Heco vs Polk

erniejade

For my Florida home, to get me by until I can afford what I really want, I am debating on a few different speakers.

Heco Aurora 1000 tower, Polk R600 or R700 tower, or Heco Celan Revelation 3 bookies or Arendal 1961 tower. I feel on the Polk side, the R700 is the superior product but, I don't have a lot of room to work with getting them away from the back wall since they are a deeper speaker. The wife also likes the white options on the Heco 1000 and the R600.

The room is an open room to the right that opens up to the kitchen and dining room. To the left, it's a narrow hallway that leads to the front door of the condo.
The speakers will be about 6 feet apart and probably within a foot of the back wall to not interfere with coming in and out of the condo. Sitting position is about 9-10 feet back.

To me, a a bookie or modern flooring stander takes up the same room on the floor.

Since its a beach condo, it's ceramic flooring and very lively acoustics. This is one reason why I am leaning towards the R series. When I had the L200 on demo, I tired them in 2 different rooms. The room with heavy carpeting, they sounded great but, in the smaller room with hardwood floors, they were a bit bright for me. Since the Florida condo has more lively acoustics, I ruled out the L200 with a sub or L600 and figured if I went the Polk route, the R series might be better for the room. I did hear the R200 at Axpona and they did sound nice but, the person running the demo was trying to drive them to levels above what the amp or speakers could do and would get them to distort.he should have been fired.
When they weren't cranked beyond their limits, they had some very good qualities.

Anyone have any experience with the other brands mentioned? Audio Advice has the Heco on sale now basically for 1\2 price so that Aurora 1000 tower is basically 1k for both right now. Same with the Celan but, then I have to factor in the cost of stands and fiing.

Now, my other line of thinking comes from what some people do with Klipsch speakers and thats point them out instead of tow in. If I did that, and if that would work without killing the center image, the L600 could work but, they don't come in white that my wife likes about the looks of the Aurora and Arendal.

What is the endgame speker for that home? Probably Rosso Pienza 2 or Cerdalto 2.

What will they be drive. With? Probably for now, a peachtree nova 300. Endgame would be the Norma.

That's for the opinions. Outside of online reviews, I have not heard the R600, r700( r700 gets a ton of reviews) Arendal or Heco.

SIHAB

Here's my hot take on the Heco Celan Revelation 3 bookies;

Heco's are incredibly detailed. At 93db should be easy to drive.
The paper Mid/Woofer is a good choice harking back to the old days.
The Fluk-us tweeter ultimately never calmed down enough for
my liking. It made average CD's sound good and great CD's sound average.
I couldn't live with them even at the great price.

Maybe with a lower powered tube amp would be a good match and make one
happy.

erniejade

@SIHAB Thank you. For that room, that's one to cross off the list.

So it's down to the Aurora 1000, Arendal 1961, Polk R600 or R700.

Supposedly, the Aurora tweeter is different vs the Celan and not as bright.

mantis

Bookshelf speakers are ideal for small to medium size rooms where you don't need extreme pressure output. Same floor space a floor standing speaker will have more output and not use all of it's extension. Most of the time, if not all of the time, the placement of the main speakers in a surround or 2 channel configuration, are not ideal for bass reproduction in multiple seats. You might get lucky and reproduce a good amount of bass in your seating location with a floor standing speakers but chances are you'll just have some peaks and dips you can't control like you can with multiple subwoofer.

With that being said, I've been a floor standing guy all my life. I would like to try out bookshelf style speakers in my room, the size I could easily get away with them no issues as I never am able to play reference levels, my room is tall 14 feet so I get echo's when I get up around reference levels. So my floor standing speakers are a waste in ways other then the manliness of it LOL.

Anyway, I think you should listen to them if you can. I can't so I can't speak for either model.

ChrisD06

Personally, I'd get the R700 if you can manage to fit it, otherwise I honest to God think it's personally preference.

The polk tweeter is going to be better. I've not heard either of the speakers you named but this is obvious technically. Polk has been using ring tweeters for 20 years now, and this is one of the highest end ring tweeters on the market. You can count on it.

erniejade

I agree bookies with a sub or 2 would be more ideal for the open room but, unless the bookies have a bolt onto the stand, since it's a beach condo with grandkids, I am afraid of them getting knocked off the stand. Yes I know they could knock over a floor standing speaker but, it would take a harder hit to knock them over vs bumping a bookie.

I know klipsch powered sevens and nines actually have stands that the speakers can bolt into.

I am hopping to not need a subwoofer. That is one reason why the L600 and R700 are seemingly more attractive and, the bottom port, I might get away easier closer to the back wall.

I wish I could hear them first. All of the brands offer in home trial. All lf them get great reviews except the L600, outside of what I have read on the boards, they really didn't get too much press as the r200 and R700.

Maybe I will just get a nad m10v2 since it's smaller in size and has Dirac room correction built in. That could also help no matter what speakers I choose for now.

Too many choices! I need to double check the depth of the stand to see if the L600 would fit. I thought Brock has them and likew them quite a bit.

ChrisD06

Honestly, if the wife likes the white on the R600, and you're fighting size, and it's just for a beach house, I'd genuinely just go with the R600.

Polks power port is awesome because you can get them really close to the wall without sacrificing sound quality too much.

Emlyn

There were some magazine and online reviews that have been positive...

https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/polk-l600-loudspeaker/

erniejade

That review echos what Brock was saying about them. The wife might need to live with black instead

smglbrth

If it's a "just to get you by" speaker for now I'd recommend purchasing something the wife might like as well. I have said I didn't care what she thought about one thing or another concerning audio (early in our marriage of almost 30 years now) and she never let me forget it. Now that I've gotten smarter and included her in some of it her whole attitude has changed over the years. Of course, every marriage is different!

SIHAB

"Of course, every marriage is different!"

Yes, but they all have one thing in common,
pain.