$3K to spend on 2.0 speakers...

[alkemyst]

Used Klipsch Chorus II's or Forte II's.

If your budget was just speakers and you can corner load, Klipsch Klipschhorns. Belles are ok alternatives if you cannot corner load.

 

[hans030390]

Why not buy something like this?

http://www.zaphaudio.com/SR71.html

You can buy a pre-assembled pair from Madisound for right around $700, I believe. This guy claims these would sell commercially for close to $2K, and he seems to know what he's talking about. I've heard they sound fantastic. You could easily get an awesome sub with the leftover cash!

 

[Pia]

How do you figure he's going to buy the Orion with $5k?

My bad, I remembered them as being cheaper. He can afford the Pluto though.

 

[Howard]

My bad, I remembered them as being cheaper. He can afford the Pluto though.

Yeah, they're pretty good if you can stand the way they look.

 

[giderac]

+1 on the orion's
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VC-sxvNzC8I
1st part of a pretty sweet lecture on accurate sound reproduction in a living room from 2 loudspeakers by Siegfried Linkwitz (designer of the orion's). Kinda cool to hear the science behind designing loudspeakers.

edit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEI2fsB7f9 short 8 min interview with linkwitz again that is a little less in-depth than the 10 part lecture above but still gives a lot of good info on his reasoning and design choices.

 

[alkemyst]

+1 on the orion's
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VC-sxvNzC8I
1st part of a pretty sweet lecture on accurate sound reproduction in a living room from 2 loudspeakers by Siegfried Linkwitz (designer of the orion's). Kinda cool to hear the science behind designing loudspeakers.

edit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEI2fsB7f9 short 8 min interview with linkwitz again that is a little less in-depth than the 10 part lecture above but still gives a lot of good info on his reasoning and design choices.

It's not going to be in his budget esp. with the amplification those require. It's just the DIY poster child of the day. Also they do require some skill to build properly.

 

[Jinny]

Why not buy something like this?

http://www.zaphaudio.com/SR71.html

You can buy a pre-assembled pair from Madisound for right around $700, I believe. This guy claims these would sell commercially for close to $2K, and he seems to know what he's talking about. I've heard they sound fantastic. You could easily get an awesome sub with the leftover cash!

these are my main speakers. though i went the diy route and constructed the cabinets.

 

[Howard]

these are my main speakers. though i went the diy route and constructed the cabinets.

How do they sound, and where do you have them?

 

[Tiamat]

If you had $3k to spend on a nice a 2.0 stereo speaker system, what would you consider?

So far, I am entertaining the following brands:

B&W (CM9)
Boston
DynAudio (X16, X32)
Salk Sound (SongTower)
Paradigm (Studio 100)

I auditioned the CM9s yesterday, along with some Martin Logans. I despised the latter. Very "V" shaped sound. The CM9s are 90% of what I want but would like a little more bass extension and warmth. The latter may also be achieved by a tube amp. I demoed them with a Marantz amp and preferred it over the Yamaha and Pioneer amps I listened to.

Bass quality and quantity won't be happening from speakers in standard setup within standard sized and shaped rooms. The speaker setup correctly is optimized for soundstage and imaging. Bass quality and quantity comes from appropriate seating location within the room and subwoofers (and room treatments).

So, if bass is the only thing lacking, a large part of the answer is subwoofers.

If warmth is lacking, (which I find unusual considering the CM series is a bit on the warm side), you need to keep the room reflections in check. Too much glass or hard surfaces will brighten up the speakers.

I'd refrain from changing to a tube amp at first because it is another variable that may or may not help. The Tube amp can change the response of the speaker but does not necessarily only supply warmth. Depending on the reactivity of the tweeter, the tube amp might also brighten the sound as well. While the reactivity of the speaker may not be published, it is an important factor to knowing what amplifiers can do a good job driving the speaker. When I say reactivity, I am refering to the impedence (both magnitude AND phase) of the speaker over the entire frequency range.

