Time for new LR Towers

[Oddball]

My current Gallo Reference 3.5 towers are still going strong, but want to re-purpose them as FWs to move to 9 bed channel setup for HT. Current system use is only HT, but also looking for speakers that could shine in 2.0 (or 2.whatever) setup in attempt to also go back to enjoying the music like I used to. Amp will be old but good Bryston 4 SST, and if necessary, can even use two of them i.e. one for each channel. AVP is AV-10, currently with Audy.

The primary requirement is that tower needs to be a bloody bass monster (HT, could be tamed for 2.0), but also reproduce rest of the range without excessive distortion or coloration that could not be EQd. Secondary requirement is pretty shallow, but yeah should look good and preferably not be a flat tombstone like most towers are. Budget is not really set, which is part of the problem. But budget is pretty solid overall. Not pressed with timing, but also want to do this in next couple of month. Room is really difficult and they need to be able to play loud to the reference level. Distance to MLP is around 9ft, but loft is more than 6,000cft. They will be on the side of 98" TV, but TV will be some 10" back from the face of the speakers. Room is what it is and will not be changing it for couple of years at least.

So starting from the least expensive option here are some potential candidates:

1. PRESTIGE FACET 34F | Elipson - Heard it locally and it's pretty solid. Much better IMO than e.g. Klipsch RF-7iii (looking at comparable 2x10" woofer speakers) - more mellow and articulate in mid and high range (no horn and 2 mid and 1 high drivers). Still missing something, like can't really pinpoint it but could live with it happily ever after except that it is a typical tombstone. $3.5K for a pair.

2. New SVS Pinnacle Evolution towers - Have not heard them but big hype around them. And some people started receiving them and at least posting some graphs. Looks good, seems to play good, but would need to wait until I listen to them. Will likely be around $6k a pair in EU.

3. La Diva (heco-audio.de) These are really good - heard them locally and they really have it all. Very heavy at the bottom with 2x8" drivers and 4x8" passive radiator per tower. But they still do perform admirably across the range and blend all in in a nice package. How much better are they for $9k then the Epsilon's for $3.5k? That is a good question. They are definitively smoother and more balanced overall but for a significant price difference. Also, did not have either in my room and with my setup and calibration which brings additional doubt in mind.

4. This option is way more than I want to spend, but then these could be (but hopefully not) the last towers I ever buy. So kind of an icing on the audio cake. And I could definitively afford it as a special personal treat. Reproduktory Wilson Audio Sasha DAW - Žilina | Bazoš.sk (bazos.sk) I could reduce the price likely to around $16k, but can't say that I like the color. If they were titanium gray, they would already be in my room . Speaker obviously sounds out of this world and blows all the rest to pieces, despite the bass level being a bit lower than the No. 3 (although could be a thing of calibration as well). So while the premium is significant to No. 3, I would say difference between 3 and 4 is greater than between 1 and 3 for approximately same premium.

5. I have been also considering Revel F328be which would likely be close to Sasha, or couple of grand less. But have not heard it. While it made the toughest reviewers cry like babies, would still like to hear it though as I do have this mega bass requirement. Otherwise that seems to be almost as good of a choice as Sasha.

I did eliminate famous Perlistens as after audition with ART and DLBC did not find their R7t towers sufficient in the lower bass range. Again could be the calibration that I could not control. These would be around $9k and I would rather get Heco. Overall Perlistens are probably better speakers, but Heco are really good and more to my liking.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. Obviously the price range between $3.5k and $16k is pretty broad, so I am sure there are other worthy speakers that I missed. I did consider and heard a bunch of other speakers but one way or another did not make it to this list. But more than happy to revisit.

 

[Grotti]

My current Gallo Reference 3.5 towers are still going strong, but want to re-purpose them as FWs to move to 9 bed channel setup for HT. Current system use is only HT, but also looking for speakers that could shine in 2.0 (or 2.whatever) setup in attempt to also go back to enjoying the music like I used to. Amp will be old but good Bryston 4 SST, and if necessary, can even use two of them i.e. one for each channel. AVP is AV-10, currently with Audy.

The primary requirement is that tower needs to be a bloody bass monster (HT, could be tamed for 2.0), but also reproduce rest of the range without excessive distortion or coloration that could not be EQd. Secondary requirement is pretty shallow, but yeah should look good and preferably not be a flat tombstone like most towers are. Budget is not really set, which is part of the problem. But budget is pretty solid overall. Not pressed with timing, but also want to do this in next couple of month. Room is really difficult and they need to be able to play loud to the reference level. Distance to MLP is around 9ft, but loft is more than 6,000cft. They will be on the side of 98" TV, but TV will be some 10" back from the face of the speakers. Room is what it is and will not be changing it for couple of years at least.

