The quality "no-name" speakers

dane_peterson
dane_peterson Posts: 1,903
edited May 2007 in Speakers
Gotta love Polks, but they're a pretty big company. Which is good for their speakers, as they have more $ to spend on technology advancement.

However, there have got to be a few brands out there that aren't as big or well-known that can match Polk in bang-for-the-buck. Maybe even outdo them?

I've been searching around, and have heard good things of Swan and Aperion. Anyone have experience with these or others that you'd stand behind? Just in case I can't wait long enough to catch a good deal on some LSis... :rolleyes:
Post edited by dane_peterson on
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  • RuSsMaN
    RuSsMaN Posts: 17,986
    edited November 2006
    Lesser known brands (to Joe 6-pack Audiophile anyway), that offer a great value?

    www.av123.com Check out the X series speakers. Designed by a good friend of mine Danny Richie of GR Research

    Aperion - good choice also (formerly Edge Audio)

    www.ascendacoustics.com Solid brand, solid rep, a lot of performance, for not a lot of $

    www.norh.com Michael Barnes, great guy, great speakers, handcrafted in Thailand.

    www.audioc.com Rock solid build, quality components.

    www.thehornshoppe.com Full range, done right.

    www.odysseyaudio.com Hardcore.

    www.selahaudio.com Check out the line arrays.

    www.4sptech.com Solid Dynamic speakers.

    www.vmpsaudio.com Refined, and affordable - legendary subwoofers too.

    www.omegaloudspeakers.com Full range drivers, SET wonderland.

    www.pispeakers.com Another good friend of mine, horns and high efficiency done right.

    www.geocities.com/rbrines1/ (Brines Acoustics) Full range nirvana, another friend of mine.

    www.reference3a.com Highly regarded in the audiophile community.

    www.eminent-tech.com You need to hear these speakers, period. Maggie Slayers, LFT8's are my next purchase for the cave, you heard it here first.

    That should get you started.......

    Cheers,
    Russ
    Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service.
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  • Refefer
    Refefer Posts: 1,280
    edited November 2006
    ^^ That's what you call a list. :D

    I've heard those Omega Super 3R's... they are AMAZING speakers for the price they're asking, so long as you don't mind missing a little on the low end.
    Lovin that music year after year.

    Main 2 Channel System

    Polk SDA-1B,
    Promitheus Audio TVC SE,
    Rotel RB-980BX,
    OPPO DV-970HD,
    Lite Audio DAC AH,
    IXOS XHA305 Interconnects

    Computer Rig

    Polk SDA CRS+,
    Creek Audio 5350 SE,
    Morrow Audio MA1 Interconnect,
    HRT Music Streamer II
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  • dane_peterson
    dane_peterson Posts: 1,903
    edited November 2006
    Excellent list... I'm trying to stay in the $1000 range for a pair of towers, so that gives me a few other options if I can't snag some LSi15s. Thank you!
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  • Early B.
    Early B. Posts: 7,900
    edited November 2006
    Great list.

    Add www.tyleracoustics.com to the list.
    HT/2-channel Rig: Sony 50” LCD TV; Toshiba HD-A2 DVD player; Emotiva LMC-1 pre/pro; Rogue Audio M-120 monoblocks (modded); Placette RVC; Emotiva LPA-1 amp; Bada HD-22 tube CDP (modded); VMPS Tower II SE (fronts); DIY Clearwave Dynamic 4CC (center); Wharfedale Opus Tri-Surrounds (rear); and VMPS 215 sub

    "God grooves with tubes."
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,793
    edited November 2006
    Early B. wrote:
    Great list.

    Add www.tyleracoustics.com to the list.

    2nd that
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • Midnite Mick
    Midnite Mick Posts: 1,591
    edited November 2006
    A little over budget for a tower....okay alot but I think a great bang for the buck speaker company is Usher....they aren't really talked about much around here but they are in the league with alot of high end speakers at a fraction of the cost. There are a couple Usher lovers here (Marvda1 and Ninerbj).

    One of the one's that Russman listed was Selah Audio....been thinking of the Peridot as a possible future build.

    Sorry if a little off track.

    Thanks,
    Mike
    Modwright SWL 9.0 SE (6Sons Audio Thunderbird PC with Oyaide 004 terminations)
    Consonance cd120T
    Consonance Cyber 800 tube monoblocks (6Sons Audio Thunderbird PC's with Oyaide 004 terminations)
    Usher CP 6311

    Phillips Pronto TS1000 Universal Remote
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  • Midnite Mick
    Midnite Mick Posts: 1,591
    edited November 2006
    http://www.eminent-tech.com/

    That fan sub looks insane. Goes down to 1Hz:eek:

    Mike
    Modwright SWL 9.0 SE (6Sons Audio Thunderbird PC with Oyaide 004 terminations)
    Consonance cd120T
    Consonance Cyber 800 tube monoblocks (6Sons Audio Thunderbird PC's with Oyaide 004 terminations)
    Usher CP 6311

    Phillips Pronto TS1000 Universal Remote
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  • dane_peterson
    dane_peterson Posts: 1,903
    edited November 2006
    Yeah, wish I had $20k to buy that beast! :)
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  • dkg999
    dkg999 Posts: 5,647
    edited November 2006
    Now hold on there hoss! Calling something Maggie killers is just crazy talk :p

    I have actually heard the LFT-8's, and my impression was that the woofer wasn't very well integrated and really stood out, and the build quality was a little crude. Sid the Kid would be rebuilding them immediately :eek: The ribbons were pretty good though. Hopefully in the last year or so they have improved them.

