Full range floorstanders ~$1500 budget

[fragzone]

I read the full review and testing on the JBL 590. It seemed to do very well in testing. For the price that would be my choice. You also would not "have" to have a sub, but your existing sub would do nicley. That would make for a very inexpensive but high performing system.

1. One free sub you already own.
2. JBL 590s refurbed with 5 year warranty!!

Inexpensive yet will sound fantastic. You really can't beat this and then you start saving for that mega buck system. But I have to warn you, mega buck systems unless set up right (time, money, room treatment) often do not sound better than your inexpensive system. Be prepared for a big let down. If it seems A LOT better than that means you are one lucky guy. So, I think it is time to buy those 5 year warranty JBL 590s and enjoy!

Apologies OP for hijacking the thread but I'm also interested in a 'cheaper' pair of towers that can dig low enough to not be completely lost without a sub.

In Australia the 690s are 500 dollars cheaper than the 590. I know the designer of the 590 had nothing to do with the 690 but would be curious to know your thoughts on the 690. I find them aesthetically far more appealing than the 590.

 

[MKR]

Apologies OP for hijacking the thread but I'm also interested in a 'cheaper' pair of towers that can dig low enough to not be completely lost without a sub.

In Australia the 690s are 500 dollars cheaper than the 590. I know the designer of the 590 had nothing to do with the 690 but would be curious to know your thoughts on the 690. I find them aesthetically far more appealing than the 590.

@fragzone Not a hijack at all and I am happy to see that this thread has become a broader discussion and possibly helpful for others (I expected there could be many others in same situation as myself looking for budget floor standers that could maybe be run without a sub)

As to the 690, I think this is the HDI-3800 in US (and there are others in the range, 3600, etc)? Sorry, I do not know much about this one myself. But there have been some reviews, and I think mostly positive. Though at least in the US these are much more expensive than the 5 series. Below some links, including right here on ASR ...

JBL HDI-3800 Floorstanding Speaker Review

The JBL HDI-3800 84lb beast of a floorstanding speaker features triple 8" bass drivers and an advanced compression driver and waveguide. We review it to determine if it lives up to the JBL heritage.

www.audioholics.com

JBL HDI-3600 Speaker Review

This is a review and detailed measurements of the JBL HDI-3600 floor-standing 3-way speakers. It was kindly purchased by a member and drop shipped to me. They cost US $3,800 a pair. This sample came in "piano block" which I must say, really dresses up this speaker: The horn looks a bit...

audiosciencereview.com

Best of luck!

 

[Roland68]

Audioholics did a review of the 1000 in may, I missed that. They are indeed pretty good, putting them on my short list! Not much info about Aurora 700, though.

The Heco Aurora 700 were tested in German magazines and did very well.
https://www.heco-audio.de/en/detail/index/sCategory//sArticle/3000772/sParent/3001121
https://www.heco-audio.de/de/detail/index/sCategory//sArticle/3000772/sParent/3001121
I've heard them myself and you won't find anything for the current price of € 400-600 per pair, even in the DIY sector.

 

[Alexium]

6.5" midrange, that's really odd for a 3-way, any idea why Heco could have made this choice? I'm sure it's justified, but what's the idea?
And 3.3 kHz crossover point - quite high for a 6.5".

 

[thewas]

The Heco Aurora 700 were tested in German magazines and did very well.
https://www.heco-audio.de/en/detail/index/sCategory//sArticle/3000772/sParent/3001121
https://www.heco-audio.de/de/detail/index/sCategory//sArticle/3000772/sParent/3001121
I've heard them myself and you won't find anything for the current price of € 400-600 per pair, even in the DIY sector.

Here are some more measurements https://www.i-fidelity.net/testberichte/hifi/heco-aurora-700-colors/seite-6.html which show their quite good tuning, I also heard them shortly at a shop and really liked them.

 

[thewas]

6.5" midrange, that's really odd for a 3-way, any idea why Heco could have made this choice? I'm sure it's justified, but what's the idea?
And 3.3 kHz crossover point - quite high for a 6.5".

My guess would be a combination of lower price (3 same drivers and enclosure holes), looks (some people like symmetry of size?) and the typical euphonic presence dip generated by such large mid drivers crossed at that frequency.

 

[Roland68]

6.5" midrange, that's really odd for a 3-way, any idea why Heco could have made this choice? I'm sure it's justified, but what's the idea?
And 3.3 kHz crossover point - quite high for a 6.5".

Not unusual at all.
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of high-quality 2-way speakers with 6.5" drivers, even for several thousand €/$.
- With the 2 woofers you relieve the midrange extremely
- The 28mm dome is large enough for the 6.5" midrange driver
- Due to the high efficiency of the 6.5" midrange driver, the two woofers do not have to be artificially castrated

I own speakers with this chassis arrangement / size myself and can only report good sound.

