Floor-standing under $3k?

[thefsb]

I like the new Dynaudio Evoke range very much. The Evoke 30 floorstanders are a little above your limit, but a bit negotiating won’t hurt.
Its predecessor, the Excite can still be found at discount prices and is also pretty good. Owned them.

https://www.dedicatedaudio.com/coll...o-excite-x34-floor-standing-loudspeakers-pair

And you could have a look at Monitoraudio‘s Silver line, also pretty good. The 300‘s and even the 500‘s are below your limit.

https://www.dedicatedaudio.com/collections/monitor-audio/products/monitor-audio-silver-10

Does the Evoke line replace the Excite line?

There's a retailer in state (Safe And Sound 2 hour drive) with those brands (and Excite X38 for $2600) and a number of other interesting products. I'll call and try to arrange listening to them.

 

[thefsb]

http://www.selahaudio.com/

Oh my! That looks like fun. I quite like the idea of building my own loudspeakers. My father had Heathkit Cotswolds loudspeakers in service for decades. My mother, while I was growing in her, built an oscilloscope and a test signal generator also from Heathkit. I don't know if those were used in the build of the speakers.

I haven't been through all the answers yet but it seems likely this will be the most surprising.

 

[MarcT]

I’m waiting for someone to measure those. Their previous flagship line, Jade, measured pretty dang well (at least <10kHz; but that’s what EQ is for), which is one reason I recently got a used Jade 5, wish they were higher sensitivty, but I find no faults in their sound after EQ.

Glad you enjoy your Jades! What intrigues me about the new Wharfedale EVO 4.4 is that people are at least subjectively observing that Wharfedale apparently has eschewed the practice of using a mid bass hump to try to trick undescerning customers into believing it has deeper bass than it actually does. Of course, I don't know what measurements will reveal, but comments are that the bass is taut and defined, which I like. And that the AMT tweeter is detailed but without harshness.

 

[thefsb]

I heard the then current Model 2c in the mid 80's. The sound was full range and open and airy or spacious. Those speakers imaged well. The thing is how much space do these need from the wall behind them, the front wall, with the rear firing 10" woofer? Did you look at the downloadable manual?

Good question. I will read the manual.

Is your room big enough for 29 to 32 Hz frequencies? Do you have means to reduce mode peaks?

I don't know is the answer to both. I started to read about room acoustics, measurements and adjustments a few times in the past and gave up each time feeling that the topic is too big for me in terms of time and budget for measurement equipment and room treatments. I also had the impression that with my listening habits it might be hard to apply the theory and methods. I typically don't listen to music sitting in the chair in the proper place.

I should return to this in another topic on the forum. The room is not small and is quite a complicated shape. I'll try to take photos and measurements for the topic.

Do you already have a sub woofer to use with the Paradigms?

No. I'm actually interested in GoldenEar Triton Three+. Integrated sub tailored to the rest of the box sounds like a win to me.

I'd say that dealer, Ovation Audio in Pittsburgh had a decent listening space at the time. They have long since been out of business.

OTOH, I have no idea how the Paradigms sound. So, how far is a long way away?

That's probably 6 hours drive each way, which I think is a lot. Not as far as Ascend Acoustics.

 

[Ron Texas]

@thefsb that dealer in Western Mass looks like a great place to start. Lots of stuff to listen to. I asked a similar question a few months ago, except with a $5k price top. The end result is I have kept my LS50's and am contemplating upgrading to a pair of better subs, instead of the single one I have. As for Ascend, there is value because the retailer is eliminated. Your main risk is return shipping is around $150. I love that they use bamboo instead of MDF. Goldenear gets great reviews, but the built in plate amps could be a problem someday.

 

[CDMC]

I wonder what the crowd thinks of this deal: Used Thiel CS 3.6.

Great speakers, but make sure parts are still available. The company was run under after Jim Thiel died. I know one of them employees bought the stock of parts and services them, but don’t know the status of what Is available. I believe Thiel used all custom drivers.

 

[Blumlein 88]

I wonder what the crowd thinks of this deal: Used Thiel CS 3.6.

A lot of speaker for the money in one sense.

Thiel's tend to be balanced on the bright side. They use 1st order crossovers which causes them to have uneven off axis response. Which makes them touchy about exact toe in and listener height for each given room. And they will require a very hefty amp to sound their best. Impedence is 3 ohms and sometimes lower.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/thiel-cs36-loudspeaker-measurements

The Thiel has good bass for its size, and flat on axis response, but you can see in graphs here how the 1st order crossover causes problems off axis.
https://www.stereophile.com/content/thiel-cs36-loudspeaker-measurements-part-3

This doesn't mean they don't sound good. I've heard them, and with a good amp along with careful room placement they can be good sounding speakers.

 

[Ron Texas]

The thought of buying used speakers gives me fits, unless the seller is local.

 

[VMAT4]

That's probably 6 hours drive each way, which I think is a lot. Not as far as Ascend Acoustics.

Six hours each way is too far to go for the Vandies.

