Musical speakers in the $1k-$1.5k range

[DSkip]

I'm starting to look at getting new speakers since none of the ones I own really do it for me musically. I'm partial to Polk, but the only thing in my budget that I would consider would be the 703, and I'm worried about that being just a tad bit too laid back for me. I'm going to be giving Totem another listen soon, particularly the Rainmaker. The local shop that carries them is willing to let me bring in my Jolida to see what kind of chemistry they have since the amp they were using appears to have been a really bad match.

So what else should I be looking at? I am leaning more towards new speakers at this point, but still look in the local used market daily. These would be 100% music; I've got HT covered fairly well.

[gdb]

Lsi line not a possibility ? Fire sale prices on them lately with the intro of the newbies.

[VR3]

Salk, Odyssey, Tyler, Focal, Dynaudio, etc etc - all can be found used.

Good luck

[DSkip]

Lsi line not a possibility ? Fire sale prices on them lately with the intro of the newbies.

Nope. I've had my share of their sound and I'm looking for something else. Like I said, the 703 is the ONLY Polk offering I'd consider at this point, but I'm kind of wanting to spread my wings some, so to speak. In addition to the Totems, I should be getting my ears on some Maggies in short time as well.

[organ]

Is this going to be connected to the Jolida you just purchased? If so, try to go for VERY efficient speakers. They usually work best with tubes. You'd want to look at something that is 8 ohms nominal without too much of a dip (tube amps prefer a linear impedance) and sensitivity in the mid 90's to 100 or more. Yes, many tube amps have 4 ohm output taps but the 4 ohm don't sound as good as the higher imp taps.

If you're open to used speakers, I would recommend the Klipsch La Scala. YOu can find nice used ones fromt he 90's for $1500 if they're in excellent shape. Tubes and horns goes together like peanut butter and jelly.

[leroyjr1]

I'm starting to look at getting new speakers since none of the ones I own really do it for me musically. I'm partial to Polk, but the only thing in my budget that I would consider would be the 703, and I'm worried about that being just a tad bit too laid back for me. I'm going to be giving Totem another listen soon, particularly the Rainmaker. The local shop that carries them is willing to let me bring in my Jolida to see what kind of chemistry they have since the amp they were using appears to have been a really bad match.

So what else should I be looking at? I am leaning more towards new speakers at this point, but still look in the local used market daily. These would be 100% music; I've got HT covered fairly well.

I wouldn't classify the LSIm's as laid back. The totems are more laid back then they are.

[zingo]

I think horns are very musical as they are dynamic with a lot of impact. Klipsch speakers are awesome with tubes, and horn speakers usually have a pretty good used market. La Scalas are a great suggestion, but they only go to 50ish Hz if that works with your system. Either Klipsch Forte I or II is great, so is the Chorus II, and both dig into the high 30 Hz. Two-way coaxial speakers with horn loaded woofers are also awesome.

[falconcry72]

...I should be getting my ears on some Maggies in short time as well.

Have you not heard Maggies? I think they offer a ridiculous bang for the buck brand new, but especially on the used market. I'd say the 1.6's are the best value out there. You could get a couple year old pair for 800-900 bucks easy. You could also score the new 1.7's for around 1500 used.

I rotate my 1.6's into my 2-channel setup regularly because they outperform my Dancer Mini-2's in a lot of ways... and those Mini 2's retailed for over 4k.

[Drenis]

You didn't like the 705's at LSAF?

I hear/read better things about them then the 707's for pure music. Has me curious.

[zingo]

Other musical suggestions in your price range bases off my local CL: KEF, Tannoy, Focal. All would work with your tube amp as well.

[DSkip]

You didn't like the 705's at LSAF?

I hear/read better things about them then the 707's for pure music. Has me curious.

The 705's are superb and so are the 703's. I've had my ears on all three offerings. Part of this search is trying to branch out and see if there is something else out there before I jump on 703's. Their silky smooth top end is just a tad laid back for what I like. The LSiM's are leagues above the LSi series IMO and it wouldn't break my heart in the least to own a pair.

Unfortunately, I've never heard a pair of horns I like. There is a pair of Tannoy bookies on the local CL that caught my eye, but I've never spent enough time with Tannoy to get a feel for their sound.

[cnh]

I like a lot of what VR3 and zingo have listed. Focal, Dynaudio, Tannoy and I know that classic Klipsch love "tubes" so that would be a consideration although I'm not a fan of tubeless Klipsch's.

Maybe the newer KEFs as well. You guys think KEFs are laid back? Really? Can't see that!

I honestly don't know what the Jolida will sound like with anything but the Tannoy. That's the only combo I've actually heard. And I loved that--they pair up well!

I tend to think that the Jolida would also "like" many metal dome tweeters from the experience I've had with my JBL L80ts.

Other than that. Your idea of taking the Jolida in and testing it is an excellent approach.

Have you had a chance to run the Jolida on any of the speakers you own yet? And your thoughts?

Have fun!

cnh

[VR3]

My KEF experiences suggest they are laid back

[DSkip]

I've tried the Jolida with the LS70's, RT55's and RT3000 satellites so far. The LS70's just couldn't pull me in at all, even after playing around with various placements. The RT55's sound great tonally, but tended to be very muddy. The satellites were my favorite, showing great detail but rather shrill without the subs to pair with them. They also don't have very much slam, something I don't have to have much of, but would prefer more than they can give. I don't think I'd mind using those musically once the subs were back in action, but I'd prefer having a separate rig and not worry about switching cables any time I want to listen to anything.

Whatever I end up going with, it will have to dethrone the 703 as that's my reference right now. With all the talk about KEF lately, they do pique my interest some. Trey, I looked at some of your recommendations and they definitely look interesting. A few of those I'd never heard of, which was the whole point of this thread.