So starting from the least expensive option here are some potential candidates:

1. PRESTIGE FACET 34F | Elipson - Heard it locally and it's pretty solid. Much better IMO than e.g. Klipsch RF-7iii (looking at comparable 2x10" woofer speakers) - more mellow and articulate in mid and high range (no horn and 2 mid and 1 high drivers). Still missing something, like can't really pinpoint it but could live with it happily ever after except that it is a typical tombstone. $3.5K for a pair.

2. New SVS Pinnacle Evolution towers - Have not heard them but big hype around them. And some people started receiving them and at least posting some graphs. Looks good, seems to play good, but would need to wait until I listen to them. Will likely be around $6k a pair in EU.

3. La Diva (heco-audio.de) These are really good - heard them locally and they really have it all. Very heavy at the bottom with 2x8" drivers and 4x8" passive radiator per tower. But they still do perform admirably across the range and blend all in in a nice package. How much better are they for $9k then the Epsilon's for $3.5k? That is a good question. They are definitively smoother and more balanced overall but for a significant price difference. Also, did not have either in my room and with my setup and calibration which brings additional doubt in mind.

4. This option is way more than I want to spend, but then these could be (but hopefully not) the last towers I ever buy. So kind of an icing on the audio cake. And I could definitively afford it as a special personal treat. Reproduktory Wilson Audio Sasha DAW - Žilina | Bazoš.sk (bazos.sk) I could reduce the price likely to around $16k, but can't say that I like the color. If they were titanium gray, they would already be in my room . Speaker obviously sounds out of this world and blows all the rest to pieces, despite the bass level being a bit lower than the No. 3 (although could be a thing of calibration as well). So while the premium is significant to No. 3, I would say difference between 3 and 4 is greater than between 1 and 3 for approximately same premium.

5. I have been also considering Revel F328be which would likely be close to Sasha, or couple of grand less. But have not heard it. While it made the toughest reviewers cry like babies, would still like to hear it though as I do have this mega bass requirement. Otherwise that seems to be almost as good of a choice as Sasha.

I did eliminate famous Perlistens as after audition with ART and DLBC did not find their R7t towers sufficient in the lower bass range. Again could be the calibration that I could not control. These would be around $9k and I would rather get Heco. Overall Perlistens are probably better speakers, but Heco are really good and more to my liking.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. Obviously the price range between $3.5k and $16k is pretty broad, so I am sure there are other worthy speakers that I missed. I did consider and heard a bunch of other speakers but one way or another did not make it to this list. But more than happy to revisit.

What about Arendal 1723 Tower THX? Seems to tick all your boxes and they have a decent return policy.

Or Ascend Sierra ELX Tower but I don't know, if the achievable bass output is high enough for you. The used bass drivers are only 6.5 inch but they should reach high output by high linear excursion.

All of them seem to measure very well. Better than the Wilson fwiw...

 

[amper42]

My current Gallo Reference 3.5 towers are still going strong, but want to re-purpose them as FWs to move to 9 bed channel setup for HT. Current system use is only HT, but also looking for speakers that could shine in 2.0 (or 2.whatever) setup in attempt to also go back to enjoying the music like I used to. Amp will be old but good Bryston 4 SST, and if necessary, can even use two of them i.e. one for each channel. AVP is AV-10, currently with Audy.

The primary requirement is that tower needs to be a bloody bass monster (HT, could be tamed for 2.0), but also reproduce rest of the range without excessive distortion or coloration that could not be EQd. Secondary requirement is pretty shallow, but yeah should look good and preferably not be a flat tombstone like most towers are. Budget is not really set, which is part of the problem. But budget is pretty solid overall. Not pressed with timing, but also want to do this in next couple of month. Room is really difficult and they need to be able to play loud to the reference level. Distance to MLP is around 9ft, but loft is more than 6,000cft. They will be on the side of 98" TV, but TV will be some 10" back from the face of the speakers. Room is what it is and will not be changing it for couple of years at least.

So starting from the least expensive option here are some potential candidates:

1. PRESTIGE FACET 34F | Elipson - Heard it locally and it's pretty solid. Much better IMO than e.g. Klipsch RF-7iii (looking at comparable 2x10" woofer speakers) - more mellow and articulate in mid and high range (no horn and 2 mid and 1 high drivers). Still missing something, like can't really pinpoint it but could live with it happily ever after except that it is a typical tombstone. $3.5K for a pair.