 

[Howard]

It's just the DIY poster child of the day.

The Orion plans were published since 2002.

 

[Tiamat]

http://www.nousaine.com/pdfs/The Truth About Subwoofers.pdf
If anyone knows of any subwoofers that play at these levels, please let me know.

I am very interested in pipe organ music and require high SPL at low frequencies.

I am considering 2 Triad Platinum (or Seaton Submersives) subwoofers in addition to multiple Triad in-wall subwoofers, and a Procella P18. This is for an enclosed 27x16x9 room. I haven't run the numbers yet, but this setup should get me close to what I need. Unfortunately, good low-frequency bass is expensive. Luckily I am not overly interested in sub-10hz bass. The price tag on that is 30k+ after setup (Thigpen Rotary).

 

[sdifox]

I am very interested in pipe organ music and require high SPL at low frequencies.

I am considering 2 Triad Platinum (or Seaton Submersives) subwoofers in addition to multiple Triad in-wall subwoofers, and a Procella P18. This is for an enclosed 27x16x9 room. I haven't run the numbers yet, but this setup should get me close to what I need. Unfortunately, good low-frequency bass is expensive. Luckily I am not overly interested in sub-10hz bass. The price tag on that is 30k+ after setup (Thigpen Rotary).

no interest in digging up the foundation and do a concrete horn? :awe:

how the hell did this turn into a sub thread?

 

[hans030390]

these are my main speakers. though i went the diy route and constructed the cabinets.

As Howard asked, how do they sound?

 

[MagickMan]

huh?
That is actually the problem - there are no comercially available systems that go down to 10Hz.

Well, there is (including proper positioning), but do you really want to pay $30k for a passive sub?

OP, is there a local place where they sell pre-owned B&Ws? Might be able to snag an older pair of N802s for a decent price.

 

[Jinny]

As Howard asked, how do they sound?

they sound pretty good. i constructed a slightly larger cabinet than the original design called for, bass goes down to 40hz easily. i've had several pairs of bookshelf speakers and i like these the best.

i've had:
celestion c2
acculine a2 (from audio insider, ribbon tweeter)
ascend acoustics 540 (originals not the SE)
NHT superOnes

although i dont listen to music with the subwoofer on, i have it paired to a DIY rythmik audio 12" servo with an anti-mode 8033 sub dsp.

 

[Tiamat]

no interest in digging up the foundation and do a concrete horn? :awe:

how the hell did this turn into a sub thread?

LOL, nah, that would be way too much work for me to even consider


I think some subwoofer discussion occured because of a complaint by the OP that at least one of the speakers auditioned was bass-light. An extention of this is that a 3k$ project almost never ends up costing only 3k$.



OP, when making your decision, do keep in mind that the way the speaker is setup in the room, and the room itself (along with windows/furniture/openings) will impact the sound of the speaker very significantly (a +/-3 dB speaker is rendered +/-10 dB or worse by the room).

If you are on good terms with your local dealer, see if they will allow you to take home a demo pair of your top 2 contenders to A/B and hear in your own living space. They will probably take your credit card info. of course. Generally, the more you interact with your dealer, the more they will work with you. Might fetch you a nice discount depending on your area.

 

[Howard]

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=302-952
http://www.parts-express.com/projectshowcase/indexn.cfm?project=Usher701

Could throw in a rockin' bass system after.

 

[mshan]

If you don't have to buy right away, Capital Audio Fest is scheduled for early July: http://www.capitalaudiofest.com/

Stereophile Show in Atlanta starts tomorrow: http://www.axpona.com/

 

[The-Noid]

CM9 fin.

 

[moonboy403]

Remember to factor in the cost of room treatment as hopefully you can get your frequency response to within +/- 10db and reduce ringing as oppose to +/-30db (very typical) with no treatment at all.

