Stereo Loudspeaker Recommendations?

There is way higher up the food chain than Carver. But I won't argue he makes good stuff.

That's the thing, if you want truly top notch equipment you are going to pay for it.. Brands like Vandersteen, Focal, Dynadio, Bowers and Wilkens etc, do not fail to impress, but the prices for a good stereo pair of speakers is high, and the price for the rest of the system to match is equally impressive, unless of course you are a member of the audio circles and know what some of the giant killers are.. There are some top notch companies out there that you've never heard of, and unless you spend lots of time in those circles, you just wouldn't know of said brands.

Plus there is always the pre-owned route.. Saturday Night Audio is a great source for used gear as is Audiogon.

Me myself, I'll take my line array's when they are done (roughly 3K in parts) and put them against anything.


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It would be hard to get WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor) on these @ 8.5' tall... But there's no Wife so it's all good :)
 
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Doc Mark said:
The first thing you should know is that all of us "hear differently". Sounds funny, I know, but it's absolutely true! What sounds wonderful to one person, sounds horrible to the next, and so on, and so forth. Everyone has their own personal taste in what sounds "real", or "natural", or even "good".
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+1. Go listen to as many as you can and buy what pleases you. My choice is B&W's which range from a few hundred bucks to approaching $50 grand a pair. To me they do everything but the next guy could think they suck.

Bob
 
The other thing is.... Mid to High end shops will let you audition in your own home..

The thing is... Their showroom isn't your living room (or listening room or what have you). Your reflections will change based on environment. Speakers are designed and tested in an Anechoic chamber, most of us aren't so fortunate to have a reflection-less listening environment. You can boost and cut frequency response by positioning, reflections, boundry layers etc.
 
I like Polk speakers powered by Denon amps. Good quality stuff, both in the higher end of Mid-Fi equipment.

rags
 
Hmmmm..... my Martin Transflex TL 2050 speakers are still banging it out since 1979. VKTMS, Avengers, Germs, Black Flag, DKs, Poison Idea, Ramones, and other woofer/tweeter destroyers. Analog sounds better, that I can say for sure. The old Martins get a little confused with digital amp feeding CDs by Garbage and Queen Adreena, but put through the old Kenwood amp it's still a beautiful thing that analog wave.
 
I hate to say I agree, but I do... I don't even have high end tubes, but there's something about clean vinyl fed through a tube amp that just sounds, right...
 
I'm partial to vintage loudspeakers. I'm Currently listening to a pair of Pioneer HPM 40's on my main system, JBL L-46's and a set of Advent Baby II's in the computer room/den.

I have a mint pair of Bose 601 Series 1's that sound fantastic with proper set up. I'm not a Bose fan but these speakers definitely rock.
 
Evening, All,

This has been a fun thread, and informative, too! Thanks to one and all who offered an opinion, and best of luck to the OP who is seeking some new speakers!

Thought I'd post a photo of the speakers that "do it" for Sweet Bride and me. I lusted after them since I was a young musician, many years ago, and not too many years back, finally got them!! They are JBL L300 Summit speakers. When new, they were the TOTL for JBL, and this was back when that company was really turning out some fine speakers. JBL, as a company, has suffered in the last few years, though their current TOTL offerings are, quite simply, STUNNING!! The problem is, that if you want to buy them, you almost have to go to Japan to audition and buy them. Not many stores in the US stock such things, unfortunately.

In any case, we dearly love our L300's, and also enjoy some JBL 4411's, augmented on the bottom end with JBL's massive subwoofer, the 4645 with it's amazing JBL 2242HPL 18" woofer!! To us, these are the ultimate, though we know that others speakers are out there that can best both of these systems. They are the finest ones WE will ever own, and we're blessed to have them to enjoy, which we do every single day! Most all of our electronics, by the way, is older Harman Kardon stuff, with some older Crown tossed in, just for fun.

Many other outstanding speakers have been mentioned in this thread, and I'm really tickled to fine other Hi Fi nuts amongst my firearms friends here at the S&W Forum!! Well done, Friends!! :D:D Take care, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc
 

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I recommend going to a stereo shop or maybe Best Buy and listen for yourself.

Bose seems to have set the standard. I found an older pair of Bose 301 speakers and they are just fine for me. But you can't go wrong with many other brands such as Polk Audio, Klipsh, Infinity, and others.

I don't recommend one brand or the other because not one single manufacturer has great speakers across thier entire line. One model can be significantly better than the other. Because of this, I piece together my home theater and stereo speakers and components.