    I also have spent some time with a pair of VMPS RM-30's, or at least they looked like the ones on the website. I'll have to check with the owner and confirm which ones they are. Absolutely incredible sound, the best blend of planers and electrostats with traditional cone drivers. The pair I listened to was for sale, however it was above my budget at that time.

    I would also second the Usher speakers. I need to listen to them more, however my initial impression was that they were better than the Totem, Dynaudio, EPOS, or Paradigm reference and similar in price.
    DKG999
    HT System: LSi9, LSiCx2, LSiFX, LSi7, SVS 20-39 PC+, B&K 507.s2 AVR, B&K Ref 125.2, Tripplite LCR-2400, Cambridge 650BD, Signal Cable PC/SC, BJC IC, Samsung 55" LED

    Music System: Magnepan 1.6QR, SVS SB12+, ARC pre, Parasound HCA1500 vertically bi-amped, Jolida CDP, Pro-Ject RM5.1SE TT, Pro-Ject TubeBox SE phono pre, SBT, PS Audio DLIII DAC
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  • Willow
    Willow Posts: 11,064
    edited November 2006
    Ask and you shall receive..Nice list Russ.
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  • dane_peterson
    dane_peterson Posts: 1,903
    edited November 2006
    We should have a thread like this bookmarked somewhere... or would that go against this being a Polk forum? :)
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  • Midnite Mick
    Midnite Mick Posts: 1,591
    edited November 2006
    Zero wrote:
    Hmm, since we are just listing randomness, I will throw in a big time "shout out" to Stone Image audio..;

    http://stoneimage-audio.com/Index_2.htm

    Just looked at their Frog speaker. You can find a box with that driver cheaper than that 450 price tag or better yet build it yourself....very simple. Not sure if it is the wr125 or the fr125 driver though. Either way I love that little driver.

    Mike
    Modwright SWL 9.0 SE (6Sons Audio Thunderbird PC with Oyaide 004 terminations)
    Consonance cd120T
    Consonance Cyber 800 tube monoblocks (6Sons Audio Thunderbird PC's with Oyaide 004 terminations)
    Usher CP 6311

    Phillips Pronto TS1000 Universal Remote
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  • dane_peterson
    dane_peterson Posts: 1,903
    edited May 2007
    Bringing this back from the dead. After looking through the list again, I'm wondering about this monitor:

    http://www.selahaudio.com/id53.html

    Anyone think this would give the Tyler Taylo Ref Mons a run for their money?
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  • Early B.
    Early B. Posts: 7,900
    edited May 2007
    dane_peterson wrote: »
    Bringing this back from the dead. After looking through the list again, I'm wondering about this monitor:

    http://www.selahaudio.com/id53.html

    Anyone think this would give the Tyler Taylo Ref Mons a run for their money?

    Looks great. I'd love to hear them. They have a low sensitivity, so lots of power is required.
    HT/2-channel Rig: Sony 50” LCD TV; Toshiba HD-A2 DVD player; Emotiva LMC-1 pre/pro; Rogue Audio M-120 monoblocks (modded); Placette RVC; Emotiva LPA-1 amp; Bada HD-22 tube CDP (modded); VMPS Tower II SE (fronts); DIY Clearwave Dynamic 4CC (center); Wharfedale Opus Tri-Surrounds (rear); and VMPS 215 sub

    "God grooves with tubes."
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,793
    edited May 2007
    Looks like they use the same midbass.

    That midbass is absolutely SICK.
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • Phasearray
    Phasearray Posts: 437
    edited May 2007
    Midnite Mick wrote: »
    http://www.eminent-tech.com/

    That fan sub looks insane. Goes down to 1Hz:eek:

    Mike

    No human or animal can hear a 1 cylce per second sine wave.
    Receiver - Onkyo HT-R340
    Front - Pioneer S-HF21
    Center -Onkyo SKC-340C
    Surround Back - Polk R15 <--Ticket to club polk
    Subwoofer - Onkyo SKW-340
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  • Phasearray
    Phasearray Posts: 437
    edited May 2007
    can't believe nobody mentioned S-Dat
    Apparently they're not that bad at all.
    Receiver - Onkyo HT-R340
    Front - Pioneer S-HF21
    Center -Onkyo SKC-340C
    Surround Back - Polk R15 <--Ticket to club polk
    Subwoofer - Onkyo SKW-340
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  • michael_w
    michael_w Posts: 2,813
    edited May 2007
    www.rawacoustics.com

    For the money the HT1 is an awesome bookshelf. They had another (possibly old model or prototype) that had a ribbon tweeter, wr125 and an exodus 6.5" in a ported floorstander that sounded absolutely amazing. It was by far my favorite speaker out of their HT line (excluding the line sources / arrays). Talk about a musical and natural sounding speaker :)
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  • Serendipity
    Serendipity Posts: 6,975
    edited May 2007
    How about...

