Best Tower Speaker Pick $3,500 or less

Discussion in 'Speakers' started by Big D Design, Feb 20, 2017.

  1. SineDave

    SineDave Friend

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    Nothing wrong with praising ML's. I enjoyed a demo of the new Neolith driven by McIntosh 1KW monoblocks a few weeks ago - superb!
     
  2. Big D Design

    Big D Design RIP 2021

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    Also, it is a must for a sub with Martin Logans.
     
  3. Big D Design

    Big D Design RIP 2021

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    Would love to hear the flagship Neolith.... jealous
     
  4. Big D Design

    Big D Design RIP 2021

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    I'm still waiting patiently for my Krell KST-100 to come in the mail.....
     
  5. MyPetSasquatch

    MyPetSasquatch Friend

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    If he's interested in the PSB T2, I'm actually selling mine, and I'm located in Atlanta. Not sure if your client/friend is located in FL as well, but we could definitely arrange a meetup. I like the speakers a lot, they just are not working in the tiny room I'm using them in.
     
  6. Grahad2

    Grahad2 Red eyes from too much anime

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    For some f'ing reason Genesis decided to power it with a 3W 2A3 headphone amp during the show.
     
  7. Daveheart

    Daveheart Friend

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    89 dB @1W/1m speakers are nowhere near the efficiency that should be driven by anything with that little power. I've said it before, but I'm still surprised by the poor decisions some exhibitors make.
     
  8. Grahad2

    Grahad2 Red eyes from too much anime

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    Swapping the amp systems of the 3k 2-way coaxial loudspeaker and the 15k g7.2f with 4 directly powered drivers (and 1 Class D amped servo 8" sub) would have made a lot more sense. Ayeee.
     
  9. SineDave

    SineDave Friend

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    I generally don't make any purchase decisions based on shows. The acoustics are generally shit, and the exhibitors often suck at setting up a system. With a few exceptions who have a lot of knowledge (Bill D from Legacy is one), I've heard a lot of great transducers sound way worse than they are at shows.
     
  10. Big D Design

    Big D Design RIP 2021

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    I can only imagine what kind of idiots are setting up probably really good speakers at a show. It is hard to sell audiophile sound. Setup is key. Hard to do in certain conditions. Then there are the unprepared. Oh my. You could easily miss out on a good product at a show.

    Nowadays..... I don't know of any Audio Salons that are in the business of really making money. They are basically doing what they love to do......
    When I was younger..... Audio Salons had rooms built similar in size to livingrooms with equipment to hear. I took my favorite cables and CDs with me and away we went. Most owners have combinations put together already that work seamlessly.

    I'm getting a headache from CNN, sorry. I have the TV on, and CNN just is throwing hate all day long on their channel. When are they going to stop.
     
  11. Wfojas

    Wfojas Friend

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  12. pippenainteasy

    pippenainteasy Acquaintance

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    Ascend Acoustics Sierra Tower with RAAL tweeter and the Salk Sound Tower RT are pretty popular in the $3k range for music. RAAL 70-20XR tweeter is great for for vocals in particular.
     
  13. Wilhelm E Vormer

    Wilhelm E Vormer New

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    +1 on Salk offerings. V good value. Also Selah Audio are worth a look.
     
  14. Forza AudioWorks

    Forza AudioWorks MOT: Forza AudioWorks

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    I'll add Gradient 6.0. To hear is to believe. These small floorstanders are mindblowing. Of course if one is able to overcome concentric driver + passive membrane prejudice:D
     
  15. msommers

    msommers High on Epipens

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    I'm looking to move away from my Totem Arros to get more resolution, better mid-range while maintaining the excellent imaging and small footprint with, imo, adequate bass. I have to consider the neighbours unfortunately. Normal listening volumes are low, 75-80db, and sometimes 85+. Listen mainly to acoustic/folk, rock and some jazz. Occasionally hip-hop.

    With a bigger cabinet and woofers I am concerned about bass output but if listening at lower volumes this may not be an issue and result in fuller sound? Thoughts? Something that can ideally sit ~1 foot from the back wall would be great.

    Thinking of varies Harbeths, ATC 19, ProAc D2, Totem Ember, Tekton Lore, PMC.22, Klipsch, new JBL 4312SE...
     
  16. Armaegis

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    I have the ATC SCM20. It's great and has amazing midrange, but I agree with most review that they sound better when driven louder. The bass is good enough for acoustics and jazz, but probably not hip hop. If you have the budget, a friend of mine recommends the SCM40 as the sweet spot in the ATC lineup.

    The Harbeth P3ESR might be worth considering. I think we had a local Canuck forum member selling one.
     
  17. msommers

    msommers High on Epipens

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    Yeah Harbeths are high on my list. I think ATCs might be too hard to drive with the Pass amp I have but worth a shot.

    A local dealer has both ATC and Harbeth but it's always a pain to be convincing the guy to allow an audition because after grilling you for 10 minutes on the equipment you have, which I can only imagine is to see how much money you have, he more or less wants some agreement that you'll buy something. Such a f'ing ordeal, never been to a dealer like his but he carries a lot of stuff and that's probably why. All the while wearing a GAP polo, sweatpants and crocks...you can't make this shit up.
     
  18. bixby

    bixby Friend

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    Low volume and good bass can go hand in hand. Took me years to learn having the speakers way out from the wall can actually hurt the linearity of the bass. Now my studio monitors are within 1 foot of the wall. Avoiding peaks and nulls in your listening position is the best advice I can give.

    Out of a dozen or so visits to RMAF, I can suggest a few speaker brands to audition. I do like Harbeth and see it is on the list. Silverline, Joseph Audio, Amphion, and Legacy Audio are some of the few that have impressed me over the years.

    Good luck with the search.
     
  19. msommers

    msommers High on Epipens

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    Thanks for the suggestions! Jospeh Audio Pulsar is definitely on my wish-to-try list but is probably creeping passed my budget and rarely on the used market.

    Someone locally is welcoming me to listen to 3A Capo BE Reference monitors at their home which is wonderful. Will look into the other brands as well!
     
  20. murphythecat

    murphythecat GRU-powered uniformed trumpkin

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    I owned the ref 3a decapo be. lovely speakers!

    I believe that was me. i really recommend the p3esr but im not selling my pair anymore.

    seriously, find another dealer. do not buy any speaker without hearing them and comparing to your reference.

    that kind of shitty dealer attitude would make me take my business elsewhere. travel if you need to as there's no way you can understand your preference for example comparing harbeth vs atc without auditioning them. I lvoe both and heard atc scm19, own scm7 and p3esr and shl5+. both are amazing but different in many ways

    as for proac d2, I was supposed to hear them but never did. the measurements show a voluntary boost of the highs and some users complain about the d2 boosted highs, id try their studio range.

    the new jbl 4312se are very interesting but no way to try them. looking at their tweeter, I wouldnt want them as they use a cheap bottom of the line revel tweeter. might be good but id try before committing thats for sure. their studio range would be much more interesting, the jbl 708p.
     
    Last edited: Aug 21, 2017

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