looking for a pair of nice stereo speakers for less than $1k

[panicphan2000]

i have my eyes on the jbl northridge with the dual 10 inch subs...here is my setup:

denon dra-395 receiver
denon pcm-280 5 disc changer
onkyo m-282 amplifier

[RGA]

If you love rock I would look into Klipsch rather than the JBL Northridge line. Klipsh can play louder and clearer and IMO is built better. I am referring to the Reference series.

JBL is flahsier looking because you get bigger woofers but the box resonances are annoying after longer listening and the bass isn't really deep but more about impact midbass -- and the Klipsch's do this better anyway.

[GMichael]

If you love rock I would look into Klipsch rather than the JBL Northridge line. Klipsh can play louder and clearer and IMO is built better. I am referring to the Reference series.

JBL is flahsier looking because you get bigger woofers but the box resonances are annoying after longer listening and the bass isn't really deep but more about impact midbass -- and the Klipsch's do this better anyway.

I agree about the box resonances of the JBL's, but Klipsch is only good if you like horns.

Where's Topspeed and that link of his? All this is covered there.

[panicphan2000]

so those klipsch reference are nicer speakers than the jbl? which reference model do you recommend?

[GMichael]

Here is a thread with many good speakers to choose from and what makes them so good.

http://forums.audioreview.com/showthread.php?t=10906

[topspeed]

What do you listen to? How big is your room?

[panicphan2000]

i listen to rock music, the stereo is in a basement...not sure what the dimensions are, but it's a big basement.

[RGA]

You have to listen of course as some people are not big fans of horns and Lipsch is inconsistant -- some of their speakers are a bit shouty while others are quite smooth in the treble. But Rock music is not about acquiring some of the subtleties you get with higher end speakers (and higher end is a poor phrase because it geenrally means geared for classical music).

My Audio Note speakers are clearly designed to be more truthful than my Wharfedale Rock power house kick you in the chest Vanguard speakers. Listening to Motley Crue's Dr. Feelgood album on my Audio Note's I get a clearer sound I can make out the information on the recording far more I get the bass the treble and all that good stuff. But at the same time My AUdio Note's present some of this music in a detached tell it like it is way. The Wharfedales are inferior to my Audio Note's and many others with the truth and they give you Motley Crue or AC/DC or Aerosmith etc in less accurate but high impact fast tight if slightly blurred way. Accuracy can be counter-productive to the seemingly better to the ear sound - espeically when it comes to rock recordings. The audiophile community was set-up for Classical and Jazz and not really anything else.

I suggest Klipsh because they;re well built they can play loud they have good midbass - they don't have a box that resonates to totally unnaceptable levels and they're dead easy to drive -- high sensitive speakers i have found subjectively sound FREE-ER and more open and more involving than those of hard to drive designs...which have less colourations but also seemingly less sound.

I would start looking at the Klipsch RF 35 http://www.klipsch.com/product/product.aspx?cid=633&s=specs which has bass to around 40hz and this series is less shouty or hoinky than prior Klipsh offerrings. This is the top of the line model in the series and I believe around $1100.00Cdn

Because receivers don't have a lot of balls it can help to mate them with speakers that can be driven with 10 watts -- The other plus is what if one day you want to try and buy a tube amp? Maybe never but if you do you have easy to drive speakers that can take a nice low powered tube amplifier.

Now I'm not saying you should BUY the Klipsch -- they are not my first choice in the price range - but given the amp you have, the music you like, and I assume you have home theater in the thought process then Klipsh offers much. Energy's C9 floorstanders may also be a good choice. But the horns can fill larger rooms.

The trick for you is the tweeter -- horns can be a love em or hate em affair -- some people will never listen to anything other than horns though and you may one of them. If they seem bright or harsh they may not be for you. But if they do the cymbals energy to you liking then these might be a great choice

[topspeed]

I'll second Klipsch. I'd also throw in floorstanders from Athena, Canton, and Infinity as all are known to be good rockers and can be had for well under $1k. The Athena's and Canton's are very forgiving, which is definite plus as most rock recordings...well...suck. Hey, I'm listening to AC/DC while I'm typing this so I know what I'm talking about.