2. New SVS Pinnacle Evolution towers - Have not heard them but big hype around them. And some people started receiving them and at least posting some graphs. Looks good, seems to play good, but would need to wait until I listen to them. Will likely be around $6k a pair in EU.

3. La Diva (heco-audio.de) These are really good - heard them locally and they really have it all. Very heavy at the bottom with 2x8" drivers and 4x8" passive radiator per tower. But they still do perform admirably across the range and blend all in in a nice package. How much better are they for $9k then the Epsilon's for $3.5k? That is a good question. They are definitively smoother and more balanced overall but for a significant price difference. Also, did not have either in my room and with my setup and calibration which brings additional doubt in mind.

4. This option is way more than I want to spend, but then these could be (but hopefully not) the last towers I ever buy. So kind of an icing on the audio cake. And I could definitively afford it as a special personal treat. Reproduktory Wilson Audio Sasha DAW - Žilina | Bazoš.sk (bazos.sk) I could reduce the price likely to around $16k, but can't say that I like the color. If they were titanium gray, they would already be in my room . Speaker obviously sounds out of this world and blows all the rest to pieces, despite the bass level being a bit lower than the No. 3 (although could be a thing of calibration as well). So while the premium is significant to No. 3, I would say difference between 3 and 4 is greater than between 1 and 3 for approximately same premium.

5. I have been also considering Revel F328be which would likely be close to Sasha, or couple of grand less. But have not heard it. While it made the toughest reviewers cry like babies, would still like to hear it though as I do have this mega bass requirement. Otherwise that seems to be almost as good of a choice as Sasha.

I did eliminate famous Perlistens as after audition with ART and DLBC did not find their R7t towers sufficient in the lower bass range. Again could be the calibration that I could not control. These would be around $9k and I would rather get Heco. Overall Perlistens are probably better speakers, but Heco are really good and more to my liking.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. Obviously the price range between $3.5k and $16k is pretty broad, so I am sure there are other worthy speakers that I missed. I did consider and heard a bunch of other speakers but one way or another did not make it to this list. But more than happy to revisit.

I would look at the Revel F228Be. They are currently on sale until May31 for $3475 each. That's a NICE discount compared to the $5500 each normally. I would contact @amirm and see what price he can offer. It could be even less?

The drivers in the F228Be are the same as the F328Be minus one 8" driver and the port is in the front instead of two in the rear. The F328Be is $8800 each. I can't imagine the single 8" driver and 30lb larger cabinet is worth $5,000 more? It's a great deal on an outstanding speaker.

 

[HeadDoc12]

My current Gallo Reference 3.5 towers are still going strong, but want to re-purpose them as FWs to move to 9 bed channel setup for HT. Current system use is only HT, but also looking for speakers that could shine in 2.0 (or 2.whatever) setup in attempt to also go back to enjoying the music like I used to. Amp will be old but good Bryston 4 SST, and if necessary, can even use two of them i.e. one for each channel. AVP is AV-10, currently with Audy.

The primary requirement is that tower needs to be a bloody bass monster (HT, could be tamed for 2.0), but also reproduce rest of the range without excessive distortion or coloration that could not be EQd. Secondary requirement is pretty shallow, but yeah should look good and preferably not be a flat tombstone like most towers are. Budget is not really set, which is part of the problem. But budget is pretty solid overall. Not pressed with timing, but also want to do this in next couple of month. Room is really difficult and they need to be able to play loud to the reference level. Distance to MLP is around 9ft, but loft is more than 6,000cft. They will be on the side of 98" TV, but TV will be some 10" back from the face of the speakers. Room is what it is and will not be changing it for couple of years at least.

So starting from the least expensive option here are some potential candidates:

1. PRESTIGE FACET 34F | Elipson - Heard it locally and it's pretty solid. Much better IMO than e.g. Klipsch RF-7iii (looking at comparable 2x10" woofer speakers) - more mellow and articulate in mid and high range (no horn and 2 mid and 1 high drivers). Still missing something, like can't really pinpoint it but could live with it happily ever after except that it is a typical tombstone. $3.5K for a pair.

2. New SVS Pinnacle Evolution towers - Have not heard them but big hype around them. And some people started receiving them and at least posting some graphs. Looks good, seems to play good, but would need to wait until I listen to them. Will likely be around $6k a pair in EU.

3. La Diva (heco-audio.de) These are really good - heard them locally and they really have it all. Very heavy at the bottom with 2x8" drivers and 4x8" passive radiator per tower. But they still do perform admirably across the range and blend all in in a nice package. How much better are they for $9k then the Epsilon's for $3.5k? That is a good question. They are definitively smoother and more balanced overall but for a significant price difference. Also, did not have either in my room and with my setup and calibration which brings additional doubt in mind.

