Started with $1k speakers … what now?

@jdavis234 seems you didn’t start with $1K speakers but the challenging pattern of 2x $1K speaker pairs. Why two different models the same [not inexpensive] price? That’s rhetorical - it’s a question to ask yourself; none of my business. 
What do you want out of your listening - is that the point of entering this hobby for you? If so, how will you listen - sitting down in 1 chair in a non-multi-purpose room as is common in audiophilia? You mentioned guitar foot pedals so you’re no stranger to live venues…

What gets you happy in live performances - what elements or physical / tactile cues are most compelling/energizing? If you can answer that for yourself, then you can start to tease apart the challenges in your way for home audio best suited to your own tastes. Among others - space (too little / too much / room boundary shapes and composition); transducer format stereotypes [pun!] (do panels or cones do the 2 Ch. parlor tricks you favor… and what about tweeter formats, and crossover points…); media (are you gonna be a vinyl guy, or keep it high res digital - all mastered playback sources are woefully victims of dynamic compression compared to live music in a way no hifi kit can truly defeat within the bounds of a typical home)?

My advice is to be question-driven IF you prefer something more than a perpetual shop-a-thon from the stereo hobby. Educate yourself with real literature over off-the-cuff video reviews, based on your personal preferences in hearing. Virtual shopping advice from others could be great, but would mostly be by chance (their preferences from their experiences - not with your ears nor in your room). Hold respectfully suspect any advice that describes greatness / superiority of a product based on “pattern instead of process” (this really is the Achilles heel of so many ebullient suggestions online). Price is inherently indicative of nothing other than what you’ll pay from your bank account.
 

Learning the basics for how different types of drivers work and how wavefronts and room boundaries interact will make you more than someone who shops for clothing and matching accessories in the shape of audio products. So basically you have to ask yourself how you wound up with 2x $1K pairs of speakers (truly no judgement here - just running with an observation, mind you) and figure out if cycling through various kit over time will be part of the fun for you. For some folks it clearly is, and that’s fine as long as it’s not assumed to be a good route for everyone. If that is not you, then there are plenty of learning points to start with before searching up the best $5K proxy price tag. Letting cost lead you in this arena, as a few others suggested, can be an obstacle.

Hopefully that’s clearer than mud. 😉

jdavis234 OP

8 posts

01-28-2024 at 10:06am 

@benanders A fair question, and thanks for your insight. The SF is a smaller front ported box and works closer to wall boundaries. The Polk has to be positioned out from the walls, at least in the space where I have them. So they served different purposes for me, and sonically I like the tone of the SF Lumina but also the impact and soundstage of the Polks, which can be a bit less exciting, overall, in my setup/space. The adage “buy cheap buy twice” isn’t lost on me, though; I honestly didn’t know a thing about speakers or placement then and felt 1k was a good starting point. So moving on from this, I’m looking for a speaker that is built to a higher level of performance, hoping that that 3-5k range new or used will get there and seeing some of the great suggestions, it seems that it will, regardless of room treatments or placement options, which are certainly their own important considerations. I really appreciate the suggestions for the Carbons and Joseph Audio, and others. These are products I wouldn’t have known about otherwise. I’ll be looking at a few.
 

@jdavis234 you’re welcome. Do consider speakers’ overall design/approach rather than just designer/model name - everything you’ve mentioned is pretty standard (the Joseph Audio’s do garner good comments and I’ll admit, they’re nice… at a price).

You haven’t mentioned considering actives or panels yet. If standmounts, panels seem an unlikely candidate but are worth hearing - they’re different. I’m not sure omnidirectional speakers are in your price range or would work for a small room, haven’t looked. They do neat (different) stuff too. If you only listen to more typical box-cone speakers, you’ll be limiting yourself to evaluating more nuanced differences in a “type”, so to speak. Start broader than that, and narrow down based on whether you discover a preference for transducer type. It can be a real thing.

Also consider speakers that are floorstanders but require only the on-floor real estate of a standmount. Reason being, if you don’t get carried away and aim to overpower your room, it’s worth comparing models with greater driver surface area. This reduces drivers’ legwork between each crossover range. It can have a considerable effect on your in-room sound. Beware paying more for exotic cabinetry whatever the size of your speakers.

KEF LS60 is past your price point, but a curious example of an active speaker that takes up the same floor real estate as a standmount and offers even greater individual driver control (being, of course, active). I don’t keep up with Genelec prices but they have a pretty hardcore niche following outside recording studios. Probably hard to find a “cleaner” small format speaker, but like anything, that’s to taste. And you kinda need a Star Wars-themed room for Genelec’s to blend in. Educate yourself on actives, panels, omni’s, whether or not they wind up being approaches you ultimately consider. 

With standmounts, you’ll do well to also educate yourself on how in-room bass can work since you may eventually want to implement 1+ sub(s). Probably worth a look: