2. speakers
  3. 1089510637

Speakers for loud listening. really loud...

Hi, I own a nice little McIntosh/Totem system and I absolutely love the sound for most music, especially piano and cello stuff.

As much as I love classical music, I also listen to some heavy rock/metal music. My McIntosh MC7300 amp can output plenty of power, but according to Totem's website, my Totem Hawk loudspeakers can only handle about 120W of power. These speakers are beautiful both aesthetically and sonically, but they have pretty low sensitivity (86dB).

Whenever I want to listen to heavy music such as Tool, Incubus, Metalica, etc, I keep on reminding myself to watch the power amp's watt meter to make sure it doesn't go over 150W, although I sometimes let it go over 200W for a short time. Even at that level, the sound isn't satisfyingly loud enough for me.

I love the Totem sound, and I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for a good rock/metal speakers. The price range should be below $2500 used and I'd like them to have a good power handling. Oh and the speakers don't necessarily need to be produced by Totem. One last thing, my listening room's pretty small, if not tiny (10 x 13ish).

Thanks,
spacekadet

Showing 1 response by 2chnlben

2chnlben
595 posts
 
Sean,
You appear to be an intelligent person, so I know you must realize what those volume levels will eventually do to your hearing. I don't know how old you are, but at forty-three, I have already lost significant hearing in one of my ears. I attribute this mostly to loud music (concerts and home listening).

Man, be careful. Too much of a good thing really can be a VERY bad thing. I must admit, that I too crave LOUD music. But, good-gawd man, talk about thermal-melt-down. Think about your future buddy. Your going to want to be able to hear what your loved ones are saying to you.
With that said, I would love to sit in your listening sit for a few minutes...just a FEW minutes!!!

Take care of your hearing.

2chnlben
More to discover