Battle of the affordables


Here are the candidates.  They all got very good reviews online.

1. Polk R700 - $2.1K

2. KEF Q11 Meta - $2.5K

3. Martin Logan XTF-100 - $4.5K

4. SVS Ultra Evolution Pinnacle - $5K

5. B&W 703 S3 - $6K

6. KEF R11 Meta - $7K

Which one would you pick?

andy2

Especially considering the price range OP has laid out:  from 2.1k to 7k.

There are others at these price point but these are the one I could find where there are favorable reviews on the web.

 

 

You forgot the MoFi SourcePoint 888.  Definitely my favorite in this price range.  Great tonal accuracy, easy to drive, and amazing imaging.

Take consideration on your room size.  The SVS and Mofi's are big, and might overload a smaller room.  But they DO seem like a bargain.

Here is what I meant when I said the 888 may lack mid range speed.  Found an online review that share the same thought.

 

https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/best-speakers-5k-to-10k-series-mofi-sourcepoint-888/

There seem to be two parts to the 888 forgivingness recipe that I can suggest. First, it sounds like the initial part of transients is slightly overdamped. You may have heard horn speakers that do the opposite: you get the sense on rims shots or trumpet blasts that there is overshoot and the sound is spikey or piercing. The 888 is slightly softened, but, again, not dull.