Floor Standing Speakers in a 600-800 dollars range

I am confused buy your response since to my believe most people here think that online retailers like Axiom, HomeTheaterDirect, etc offer the best ban for the buck over regular retail companies since their products dont have the added expense of selling it in a Sears, Best Buy etc.

Which model is that PSB and at what price? I was able to audition the HomeTheaterDirect Level 3 and Level 4 towers and was blown away by the soundstage, imaging and clarity even with a less than ideal setup (big screen between each speaker). FOr the money I love the HTD Level 3 ($420) and would love to get the Level 4 but at ($900 its out of my budget).


HTD 4 x Level 3 Towers = $840

HTD Level 3 Center = $150

TOTAL = $950

or better yet buy the Level 4 Center instead at $350 for much better performance totaling $1150. Thats going to be my system.


Regards

I m confused.

What is PSB, which company is this..

Second ..

Is axiom or energy out of the picture.

Also what are my other choices other than HTD / Energy / Axiom

Is there anywhere i can test them out b4 i actually go into buying them

Thanks

Z

Thanks rt297


I had one small question to ask,

I just collected the details which i fould floating around in forums and the advice offered to me


This is what i found out - Check the html file in the attachment


I havent done a full review yet but am workin on it as yet.


Some things i noted.


-->Rockets Frequency response is 40-20K and they are more expensive ( after shipping ) than the axioms's millenia


-->Rocket does not have a midrange where as Axiom has one


-->TIll now I found that NHT has the best frequency reponse available


-->Energy C-5 has the worst frequency response for the prices comapred


-->Athena is looking very promising, best freq response, decent senstivity, best value for money


I can also go and check out at local best buy, i wish i can do that to the rest of the speaker systems.


Has anyone else done any comparisions on these systems ??


Thanks

Z


I am now inclining towards the Axiom M60ti, any suggestions would be more than welcome

 

buying speakers2.zip 2.9990234375k . file

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Cant find them at good guys .. any url ??


But found them at my local retailer, will surely go out and check them out

Thanks

Any one has tetsed them b4

Z

Just calculated the Dimenstions of my room


Its 18 Long, 14 Wide and 8 high.


It has windows on one of its side which would cause problems if i wanna make a Projector based HT ( or would it not ) , I would go into that later , first i need to figure out the speaker systems.


I will post responses once i have listend to a few of the systems i have been blabbing about !!


Z

Phase Tech Velocity v-12's.


10 yr warranty, easy to drive speaker. The latest DVD ETC has a good review of the v-10's which are similar but as far as I know they are less than the v12's sound wise. They are also American Made which may or may not be a concern to you.


You should easily be able to get the v12's and a v6 center inside your budget. I'm buying a full 7 channel Velocity setup for $1680. A 5 channel setup would have ran me $1400.


The only knock besides brightness for the PSB for me would be the 6/4 ohm sensitivity which can put a strain on some recievers.


Another option:

Soliloquoy 5.3's from Underwood Wally Hifi
http://www.solspeak.com/index2.html
http://www.underwoodhifi.com/specials.html


More music oriented speaker but the cabinetry is killer. They are made in North Carolina.

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Hi Z,


As a company rep, I'll obviously withold any opinions on the speakers you're auditioning. However, I did want to clear up a couple things quickly...
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To be sure you're comparing apples to apples, it's important you find out how the other mfg's you're considering are rating their speakers. Our frequency response numbers are based on anechoic measurement data - in other words, the speaker unaffected by any room boudaries. Depending on placement, room size, and several other factors, a speaker's actual in-room response will vary greatly from its anechoic data. We've found the RS 550 to play down around the 32 Hz point if placed in a moderate sized room (say 2500 cu ft.) with rear room boudaries 2-3 ft. behind and to the side of the speaker.
Quote:
Actually, the RS 550 has TWO midrange drivers. This speaker, unlike our RS 750, is a traditional 2.5 way design. In essence, this means that both drivers are playing both mids and lows, while the bottom driver handles a little less mid and a little more low. This frees up the upper driver to play a little cleaner and more detailed in the upper mids for a seamless blend with the Vifa XT tweeter. It does not, however, have a dedicated midrange driver as found on our RSC 200 center channel, for example.


Hope this helps. Good luck with your search - there are a LOT of excellent options in this price range!

I went through a very long, bruising speaker search about 6 weeks ago and I ended up with Boston Acoustics VR-M60s front, VRC centre, VR-M50s rear w/PV900 sub. These are not floorstanders, nor do they necessarily meet your budget, but I started with a bias for floorstanders and ended with standmounts.


That said, I've auditioned a number of the speakers in this thread, and for what it's worth, I found the following among floorstanders.


The Monitor Audio B4s were very smooth, with a "typical" (IMO) British sound. Quite nice at their price point, a bit too subtle with details and imaging for me.


The Energy C5s were more detailed, not as smooth. I liked them, but my wife hated the high end.


PSB Image 5Ts, very nice highs, good bass extension, too polite in the midrange (but the store where I auditioned them had a HORRIBLE room set up for this, so your experience may be different)


If you like the Monitor Audio sound, but want to try another brand to compare, you could look at Mission M34s, very similar sound to my ear. The MAs look a bit nicer to me (if that matters to you, it mattered little to me)


If you're not married to the floorstander format, then you should also give the Paradigm Monitor 5s (large standmount) a listen--I nearly bought them but I was able to stretch my budget and go for the Bostons.


Other standmounts to consider:

B&W 600 series (various sizes), very detailed, might seem "bright" depending on the amplification used

Kef Q series (I found them a bit muddy, but have met people who swear by them)

Def Tech--I didn't like them, but you might--too aggressive and in-your-face for me


Last bit of advice (and I'm no expert): don't shop primarily by specs, use your ears. You'll find them far more convincing than spec sheets.


Above all, have fun and good luck.