[simpko22]

Hey,

I am currently looking for two floor standing speaker to add to my 5.1 system, I currently have the onkyo tx-nr525 receiver.

I really want a pair of towers that can handle high volume with no distortion. I am into electric party dubstep kind of music and need them to be loud and handle a lot of bass for the occasional party, but I also want to use them as a home theater system in between.

I don't want to spend any more then $500 (au) if possible for the pair, may go up to $600 if need be.

Can anyone suggest a pair of really good floorstanding towers? I also do not have access to many speaker stores as I do not live in a city, so if they could post it would be awesome!

Thanks in advance

 

[simpko22]

Oh and to add to that,

I may have found some but I don't know of I'm on the wrong track or which one or of any better alternative are out there.

But I found:


Klipsch synergy F-30

$200 each


Polk tsi500's

$200 each


And some eBay ones called accusound 8.6XD floorstanding towers. Dunno if they are any good but they have 2, 8" woofers, 1 125mm mid range, and a 1" tweeter

$300 for the pair.

 

[brian6751]

You won't find towers to handle electronic dubstep. Not on that budget. There are DIY options for a little more but I don't know about shipping.


You shod look for bookshelves and a sub or subs to get what your looking for.

 

[simpko22]

Hmm well I already have book shelves and a sub, but I like to have my sub hooked up to my tv for gaming while I listen to music, hence the want for some towers that can handle bass so I can listen to decent music while I play, I can go a little higher if need be what are your suggested options?

 

[hernanu]

So what is it about your current system that you don't find good enough?


Do you play music only on two channels (speakers) or do you play it with the subwoofer involved (2.1) or all speakers matrixed in (5.1)?


If you're not happy with the bass, then it seems like you need to get your sub involved or maybe upgrade your sub.

 

[Secret Squirrel]

I listen to dubstep music sometimes. Others have already gave you the solution, but I'm going to be more bold. To accurately reproduce dubstep you need a good subwoofer or multiple subwoofers. The tower speakers you listed will not do full range duty for dubstep and you shouldn't expect them to. I have mains with dual 15''s and they can play very low but where the mains are placed in a room is not the best place for lower bass reproduction. I use my large mains along with four large subwoofers spread around the room for the best bass response. Dubstep is very hard on speakers in a 2.0 configuration. You need a good subwoofer or multiple subs.


Think of it in another way. If you where to buy a very expensive Ferrari you would use high performance sticky low profile tires for the best driving experience in dry weather. You wouldn't put snow tires on it for the best performance. Trying to listen to dubstep in 2.0 no matter how big the towers are, is the same as driving a super car around with snow tires.

 

[simpko22]

I currently have a 2.1 system but can expand to a 5.2, I would also like to have the addition of surround sound and just to add an extra punch to my music. I have a sub but it is very boomy and gets lost on complex bass lines so this is why I want am extra source to handle the bass, but rather then getting just a sub I am looking to get a 2 in 1 thing with the towers if you know what I mean haha. I probably will get another sub later on but for now it's just the towers on my mind.

 

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

You don't need towers, you need a better sub or two. Good subs don't have the problems you describe, and good subs will give far better bass than towers.

 

[simpko22]

Yeah well I will definantly look into another sub, but for now I would really like some towers just so I can have surround sound for movies and gaming i just want the most capable towers for handling bass under $1000 till I can find and have enough for a suitable sub. Do you maybe know any towers with built in subs? I can expand my budget to about $1500 max

 

[Secret Squirrel]

Towers with built in subwoofers are not a solution and by design are somewhat flawed. Bass reproduction is not best from where the mains are positioned. That's why subwoofers that can be placed around the room in specific places provide the best bass response. You don't need tower speakers. You can use good bookshelf speakers. Even if you use tower speakers they will not produce bass like a good subwoofer will. The system will be more dynamic with proper bass management being used between bookshelf or floor standing speakers with a subwoofer or subwoofers. I have three capable systems in my house. One is a 2.1 system with a large subwoofer in a smaller room. The other system is giant 7.4 theater with refrigerator size mains and four huge subs. I use an 80hz crossover on my huge floor standing speakers and listen to music in 2.4. Both systems handle dubstep like no 2.0 system can. I'm not sure why you're fighting what you need to do to get the best sound results. Take it from someone that has had to learn from making mistakes in audio gear in the past.

