Killer Floor Standing Speakers under $4000 for Rock?

@schubert For rock., anything will do.

Kudos for reviving a 4 year old thread.........

Schubert strikes again! 

Raven Audio CeLest.

www.ravenaudio.com

And  they are few , VERY few and about 1 rocker in a hundred can
 .identify them . Been there , sold that .

Atma-sphere is exactly right. The best speaker for jazz is the best speaker for rock and the best speaker for any other genre of music.  

Funny ...since this original posting , I have completely facelifted my entire rig :

Tekton Encore Speakers
Manley Snapper Mono Blocks
Manley Jumbo Shrimp Pre
Allnic 1202 Phonostage
VPI Super Prime Scout Turntable w Ortofon Quintet Black (stylus divorced me after 23 months ☺️ )

If you have the space, I don't think you'll find better than the JBL 4722N for this application for under $4k

https://www.lightingimages.com/product/jbl-4722n-2-way-screen-array-with-network-passive-application...

Also I paid $1600 for the VR4's. I think they listed new for $4995 without the nicer wood choices for the tops

I have been a crappy musician most of my life. I was looking for the sound of the live music I liked to play and see live. I have always had a revolving system (or evolving) and I have a lot of amps from a dynakit st 70 to adcom 555 (3 of them) whatever.
I was super lucky to come across a set of Von Schweikert VR4 speakers last year. For my ear they are the best of anything I have heard or could hope for. Right now they are powered with 2 adcom 555, thru a parasound P5 pre. I am so happy with the set up I am goofy happy when I get to enjoy some music. I have 52 pearl Jam shows on cd I am just starting to go thru. Some stuff is better on cd (live bootlegs) and some better on vinyl. I just got a new copy of exile on main st. Shows off the sound stage.
I am just a lurker here, but I didnt think anyone would mention Von Schweikert speakers, and I am a drummer, so I like it loud. 
enjoy.kruzman

ruebents , Thank You .
I'l  remerber  that if I ever joke.

I auditioned a pair of Cornwalls (III) and felt that if I listened ONLY to rock & roll I’d have purchased them or the IVs (used). They were fun.

@schubert 

For rock., anything will do.

You forgot to put a little smiley face after that. You know, so we know you are joking.

;~)

For rock., anything will do.

What's available to you on the local scene ? Used or new ? Shipping large speakers is usually not cost effective . 

I have Legacy Signature IIs and they do sound good, but it seems like my Dynaudio Audience 82s kick more ass on drum shots and the like.  I'm surprised nobody has suggested a nice used set of Dynaudio.

chasing our tails to get THE sound for rock is somewhat crazy given the many studios, etc..
So yes we have some agreement.

I am with Jafant, I happen to prefer Vandersteens driven by a tube front end and a solid state amp.

I hope the OP gets where he wants to go musically !!!!!

I'm on my 2nd pair of Magnepans and I'm a rocker. First pair was a Christmas present from my wife, 1.4s. Got a pair of 1.7s last year and they are fantastic!!! Relaminated the 1.4s and put them in the living room for the wife. They kicked ass when paired with a velodyne uld12. 1.7s are in my music room driven with a Bryston 4b and believe me they ROCK. Well below $4K, extra money for electronics and tunes. 

Happy Listening!

Actually, it can affect the sound of period-music, via, cross-over networks.
It all begins w/ the 1st order cross-over. If one likes this "sound" then seek out Vandersteen or Thiel (my reference). Progress w/ 2nd order up to 4th Order for best effect.

repectfully. disagree
monitors do matter at every step in the chain
they vary widely
a ton of classic rock was recorded and mastered with big JBL's with a host of strengths and known issues. The West coast sound is not a myth.

You're not actually disagreeing- you are making the same point I was. 'West Coast Sound'? What about the Minneapolis sound? The Seattle Sound? Is there a better speaker for that? How about the New York Sound or the Sound of London (Abby Road)? 70s Kraut rock? Norwegian Metal? Italian Prog? Is Bob Dylan Rock or folk? For that matter Steeleye Span or Pentangle? Which speaker is best for all those? Do you see the problem?

I've actually seen people ask which speaker is best for mid-80s downbeat; at first I thought they were joking. How in the heck can you design a speaker for a particular genre of music? Mid-90s Ambient anyone (one of my faves)? The fact of the matter is you can't- the voice coils and crossover parts have no idea what signal passes through them.

