Massive upvote to @danager - The Lii Audio F15 is worthy of in-depth consideration. I ordered an F15 pair directly from the manufacturer. Got em on sale for $399...that is still the price on the site. This gives you plenty of leftover money to build your own baffles or have a woodworker crank some out.
My living room is 14x16 and these drivers fill the space with the most detailed and airy soundstage. When I listen to An American Place, performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, I can hear every instrument in its own space. Runs by the flute section move left to right and back across the right half the room. Timpani and gong hits come from a place deep in the concert hall....it’s almost like a massive worm hole opens up behind these drivers and the sound is transported directly from the Barbican Centre in London. Vocals, guitars, drums, modern, old, etc....everything I put through these gems transports me to the time and place of the recording.
Lii Audio sent me a complementary F6 pair as a gift for dealing with supply chain delays. For kicks, I set them up as a center channel...I might be onto something.
You can order the drivers directly from Lii Audio and baffles from Caintuck. Decware sells finished versions of this speaker starting at $3,400...the diy route will allow you to have a 3k+ speaker for close to your 1k budget.
Also, you can do what I did...just order the drivers to start. Rig them up to listening height and just see what happens. I put mine on a couple dining room chairs and propped them up with some books. Took a little tweaking, but the sweet spot wasn't hard to find. If you like them, move forward with the diy. If you are instantly captivated, sell them. Hell, I’d probably buy them from you for the right price ;)
Good luck
PS don’t listen to the full range driver haters. Most of em can’t even hear the hertz that are missing. I’ll gladly sacrifice all my dog whistle recordings to have highs and lows emanate from the same place.
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I have a few options with distance.
We have hardwood floors and our furniture sits on small pads so they can be easily moved to vacuum. I can slide the small recliner to the center of the LR anywhere from 5' - 15' from the speakers.
Otherwise the recliner built into the sectional couch is about 19' from the speakers.
The manual on the 545 states that it has the "ability to drive very low impedance loads" which isn't very specific but I don't see 4 ohms as an issue and I don't listen to music at ear bleeding levels.
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OK, you have a fairly large room. But the main part of that equation is where will you be sitting when you are doing your listening? How far away will you be from the speakers?
Small bookshelf speakers can play loud but they’ll never sound "large" or "scale" (in general - I know there are some exceptions). But if you want scale, you should probably go with floorstanders, and even then, at $1000 for two speakers your choices will be limited.
Even in a large room if you are sitting no more than 10 feet or so away, you might get by with bookshelf speakers, and later add a subwoofer.
I note that the Polk R700 are on "sale" now as of 5-16-2022 for $899 each. Yeah, that is nearly double your budget, but in the long run you might be happier with larger speakers in that room if you can stretch your budget, plus you might not need a sub (at an extra expense) down the road.
Good luck. Oh, I looked up the Adcom GFA-545 at hifiengine. I could only find it specified to output 100W/channel at 8Ω. Make sure it will be happy driving lower impedance speakers. 6Ω might be OK, but 4Ω (unless it is OK with that) might be harder, and many 4Ω can dip even lower at certain frequencies.
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I appreciate the suggestions here even more because no one has anything to gain by offering an opinion.
most people recommend what they own, so there are all sorts of psychological influences that may not be as nefarious as a saleman looking for a commission… but it does not make the suggestions here automatically better.
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I have an inexpensive pair of speakers in the BR that have AMT tweeters. The speakers aren't great but the top end is smooth so.....
Any opinions on the Elac Carina BS243.4 which also have AMT tweeters and, on paper, a pretty good frequency range? Not sure I can listen to a pair locally but I did find a dealer who sells the Goldenear AON 2, and AON 3 speakers also with an AMT tweeter.
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Some tower speakers can be filled with sand/lead shot that not only improves sound but would make it virtually impossible for a young child to tip over. Not sure if the Joseph Audio RM25s I recommended earlier can do this, but this might solve your problem if you can find a speaker you like with this feature.
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I didn't think of it during my original post but ....
We have two granddaughters with the oldest being just over 2 years old and something tall and narrow might not be the best choice for a while. We babysat this weekend.