    Aural Acoustics - www.auralacoustics.com
    Joseph Audio - www.josephaudio.com
    Alon / Nola - www.nolaspeakers.com
    Tyler (I second that) - www.tyleracoustics.com
    polkaudio RT35 Bookshelves
    polkaudio 255c-RT Inwalls
    polkaudio DSWPro550WI
    polkaudio XRT12 XM Tuner
    polkaudio RM6750 5.1

    Front projection, 2 channel, car audio... life is good!
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,793
    edited May 2007
    What about Bose?

    www.bose.com

    I hear they rock.
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • Serendipity
    Serendipity Posts: 6,975
    edited May 2007
    Vr3MxStyler2k3 wrote: »
    What about Bose?

    www.bose.com

    I hear they rock.

    I don't know about that Trey. They are overpriced IMO and don't sound as good as my DefTech BP10B's.

    But I might get a pair of their outdoor speakers.
    polkaudio RT35 Bookshelves
    polkaudio 255c-RT Inwalls
    polkaudio DSWPro550WI
    polkaudio XRT12 XM Tuner
    polkaudio RM6750 5.1

    Front projection, 2 channel, car audio... life is good!
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  • JimBRICK
    JimBRICK Posts: 1,543
    edited May 2007
    photo.pearl.jpg


    thats one beautiful speaker from joseph audio




    I'm in LOVE
    Ribbon Monitor Extreme - "Elixir"
    http://www.vmpsaudio.com/RMX.htm

    Man after seeing all these I'm tempted to cancel my lsi15's I have on order
    2 CHANNEL
    Speaker - Klipsch Heresy II
    Under construction
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  • pearsall001
    pearsall001 Posts: 5,093
    edited May 2007
    You can't leave these guys out of the mix. It's just a shame they don't have many dealers here in the States. They really are incredible sounding.
    http://www.iaadaudio.com/
    "2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up.
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  • dane_peterson
    dane_peterson Posts: 1,903
    edited May 2007
    JimBRICK wrote: »
    photo.pearl.jpg


    thats one beautiful speaker from joseph audio




    I'm in LOVE
    Ribbon Monitor Extreme - "Elixir"
    http://www.vmpsaudio.com/RMX.htm

    Man after seeing all these I'm tempted to cancel my lsi15's I have on order

    Pretty sure that Joseph is a tad more spendy than the LSis. ;)
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  • dane_peterson
    dane_peterson Posts: 1,903
    edited May 2007
    Phasearray wrote: »
    No human or animal can hear a 1 cylce per second sine wave.

    Maybe not, but you can FEEL it!
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,793
    edited May 2007
    The Elixirs are ONLY 30,000 a pair :)
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • Serendipity
    Serendipity Posts: 6,975
    edited May 2007
    Yes - they sound great!

    I just don't agree with the Bose thing, Trey :)
    polkaudio RT35 Bookshelves
    polkaudio 255c-RT Inwalls
    polkaudio DSWPro550WI
    polkaudio XRT12 XM Tuner
    polkaudio RM6750 5.1

    Front projection, 2 channel, car audio... life is good!
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,793
    edited May 2007
    I was being sarcastic about the Bose thing..

    I thought everyone knew that...

    HMMM

    The 901 defined audio, its the only speaker that needs an EQ to perform at that. How can you deny this QUALITY?
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • Serendipity
    Serendipity Posts: 6,975
    edited May 2007
    I'm going to give their outdoor speakers a shot though. Seriously.
    polkaudio RT35 Bookshelves
    polkaudio 255c-RT Inwalls
    polkaudio DSWPro550WI
    polkaudio XRT12 XM Tuner
    polkaudio RM6750 5.1

    Front projection, 2 channel, car audio... life is good!
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  • Serendipity
    Serendipity Posts: 6,975
    edited May 2007
    Vr3MxStyler2k3 wrote: »
    I was being sarcastic about the Bose thing..

    I thought everyone knew that...

    HMMM

    The 901 defined audio, its the only speaker that needs an EQ to perform at that. How can you deny this QUALITY?

    Too funny.
    polkaudio RT35 Bookshelves
    polkaudio 255c-RT Inwalls
    polkaudio DSWPro550WI
    polkaudio XRT12 XM Tuner
    polkaudio RM6750 5.1

    Front projection, 2 channel, car audio... life is good!
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