 

[3125b]

Here are some more measurements https://www.i-fidelity.net/testberichte/hifi/heco-aurora-700-colors/seite-6.html which show their quite good tuning, I also heard them shortly at a shop and really liked them.

Surprisingly good for 670€/pair.

They seem light for the size, so probably saved some money on MDF (and finish, not much of a showpiece), but 25Hz -6dB should be fine for music without a sub. Get a chaep AVR and that's a good living room system for 1100€ or so.

 

[Dougey_Jones]

I'd buy these before they're gone.

Dynaudio Excite X38 Floorstanding Speakers; X-38; Rosewood Pair

Shop The Music Room for thousands of HiFi audio products. Saving HiFi since 2011, we are the most trusted source for audiophiles of all budgets.

tmraudio.com

 

[AudioLover73]

I recommend the NHT C4 towers. I bought 3 for my family room home theater/music system, and I liked them so much I bought a second pair for my basement music-only system. These are my endgame speakers for now. Stay away from the JBL 590s unless you plan to use some sort of automatic EQ like Audyssey XT32 (there's no way I could stand them without response correction) and even then, they do not play very low (if they can't play low in a cabinet that large, there's no reason for them to take up that much space). I bought a set and returned them, and I'm a huge JBL fan. My music system also has a set of JBL PT800/PS1400s, B&W 683s and many others I switch between to enjoy their differences. I thought the 590s would be a good set for my collection but unfortunately they didn't make the cut.

Here's a review for the C3s that got me interested in the C4s. Once I tried the C4s, I knew I had to look no further. They sound so good!

NHT C3 Bookshelf Speaker Review - HomeTheaterHifi.com

The NHT C3 is a compact 3-way bookshelf speaker with a dome midrange and acoustic suspension cabinet. The C3 replaces NHT's best-selling Classic...

hometheaterhifi.com

Howdy All,

Is it even possible? Full range floorstanders that are accurate/neutral and can play loud with minimal distortion for around $1500 budget? I suppose I am asking for a pink unicorn.

Some possibles I have identified thus far …

Polk ES60
JBL Studio 580/590
PSB Imagine X2T
Elac DFR52
Elac UF52
Monoprice Encore T6
Arendal 1961
Emotiva T2+
Wharfedale Linton 85th Anniversary
Revel F36
Kef R7

Thoughts on the above? Any others I should consider?

Room size is ~10’x20’x8’

Thanks!

 

[Bleib]

Surprisingly good for 670€/pair.

They seem light for the size, so probably saved some money on MDF (and finish, not much of a showpiece), but 25Hz -6dB should be fine for music without a sub. Get a chaep AVR and that's a good living room system for 1100€ or so.

Where is this price available?

 

[MKR]

I recommend the NHT C4 towers. I bought 3 for my family room home theater/music system, and I liked them so much I bought a second pair for my basement music-only system. These are my endgame speakers for now. Stay away from the JBL 590s unless you plan to use some sort of automatic EQ like Audyssey XT32 (there's no way I could stand them without response correction) and even then, they do not play very low (if they can't play low in a cabinet that large, there's no reason for them to take up that much space). I bought a set and returned them, and I'm a huge JBL fan. My music system also has a set of JBL PT800/PS1400s, B&W 683s and many others I switch between to enjoy their differences. I thought the 590s would be a good set for my collection but unfortunately they didn't make the cut.

Here's a review for the C3s that got me interested in the C4s. Once I tried the C4s, I knew I had to look no further. They sound so good!

NHT C3 Bookshelf Speaker Review - HomeTheaterHifi.com

The NHT C3 is a compact 3-way bookshelf speaker with a dome midrange and acoustic suspension cabinet. The C3 replaces NHT's best-selling Classic...

hometheaterhifi.com

@AudioLover73 Thanks for the tip. I did look at the C4, but LF response not sufficient, plus the reviews I have read indicates some HF brightness that can be fatiguing (without EQ). Not to mention they just don’t measure as well as the 590s. Plus C4s over my budget. But happy you found something that works for you!

Proof will be in the puddin’, my 590s arrive Friday

 

[3125b]

Where is this price available?

In Germany, don‘t know about EU shipping: https://www.idealo.de/preisvergleich/OffersOfProduct/5826738_-aurora-700-schwarz-heco.html

 

[fragzone]

@fragzone Not a hijack at all and I am happy to see that this thread has become a broader discussion and possibly helpful for others (I expected there could be many others in same situation as myself looking for budget floor standers that could maybe be run without a sub)

As to the 690, I think this is the HDI-3800 in US (and there are others in the range, 3600, etc)? Sorry, I do not know much about this one myself. But there have been some reviews, and I think mostly positive. Though at least in the US these are much more expensive than the 5 series. Below some links, including right here on ASR ...