She doesn't touch any of my gear because it's either in or on top of a cabinet but tall, narrow speakers within reach?....Who knows? LOL
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I checked and it seems the JBL sale seems like it's over but thank you for the head's up!
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Kef Q350 bookshelf in walnut: $750 + speaker stands should be just under $1000.00
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i kinda hesitate to recommend my beloved Linton because they exceed your price range and a used pair is hard to find. But since the Audiogoners keep mentioning them, let me render my recommendation to you here with a reservation. That is your Adcom 545, which has damping factors around 3000 at 50Hz, may not match with the Linton well. Such a high damping factor may give the woofer of Linton, that already has tight bass, more control than necessary. With my Parasound A23 (DF=1000), for example, the Linton's bass sounds a bit too tight to my taste. Otherwise, I will render my reservation without any reservation if you could raise your budget.
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The Polk Reserve R200 standmounts sounded remarkable for their price at the recent AXPONA. You should be able to find floorstanding R500 at your price point.
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Couple notes about the Heresys:
-used prices have doubled in the last 10 years, due to Klipsch raising their prices and now everyone who has 30-40 year old speakers for sale thinks they’re sitting on a gold mine. They were a decent deal 10 years ago for $500 used.
-if they aren’t fairly new, they likely need re-capping and possibly other work.
-as floor speakers with tiny stand they work okay if you listen to music on the floor. On a regular chair or sofa, images are too short (midget symphony!) so you may need proper stands which are big, heavy and expensive if you want good ones. Perhaps Ikea Lack tables might work in a pinch temporarily if they put the speakers at the right height for realistic images. Raising the height will reduce bass. Even on the floor they don’t put out a lot of low bass. Factor in a sub or two.
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As said above, those JBLs at 399 each. By most all accounts they are really good even at full price.
Some Dynaudio Focus 160s on eBay for 1.1k with make offer. With stands. Those are really good! Play much bigger than their size would suggest.
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I will second the other poster's recommendation for the Wharfedale Linton 3 way standmount speakers. I own this speaker system, a warm , coherent sound and a fit and finish that belies it's cost. It's a little above your price point, but they look like $3K speakers and no problem with the wife acceptance factor. Who wouldn't want a real oiled veneer finish with matching stands ? Bonus : you can store vinyl records in the stands, I have about 60 albums stored down there. They could be my last speakers .
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FYI,
the Klispch Hersey 2’s might be exactly what you’re looking for. If you’re a lover of bass, you might want to add a sub, but all in all for $1k they are a lot of speaker.
All the best.
JD
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I second the Caintuck Lii 15's. I have a pr. the better half says I need to sell to bring me down to only a dozen pair of speakers. FLA.
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If Harmen has anu JBL Studio 590's left...they play large and clean with great mids..deep bass and crystal cler ( not bright) highs. Were $999 ea. NOW $399 ea. I own a pr. Awsome for the $. a steal if they still have any left.
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The room size is very big, but bookshelf can fill the sound up in that room. It all depends on what you have to drive them and how loud you need to listen to music. In the used market KEF LS50, Revel 106M, SVS Ultra, Wharfedale Linton 85 (slightly above 1200). I have in a second room with Silverline Minuet in 25'x20'x9' and have no issues with sound. As for aesthetics, this will depend on your decor. GL and enjoy.
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To the OP
I think your attitude is wise, just get some opinions and look them over. I have always been able to form a better judgement about audio equipment and making decisions by letting other people offer guidance, information and opinions.
I am going to offer another, somewhat controversial, suggestion to you. Look at Tekton Design. The Lore reference is on sale with them below your budget. I bought the bigger Tekton Double Impact and it plays very loud in my room at 32 watts per side. Much louder as a 4 ohm speaker, easy to drive. the Lore is also very easy to drive. Nice thing is that Alex will paint it any color you want, great WAF (wife acceptance factor). Just my two cents.
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Thanks for the input so far.
I'm not against purchasing new or older speakers but rather considering and relaying what I've read, mostly hear on Audiogon.
Yes, I have a large room to fill which is why I'm considering, among others, a pair of Heresy's.