[audiocr381ve]

My KEF experiences suggest they are laid back

+1

I have a pair of KEF Q300's. When I swap in my Dynaudio Audience 70's it's like the music moves forward 10 feet. Crazy.

To the OP, get your ears on some Dynaudio speakers and see what you think. They're balanced and have tons of detail AND a ridiculous soundstage. The Audience 70's were entry level speakers in their day (still retailed for $1,600) but I like them enough to want to hear what happens higher in the line.

http://app.audiogon.com/listings/dyn...sewood-mint--2

http://app.audiogon.com/listings/dyn...-mkii-rosewood

[heiney9]

Or he could just wait 24hours and buy yours when you put them up for sale. We all know you hang onto gear for like 3 days and then sell it and everything sounds fantastic to you because you never evaluate it long enough to pass sufficient judgment.

[audiocr381ve]

Or he could just wait 24hours and buy yours when you put them up for sale. We all know you hang onto gear for like 3 days and then sell it and everything sounds fantastic to you because you never evaluate it long enough to pass sufficient judgment.

He doesn't have to wait, they're up for sale already silly ;)

Btw, their is absolutely nothing wrong with knowing what you want (or don't want) and going for it. You do it your way, I'll do it my way :)

[Erik Tracy]

I'm starting to look at getting new speakers since none of the ones I own really do it for me musically. I'm partial to Polk, but the only thing in my budget that I would consider would be the 703, and I'm worried about that being just a tad bit too laid back for me. I'm going to be giving Totem another listen soon, particularly the Rainmaker. The local shop that carries them is willing to let me bring in my Jolida to see what kind of chemistry they have since the amp they were using appears to have been a really bad match.

So what else should I be looking at? I am leaning more towards new speakers at this point, but still look in the local used market daily. These would be 100% music; I've got HT covered fairly well.

The new Paradigm Studio 20 V5s may be up your alley for new and in your budget. Recent reviews seem positive.

[heiney9]

He doesn't have to wait, they're up for sale already silly ;)

Btw, their is absolutely nothing wrong with knowing what you want (or don't want) and going for it. You do it your way, I'll do it my way :)

You obviously don't know what you want since you've been through so much gear in a very short period of time. That can indicate you don't know what you are looking for or how to find it. 1/2 the time you aren;t even comparing the same gear with multiple speakers. I have no idea how you judge one over the other when nothing is consistent. You let one piece go only to immediately miss it and buy another one of the same thing to replace it.

I just find it extremely entertaining and not in a derogatory way, just have a hard time wrapping my head around some one as schizophrenic as you when it comes to swapping gear. It's an audio frenzy.

I will do it my way and you continue to do it yours. No problem with that.

[zingo]

DIY kits from places like Madisound can also save good money over "new" if you want to go that route.

[audiocr381ve]

You obviously don't know what you want since you've been through so much gear in a very short period of time. That can indicate you don't know what you are looking for or how to find it. 1/2 the time you aren;t even comparing the same gear with multiple speakers. I have no idea how you judge one over the other when nothing is consistent. You let one piece go only to immediately miss it and buy another one of the same thing to replace it.

I just find it extremely entertaining and not in a derogatory way, just have a hard time wrapping my head around some one as schizophrenic as you when it comes to swapping gear. It's an audio frenzy.

I will do it my way and you continue to do it yours. No problem with that.

Typical Brock sharing an opinion that no one asked for. Like a true coward your last sentence is "I will do it my way and you continue to do it yours. No problem with that" after you got your two cents in.

Not everybody is like you, man. Your methodology is not mine. The core of my method is have fun and try new things and be happy. Yours is buy once and be happy. Neither of them is wrong so get a clue already and quit being the forum grump.

[heiney9]

Like a true coward your last sentence is "I will do it my way and you continue to do it yours.

I believe you said it first here:

You do it your way, I'll do it my way :)

[DMara]

Please cut the bickering, we got plenty of that already at other threads. Let's continue this thread in peace, I'm learning from it.

[heiney9]

Yours is buy once and be happy.

That's simply not true. I have been evaluating a couple dac's for about a month now, that's what I feel it takes to find out the nuances of the two units and flesh out what's good and bad on a variety of music, moods and settings. I do this with different tubes, rectifiers, cables, tube amps, room treatments, new placement of speakers, etc., etc. So it's not at all a "buy once and be happy".

H9

[leroyjr1]

Back to the topic at hand. I think for $1000 it'll be hard to find a speaker that'll dethrone the 703's. For music I did like the Totem rainmakers for medium to smaller size rooms.

[heiney9]

The OP might want to check into what Von Schweikert is offering today. The last couple pairs I heard were very, very nice. I haven't kept up with used prices so I'm not sure if something fits in your budget. It's a name that was popular around here awhile back, but no one seems to mention them anymore.

H9

[brianle]

What about Ascend Acoustic Sierra 1 (non NRT upgrade) version? I think they will blend well with your tube amp.

[steveinaz]

I think it's important to understand there's a few definitions of "laid back." Depending on who is talking it can mean:

a) Less treble energy
b) Easier going in a general sense over all frequencies (little less slam)
c) Deeper, more distant soundstaging

Skip, which definition are you talking?

[Joe08867]

My guess is he is looking for a bit more slam. 703's are silky smooth but I wouldn't call them laid back.

[DSkip]

My guess is he is looking for a bit more slam. 703's are silky smooth but I wouldn't call them laid back.

In reference to the treble. My terminology might not be correct as they aren't laid back in the slam dept. at all. I'd prefer a little more in the highs. I like for them to stand out a bit, but the balance between standing out and being non-fatiguing seems to be very delicate for me.