JBL HDI-3800 Floorstanding Speaker Review

The JBL HDI-3800 84lb beast of a floorstanding speaker features triple 8" bass drivers and an advanced compression driver and waveguide. We review it to determine if it lives up to the JBL heritage.

www.audioholics.com

JBL HDI-3600 Speaker Review

This is a review and detailed measurements of the JBL HDI-3600 floor-standing 3-way speakers. It was kindly purchased by a member and drop shipped to me. They cost US $3,800 a pair. This sample came in "piano block" which I must say, really dresses up this speaker: The horn looks a bit...

audiosciencereview.com

Best of luck!

Thanks very much mate! It seems that is yet another option in the world of jbl towers let alone tower speakers at large. Erin seemed to review them quite favourably.

 

[Sputnik]

As to the 690, I think this is the HDI-3800 in US (and there are others in the range, 3600, etc)?

The looks are similar, but they're a very different class of speaker. The 690 costs around 1600€ for a pair, the HDI-3800 are 5000€ for a pair.

Congrats on your purchase of the 590's, a very good choice and at a great price.

 

[MKR]

The looks are similar, but they're a very different class of speaker. The 690 costs around 1600€ for a pair, the HDI-3800 are 5000€ for a pair.

Congrats on your purchase of the 590's, a very good choice and at a great price.

Wow, that’s quite the price difference for speakers that look very “similar” … hmmmm. Different drivers I guess? Sure hope so, else we are getting fleeced here in the US

 

[fieldcar]

my 590s arrive Friday

I think you're gonna be happy as a clam. There is some magic about the way these compression drivers powerfully, yet gently push out audio. It's hard to describe. I think the only technical flaw of these speakers is the top mid/woofer being in-set and not flush with the cabinet. I'm sure the horizontal directivity suffers around 500Hz-1.5KHz as a result, but not enough to displease me. I believe we are most sensitive to side-wall reflections from 1-4KHz, so again, it shouldn't matter much. I can't wait to hear your impressions.

My nearfield (~2inch) measurements of the 590.

 

[MKR]

I think you're gonna be happy as a clam. There is some magic about the way these compression drivers powerfully, yet gently push out audio. It's hard to describe. I think the only technical flaw of these speakers is the top mid/woofer being in-set and not flush with the cabinet. I'm sure the horizontal directivity suffers around 500Hz-1.5KHz as a result, but not enough to displease me. I believe we are most sensitive to side-wall reflections from 1-4KHz, so again, it shouldn't matter much. I can't wait to hear your impressions.

My nearfield (~2inch) measurements of the 590.
View attachment 241116

@fieldcar Thanks for your comments and impressions. I assume you have the 590s? Yeah, the more I read about these 590s, the more excited I get to hear them. I have heard some amazing systems in my audiophile lifetime (decades), and very curious how these will compare.

Actually these are the lowest cost speakers I have ever purchased. My lowest previous purchase price for speakers in my audio "career" was $11k, these were $760 ... a bit of a delta ... My perception of "value" could very well go through a cataclysmic shift (I hope so!)

Assuming you have the 590s, do you do any EQ? And if so, what SW/HW do you use to do that? I am new to the world of EQ, but definitely looking into it. Seems to be the next piece of the puzzle to truly achieve audio nirvana.

 

[fieldcar]

I assume you have the 590s

Yep.

Assuming you have the 590s, do you do any EQ? And if so, what SW/HW do you use to do that? I am new to the world of EQ, but definitely looking into it. Seems to be the next piece of the puzzle to truly achieve audio nirvana.

I'm running the X3700H + MultiEQ-X ($200 windows app), but I don't have anything to share from that app since I'm at the office. The in-room and main listening measurement from the MultiEQ android app is shown below. The FR in-room is very close to harman's -3dB/Decade (-0.8dB/Octave) target, but the room correction takes out a slight bit of brightness, and fixes the room modes from 30-110Hz.

 

[tw 2022]

Blow your budget by $100 and get these? Dynaudio Evoke 30 - $1600/pair


Depending the size of your room, I'd be tempted to go with these instead of floor standing speakers...

Revel M16 - $700/pair
Revel Speaker Stand - $275
Rel HT1003 - $600

Total = $1575 <---- you could come in way under this with less expensive speaker stands. This is one fantastic little rig that'll make a $1,500 budget EXTREMELY happy - and it's damn near 20Hz to 20Khz

I have this very set-up, and I compared them directly to my Polk LSi15 floor standing speakers - and I preferred that M16 rig above to the LSi15 towers. ...and it wasn't by a small margin.

you could trim some more off that by getting an rsl speedwoofer rather than the rel as well ,depending of course on how much you want the name brand( rel) vs just a good competent sub for a small room...