 

[simpko22]

Alright I understand you, I will get another sub instead of trying to find towers to replicate my bass, but I still need towers for the movies haha, so what are the best multipurpose towers out there for under $1000?

And do you have any good cheap sub options that will keep their form during complex bass lines and have enough output to fill my large space?

Thanks for all your help too haha sorry im difficult!

 

[Secret Squirrel]

Since you want real big speakers have a look at these. I own the version just before these from the CLS line. These are not easy to drive despite what their advertised specs say. They have large impedance dips that are shown in bench tests.
http://www.a1components.com/Products/Cerwin-Vega-XLS-215-Dual-15in-Floor-Speaker--3-way__CER1096.aspx


Here's another very nice speaker from Klipsch. If I didn't have my large CV's I would like to have these.
http://www.klipsch.com/rf-7-ii-floorstanding-speaker


There are other good towers that are a bit smaller and cheaper. I just thought I would show you the real big speakers first.


Here's a newer subwoofer that people really seem to like and is a good performer.
http://www.svsound.com/subwoofers/ported-box/pb-2000#.UwE2ZygwKlI

 

[simpko22]

Wow those first ones look amazing and they will just fit my budget, I will look around for a cheaper price of them but if not I will just have to grab them at that. Thanks I think you have sold me my friend!

My onkyo receiver has 130w -160w per channel and 6 ohm independence, that should be enough shouldn't it? Or not?

 

[Secret Squirrel]

These larger CV's dip down to 4ohms and lower so it can be a problem with some receivers. You might be fine with your AVR powering them but dedicated amplifiers are usually used with these speakers because of their impedance dips. Headroom is a benefit in the amplifier department with these speakers.

 

[simpko22]

Ahh right, so I'm very new and inexperienced with this stuff, with my receiver, what is the best possible way to get the max out of those speakers and the best setup? Sorry I'm a bit of a noob haha so could you explain how to go about this for a dummy like me hahaha

 

[Secret Squirrel]

There are no dumb questions. The same principles apply to get the most out of those speakers just like any other speaker. The XLS-215 have actually been redesigned to not play as low as the older CLS-215 that I have. The new XLS-215 have been redesigned to play along with a subwoofer. If you use them in 2.0 full range be careful using them with your AVR. They will eat power. For the best results you need to pair them with a good subwoofer. This will take some of the load off your AVR. They will still have low impedance dips using them with a subwoofer. So dedicated amplifiers are often used. Especially if you're going to play them loud. They're advertised as 6ohm but they dip way below that with certain frequencies.

 

[simpko22]

Ahhh so can I still find the cls models?

And with the xls models, do I need or should I have a amplifier with it, if I want them to play low frequencies for a full range and if so how do I incorporate that with my 5.1 setup?

 

[simpko22]

Oh and do you think if I had a choice of the two, would I be better off going with the clx or xls?

 

[Secret Squirrel]

The CLS-215 plays down to 25hz and is no longer available. The XLS-215 can play down to about 40hz. I wouldn't recommend using either of those speakers full range unless you have dedicated amplifiers. Even with dedicated amps using them full range they will never match what a subwoofer can do as far as good bass response. I've tried them in all configurations and you get the best performance using them with subwoofers. I have to say they are the best sounding full range speakers I have ever heard. Using them with subwoofers is the ultimate way to get the best performance out of them.

 

[simpko22]

Aw that's such a shame they don't make the cls model anymore, well I have a subwoofer so that will be awesome to pair them, so with the dedicated amplifier, can I add one to my system easily and fit it in with my 5.1 system and how do I do it?