(original's or current models)........exceptional monitors that excel in midrange smoothness and clarity.

Usher x-718's.....basically a Sonus Faber Concerto clone.....again though excellent midrange.
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post #7 of 40
4/27/12 at 1:22pm
+1 on the SongBirds. You'll need a good amount of power to drive them, though.
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post #8 of 40
4/27/12 at 1:52pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nuance View Post

+1 on the SongBirds. You'll need a good amount of power to drive them, though.

My Rotel is rated 5x120, but I also have (2) 2x100 older Parasound amps lying around that I can bridge to 1x200 each (I believe).

If I went with the Songbirds, do you think it would be worthwhile to spend an extra $100 for bi-amping capability, or is that a waste of money?
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post #9 of 40
4/27/12 at 1:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by JRocket View Post

My Rotel is rated 5x120, but I also have (2) 2x100 older Parasound amps lying around that I can bridge to 1x200 each (I believe).

If I went with the Songbirds, do you think it would be worthwhile to spend an extra $100 for bi-amping capability, or is that a waste of money?

Bi-amping would be worth it IMO; by-wiring not so much.
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post #10 of 40
4/27/12 at 2:15pm
+1 on the Salks.

Also, Soundfield Audio's Monitor 1 is also worth checking out. Great sound and surprisingly full range sound (due to the built in powered 8" "sub") despite its smallish size.

http://soundfieldaudio.net/Products.html
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post #11 of 40
4/27/12 at 2:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nuance View Post

Bi-amping would be worth it IMO; by-wiring not so much.

Doesn't bi-amping only really work if there's a crossover prior to the amp?
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post #12 of 40
4/27/12 at 2:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by saeyedoc View Post

Doesn't bi-amping only really work if there's a crossover prior to the amp?

I was wondering about the same thing.
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post #13 of 40
4/27/12 at 4:36pm
JRocket, the Ascend Sierra Towers are way slimmer than the other great speakers mentioned above and at 41Hz - 28kHz would be better in the bass department than bookshelves. It has a flat freq response even if it's the non ribbon tweeter version and the specs are amazing for speakers that slim. Ascend's internet direct only but you have a free trial period so nothing to lose. It's at $1900 though...

http://www.ascendacoustics.com/pages.../srtspecs.html
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post #14 of 40
4/27/12 at 4:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by saeyedoc View Post

Doesn't bi-amping only really work if there's a crossover prior to the amp?

No. Speakers with terminals for each parallel leg of the passive XO can be bi-amped.
The majority of speakers on the market use parallel XO's (though not all have separate terminals for each leg, with jumpers...aka Biamp/triamp etc. terminals).

cheers,

AJ
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post #15 of 40
4/27/12 at 5:04pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Veda View Post

Ascend's internet direct only but you have a free trial period so nothing to lose. It's at $1900 though...

http://www.ascendacoustics.com/pages.../srtspecs.html

Those look pretty sweet, but unfortunately the $1900 is going to be too much; $1500 is pretty much the top end of the budget.

The Salk Songbirds look like a pretty good option as well, I'll have to do more digging on those but they seem promising. I dug through the Salk owner's thread but it's so long now - if anyone owns the Songbirds and can comment on things they like/dislike, etc. that would be great.

Thanks very much to everyone who has responded so far, this is a huge help! Keep those recommendations coming!
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post #16 of 40
4/27/12 at 5:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by JRocket View Post

Those look pretty sweet, but unfortunately the $1900 is going to be too much; $1500 is pretty much the top end of the budget.

Salk has the superior slimmer cabinets than the Phil 1 but the Phils use ribbon tweeters and would go down way lower. The Salks are super inefficient too. The Phils are huge though... Have you checked out the Arx A3 or A5? Half your budget but might just fit your needs with its slim size, ribbons, 89dB efficiency, and XBL2 woofer motor (very high output). Might just be the perfect speakers for your needs (HT 75%). Supposedly this is the highest sound quality at lowest price possible product. Do some readings on the technology behind the drivers...

http://www.theaudioinsider.com/product_info.php?products_id=67
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post #17 of 40
4/27/12 at 6:48pm
Another +1 to songbirds, I have just the basic songtowers and they are just down right amazing, also Jim was a lot of fun to work with!
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post #18 of 40
4/27/12 at 6:55pm
Hearing good things about the Legacy Audio Studio HD

http://www.legacyaudio.com/products/view/studio-hd/

Heard their higher end stuff at the New York Audio Show a few weeks ago. Impressive but if you are mainly movies and some games, I would consider looking at a few of the lower priced Triad lines.

www.triadspeakers.com
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post #19 of 40
4/27/12 at 7:20pm
For a bookshelf speaker with a soft dome tweeter, you could look at this: http://www.rbhsound.com/sx661.php For a bookshelf speaker that is capable of higher SPL levels and more dynamics, you could look at this: http://www.klipsch.com/rb-81-ii-bookshelf-speaker The Klipsch speaker leaves enough in your budget to get a decent sub, which is pretty much needed for good HT.
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post #20 of 40
4/28/12 at 7:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Saturn94 View Post

+1 on the Salks.