IMO the most important component is the receiver/amp. I use a Onkyo for my home theater and a Harmon Kardon for the stereo.

Have fun! :eek::)
 
For stereo listening only a "pair" of speakers is needed (or if using bookshelf type speakers, a pair and a dedicated sub woofer). But for Home Theater, the components should always be from the same manufacturer and from the same model line, so as to ensure there is correct "Timbre Matching" this is most critical in the Left, Center, Right channels as you do not want to hear a Huey Heli fly from the left and turn into a egg beater on the center channel then back to a Huey on the right channel.

My L, C, R is exactly the same model from the same manufacturer and uses the same exact drivers, sizes and crossover type.
 
Another option is the "Legacy Audio" line of speakers. They are built to reproduce audio as it was recorded. They are not cheap, But will last you a lifetime.
legacyaudio.com should get you to their web site. Oh yea, one other thing. They are built in the USA.
 
I have a pair of JBL 38's from the 50's. Never have heard a better sounding speaker.

If you're considering Bose, ask the salesperson information on their performace specs.

If there were any high end stereo shops around, I'd suggest going to one armed with some of your favorite tunes and try some out. Every ear is different. Buy what sounds best to you.
 
there is a lot of great technology that has built up in the decades of loudspeaker evolution.
addressing the developments that are of great merit. They actually USE some of them today.
yet other tricks of the trade are lost in loudspeaker history due to size, complexity or cost.
I dont see many isobaric designs lately. these bring dead symmetrical action to a bass driver which improves linearity. What the ears hear is deep smooth and clean.
as it uses two speakers acoustically coupled the production cost is higher and there have been very few elegant implementations.
another technology lost to history is the horn.
they are still used in small PA systems and professional audio installations for reproducing high frequencies.
The horn is the single most efficient design in history period.
the downside is the complexity of the design ... you will never see a bass horn in any audio shop.
there must be a dozen distinct interpretations of the high frequency driver otherwise known as the tweeter.
of all of them it is very hard to beat a 1 inch dome.
These are typically some of the cleanest speakers in the frequency range on account of their sheer simplicity. They are used. However, not nearly used as often as they should be.

Midrange seems the driver tech has forgotten. your ear is most sensitive to this speaker and much is asked of it.
it is my belief that this job should be split between two speakers. a mid bass and a midrange used with an elevated cross over point.

You will note that I mention no brand names in this treatment. just technical design elements.
its the combination of design elements that makes any piece of equipment great ... not the name on it.

since some of the best elements are in disuse today, that means the best speakers you will ever hear in your life will be the ones produced by your own two hands
 
Mmmmmm horns. I'd probably trade a Smith or two for a pair of Klipschorns or Patricians. I'm sure the wife would love them in the living room!
 
Klipsch if you can afford it. I once met Paul Klipsch, he wore a wristwatch and a pocket watch!

DLB
 
Venom,

I'd like to say that all those technologies are still in use. Just not in any grade of consumer affair. You can still find all of that stuff in the high end. But the problem is we (or I, for sure) can't afford the high end. So I'll build it...

With a few tools, some skill, and tested plans, one can build giant killers for a fraction of the cost. Parts Express is your friend! :)

I have to say, I've never gotten the urge to upgrade my main speakers. Yes I am building Goliath Line Array's each cabinet contains 12 kapton planar ribbon tweeters and 12 7" Kevlar Midbass drivers. But that is just an exercise in flair for the dramatic.

My conventional setup is modest. I run a pair of Acoustic Research AR9's (not the old AR9's, this is an all new design done in the late 90's) and for a high mid end product they still impress me to this day.

The AR9's run a D'appolito M-T-M arrangement up top with a diamond dust coated, titanium 1" tweeter and a pair of monocoque, hemishperical 5.25" Midranges , exotic materials, exotic design. Surrounding the array is a foam wave guide which tames the tweeter and off axis response. And I have to say these things are smooth, the materials used in the drivers lends it's self to classical and instrumental music, I've never heard strings sound so good as what comes out of these midrange drivers. Each cabinet also houses a 10" treated paper, high excursion woofer in a bass reflex enclosure.

I am typically never satisfied with anything, but when I bought my AR9's I never looked back.

The Line Array's once completed (some decade) will run all active crossovers and will be actively bi amped. My 20 watt tube monoblocks will run the ribbons and something solid state (probably pure class A) will run the midbass drivers.
 
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