And yes, the list of suggestions is long but much shorter than starting from scratch and I can take those suggestions, do some research and compare the possibilities.
I always take magazine articles and recommendations from sales associates with a grain of salt. There's typically some bias. Years ago I noticed while shopping musical instruments that if a store didn't carry a specific brand it was because it was $%&*, while another store would say the same about a different product they didn't carry but the product the previous store didn't carry that they did....was the next best thing to sliced bread. LOL
I appreciate the suggestions here even more because no one has anything to gain by offering an opinion.
Much appreciated !
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@holmz Freedom of choice is what you’ve got here, but I am not sure if freedom from choice is what you want. Do your due diligence first and get the list down to three before home trials. Otherwise I could go with the flow here and throw in the recent hype: Revel M16 $693 pair brand new ($10 30 day home trial from Crutchfield) to show I am willing to help. But am I really helping?
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Focal is offering discounts on the Chora 806, which is a well rounded stand mount. Revel is offering 30% off M16s and F35s. If you are a tool using man, look at Parts Express kits. The Morel Ardon kit or the Amiga MT.
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List is really too long. New or used. Bookshelf or floor stander. Need to do your own homework. Read reliable reviews such as Stereophile or on-line. You will get much better information that is from true experts instead of ad-hoc opinions here.
I agree, but at least the OP has some names to start out with… so maybe it help?
Or like Devo says, “Freedom from choice” is what we want.
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List is really too long. New or used. Bookshelf or floor stander. Need to do your own homework. Read reliable reviews such as Stereophile or on-line. You will get much better information that is from true experts instead of ad-hoc opinions here.
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You asked to compare my suggestion to Golden Ear Aon3.
Note: this is only from reading reviews, albeit with a bit of speaker wisdom applied, ha!
Golden Ears are great for their price and for their size. You can't go wrong.
They might have an advantage in the tweeter if you like AMT tweeters.
The CSS CRITON 1tdx would have the advantage in bass, and possibly midrange too. CRITON tweeter is a soft dome with some modern features that lower distort ion. From what I have read, everyone says they are good enough, one person said he wished they were more detailed. One more (Thomas & Stereo) YouTube review said he initially wished they were brighter tweeters but over time appreciated them more and more. He is self-proclaimed "Focal fan boy" (Focal is often regarded as highly detailed) but in the end he said sometimes when I don't want to analyze my music, but instead enjoy it, it is good to switch over to the CSS.
The CSS bass is legendary. Not just for it's size. CSS midrange was compared favorably to Sonus Faber (which exemplifies warm midrange). CSS treble does nothing wrong, is never offensive, although some people have different preferences about the treble,
to say the tweeter does nothing wrong - does not call attention to itself is a high compliment (quoting The Audiophiliac)
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In case you need a big bookshelf speakers, time ago I enjoyed for quite a long period a couple of Wharfedale Evo 4.2. Great midrange, solid, punchy bass, not the most dynamic speaker but a steal for their price. Plus they look so beautiful and well made. Worth give it a listen if you have a dealer in your area.
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I have very similar space. Relatively live room. I tried some very expensive speakers...and none of them sounded good enough for me, some no better than my old Allison CD8s. Some worse. Until I bought a used set of MB Quart QSL 830s. You can get these for half of your budget and they outperformed anything I had. I have them a bit out from the wall, so there is that issue vs the Allisons, but they are room filling, spatial, and disappear. Also a small footprint for a floorstander, narrow, they look great and certainly look better than a stand will with a monitor. Mine are wired in from 40 feet away from the components in another room. Not expensive gear and still sound better or equal to a couple more expensive setups I have. Just great and amazing for the money.
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Second hand Revel F36 or F35 floor standing speakers. Possibly something from Focal.
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Ah, used Merlin TSM monitors. A classic, easy to drive, sealed cabinet so little room interaction, simple black studio with no fancy finish to mar. They work well with a myriad of amplifiers not considered audiophile.
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Tekton Lore.. Pick your color.. $1080
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Heresy's are great speakers and have been updated through the years. Just because they have the same basic design doesn't mean that aren't and weren't great speakers when they debuted.