4. This option is way more than I want to spend, but then these could be (but hopefully not) the last towers I ever buy. So kind of an icing on the audio cake. And I could definitively afford it as a special personal treat. Reproduktory Wilson Audio Sasha DAW - Žilina | Bazoš.sk (bazos.sk) I could reduce the price likely to around $16k, but can't say that I like the color. If they were titanium gray, they would already be in my room . Speaker obviously sounds out of this world and blows all the rest to pieces, despite the bass level being a bit lower than the No. 3 (although could be a thing of calibration as well). So while the premium is significant to No. 3, I would say difference between 3 and 4 is greater than between 1 and 3 for approximately same premium.

5. I have been also considering Revel F328be which would likely be close to Sasha, or couple of grand less. But have not heard it. While it made the toughest reviewers cry like babies, would still like to hear it though as I do have this mega bass requirement. Otherwise that seems to be almost as good of a choice as Sasha.

I did eliminate famous Perlistens as after audition with ART and DLBC did not find their R7t towers sufficient in the lower bass range. Again could be the calibration that I could not control. These would be around $9k and I would rather get Heco. Overall Perlistens are probably better speakers, but Heco are really good and more to my liking.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. Obviously the price range between $3.5k and $16k is pretty broad, so I am sure there are other worthy speakers that I missed. I did consider and heard a bunch of other speakers but one way or another did not make it to this list. But more than happy to revisit.

FWIW, the Perlistens can be configured either as acoustic suspension or bass reflex. If you heard them in AS mode, you lost about 11 Hz of bass reach compared to BR mode - a pretty significant difference. You could listen to 2.x music that doesn't have huge LF demands in AS mode, then switch to BR for home theater or LF-demanding music.

 

[Oddball]

FWIW, the Perlistens can be configured either as acoustic suspension or bass reflex. If you heard them in AS mode, you lost about 11 Hz of bass reach compared to BR mode - a pretty significant difference. You could listen to 2.x music that doesn't have huge LF demands in AS mode, then switch to BR for home theater or LF-demanding music.

I was impressed with clarity and dynamics of Perlistens R7ts overall, but not their low end performance. They were in BR mode, but also set up by the dealer that was not willing to re-calibrate or share the setup graphs. Perhaps just a bad customer service, but it did impact my decision. Went there twice and first time they did cut off ART at 20hz, second time ART was full range plus DLBC - don't think they want me in for a third visit.

I want to run these speakers full range (with LFE+Main on Audy so will be some overlap with subs picking up at 60hz) and also send them LFE signal as I do to the rest of my bed channels (sans center). That is why I want them to be extra capable in the low end. How much is all this bass routing worth it? Some for sure, will depend how people perceive it. But when buying new speakers, want to accommodate my preferences to the extent I don't loose the overall clarity of the presentation that these towers would do.

 

[amper42]

I want to run these speakers full range (with LFE+Main on Audy so will be some overlap with subs picking up at 60hz) and also send them LFE signal as I do to the rest of my bed channels (sans center). That is why I want them to be extra capable in the low end. How much is all this bass routing worth it? Some for sure, will depend how people perceive it. But when buying new speakers, want to accommodate my preferences to the extent I don't loose the overall clarity of the presentation that these towers would do.

If you are not using subs then a full range main setup is fine but if you run the mains full range with subs it's typically a boomy mess with Audyssey. I would suggest an 80Hz crossover of any Mains if you will a use sub(s). It always sounds much better.

 

[Oddball]

If you are not using subs then a full range main setup is fine but if you run the mains full range with subs it's typically a boomy mess with Audyssey. I would suggest an 80Hz crossover of any Mains if you will a use sub(s). It always sounds much better.

Not based on my experience, but then boomy is a relative term. My boomy or your boomy might not be the same, or it might not be boomy at all but just be a contribution to the 30-60hz range that will give you a specific sound signature?

If I used 80hz crossover, then I might as well toss away all my towers, amps and AVP and go with some bookshelves and AVR?

 

[amper42]

Not based on my experience, but then boomy is a relative term. My boomy or your boomy might not be the same, or it might not be boomy at all but just be a contribution to the 30-60hz range that will give you a specific sound signature?

If I used 80hz crossover, then I might as well toss away all my towers, amps and AVP and go with some bookshelves and AVR?

