time for some new speakers and wanted your opinion

[9secondsflat]

i currently have the atlantic tech 250.1 surround and for the past several years they were ok.....ie better than the speakers from my tv... years back and i am talking 15 or so i auditioned on many occasions the "kef" line 103.2 104.2 etc....what astounded me to the point of even today i have never heard anything close..... was the accuracy of voice reproduction and more impressive the imaging that they produced. i could pick out the exact placement of instruments on the sound stage. i know technology has advanced significantly since i listended to these speakers and wanted to know your feelings as to what is out there with a cap of aprox $1,000.00. i see plastered every where AXIOM M80ti, and see that virtually every one that owns them or listened to them was very impressed. does any one have any first hand experience with these, also what would be another good choice keeping in mind that voice and sound stage are most important. i dont crank up and listen to RUSH any longer so a hard core rock and roll speaker isnt as important, country , jazz, adult contempory are my choices, along with movies.....love my 43" panasonic lcd tv.

thanks in advance
barry

[svang]

Hi Barry,

If you can spend a little bit more than $1000, give the JM Lab Chorus 726S a try. These are very good speakers for jazz, classical music etc. Before I bought the 726S, I listened to different brand from B & W to Mission and none of them sound as sweet & natural as the 726S. Go find a dealer nearby & try it out yourself. You will not regret.

Cambridge Audio D500SE
Denon PMA2000MKIVR
Focal-JMLab Chorus 726S
Old NEC Cassette Deck
Old NEC Turntable w/ Shure Cartridge
Audioquest Coral
Audioquest CV-6 Bi-wire
XLO Reference 2 10A Power Cord(AMP)
Cardas Quadlink-Five Power Cord(CD)

[lei]

You should be able to get a pair of Aurum Cantus Leisure's for less than $1k. Make sure to get the US-version that has a better XO design and components (it should say "jointly developed with Kellsie Audio & Video Designs" on the back. Good luck.

[nightflier]

I have Axiom M22ti, VP150, QS4, and M2i speakers in my TV room (also were I listen to SACD's). My musical taste is mostly classical (symphonic and choral), as well as some jazz and classic rock. I auditioned over 30 brands of speakers from inexpensive Polks to unaffordable (to me) Jamo. For my budget the Axiom's were the best value. To my ears they were more neutral than Klipsch, Athena, or Infinity but not as laid back as Jamo and B&W (I am only talking about models in the sub-$1K price range). If I remember right, the bass and midrange drivers on the M22ti are also used on the M80 towers. I must confess that my hearing is probably not what it should be (too many rock concerts), but I also use a laptop with a spectrum analyser to measure frequency response peaks. And while I can't always make out the differences that the spectrum analyser points out, I must say that the Axiom speakers have an extremly even frequency response across the spectrum, better than much more expensive speakers.

Another factor that was important to me was that Axiom techs were much more helpfull and personable than others (Klipsch & JBL were particularly bad and I have yet to find a live person from Jamo to talk to). Their website is also easy to navigate, functional, and uncluttered, which in my mind reflects their business model. And if you are not satisfied with their speakers, they have a 30-day no questions asked return policy (sans shipping). The only people who were nicer were Aperion, but unfortunately their speakers did not sound as good to me. These are minor factors, I know, but they have made my Axiom purchase much more enjoyable.

Remember that the M80's are 4 Ohm speakers.

[topspeed]

Are we talking 2 speakers or a full 5.1 surround system for $1K?

[9secondsflat]

2 speakers

[drseid]

If you are willing to go used, then I recommend looking at a pair of Tyler Acoustics Taylo Reference Monitors. They can be had used on Audiogon with a bit of negotiating for $1000 to $1100 including the custom Tyler stands. These are fabulous performers and do just about everything right from 45 hz on up. If you are looking for big bass, however, then I would avoid, as they really need a subwoofer to shore up anything below 45 hz. These also are great looking in my opinion too, BTW.

Other options are the Ellis Audio 1801B (again bass shy, but very nice sound and looks otherwise), the Von Schweikert VR-1s, or maybe the Green Mountain Audio Europas.

You may even be able to find a used pair of Gallo Nucleus Solos for your $1000 maximum price... They have love em or hate em looks, but if you like their kind of futuristic eyeball look (I confess I don't), then they may be just what you are looking for soundwise...

Good Luck,

---Dave

[topspeed]

I think Dave's suggestions are excellent as is the JM Lab. The Tyler's have a pretty strong following over at AudioAsylum and I personally have Von Schweikert VR-1's in one of my rigs.

For under $1K, I'd definitely stick with standmounts, especially to meet your desire for imaging. At this price point, I really think the VR-1's are without peer (naturally Dave would think likewise of the Taylo's). I listen to mainly jazz (instrumental and vocal), big-band, swing, etc. and am blown away by the dynamics and speed of these little monitors. My review of these speakers is here. Scroll down three or four reviews for mine.

There a quite a few very good speakers that would make a great two channel rig. You might want to look into B&W 602 s3's, Monitor Audio Silver, Energy Veritas 2.1, Paradigm Studio 20 V3, and DefTech PowerMonitors while you're at it. I'd even look into some Maggie 1.2's if you've got the power to drive them correctly. Just listen to as much as you can and see what suits your tastes and room best. For me, in my rig, the VR-1's were the obvious choice.

Good luck and enjoy the ride.

[RGA]

i know technology has advanced significantly since i listended to these speakers and wanted to know your feelings as to what is out there with a cap of aprox $1,000.00.
barry

The technology may have advanced but sdon't be uunder any illusion that the sound quality has improved. Sometimes that's the case sometimes it's far from the case.

$1k is not a big amount in the world of speakers - you have to decide on whether quality bass response is an issue or not - if it is you are not getting it from Standmounts - you'll get less box resonances but I would take an Energy C9 at $1500.00Cdn $1100.00US over most 1k standmounts. Yes standmounts have advantages but they have disadvantages and YOU need to really listen to them - some floorstanders can sound overly thick and muddy and boxy(resonances galore) which make their standmounts MUCH more desirable - and I generally prefer 2 way designs because I find most all 3-ways at any price have "more" cohesion problems at least those that I've heard.