Best Floor Standing Speakers for under 1500

heiney9

newrival wrote: »

To be fair, you should disclose that you have a large (read: massive) bias against emotiva. I have heard an XPA2 and thought it was pretty decent. And at least far from the horrendous atrocity you make it out to be. There are others here with experience equalling yours (subjective) that felt the emo amps are a good value and echo my sentiment.

It will be if you pair it up with a pair of Maggies.

H9

heiney9

newrival wrote: »

There are others here with experience equalling yours (subjective) that felt the emo amps are a good value and echo my sentiment.

And you and they are just as welcome to post your opinions.

If you had really kept accurate tabs on my posts, I've said before for someone who is moving from a receiver to seperates for HT and want's new with a warranty, Emo isn't too bad. For 2ch music, not so much......

H9

steveinaz

Music Direct has some BIG sales on a number of otherwise expensive Wharfedale and Focal towers...might be worth investigating.

Lietuvis91

newrival wrote: »

To be fair, you should disclose that you have a large (read: massive) bias against emotiva. I have heard an XPA2 and thought it was pretty decent. And at least far from the horrendous atrocity you make it out to be. There are others here with experience equalling yours (subjective) that felt the emo amps are a good value and echo my sentiment.

It's not exactly a secret that EMO amps can make some speakers sound uncomfortably harsh. Heard this experience too many times from different people who had to look for a different amp because of this issue. I'm sure it depends on the speaker being used though.

Also, let?s not forget that room features: rugs, ceramic or wood floor, big windows, all can amplify or mute certain features of the sound. For this reason component selection can be quiet the science.

So in this respect, results will always vary.

heiney9

^^^ and associated gear, especially the source components.

H9

Turbota

steveinaz wrote: »

Music Direct has some BIG sales on a number of otherwise expensive Wharfedale and Focal towers...might be worth investigating.

Those Wharfedale EVO2-40 tower speakers with curved sides there selling look pretty impressive, and the price is great! Cabinet finish is wood veneer too (no vinyl). I noticed that they are a 6 ohm speaker.

http://www.musicdirect.com/p-15535-wharfedale-evo2-40-tower-speakers-pr.aspx

Now, if they only had the matching EVO2-10 bookshelf speakers.



Speaker Type:.................2.5-Way Ported / Sealed Reflex
Woofer:..........................1ea - 6.5" Woven Kevlar
Midrange:.......................1ea - 6.5" Woven Kevlar
Tweeter:.........................1ea - 1.0" Silk Soft Dome
Cabinet Finish:.................Wood Veneer
Rec. Amplifier Power:........50-300 w/ch RMS
Nominal Impedance:.........6 Ohms
Freq. Response:...............30 Hz - 28,000 Hz
Sensitivity:......................89 dB
Crossover (Sub-Mid):........150 Hz
Crossover (Mid-High):.......2,200 Hz
Dimensions:....................43.5" H x 9.0" W x 18.0" D
Weight:...........................53 Lb. ea

Wharfedale, along with Mission and Focal have reciently been bought of the the Chinese company called IAG Group. The speaker design and engineering still comes the UK, but the manufacturing now is in China.

http://www.internationalaudiogroup.com/

BTW .... These Wharfedale EVO2-40 tower speakers look very much the same as the Mission M66i floorstanders I have in the Philippines. Even have the same curved cabinet.

newrival

heiney9 wrote: »

No bias at all, they plain sound just average to my ears, IMO. How that's considered a bias I don't know. I've heard the cdp and it was decent, but for it's price point one could do better, one could do worse. Heard the XPA1 and XPA2 and once could do a lot better, IMO.

Horrendous atrocity????? Don't believe I have ever said that. I have listened to a lot of gear and Emo falls towards the bottom, it's not my cup of tea and anytime someone mentions brands like B&K, Parasound, Acurus, Adcom, Carver, Rotel, NAD, Sunfire and others in the same sentence wanting to know which to choose, I'll always choose the one (of those mentioned) that is NOT Emotiva because they just plain perform better, IMO.

Because I have a preference and an opinion doesn't mean I am inherently "biased" against Emo. It means I prefer the sound of most other similar brands. If you want to take that as massive bias against, then that's your perogative (Bobby Brown).

H9

I used perhaps a touch too much hyperbole, but I would say you have come out more than strongly against emo an more than one ocasion.

I can't say that I hve been keeping acurate tabs on your em comments, but I do recall some spirited battles on the subject of using them in 2 channel.

Drenis

I'm sorry but those Wharfedale's are ugly IMO...

newrival wrote: »

I used perhaps a touch too much hyperbole, but I would say you have come out more than strongly against emo an more than one ocasion.

I can't say that I hve been keeping acurate tabs on your em comments, but I do recall some spirited battles on the subject of using them in 2 channel.