If you are running subs and configure the Denon 6700 with full range Main's on Preset #1 and use an 80Hz crossover for all speakers on Preset #2, then A/B switch between them you will likely notice the sound is significantly cleaner with Preset #2 engaged.

That fact, doesn't mean Towers don't sound better than bookshelves. Better speakers sound better in all frequencies not just the low end below 80Hz. If too much bass is available especially from different driver designs the outcome is usually undesirable.

 

[Oddball]

If you are running subs and configure the Denon 6700 with full range Main's on Preset #1 and use an 80Hz crossover for all speakers on Preset #2, then A/B switch between them you will likely notice the sound is significantly cleaner with Preset #2 engaged.

That fact, doesn't mean Towers don't sound better than bookshelves. Better speakers sound better in all frequencies not just the low end below 80Hz. If too much bass is available especially from different driver designs the outcome is usually undesirable.

These speakers are not for Denon HT, but for AV-10 HT that also has LFE distribution option that I am using. I did try a number of different options including what you suggest, but just does not work for me. This is primarily HT system, in expectation of new speakers. Not sure if I understand the concept of too much bass.

Obviously you would like to have too much bass and then just shape/tame it as you like it. There is legitimate concern how to integrate all that mess, but at the end things tend to work themselves out even without divine intervention. Not sure if you ever had any first hand experience with integration of this type of HT? When 7.4.4 system starts banging, there is some tolerance for integration errors to the extent that at the end it works well. Later on trial and error on different content will give you fine adjustments. If I was REW-ing all this, could quit my daily job and devote myself fully to the task.

 

[Jon AA]

What you want to do can be done well if you have MultEQ-X (personally, I wouldn't attempt it otherwise). With that you have a great deal of control-- you can set the L&R to large and still put a high-pass on them to keep them from damaging themselves and for better integration with the subs (whether that's 40, 60 or 80 Hz), with overlap or without. Though even with large, expensive floorstanders, I'd still recommend lowering the level of LFE you mix into them unless you have only really small subs. Even mixed in at a lower amount, they still may serve to fill in some dips in the response.

However, to get it right, you really need to count on spending a weekend or two with REW measuring different configurations to see what works the best.

 

[Oddball]

What you want to do can be done well if you have MultEQ-X (personally, I wouldn't attempt it otherwise). With that you have a great deal of control-- you can set the L&R to large and still put a high-pass on them to keep them from damaging themselves and for better integration with the subs (whether that's 40, 60 or 80 Hz), with overlap or without. Though even with large, expensive floorstanders, I'd still recommend lowering the level of LFE you mix into them unless you have only really small subs. Even mixed in at a lower amount, they still may serve to fill in some dips in the response.

However, to get it right, you really need to count on spending a weekend or two with REW measuring different configurations to see what works the best.

Absolutely valid points and looks like you know exactly what I am talking about. Yes, have MEQ-X and have done the work - not only for LR as have 6 identical towers for bed layer.

The speakers I have have gone through some tough trials and have survived luckily. I don’t think they are in danger as tried them though some torture bass scenes and all works well. It seems that LFE is mixed before +10dB bump it gets for the sub output, as otherwise agree could be dangerous.

Subs I have are definitely not weak and plenty of them. However, all this additional support works really well. IMO support you get from towers gets beyond what you can measure in REW. Have spend many more than couple of weekends REWing this and similar setups. This one is not really ready for final REW confirmation as still need to settle couple of things including revised sub placement and some fine adjustments to MLP positioning. But sounds great. But with new towers could also be even better.

 

[MusicIsAll]

