Some of the Best speakers for Prog Rock/Metal


Hi guys,

I'm in the hunt for speakers, preferably floorstanders, that would be best suited for progressive rock/metal. Common bands I listen to, to name a few, are: Opeth, Tool, Agalloch, Kamelot, Dark Tranquillity, Dream Theater, Porcupine Tree, Nightwish, etc. If any of you know some of these bands, you know that they're not just balls out metal, but they have a lot more intricacies to them as well.

I honestly don't even know where to begin in the search for speakers that would be best for this. I do know that I plan on getting a tube CDP and tube amps to go with whatever speakers. So, list out some speakers/brands that would be great for this. At this point, don't worry about budget, just nothing above the $8-10K range.
heywaj10
I was on a similar search as you when I found my B&W's lacking in this genre. Tool is my favorite band. I ended up with the Gallo Reference 3.1. A lot less $ than your limit and they play everything I throw at them very well, with an incredible soundstage and disappearing act. Detailed yet organic. You can even power their second voice coil if needed. I have not needed to do so.
Steel
Likecoiledsteel,

Ironically, I found both B&W P6 and large Magnepan mg1.3c lacking.

Part of this was due to source and amplifier sound quality issues at the time as well.

Today, I've fixed the source and amp issues and run 2 different pair of OHM full range floor standers and a pair of Dynaudio monitors mostly.

Both OHMs and Dynaudios do well now but the little but overachieving Dyn monitors really could use a sub to keep pace with the OHMs on prog and metal.

I wouldn't mind trying either the B&Ws nor Maggies again now with better electronics, but I don't think the low end extension and dynamics on the older Maggies would cut it. The B&Ws had some good kick to them. They might....
How come NO RUSH, Fates Warning? Or Helloween,
Gamma Ray, Guardian, Blind Guardian,
King Diamond, Merciful Fate,
Stratovarious, Saxon, Riot, etc?
Come on now, get with the program!
Even I have all of these.
Mapman,
I have never heard Ohm or Dynaudio speakers, but many people seem to like them. I had the B&W CDM7NT's. They were very good at jazz anf lighter stuff, but had trouble at the bottom. They were also a bit forward. I tried to go up the chain of B&W on my last speaker quest, trying the 804S, they were better then my CDM7's, but there was still something missing. The Gallo's blew the B&W's out of the water in pretty much every area, at a much lower price. The Gallo's also use Dynaudio drivers.
Steel

Likecoiledsteel,
Ironically, I found both B&W P6 and large Magnepan mg1.3c lacking. Part of this was due to source and amplifier sound quality issues at the time as well.

Today, I've fixed the source and amp issues and run 2 different pair of OHM full range floor standers and a pair of Dynaudio monitors mostly. Both OHMs and Dynaudios do well now but the little but overachieving Dyn monitors really could use a sub to keep pace with the OHMs on prog and metal. I wouldn't mind trying either the B&Ws nor Maggies again now with better electronics, but I don't think the low end extension and dynamics on the older Maggies would cut it. The B&Ws had some good kick to them. They might....
LikeCoiled,

GAllos, OHMs, and B&W are three very different designs that do imaging and soundstage in fundamentally different ways.

What they have in common is B&Ws, Dynaudios and OHMs all generally present difficult loads for amps to drive properly, meaning the impedance varies at various frequencies, which affects the natural balance of sound top to bottom in a negative way. Gallos are similar I suspect but I am not as certain

The solution for balanced sound with more "meat on the bones" in the low end with these kinds of speaks is to use a high power SS power amp (watts) that also delivers a lot of current (amps).

These are more efficient and ideally double the rated output power rating into 4 and 2 ohms and deliver a more naturally balanced sound.

Combine dynamic speakers that move a lot of air with a more efficient amp like this and that is the formula for getting the most sound out of this kind of speaker.

It'll make a big difference for prog or any other music form with which power and dynamics are key to max enjoyment.

Or, as Tvad suggests, a more efficient design, 90+ db sensitivity or greater, will require a less powerful amp .

Along with greater sensitivity though, you might find that different amps and electronics still result in big differences in how the speaks actually sound as well, though less power is required.

Emerald Physics is another radically different speaker design I would like to hear. It uses specialized digital processing electronics to tune the source system to the speaks which is a very interesting and radical approach. I've heard some good things about these!