LSIM 705 or Martin Logan 60xt

KYFHO

Been around for a while but find myself stuck with a decision. Looking to upgrade from some RTiA7’s that I have had for the past 5 or 6 years. I am currently looking at the LSiM 705, Martin Logan 60XT, and SVS Ultra tower. I listen to mostly music at about 65/35 with music being the main focus. My room is 18’ across the front/back and 20’ long with an 8 ft ceiling. I have several receivers - Marantz 7701 Pre (sounds unbelievably good!), Pioneer Elite SC77, and Denon 4310. I have a Parasound A23 and A51. I am really intersted in a speaker that can play classic and metal nice and clear. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated! I have a budget of around 4K.

stangman67

All else being equal, out of that group I would lean towards the 60xt. Absolutely fantastic sounding speakers. Price should be a consideration though as 705’s can be had for fairly cheap nowadays

KYFHO

Thanks for the reply. I just noticed I have the name backwards on the Martin Logan :-(. Fail.....

stangman67

I’d also give a serious consideration to the Focal Aria 926 or 936 since you have a room big enough to handle the 936. I recently bought a set of the 926 and they beat out the 60xt IMO which were probably next on my list.

Make sure you go listen to these speakers as well as we can’t know your listening preferences. Dark vs brighter etc

KYFHO

I definitely lean more towards the warm side. I listen to a lot of high volume rock from the 70’s, 80’s, and early 90’s. I also tend to listen to jazz on occasion. The RTi’s are way too bright for me. They sound good with both the Parasound and Marantz but are too much on the high end (outstanding home theater speakers though!). I was acrually shocked at how good the RTi’s sounded with the Pioneer Elite (sounded really good for an AVR - and I mean really good!).

I have heard the Martin Logans were really clear on the high end that they make poorly recorded material sound like ****. I just want to make sure I pick the right speaker since I don’t plan on upgrading for a while.

stangman67

If you want warm, scratch my recommendation on the focals. The LSIM series is certainly warmer, bordering on being dark imo. I don’t think the lsims stack up well against the MLs though, I can’t speak on the svs speakers as I have not heard them. Your local magnolia should have something from the Martin Logan xt series on display so worth it to take a trip and listen to some of your preferred music

KYFHO

That’s the crappy part, I’m in Montana with extremely limited access to shopping. Really sucks because I almost have to base a purchase off opinions and reviews. I was thinking about waiting for the Polk 50% sale but in the end I really want to make sure I’m at least getting close to what I’m looking for. I really appreciate your reply!

stangman67

Take a look at the Sierra acoustics towers with the RAAL tweeter upgrade. This is the route I’d be going if I didn’t have anything local

KYFHO

I currently have two Klipsch 12” subs but plan on upgrading to a single SVS SB 4000. I was going to go with the SB 16 Ultra but IMO that would be serious overkill.

KYFHO

@ Stangman- I was looking at the Sierra line but after the RAAL upgrade it put it out of my budget. Otherwise that was one of my first choice next to the Goldenear Triton 2.

rpf65

I would go with the 705's or these:

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_760IGNT2BA/PSB-Imagine-T2-Tower-Black-Ash.html

KYFHO

Thanks for the advice. Rpf65, the psb’s were definitely on my short list. It might be a really bad review but I read the PSB’s weren’t too good with rock music. Could be a bias review for all I know. I have some PSB headphones that are the best I have ever heard and scream quality. I will definitely take another look at PSB.

DSkip - I will definitely check out the Def Tech 9080.

halo

@KYFHO, I'll throw another log onto the fire for you.

Check out the ProAc Response 3.8 here for well under your budget.

Joey_V

4K is a good budget.

I recommend the new BW 702s2.

I would buy it had I not had too many speakers.

I am familiar with that ML. Not heard 705 or the Svs. I will hear the 705 soon as my friend bought it from the Adorama deal.

KYFHO

I really appreciate all the replies. The home audio rabbit hole strikes again!

Joey_V

Interested in what you ended up with

KYFHO

Joey_V wrote: »

Interested in what you ended up with

I ended up finding a mint used set of Sonus Faber Liuto Floorstanders on Audiogon for a price I couldn't pass up. Amazing speakers! The pic in my avatar is of these speakers.