Nine days later, did you already made up your mind?
I can't provide you with any advice, since I'm also in the process of buying new towers. Let me tell you what my experiences are in this area so far.
Untill the nineteens, I had shelve speakers I once bought when I was a teenager. As soon as my budged allowed it, I went to the Hifi-store to look for something better. The salesperson showed me several shelve speakers, but none of them did meet my expectations.
I was about to give up, but then he came up with second-hand Elipson 1313 (similar to the more well known Elipson 1303). I will never forget the way I was blown away by the sound. I listen to some of my CD's in the area of progressive rock (Genesis, Yes, Queen, ELO), and I was ashtonished by how the lower frequencies were performed, without the cost of the rest of the spectrum. No surprise that I bought the set.
About six years later (2001), after some repairs, it turned out that the 1313 were in poor condition because of age and wear and tear, after all, they were second hand. So time to buy a new set and since I was very happy with the Elipson set, I bought the Elipson Future, sort of successor of the 1313. The performance was pretty much the same, but more robuust. The salesperson promised me that the speakers will not wear out and indeed, except of a replaced tweeter, the speakers are still operational as of today.
Recently I wanted a second set in our loft (mancave ) so I bought me a Marantz SR5015 and went to a hifi store for new speakers. I did some research and asked for setups with Bowers & Wilkins 704 S2, KEF R7 and Sonus faber Sonetto III. None of them were even seriously considered as an equivalent for the Elipson Futura, and it had all to do about the lower part of the spectrum (< 50 Hz). Then the saleman came up with the Sonus faber Sonetto V and that turned out to be the best choice, although I was not very very convinced. You can aske me: why didn't you stick to Elipson? Well, I wanted an out-of-the-box approach, how can you say that one brand is the best without trying others. Besides that, Elipson tent to change strategy (and so product line) quite often not in favour of me.
OK, so I bought the Sonetto's and for a while I was happy. But after I while I realized that the sound was somewhat strident and I missed the very low frequency.
I have to say that, like your room, the attic is maybe not ideal in terms of acoustic. On the other hand, my believe is that to be able to produce a very low frequency (40Hz) of a convincing level, you need a woofer of at least 20cm (about 8"), which the Elipsons have. The Sonus faber Sonetto V has two woofers of 15 cm (about 6").
Problem of this all is that how you experience sound is subjective, but for the low frequency part, I have a way to figure out whether indeed the Elipsons can go lower than the Sonus ones. And that is

That's a piece of classical music written for a SF movie () and it is about the first part. What you hear at the beginning are cello's but also an organ that plays an even lower tone. In the second half of the first part, the organ is swelling and at the last chord, your whole room including yourself is shaking and if you are a real music lover, you are really thrilled of what you hear and you can't hold back that teardrop in your eyes.. But only if you listen to the Elipson Futura towers. Unfortunately the Sonetto V towers hardly produce the lower tones of the organ.

So I really want to know if the PRESTIGE FACET 34F of Elipson can give me the same feeling. They have two woofers of 25 cm (10"), that should be more than enough, but just one tweeter. I wonder if the spectrum is balanced or that the woofers produce too much noise.
So if you buy the Elipsons, please let me know how the sound, and if you bought one of the others, let me know as well.

 

[Oddball]

Thanks for your thoughts. I decided to go with Heco La Diva towers. Elipson Prestige Facet 34F was pretty good overall and especially in the low end - was probably also a better deal. Can highly recommend to fellow bass heads and if I was budget is an issue, this one would win.

Overall Heco's were more balanced across the range and and soundstage was a bit bigger and better defined. Also, Heco's could play a bit louder without noticeable distortion. But at twice the price, Heco's are certainly not twice as good though. Also, this was not AB comparison and in two different dealer rooms over the same day.

 

[Vacceo]

I was impressed with clarity and dynamics of Perlistens R7ts overall, but not their low end performance. They were in BR mode, but also set up by the dealer that was not willing to re-calibrate or share the setup graphs. Perhaps just a bad customer service, but it did impact my decision. Went there twice and first time they did cut off ART at 20hz, second time ART was full range plus DLBC - don't think they want me in for a third visit.

I want to run these speakers full range (with LFE+Main on Audy so will be some overlap with subs picking up at 60hz) and also send them LFE signal as I do to the rest of my bed channels (sans center). That is why I want them to be extra capable in the low end. How much is all this bass routing worth it? Some for sure, will depend how people perceive it. But when buying new speakers, want to accommodate my preferences to the extent I don't loose the overall clarity of the presentation that these towers would do.

It´s an old post, I know, but I´m quite suprised that you found the Perlistens lacking in the low frequency department. According to reviewers, the S series are quite capable of taking LFE. Perhaps that´s the difference with the R series...

Out of pure curiosity, how big is your room?

 

[MarcT]