 

[thefsb]

2. I imagine you'll be getting everybody's favorite speakers. My value favorites are the Emotiva T2 speakers. They are really good not to mention one third the price. If you like things big and loud and lively, the big speakers from Tekton Audio sound great though perhaps slightly lacking in subtle details.

Yes, this is very interesting. Learning about loudspeaker brands I never heard of before. Tekton's designs are certainly interesting and Herb Reichert is enthusiastic, but that's generally his style, which might be why I enjoy reading his articles.

 

[thefsb]

But OP didn't tell us where he's living...

Boston, Massachusetts, USA. I might be able to audition the 326 at Safe and Sound in Chicopee in comparison with some other products.

 

[thefsb]

How about the alternative of standmount speakers plus dual small subwoofers? Locate the main speakers for best stereo image and convenience, and the subs for best deep bass. SVS even gives you a small discount if you buy two of their SB1000s. This should leave you $2000+ for some excellent small main speakers. I tried my Harbeth P3ESRs with a sub, and the sound was breathtakingly realistic (but not for a really large room).

It's a possibility if the sub has sufficiently good software so that I can get it set up without fuss.

Stereo image doesn't matter very much to me. I am not often in a correct stereo listening position. I have other reservations about stereo for its own sake but I'd best keep that for another topic.

 

[thefsb]

Everything gets a good review.

That's true enough to be quite depressing.

 

[thefsb]

I just went thru this exercise and listened to PSB Imagine T2, Triangle, Dynaudio, B&W 6,7,8, KEF, DefTech, Spendor, and finally Revel F206, which is what I went with (should be arriving tomorrow!).

Oh my! That is so much work! I don't know if I have the endurance. At some point I'm likely to either give up or buy whatever's in stock to end it all and go listen to some music instead.

 

[thefsb]

No doubt: The Aria 948s are definitely the bigger of the line.

USD $2200 for Aria 936.

https://www.accessories4less.com/?t...=&thumb_sort=store_price.desc&brand_f[]=FOCAL

https://www.stereophile.com/content/focal-aria-936-loudspeaker-measurements

I would need a lot more experience to really interpret that data but the conclusion is clear enough:

The Focal Aria 936's measured performance would not be out of place in an expensive loudspeaker. That it costs just $3999/pair makes it an extraordinary value.—John Atkinson

 

[Soniclife]

The thought of buying used speakers gives me fits, unless the seller is local.

Passive speakers are a great s/h buy, if you can inspect then first, there is so little to go wrong on the inside.

 

[Icboschert]

Oh my! That looks like fun. I quite like the idea of building my own loudspeakers. My father had Heathkit Cotswolds loudspeakers in service for decades. My mother, while I was growing in her, built an oscilloscope and a test signal generator also from Heathkit. I don't know if those were used in the build of the speakers.

I haven't been through all the answers yet but it seems likely this will be the most surprising.

I'm pretty close to deciding to build either the Ceramica or the Vigore. Might have to wait until the new year though.

 

[Swtoby]

What should be on my list for floor-standing full-range passive loudspeakers for every-day music listening? Budget is $3000 USD.

Local dealer is steering me towards Paradigm Prestige 75F. Until the end of the year they are $2400. (Next model up 85F is $200 over budget.)

Vandersteen Model 2Ce Signature II seems interesting from what I've read. Closest dealer is a long way away.

?

My vote is for the Vandersteen. Reasonably full range. I don't feel a need for a sub and they image great.

 

[thefsb]

You don’t mention what attributes you like in speakers, but you will be hard pressed to beat Ascend, Revel, and Salk Sound (the Song 3 is $300 over your budget, but a great full range speaker).

I find that very hard to answer.

I don't have the language for it. I don't understand audio review language. Herb Reichert is fun to read but is incomprehensible when it comes to how this sounds relative to that. I know when something sounds good, a live music performance, an acoustic space, a person's voice, or an electronic music playback system as we are discussing here, but I can't describe in what way.

Except I can say that some of the music I listen to can benefit from sub-bass and I enjoy it when the system can deliver it.

I care about music and I want to be pleased, entertained, excited when I listen to a recording. I want equipment to make the music and musicians sound good, to really flatter them. I don't know what that means in more technical terms. But it's hard to say what music should sound good. I am aesthetically very critical of music and performances but there's hardly a genre I don't enjoy when the quality is good. The past playlists of my radio shows on WZBC should give some idea of the range.

I have been a musician on an off. Blood Money was a band I formed and who recorded two CD's I'm proud of (the third one that All Music lists titled "Red..." is unrelated). Why do I say this? To emphasize that I care about the music, not the gear. What I would really want is for somebody else to take care of the gear. But I don't know anyone I can trust to do that for me, I only know people who want to sell me high quality audio components, a hazardous game. One is likely to end up with expensive disappointments. Which is why I asked about the Paradigm 75F.

 

[Mtbf]

Does the Evoke line replace the Excite line?

Yes it does, sort of, the Evokes are probably placed a bit higher in the market. But there are still some Excite speakers available at discount prices, which makes them extra attractive. Some dealers bought a lot of them when the Evoke line was introduced. They are well build and rather elegant (WAF). As are the Silver line Monitor Audios btw.