(2) ways to go about your query OP-

you can go w/ an older "rock" speaker- Infinity Cresendo Series (1990's)
or go w/ a Thiel CS 2.4 or CS 2.7 loudspeaker.  Happy Listening!

repectfully. disagree
monitors do matter at every step in the chain
they vary widely
a ton of classic rock was recorded and mastered with big JBL's with a host of strengths and known issues. The West coast sound is not a myth.

i do not nessesarily agree....
first we have the problem of what it was mixed and mastered to sound like....so IF the studio is using NS1000 as the be all end all monitor well...the reults are going to vary...or a big JBL with a 8" or larger paper cone mid with breakup and ringing including sigificant out of phase 2nd order distortion ( that junk also counts as output...er efficiency...but that is a shall we say dirty secret)
My theory and it is shared is the lower distortion pistonic systems are truth tellers and they lay bare the recording and a lot of rock sounds really crappy on them...
hence some of the popularity of old tube stuff with tones of  higher order distortion to add back in..

...And If the studio didn't use that particular loudspeaker? A lot don't! Some use Westlake, some JBL, some ATC, some Snell, some even Magnaplanar. IOW the monitor thing is all over the map. We use High Emotion Audio.

If you try to generalize with rock you meet a dead end. Some of it is recorded live, some in the same studio that yesterday was recording an acoustic jazz section. In fact studios have to stay in business and can't be too picky about what type of music they record!

BTW, tube electronics in general as compared to solid state tends to have **less** 'higher order distortion' (I assume you mean higher order harmonic distortion), which is why tubes tend to sound smoother.

ZUs! The Zu Audio speakers are real party rockers. 

I am 95% progressive rock, prog metal, classic rock and jazz/fusion. Pretty much all vinyl too.....I have a set of Rega RX5 ($2995), 2.5 way that has a very singular sound, drivers work very well together. In metal the drums and bass guitar play such big roles in that big sound. The double kick by Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater, Transatlantic) has never sounded better and defined. And these speakers play very loud and clear....89dB and side firing woofer to help control too much bass.
These are voiced real nice for vocals and acoustic guitar which makes for excellent jazz experience.

I power these with a NAD C356BEE @ 80 wpc, very satisfying.

I’ve been a mostly "rock" professional musician for nearly 50 years, recording, live stuff, still play a little too loud. I’m also going through a "late stage beatnik" phase of being a jazz freak, listening to lots of it (hooked on piano trios), and mixing some live jazz shows (a rewarding sideline…highly recommended). My hifi rig is tonally substantial enough for the room it occupies with 2 subs and clear mains, and again I utterly agree with Atmasphere regarding the silliness of "rock" or any other style really, being sonically speaker specific. Baloney. I hear jazz things with enough drive to overdrive your drivers and drive you out to the driveway. Vijay Iyer? Julian Lage? John Scofield? Mahler? Also, agreeing with Atmasphere so often should get me a discount on one of his tube amps…I just wonder if they work equally well with Norwegian Death Metal and Mumblecore.

Atmasphere..
i do not nessesarily agree....
first we have the problem of what it was mixed and mastered to sound like....so IF the studio is using NS1000 as the be all end all monitor well...the reults are going to vary...or a big JBL with a 8" or larger paper cone mid with breakup and ringing including sigificant out of phase 2nd order distortion ( that junk also counts as output...er efficiency...but that is a shall we say dirty secret)
My theory and it is shared is the lower distortion pistonic systems are truth tellers and they lay bare the recording and a lot of rock sounds really crappy on them...
hence some of the popularity of old tube stuff with tones of  higher order distortion to add back in..
my vintage system w 1960's Mac stuff sounds fab with rock...
run a modern hyper excellent say 2 L recording thru it and well it sucks..
to the OP just get some big JBL,s
or the best used Wilson you can afford..paper cones and all

spring for hearing protection..

They don't "look" the part of rock speaker, but the loudest, most clear sounding speaker I've had in my home is the Gemme Audio Tanto V2. Quite efficient with a clean and clear sound, my amps would break a sweat before the speakers would. The transmission line design also offers great bass response. There's no crossover to damage if you rock out too hard and replacement drivers are fairly inexpensive and available as off the shelf units from Madisound. There's a pair on canada's audio mart right now that are under your budget. (no affiliation with seller). Definitely worth a look...I wish I hadn't sold mine.

If a speaker is good for rock its also good at jazz and classical. There is no such thing as a speaker that does rock better than other forms of music. This is one of the biggest myths in audio.

About all that is being said here is that a speaker needs to play loud and with bass. You need that for classical too. So what is desired just sounds like the best speaker for under $4k that is easy to drive and plays bass.

dsnyder0cnn:  FWIW, I am always surprised by how good my brother's vintage Cerwin-Vega speakers sound, powered by a modest Denon AVR and mid-fi sources.  You would think they would be bright and distorted (the California sound?), but they are actually pretty good - reasonably smooth highs, fair detail retreaval, and decent transients.  I can't judge soundstage because of the processed surround sound, and deep bass is handled by a powered sub, but, still, they surprise me every other year when i visit for Thanksgiving.  Note that the speakers you linked have soft-dome tweeters, not what you'd expect from Cerwin Vega, but there you go.