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Occasionally Wharfedale Jade 3 stand-mounters come up for sale. About $800. Beautiful and great sound quality.
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I've used searchtempest for searching craigslist and I've used Offerup to search local sales. Check the sensitivity of the speakers. the less sensitive a speaker is the more robust the amplifier you'll need. Forexample the KEF LS-50 has a sensitivity of 85db which means those speakers will need a reasonably powerful amplifier. Whereas the Tekton Mini Lore Monitor has a sensitivity of 95db which would sound plenty loud with a minimum amplifier.
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I've used SVS Ultra bookshelf speakers, purchased from SVS Outlet store about $1k. Great at that price, and competitive (or some said better) with KEF LS50. Excellent service customer service too.
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That’s a big space to fill but you might get away with some used KEF LS-50s & a used Rel sub. $800 or so for the KEFs & $300 for for a Rel. I have a family room/connected kitchen that size combination & it fills the space really well.
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About two months ago, I purchased a pair of Sonus faber Lumina II new for $1200 from a local dealer for my second system. I’m using a Rega Brio to drive them and I’m very impressed so far. I saw the Lumina I mentioned, but with the size of your room the II would be better suited, if you add a sub later, better still. But they sound pretty great to me on their own….depends on what you listen to most I suppose.
Best,
Neal
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Bose 901's, that Adcom will really make them sing.
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Thank you for all of the input folks.
Yes, I could assemble and stain cabs. My stereo center was purchased from an unfinished furniture store and the final product came out fine.
How would Goldenear AON 2 or AON3 stack up against the speakers mentioned?
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I think we are suggesting used because we want you to be amazed with what you could get for the $1000.
Another way would be a KIT!
I would imagine CSS AUDIO CRITON 1TD-X kit speaker with the standard crossover for $934 would be difficult to beat as far as the sound goes. YouTube guy Jay (used to be called Next Best Thing) recently compared it with Sonus Faber $10k speaker and CSS won! Admittedly, he spent $400 more for upgraded crossover, but that is only the last +3% tweeter definition, not really a different speaker.
So question to you - if you glued together pre-cut wood yourself, and painted the boxes to match your walls would that be acceptable? How about with +$100 birch plywood and some wood stain?
The only reason I make this suggestion because I and many reviews say you would love the sound...
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The Wharfedale Diamond series would be in your price range. The 12.3 or 12.4 towers are nice.
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gorquin,
I’m sure, like you many here believe new is better. I obviously disagree, but best of luck choosing. That’s a large space you are dealing with.
Are you close enough to NJ, 07062 to hear mine? custom cabinets, drivers made in 1956, woofers re-coned, you might start dis-believing what you read.
others: If you live close to Conn. those JSE’s I linked above were thoroughly refreshed beyond original. If you ever heard them, you would know what a terrific deal they are. I have no doubt they will beat the living crappola out of anything new under 1,200.
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Thanks for the heads up ! I don't necessarily need vintage speakers. As I mentioned in my first post, I've read that a lot of vintage speakers may be obsolete in comparison to newer speakers because of advancements in technology and engineering.
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eBay, vintage speakers, you can put in a distance filter, as well as a price filter, save shipping, hear them 1st perhaps
i.e. within 100 miles, under 1200.
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JSE Infinite Slope Model 2. would be quite happy with your amp in your space.
I owned these, absolutely loved them, went back to vintage tubes and my vintage horns, gave them to my son.
This pair has to sound better than the original. Smart to replace the Dynaudio tweeters, they burn out too easily. Read the text, John S. is John Sollecito (JS Engineering).
Two patents of Richard Modafferi’s: Phase Shift Bass Loading and for the Infinite Slope Crossover.
https://www.audioclassics.com/mods
local pickup only, eh, just find a UPS office near the seller, you pay to have them packed and shipped, seller just drops them off in your name. Actually less risky than having a seller pack them. These are well worth shipping! BUT, way over budget after that.
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hifishark
search: vintage speakers
countries: usa (change?
insert your price range: 100. to 1200. (always go above, you don't want to miss something GREAT just above your limit.
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