Also, Soundfield Audio's Monitor 1 is also worth checking out. Great sound and surprisingly full range sound (due to the built in powered 8" "sub") despite its smallish size.

http://soundfieldaudio.net/Products.html

Yes, Soundfield Audio is another great speaker.
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post #21 of 40
4/28/12 at 8:23am
Quote:
Originally Posted by AcuDefTechGuy View Post


Yes, Soundfield Audio is another great speaker.

Have you heard them? I haven't but saw AJ mention he offers tours, which I may take advantage of. If I get a pair for his tour perhaps I can send them to you for the next leg of the tour, or vice versa.
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post #22 of 40
4/28/12 at 8:57am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nuance View Post

Have you heard them? I haven't but saw AJ mention he offers tours, which I may take advantage of. If I get a pair for his tour perhaps I can send them to you for the next leg of the tour, or vice versa.

I have not audition them, but I have a pretty good clue based on the FR and the Uni-Q driver, which is like the one in my KEF 201/2.

I'm in Dallas right now. Too bad the LSAF is next weekend.
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post #23 of 40
4/28/12 at 9:52am
Have any of you guys heard Gedlee speakers? Supposedly the most realistic and lifelike speakers in the market? And how about these:

http://www.eminent-tech.com/LFT-16handout.html
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post #24 of 40
5/1/12 at 6:46am
I've had my Soundfield Audio Monitor 1s since September, love 'em. In the spirit of their creator, just bring over sufficient quantities of Firestone Double Jack or Avery Maharaja, and you can feast your ears to my speakers. A win-win!
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post #25 of 40
5/1/12 at 8:10am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Veda View Post

Have any of you guys heard Gedlee speakers? Supposedly the most realistic and lifelike speakers in the market? And how about these:

http://www.eminent-tech.com/LFT-16handout.html

I've read and heard nothing but great things about Gedlee speakers, but they start at 1500 each. So they're well outside of the op's price range.

Sorry but I'm not familiar with eminent tech.
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post #26 of 40
5/1/12 at 8:34am
Don't forget about the Dynaudio Excite series if you can use a stand mount speaker.
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post #27 of 40
5/1/12 at 9:47am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Veda View Post

Have any of you guys heard Gedlee speakers? Supposedly the most realistic and lifelike speakers in the market? And how about these:

http://www.eminent-tech.com/LFT-16handout.html

Gedlee is just another high efficiency "pro driver" style speaker. My only issue with using alot of these style speakers is that you need to make sure your equipment is solid in terms of a low noise floor, minimal crosstalk etc........these type of speakers are best suited IMO for VERY LARGE rooms where the listening area is quite a distance from each speaker an close to on axis of the driver face, as they tend to beam in a narrower off axis window.
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post #28 of 40
5/1/12 at 9:52am
Quote:
Originally Posted by AcuDefTechGuy View Post

Yes, Soundfield Audio is another great speaker.

Id like to know where he is getting the Kef uniQ drivers from? Is he basically just buying iQ or Q series speakers in bulk then getting them for the driver?
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post #29 of 40
5/1/12 at 10:02am
If you have room for them and they pass WAF, the Kef iQ90s fit your budget pretty well. Then get the iQ60 center directly from Kef.
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post #30 of 40
5/1/12 at 10:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ntrain96 View Post

Gedlee is just another high efficiency "pro driver" style speaker. My only issue with using alot of these style speakers is that you need to make sure your equipment is solid in terms of a low noise floor, minimal crosstalk etc........these type of speakers are best suited IMO for VERY LARGE rooms where the listening area is quite a distance from each speaker an close to on axis of the driver face, as they tend to beam in a narrower off axis window.

Not the case for those speakers, and I'd say not the case for many "pro driver" speakers except the poorly made ones. Don't want to muddy up the thread or push anything down your throat so just check out his site if you're interested in learning the differences.
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