Nine days later, did you already made up your mind?
I can't provide you with any advice, since I'm also in the process of buying new towers. Let me tell you what my experiences are in this area so far.
Untill the nineteens, I had shelve speakers I once bought when I was a teenager. As soon as my budged allowed it, I went to the Hifi-store to look for something better. The salesperson showed me several shelve speakers, but none of them did meet my expectations.
I was about to give up, but then he came up with second-hand Elipson 1313 (similar to the more well known Elipson 1303). I will never forget the way I was blown away by the sound. I listen to some of my CD's in the area of progressive rock (Genesis, Yes, Queen, ELO), and I was ashtonished by how the lower frequencies were performed, without the cost of the rest of the spectrum. No surprise that I bought the set.
About six years later (2001), after some repairs, it turned out that the 1313 were in poor condition because of age and wear and tear, after all, they were second hand. So time to buy a new set and since I was very happy with the Elipson set, I bought the Elipson Future, sort of successor of the 1313. The performance was pretty much the same, but more robuust. The salesperson promised me that the speakers will not wear out and indeed, except of a replaced tweeter, the speakers are still operational as of today.
Recently I wanted a second set in our loft (mancave ) so I bought me a Marantz SR5015 and went to a hifi store for new speakers. I did some research and asked for setups with Bowers & Wilkins 704 S2, KEF R7 and Sonus faber Sonetto III. None of them were even seriously considered as an equivalent for the Elipson Futura, and it had all to do about the lower part of the spectrum (< 50 Hz). Then the saleman came up with the Sonus faber Sonetto V and that turned out to be the best choice, although I was not very very convinced. You can aske me: why didn't you stick to Elipson? Well, I wanted an out-of-the-box approach, how can you say that one brand is the best without trying others. Besides that, Elipson tent to change strategy (and so product line) quite often not in favour of me.
OK, so I bought the Sonetto's and for a while I was happy. But after I while I realized that the sound was somewhat strident and I missed the very low frequency.
I have to say that, like your room, the attic is maybe not ideal in terms of acoustic. On the other hand, my believe is that to be able to produce a very low frequency (40Hz) of a convincing level, you need a woofer of at least 20cm (about 8"), which the Elipsons have. The Sonus faber Sonetto V has two woofers of 15 cm (about 6").
Problem of this all is that how you experience sound is subjective, but for the low frequency part, I have a way to figure out whether indeed the Elipsons can go lower than the Sonus ones. And that is

That's a piece of classical music written for a SF movie () and it is about the first part. What you hear at the beginning are cello's but also an organ that plays an even lower tone. In the second half of the first part, the organ is swelling and at the last chord, your whole room including yourself is shaking and if you are a real music lover, you are really thrilled of what you hear and you can't hold back that teardrop in your eyes.. But only if you listen to the Elipson Futura towers. Unfortunately the Sonetto V towers hardly produce the lower tones of the organ.

So I really want to know if the PRESTIGE FACET 34F of Elipson can give me the same feeling. They have two woofers of 25 cm (10"), that should be more than enough, but just one tweeter. I wonder if the spectrum is balanced or that the woofers produce too much noise.
So if you buy the Elipsons, please let me know how the sound, and if you bought one of the others, let me know as well.

I just listened to this on my Dynaudio Excite X-44 towers with two 8 inch woofers apiece at a pretty good volume, and I can say I got a good bit of deep bass, but not shaking the room bass. But my listening room is open to my breakfast area and kitchen, so you can't seal off the room. The picture is not of the speakers in my room, just to show what they are. The picture is of the speakers at the dealer from whom I bought them.

Also, I will say, I don't think that deep rumbling bass is the organ, but, rather, one or more symphonic bass drums being "kettled". I noticed that when the organ stopped, the deep bass rumble continued.

 

[Sokel]

And that is
That's a piece of classical music written for a SF movie ()

I don't know if it's a language or translation thing,but this work was composed in 1896.
SF films back there were mute

Yes,it has been used and abused a gazillion of times at films,commercials,etc but that wasn't poor Strauss's intention.
It's even worst when you think about that it's an illustration inspired by a philosophical work.
On the other hand though is nice to bring more people close to classical.

 

[Oddball]

It´s an old post, I know, but I´m quite suprised that you found the Perlistens lacking in the low frequency department. According to reviewers, the S series are quite capable of taking LFE. Perhaps that´s the difference with the R series...

Out of pure curiosity, how big is your room?

Unfortunately never heard S series towers, just the center. Demo was at the dealer's, was some 90-100 m3 room. We were mostly focusing on HT, but then did some 2 channel listening with a pair of R7t. Processor was Storm 16 and they insisted on ART EQ. I have no idea how they have set it up. I did tell them that I would like to hear as much bass as possible and extending as low as possible. Could be that it was simply not set up to my taste as ART sounded leaner than what I am used to with DLBC or Audy. Probably bigger reason is that I don't like sealed centers with ported towers so decided to pass. From what I gathered S towers will play louder and track a bit better over the FQ range, but otherwise should be pretty close to Rs.

Happy with the choice I made, but still looking around for something else.

KEF Blade One (9529870367) | Gebrauchtgerät | Standlautsprecher | Angebot auf audio-markt.de

Angeboten wird „Blade One“ von KEF als Gebrauchtgerät aus der Kategorie „Standlautsprecher“ bei audio-markt.de - dem Online-Marktplatz für High-End. Das Inserat mit der Nummer 9529870367 endet am 13.12.2024 um 06:11 Uhr.

www.audio-markt.de

My room - in the signature. Pretty big and irregularly shaped loft. So multi-purpose nightmare for HT enthusiast like myself.