Another option would be to get a great pair of standmounts and a good sub. The most dynamic standmounts I've heard are the Von Schweikert VR1's. List is $1K, but street price is closer to $750 new, $5-600 used at audiogon.com. Throw in a nice HSU, SVS, or Dayton sub for $500 and you're ready to rock. The upside is the VR1's will be a far more accurate speaker than any floorstander under $1k so you can grow your system around them as time progresses.

Hope this helps.

[panicphan2000]

are those klipsch speakers bi-ampiable? bi-amping is a must.

[topspeed]

are those klipsch speakers bi-ampiable? bi-amping is a must.
Why? Do you run your Denon and Onkyo to the highs and lows? No offense, but can you even hear the difference as opposed to if they were wired with just one of the amps? Are you sure the gains are matched? I dunno, I just don't see the value in biwiring with a receiver and amp, especially when both are solid state. YMMV.

In answer to your question, yes, the RF line is bi-wire/bi-amp capable.

[Woochifer]

Klipsch is a very nice speaker if you like a big aggressive sound, and JBL's Northridge models also have an aggressive sound that's not quite as big as Klipsch's horn driven approach. Another lineup that you should try along those lines is Definitive Technology. IMO, the built-in subs on their tower models are a step up from what JBL is producing nowadays.

But, in general most floorstanding speakers that sell for less than $1,000 have noticeable problems with cabinet resonance and don't image quite as well as comparable bookshelf models. If you just want bass and want to avoid some of the issues with lower priced floorstanding speakers, then you should just go with a bookshelf model and add a subwoofer. With a stereo receiver like yours, you will need to make sure that the crossover on the sub can support either speaker or line-level inputs and outputs, and that the crossover includes both low pass and high pass filtering to ensure that the subwoofer can properly blend in with the main speakers.

[panicphan2000]

the reason i want to bi-amp them is because 180x2 opposed to 80x2.

[topspeed]

the reason i want to bi-amp them is because 180x2 opposed to 80x2.
Let me guess, you took the 80wpc of the Denon and the 100wpc of the Onkyo and ended up with 180wpc, right? Unfortunately, it doesn't work like that.

Bi-amping is taking two amplifiers with one driving the mid/tweeter and the other driving the woofer. This is why you'll see two sets of binding posts on the speaker. The proposed advantage being that you will have more headroom as each amplifier is less affected by impedence swings. The other advantage, which happens to make a lot more sense, is when you utilize different types of amps for the highs and lows, usually a tube amp for the mids/highs and a ss for the bass. This way you get the smooth, sweet sound of tubes in the all-important midband and highs while the ss amp gives you the depth, slam, and control they are known for.

You are talking about bridging amplifiers whereas you run the amps in series (for lack of a better term). According to the Crutchfield, this amp isn't bridgeable. This means if you are trying to do so, STOP! You're likely going to turn it into a rather expensive door-stop.

One last thing, don't put a lot of stock into power ratings. Remember, you have to double wattage to affect a 3dB increase if SPL's, which is barely noticeable. Klipsch speakers are super efficient and usually only need 1 watt for over 90dB's at 1 meter. 90dB's is pretty freakin' loud, just so you know.

Hope this helps.

[panicphan2000]

so i wouldnt need the seperate amp?do you think the denon receiver will push the klipisch speakers loud enough so i won't need the amplifier? the question is, do i really need the onkyo amp? will the stereo be loud enough without the onkyo amplifier? if so, i'll send it back to crutchfield.

[topspeed]

I'd definitely return it and pocket the $250 to buy more music :D. You'll never hear the extra 20w of the Onkyo. Depending on how big your room is, 80wpc should be enough to push Klipsch speakers to deafening levels.

Good luck.

[pelly3s]

for a tiny bit more than $1,000 for a pair you can get the Tannoy Sensys DC2's. i wont get into the way they sound I will just say I have heard 100's of different speakers and for the money they are absolutely the best in my opinion. check them out

http://www.tannoy.com/SensysDC2

[alcamaya]

so i wouldnt need the seperate amp?do you think the denon receiver will push the klipisch speakers loud enough so i won't need the amplifier? the question is, do i really need the onkyo amp? will the stereo be loud enough without the onkyo amplifier? if so, i'll send it back to crutchfield.

