Loudspeakers that are neutral, dynamic, full range, and LOUD

[thomasjast]

That reminded me I wanted to see the Chernobyl series, everyone here seemed to love it.
Just bought the DVD box on ebay for $16.00 shipped, sealed box.

DVD? In 2019? In an enthusiast forum? Color me surprised!

 

[HammerSandwich]

Well I just ordered three JBL Sub 550p subwoofers for $189.99 each from Harman with free shipping.

Great deal! But I thought you didn't want a ven... JBL makes a sealed subwoofer!??! Wow - have fun with them!

 

[SEKLEM]

Great deal! But I thought you didn't want a ven... JBL makes a sealed subwoofer!??! Wow - have fun with them!

Got lucky I guess. Funny story. On Black Friday I ordered a pair of JBL Studio 530s off JBL’s own web page for 50% off. I saw the Sub 550p at the bottom page for $189.99, but no matter how many times I clicked the link it wouldn’t show the price or any option allowing me to purchase, so I assumed it was out of stock or something was wrong with the page. Fast forward to today, they still show the same price. I click the link, same problem. Search for it on Google and it shows the link to JBL’s page as well as one to Harman’s with the same price. I figured I would have the same problem but the Harman page worked fine. Ordered 3 with free shipping. They almost got me on expedited shipping because Apple Pay defaulted to it for some reason. That’s $200 I could allocate for MiniDSP.

 

[SEKLEM]

What's on the console table behind the couch?

Is that a little sub on a table?

NVM: I see there are two. Are they rear channel speakers?

I just realized you were talking about the speakers on the shelves behind the couch. Those aren't the ones I thought you were looking at. Those are Athena Technologies AS-B1 bookshelf speakers, and yes, I'm using them as surround speakers for the time being.

 

[KxDx]

That reminded me I wanted to see the Chernobyl series, everyone here seemed to love it.
Just bought the DVD box on ebay for $16.00 shipped, sealed box.

I thought it was amazing. One of the best TV series I've ever seen. Some of the science resonates with my line of work, which is also cool. (So I might be a tad biased)

 

[SEKLEM]

I thought it was amazing. One of the best TV series I've ever seen. Some of the science resonates with my line of work, which is also cool. (So I might be a tad biased)

I have no background in the science of it, but it was still incredibly engaging and exciting. I have the same feeling as you about it being one of the best series I've ever seen.

 

[Open Mind Audio]

I have Goldenear Titan Ones (2nd gen). Those suckers are fantastic. Flat, dynamic, and for me, you can't beat having the bass integrated with the speaker. I absolutely love them and they blow away friends -- many of whom have speakers I love also. (I'm not set on GoldenEar- there are lots of great speakers in this price range.)

Caveat: It's not easy to place a speaker with an integrated sub. You're basically placing paired subs in the room, and their position has to work if you're going for the best bass harmonics, which of course you damn well ought to be at this price range and size. I had to experiment and measure a bit to get mine right (measuring with my ears worked as well as the sound meter). At first, I had set up the room for symetrical speaker placement, but in practice, this created a huge bass null at my preferred seating position in the center-back of the room. I couldn't conveniently work around it, so I ended up going with an asymetrical set up, which yielded excellent bass response and harmony.

This is a problem you can have with any truly full-range speaker -- it's just something to consider. If I hadn't had flexibility in placement, I'd have gone with smaller satellites (Harbeth anyone?) and a pair of subs, knowing I could place both optimally.

 

[sfdoddsy]

Budget: if I could keep from going over 3k USD, that would be ideal. I’ve been eyeing the Tekton Double Impact.

How loud: Reference level without smearing of instruments and harshness caused by tweeter and midrange breakup.

Am I willing to use subwoofers: I’d like to consider avoiding it, but perhaps that’s misguided. My experience with subwoofer’s in general has been poor. I’ve had M&K push-pull designs like the MX-125 and MX-100(most extension and tonally accurate sub I’ve had). Sunfire TrueSub(turd), Definitive Technology SuperCube I(turd), M&K V-75, M&K V-125, Athena AS-P400, HSU STF-2(probably the best all around sub I had), Paradigm PS-1000(definitely the loudest subwoofer I’d ever had), Earthquake Supervova MKIV-12p(turd) and a few other powered woofers (no content below 30Hz).

Notice all the subs labeled “turd” are compact models with passive radiators? I tried 3 times to get one that would do the job (last being the larger Earthquake), they all suck. If you want a small subwoofer don’t get one with passive radiators.

That said, I’m willing to concede I’ve not tried Rythmik or SVS, perhaps they will change my view on subwoofers. I really like the simplicity of full range speakers because their integration is seamless and I’m not one that needs to crank up the bass. I just want a relatively flat response that can reach down to play some of the lowest organ notes.

I don’t think you’ll find accurate ‘full range’ speakers under $3k that will play low and loud.

Your best bet, as mentioned, are pro monitors with subs.

With rudimentary measurement equipment and EQ you should be able to easily get stats and subs to sound more integrated than a tower speaker

 

[FrantzM]

HI

A suggestion for what could be, perhaps, a sleeper ... I haven't heard it so .. Still

Read this post

 

[SEKLEM]

HI

A suggestion for what could be, perhaps, a sleeper ... I haven't heard it so .. Still

Read this post

I got a good chuckle out of Maty's comment about Revel using electrolytic caps in a $3000 plus speaker system. Cerwin Vega is panned by audiophiles almost to the same extent as Bose, for different reasons, but they use components that are at least designed to last. Credit to them for not cheaping out on capacitors.

 

[Toroid]

Tekton DI are the best I've ever heard. Saving up for a pair