 

[ban25]

Unfortunately never heard S series towers, just the center. Demo was at the dealer's, was some 90-100 m3 room. We were mostly focusing on HT, but then did some 2 channel listening with a pair of R7t. Processor was Storm 16 and they insisted on ART EQ. I have no idea how they have set it up. I did tell them that I would like to hear as much bass as possible and extending as low as possible. Could be that it was simply not set up to my taste as ART sounded leaner than what I am used to with DLBC or Audy. Probably bigger reason is that I don't like sealed centers with ported towers so decided to pass. From what I gathered S towers will play louder and track a bit better over the FQ range, but otherwise should be pretty close to Rs.

Happy with the choice I made, but still looking around for something else.

KEF Blade One (9529870367) | Gebrauchtgerät | Standlautsprecher | Angebot auf audio-markt.de

Angeboten wird „Blade One“ von KEF als Gebrauchtgerät aus der Kategorie „Standlautsprecher“ bei audio-markt.de - dem Online-Marktplatz für High-End. Das Inserat mit der Nummer 9529870367 endet am 13.12.2024 um 06:11 Uhr.

www.audio-markt.de

My room - in the signature. Pretty big and irregularly shaped loft. So multi-purpose nightmare for HT enthusiast like myself.

That's a good price for the OG Ones. Should get a decent amount of bass out of them. I often listen to mine in full-range stereo without correction and I enjoy them quite a bit that way. It's plenty of bass for music, though subs are of course still desired for HT.

 

[Vacceo]

Unfortunately never heard S series towers, just the center. Demo was at the dealer's, was some 90-100 m3 room. We were mostly focusing on HT, but then did some 2 channel listening with a pair of R7t. Processor was Storm 16 and they insisted on ART EQ. I have no idea how they have set it up. I did tell them that I would like to hear as much bass as possible and extending as low as possible. Could be that it was simply not set up to my taste as ART sounded leaner than what I am used to with DLBC or Audy. Probably bigger reason is that I don't like sealed centers with ported towers so decided to pass. From what I gathered S towers will play louder and track a bit better over the FQ range, but otherwise should be pretty close to Rs.

Happy with the choice I made, but still looking around for something else.

KEF Blade One (9529870367) | Gebrauchtgerät | Standlautsprecher | Angebot auf audio-markt.de

Angeboten wird „Blade One“ von KEF als Gebrauchtgerät aus der Kategorie „Standlautsprecher“ bei audio-markt.de - dem Online-Marktplatz für High-End. Das Inserat mit der Nummer 9529870367 endet am 13.12.2024 um 06:11 Uhr.

www.audio-markt.de

My room - in the signature. Pretty big and irregularly shaped loft. So multi-purpose nightmare for HT enthusiast like myself.

If you end up with the Blades, I'm super curious about how they behave in a HT environment. They should work quite well, but once in a room, a lot can happen.

And yeah, for such a large space, it's not easy to get adequate speakers. I can see why LFE+Main makes sense in your case.

 

[Oddball]

The weak spot in the entire setup is horizontal center, which is needed because of the flat panel display. There are not many centers that would not be overwhelmed by size and performance of bigger towers. My biggest Revel center is keeping up for most part with the towers. But still not quite there.

Going bigger with towers would throw that balance away. I am really eager to try Blades and also would expect them to perform admirably, but then the question is what’s the matching center for Blades - and certainly it is not any of KEF centers as they are really undersized for Blades. So the choice is to oversize towers and cause imbalance, or stay with balanced setup than sounds pretty good. Heco towers are really great, but obviously bigger towers like Salon 2, potentially 328s, or Blades could do better.

There is this new center out there but still no conclusive review of the center or towers. My center is some 35kg, this one is 80kg. Basically they flipped the tower and rearranged the driver line up - first time ever. But how much better it can do against Revel C426 still to be determined. Seems to roll of a bit early for its size and would like to see compression tests pushing this one to the limits. Plus for this monster size and weight they did not bother to come up with tilting solution, which is pretty sloppy and cheap.

1528 Center+ 8

1528 Center+ 8 has a 3-way speaker design that delivers incredible performance with its 28mm lithium-magnesium tweeter, 5″ carbon-graphene midrange, and quad 8″ aluminum bass drivers…

arendalsound.com

Not aware of any other center that can really match the size and reach of biggest towers. Definitely not going to reach out for $50k Mcwhatever to get there.