 

[Illyusha]

they sound pretty good. i constructed a slightly larger cabinet than the original design called for, bass goes down to 40hz easily. i've had several pairs of bookshelf speakers and i like these the best.

i've had:
celestion c2
acculine a2 (from audio insider, ribbon tweeter)
ascend acoustics 540 (originals not the SE)
NHT superOnes

although i dont listen to music with the subwoofer on, i have it paired to a DIY rythmik audio 12" servo with an anti-mode 8033 sub dsp.

How is that anti-mode? I've been looking at it. I have two SVS subs and I know I have some bad peaks and nulls in this room:

 

[alkemyst]

The Orion plans were published since 2002.

Right, and these things go in cycles.

It's like the whole safety razor stuff.

Just like SVS subs seems to be all anyone knows.

 

[Howard]

Right, and these things go in cycles.

It's like the whole safety razor stuff.

Just like SVS subs seems to be all anyone knows.

So, cyclic poster child of the day. Right.

 

[alkemyst]

So, cyclic poster child of the day. Right.

I usually know the stuff I am talking about more than just the soup of the day.

Generally with a $3000 budget, Parts Express ain't the way to go.

If this poster really wants an excellent 2.0 system I'd say my recommendation of the Klipschhorns would be the best here...he'd have to target a steal of a deal to have enough budget for a decent integrated/discrete amp...but they are legendary.

Here is a quote from someone on Klipsch forums:

Well, my audio nervosa has caused me to move speakers (among other components) in and out of my system like most women change shoes. When I obtained my 2002 Klipschorns over a year ago, I immediately enjoyed them, but felt that something was missing with regard to ultimate transparency as compared to the Magnepans, Logans, Thiels, etc. to which I was familiar. Despite this nagging feeling, I still held on to my Khorns, feeling I would regret selling them. There is a certain organic quality to their sound which is just so damn enjoyable. I have experimented with MANY high-end amps, tube and solid state, including Wavelength, VAIC, CJ, McIntosh, and even the big Krell FPB600 (talk about overkill!!) I even commented on this forum that they sound best with a good push-pull tube amp like the CJ Premier 8.

Most recently, I have had the Thiel CS6 and Audiostatic Wing S speakers in my system, both amazing performers. The Thiels really shone in the bottom frequencies and I was prepared to keep them for a long time. I then played with the Audiostatics, which are, perhaps, the most transparent speaker I have ever heard. They do not, however, possess the dynamic bottom-end which I so covet. I was prepared, however, to keep those just for the pure midband and silky highs. I was prepared to crate the Khorns for their ultimate departure from my home. Just for giggles, I decided to hook them up to my Krell FPB600 and CJ Premier 16lsmk.II driving the Northstar 192 combo. As expected, the stats trounced the Khorns, notably in the bottom-end which was boomy and lacking in detail. I still have my Wavelength Cardinals with the WE300b tubes. I acquired a pair of Phillips 5ar4 tubes which I had not yet used. I replaced the Krell amp and VOILA....... THE KHORNS SOUNDED LIKE DIFFERENT SPEAKERS!!!!! Apparently, during my initial pairing with the Khorns, the Cardinals had a bad tube which affected their performance. All of the sudden, the bass firmed up and gained a level of harmonic rightness I have not heard before on these speakers. EVERYTHING just jelled! I have spent the past week going through all my reference discs and have come to the following conclusion: The Klipschorns are world-class speakers under the right circumstances. The Wavelength Cardinals transformed my Khorns into a crystal-clear window into the music. My father, also an avid audiophile commented how my system has never sounded better. Yes, the Audiostatics are more transparent and the Thiels have better bottom-end extension. Taken on the whole, however, the Khorns sound more like the real thing. Music is alive. Timbre is natural. They energize the room in a way that mortal speakers just cannot do. If I think about selling my Khorns again, please stop me. This is, of course, assuming that my wife does not have me committed. I really believe that I am off the speaker merry-go-round indefinately

 

[EvilYoda]

One of my friends in Chicago has a nice open loft with a great K-horn setup...so sexy. That said, I don't know if I could make the switch when I decide on my next system.