So basically a speaker is a cabinet with some drivers and a crossover, and in a sub-$1k tower speaker all three will of necessity be compromised versus pricier designs and all significantly affect sound quality. Good looks can’t hide that. Frankly if I had less than $1k to spend I’d either buy used towers or monitors if I had to buy new.
Multi-driver inexpensive speakers vs. expensive speaker, what's the difference?
I was looking at www.audioreview website and they have a under $1000USD
http://www.audioreview.com/reviews/editors-choice-best-floor-standing-speakers-under-1000
speakers page with many fine looking speakers. From pure cosmetic, they look just like much more expensive speakers. I used to have some inexpensive speakers before and in my experience, they have smaller soundstage and lacking in low level details. Also the cabinet works are a bit hollow and you can feel the cabinet resonance with knuckle tests.
What do you guys think?