If you want to rock out please check out aperion verus grand 2. They never get harsh only better with volume.

Amazing customer service. 

I'm curious to know what these things sound like (although not quite curious enough to buy them):

https://www.amazon.com/Cerwin-Vega-XLS-215-3-Way-Audio-Speaker/dp/B002JGXNHU/

Anyone have a pair?

There is a pair of GE Triton 1 speakers for sale here at 4100.00.  (not affiliated with the seller)  As an owner of the GE Triton 1 speakers myself, I can most emphatically say they do wonders for Rock.

My system is more modest than many here -- a pair of Klipsch Forte Is ($300) powered by a McIntosh MA6200 integrated amp ($1700) -- but it rocks out in a most satisfactory fashion.  If you have a big room and two real corners, Klipschorns would give you all the rock you ever wanted and more.  Alternately you could find a pair of Choruses, which are the Fortes' big brothers, or go legacy with Cornwalls or La Scalas. 

@falconquest  - have to agree. I've driven our FOCUS SEs with McCormack DNA-1, Wyred 4 Sound mAMP monoblocks, and even a Sanders ESL. I have yet to try tubes, but I'm consistently blown away by the performance of Bill's loudspeakers with solid state.

Gotta give another thumbs up to Legacy Audio Focus 20/20's. There was a comment about driving them with SS not measuring up to tubes. Can't comment on the tubes but my Plinius SA-103 sounds awesome through them!

The speakers I've heard in that range that really rocked and did everything well are Vandersteen Treos (over budget at $6,900; but I'm told the 3A has the same character at $4,775 - street price may be less.) and the Canton Ergo 1002DC. You can't get the Ergo 1002 any longer; but you can get the Reference 5 DC from Amazon for $3280/pair. That's pretty astounding since they went for $10,000 when they came out in 2008 and are actually part of the Canton Vento Line which are one higher than the Ergo. You should really take a look! I've considered Tektons. When I spoke to the owner he recommended the SEAS Pendragon or Lore-S for rock in a large space. Not sure if those models are still available. I just didn't want to be on the hook for a few hundred in shipping if I didn't like them. I'm far from them.

Has anyone actually listened to the Tyler PD 100's mentioned earlier in this thread? I looked them up and they may be what I am looking for as my music/home theater mains. First hand opinions ?  thanks  Rob

Golden Ear Tritons are ridiculously good for the $. I hear them year after year at shows and I'm always amazed. Just heard them at NY show this past fall. Wow.

I listen to 90% 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's rock at volumss that sometimes disturbs my neighbors through a set of Tekton Design Pendragon's powered by a parasound integrated amp. To me the sound is exactly as I want. http://www.tektondesign.com/pendragon.html

Check out Brystom. Model T's if you have the room or Middle T's if you don't require that much speaker. Both very highly regarded and an excellent value. I own the Middle T and love them. Superb bass and coherent sound through out the audio band. 
They are killer with Rock and high SPL's !!! You will not be disappointed!!!

Just noticed there's a Heco Direkt here on Audiogon.  I haven't heard it, but it looks the part & has stellar reviews in Europe.

Focal Aria series floorstanders. Lots of swagger, ported at the bases for increased low end. 

Find a used old model Avantgarde acoustic Duo or Duo omega and you will feel the rock on your skin..

Find a pair of Klispch LA Scalas, you will not be disappointed! Kinda  large but very efficient ! They are clear and precise!

There are so many choices...the old B&W 808 monitors are by all accounts great for rock (as I understand, it's what they were made for).

I've owned both the old and new Legacy Audio FOCUS loudspeakers and agree with many here that they are a solid choice and generally a great value used. Not sure that I agree with statements suggesting that the older model sounds better...although it might depend on the room and electronics. I've found that the SE version is significantly better than the older model in every audio category (bass impact, extension, smoothness, midrange clarity, micro-dynamics, soundstage, etc.), even though it has one fewer 12" woofer per channel. I had both the old and new models in my listening room for a month before parting with the old ones with no regrets:

http://www.dsnyder.ws-e.com/photos/potn/FOCUSx2.jpg

I have since had the midbass drivers and tweeters updated, and they are even better as a result. One of the great loudspeaker values.

At a lower price-point, the Tekton stuff looks really cool. I'd also love to hear the JBL Studio 590:  http://www.jblsynthesis.com/productdetail/studio_590.html

You can try the Revel F208's they Rock used at 3,500.....as well as the much more expensive Salon2's, both speakers cranked clear and clean beyond recommended dB levels for your ears! I'm using the Devialet D200 crystal clear with Nordost Red Dawn Cables.......