I've had the same combo in the past. Denon AVR-3801/ Onkyo amp 501, did not work out...
While Denon will give you a more solid bass , Onkyo has more sound clarity.

[panicphan2000]

thanks again everyone... i'm seriously thinking about the klipsch synergy III speakers with the dual 8 inch woofers...has anyone ever heard these speakers? i think i'm gonna go out to best buy and check them out.

[Bonedaddy]

I owned a set of Klipsch 3.2s and I loved them. from classical to rock they worked well.
I tried nht 2.1s and they rocked well, but they were power hogs.
I currently have Jm labs chorus 715s and these speakers sound excellent.
They won't vibrate your house like the Klipsch, but they have great presence and the soundstage is unbeleiveable.
These are a low end JM Lab speaker, but I haven't looked elsewhere in some time now.

[Jim Clark]

thanks again everyone... i'm seriously thinking about the klipsch synergy III speakers with the dual 8 inch woofers...has anyone ever heard these speakers? i think i'm gonna go out to best buy and check them out.

Buy what you want and hopefully you'll be happy for a long time. Listen to the Synergy line and see if it fits your needs. If it does check out the listings at Audiogon and check out the listing for a set of RF-3's for 425.00. The Reference series bests the Synergy line in every way. The same guy also has a center channel, The RC-3 available for 260.00. If you need a center make an offer for both and see if he'll deal. Of this I am certain-nobody would recomend the Synergy line over the Reference unless money was the issue.

Of course none of this means that you'll even like Klipsch. I am a Klipsch owner, and I suspect I always will be. Someday I'll sell my 4.2's and get something in the Classic line like the Forte, but that's a way down the road and will more than likely be relegated to a second system. It took 12 years for me to find something I like better, that I could afford, and thought was worth the money to upgrade. Hopefully whatever you decide on will last you at least as long.

Regards,
jc

[alcamaya]

thanks again everyone... i'm seriously thinking about the klipsch synergy III speakers with the dual 8 inch woofers...has anyone ever heard these speakers? i think i'm gonna go out to best buy and check them out.

I've owned the synergy series SF-2 towers a couple of years ago and they were pretty good. Put it this way, if you like "live sound" klipsch is for you. The brightness may cause you ears fatigue on some long listening sessions. Better yet, go with the RF Series for more powerful bass and impact.

[SpankingVanillaice]

I think the best speakers are the JBL S38 or the JBL E50. They sound like professional speakers for real. :cool:

[N. Abstentia]

I prefer the sound of amateur speakers.

[swicken]

I agree about the box resonances of the JBL's, but Klipsch is only good if you like horns.

Where's Topspeed and that link of his? All this is covered there.

When you deal with the horns if you don't place them properly then you have soundstage problems. Horns are not a bad thing (you only really get the 'cupped hand' effect from poorly placed klipschorns, which are a waste of money to begin with). They just narrow the soundstage and sound awful if you don't place them properly. However if placed properly sound beautiful, much better response on the high end then JBL and much warmer bass. More of a 'real' sound.

I would also suggest looking at PSB, I see them kind of as a best of both worlds. But as everyone knows speakers are a preference thing, and my favourite are KEF (but that price range doesn't exactly fit the bill).

Anyway, thats my 2 cents. I could be wrong but I figured I would throw my opinion in.

[swicken]

thanks again everyone... i'm seriously thinking about the klipsch synergy III speakers with the dual 8 inch woofers...has anyone ever heard these speakers? i think i'm gonna go out to best buy and check them out.

Nooooo don't go synergy if you're going klipsch, go reference :'(

Their Reference line spanks synergy around.

[thepogue]

best bang for buck no matter what brand!!!

Peace-out, Pogue

[shoe]

Agree with aformentioned advice..buy used! For a grand or so you can pick up a pair of PSB Stratus Gold i's..fast deep bass with plenty slam and nothing sloppy. Mid range is first rate and the highs refined, rarely harsh. Well made speaker that can play loud without flinching.
Would also reccomend Vandersteen 2ce. You can by a pair of used one's for around $600 and you would get alot better speaker than the JBL northrige series.