They are simply opinions and how he voices it to the community. It's okay to share thoughts on products especially if you are familiar with it. Doesn't mean anyone has to take the remarks seriously or for their benefit. Also on the flip side, Brock has been seen recommending (You may have to do a search if you wish for visual proof) Emo for the HT crowd who like the pros of having a new product and warranty.

I've never heard Emo so what can I say? Nothing.

bmor

Have you looked at PSB? The Image T6 is well regarded and I think within your price range at list price. They have B stock sales every now and then at 40% off, the latest was last fall. I picked up some Imagine T's on that deal and are more than happy with them. The walnut finish is gorgeous and they sound pretty good too.

robert0507

ok everyone I bit the bullet and ordered the LSIM 703. I figured they would make for some sweet to channel listening on my jazz collection, and also sound good with my Jay Z stuff too. I am also going to sell my emotiva xpa2 amp and get a nice parasound one. I might even get a tube amp. Does anyone know a quality tube amp for under 700$....Heiney9 im looking at you.....:eek:

leroyjr1

Congrats!!! Haven't gotten into tube amps yet (don't think I ever will) but I've heard good things about the Anthem tube amp and it's in your budget. I'd also look at warmer SS amps like Parasound and B&K.

zingo

Congrats!

robert0507

leroyjr1 wrote: »

Congrats!!! Haven't gotten into tube amps yet (don't think I ever will) but I've heard good things about the Anthem tube amp and it's in your budget. I'd also look at warmer SS amps like Parasound and B&K.

Thanks. Im excited to get them home and all set up

leroyjr1

Where did you buy them from? Do you have to wait on shipping?

robert0507

Yeah i got them from polk direct. I figure if dont like them I could always return them. But I think I am going to like them.

ForceV4

cnh wrote: »

The Onkyo 3008 is a very nice AVR and the Emotiva has lots of power. But together that is "far" from the best combo for a set of Rti-A9s if you're more interested in "music". It is Great for HT, though!

cnh

My apologies for derailing this thread but I'm confused. Why is the above set up not a decent combo? I have RTI 12 and I understand they like power. Wouldn't the Emotiva have enough snort to keep the Rti A9s happy?

ravaneli

Drenis wrote: »

I'm sorry but those Wharfedale's are ugly IMO...

Really?

Wow.. you have some taste..

Dawgfish

Congrats on the purchase! I know you are going to be happy with the 703s. I am running an Anthem Pre-1L tube preamp and Anthem Amp-2 tube/solid state hybrid amp with my 703s and they sound awesome together. I just purchased an Anthem Amp-1 which is a pure tube amp and it arrived at home yesterday. I am working away from home, so it will be a couple of weeks before I get to hear it. The 703s and tubes go together like peanut butter and jelly! I am a jazz lover myself and this is a great combo for jazz. Also like Leroyjr1 has alluded to, warmer sounding amps like B&Ks sound great with the 703s also. I also have a B&K ST-202+ that sounds great with the 703s. The 703s really like the tubes though IMHO.

Dawgfish

ForceV4 wrote: »

My apologies for derailing this thread but I'm confused. Why is the above set up not a decent combo? I have RTI 12 and I understand they like power. Wouldn't the Emotiva have enough snort to keep the Rti A9s happy?

It's all about synergy. I used to own a set of RTI-12s also and powered them with an Emotiva XPA-3, while using a Denon 2809 as my pre. This setup sounded outstanding for HT, but RTI-12s can be a little bright for two channel duties and the same thing holds true for the Emotiva amp. Paired together they are a little on the bright side of things for two channel listening IMHO. Also using an AVR as a pre for two channel duties is less than ideal. The RTI-12s can sound great for two channel listening and the newer A9s are a little smoother and sound even better for two channel listening, but when paired with a good two channel preamp and an amp that is a little on the warmer side of things like B&Ks, Parasounds, and any tube gear. Sound is a personal thing though and you may like things a little on the brighter side.

tonyb

Agree with the last 2 posters.

Dawg- Tubes man, and Jazz ? Made for each other bro. Tubes give you a better appreciation for all kinds of music. Like making the hair on the back of your neck stand up and say, " WTF was that ? "

Force- It's not all about power, but matching up the right gear with the right speakers to your set of ears. Obviously that will vary between different sets of ears, no ?

Dawgfish

tonyb wrote: »

Agree with the last 2 posters.

Dawg- Tubes man, and Jazz ? Made for each other bro. Tubes give you a better appreciation for all kinds of music. Like making the hair on the back of your neck stand up and say, " WTF was that ? "

Force- It's not all about power, but matching up the right gear with the right speakers to your set of ears. Obviously that will vary between different sets of ears, no ?

Can we get an Amen in the house? LOL. Thanks for the kind words TonyB!

tacman1

i like bose stuff but definitive technology has great speakers too

nguyendot

tacman1 wrote: »

i like bose stuff but definitive technology has great speakers too

Troll.

markmarc

nevermind