+1 on the Ascend Acoustics Sierra Towers with RAAL.
Up to $4000US tower speakers for Jazz and Classical Music
Hello All!
My wife and I are musicians who happen to also love listening to music! Last 3 years we have used a pair of Q acoustics Concept 40 tower speakers powered (now) by and Audiolab 6000A integrated. We listen to 90% of our music on CDs (Audiolab CD transport) or vinyls (Audiotechnica turntable). Mostly jazz and classical music in our roughly 53 square meters (550 sq ft) living room. Some other speakers came and went but we have so far liked the Q acoustics more than any other. We like their honesty with a tinge of warmness, but they are also engaging, open sounding, dynamic, airy! We love how chamber music sounds on them: string quartets, piano trios (jazz or classical), voices, big bands, etc... but we do miss a bit of that lower octave the Q acoustics simply don't have. A friend lent me a pair of Elac Adante AS-61 but did no like them much. lots of transient attack (which was good for percussion instruments) but it somehow changed the color/timbre of other instruments. I work also as a mixing engineer and have a pair of Neumann KH310 monitors in my treated room so I can say I'm picky with sound. Of course we don't want the analytical sound of the Neumanns in our living room (completely different beasts) but we want speakers to still be honest, but engaging, open, dynamic, airy. We are looking for a pair of tower speakers around $4000 that will provide us with a more believable orchestral crescendo, pianissimo, fortissimo, and that lower octave of a double bass the Concept 40s can't provide (by the way, we don't want a sub; tried several and simply did not like the overall presentation). We are looking at possibilities in Crutchfield, Music Direct or Amazon in case we need to return them (we live in the countryside and can't audition any speakers nowhere near!). Our list includes: Klipsch Forte III, Definitive Technology Demand D17, Kef R7, JBL HDI-3800, Dali Opticon 8MK2, Revel F206 and B&W 703 S2 or 704 S2. They will have to be efficient as the Audiolab does not have a ton of power! Any suggestions, greatly appreciated!! Thanks!
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Other than lacking some low end, it sounds like you’re quite happy with your current speakers. If so, why not just add a subwoofer (or 2)? I have 2, REL T/7xs in my main system with Magnepan 1.7is and 1, T/5x in my family room with KEF LS50s. In both systems, the sound is seamless and I have all the low end I could ask for. The great thing with REL subs is that they don’t require a separate feed from a pre-amp. You simply run the cables from your amp’s speaker outputs. Their T/x series are priced from $700 to $1500. I just checked their website and they offer free shipping and a 60 day trial period, with free shipping back to them. I’ve tried a number of different subs over the years, but I always heard the sub as being separate, as they never integrated well with my main speakers. I don’t hear that with the RELS. Paul McGowan of PS Audio, wrote this about REL connections. https://www.psaudio.com/pauls-posts/subwoofer-connections/ |
I wouldn't shy away from anything created by Jim Salk or Dennis Murphy. Years ago I had the pleasure of hearing the Ellis 1801 speakers at a co-workers house. They sounded fantastic. Mr. Salk has a floor standing version in a transmission line cabinet. I would talk to him or Dennis before I made any purchases. |
After two years with them, I remain smitten with my Tekton Moabs. They go down to 20Hz and are very efficient, as you require, but much more importantly, they sound like real music. Even recordings with huge dynamics, like a Steve Smith drum solo, or The Snow Maiden performed by the Minnesota Orchestra, are lifelike, with the appropriate scale and precision. The Tektons do subtle and subdued, they do loud and boisterous, and everything in between. Transient speeds are unheard-of good especially considering that these are dynamic drivers you’re listening to, not panels. The Moabs are big and not especially pretty, but if you can get over that, they should provide years of outright joy. The price tag was four grand two years ago, $4,700 now. I’ve heard speakers that sound better, but not under 25,000 dollars. |
I’ve had my Moabs for 2 years now as well and I’ve owned a number of different brands and models over the years including Vandersteen’s, Martin Logan’s and SDA’s. I’ve also auditioned many higher end pieces including Wilson, Focal, Avalon and too many others to list. My musical taste is very broad, but if you’re looking for a piece that provides something truly life like and easy to listen to the Moabs for $4.5K are, my opinion, your best choice in anything ranging up to as much as $35K perhaps $40K. The dynamics of the mids and high frequencies are absolutely phenomenal. The bottom end is detailed, powerful and dynamic with the right amount of "punch" in a crescendo without overpowering the mids and highs coming at you at the same time. Yes, admittedly, as it is so often noted, they are not the "pretty" or "artsy" looking units like many others that would berate them for not being so, but... I listen to music. I don’t sit and look at the speakers in awe of their visual greatness. I am in awe of what these fantastic creatures do. Eric Alexander has done a phenomenal job in providing us the opportunity to have and hear such marvelous aural wonders. Shipping is included in the price. If you live in the right state there is no sales tax. Great value and you simply can’t go wrong. Oh, and by the way... No Subs needed. At all. |
Corelli... That's why, outside of their phenomenal sound quality, I suggest looking at the Moab or at least the Double Impact from Tekton. Neither needs a Sub, at all, shipping is free and more often than not, there is no sales tax added, On a $4K pair of speakers, taxes will be $280 to $400, and shipping of anything of any size with drivers to meet their bass requirements is going to be $600-$800 in addition to that at this point. In short, a good $4K pair of speakers with tax and shipping is going to be between $4,800 and $5,200 So the Moab at $4730 or even the Double Impact at $3,150 is a great deal. There are also (7) standard colors to choose from as well as making it a custom color for an additional $45 (obviously more if you want an exotic finish which they are happy to do). Just some food for thought. |
Tekton- Moabs are going to Very Hard to beat $4,800.. I have the Tekton- Double Impact se, I upgraded from the Seas Pendragon’s both of which are outstanding speakers.. I have three amps I rotate, (EL34 PP-22 watts, 300B SE- 8 watts, and solid state amp - 75 watts).. They all sound great in their own way on Tektons.. Almost any speaker from Tekton will work well for you, but I would recommend buying something from the $2,000 range and up..
VOLTI AUDIO, is the only other speakers I recommend,OVER the Tekton brand.. They are more expensive.. I recommend ALL of the VOLTI audio models, they are superior to almost anything I’ve heard..
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@jcatdcat Hope you did not think I was suggesting the Moabs are out of his budget. I was referring to suggestions that are thousands beyond his upper limit. Your suggestion of the Moabs, from everything I have read, is excellent and I am sure they would check off all the boxes for the OP. Probably the least helpful suggestions are repeated plugs for Magnepans. Yes, they are very nice speaker that enjoy a large room--but not with the OP's amp. Not a knock on the amp. It is just an inappropriate pairing |
Overlooked truths about Magnepans: 1) As a line source dipole their power doesn't fall off like the usual inverse square law, 2X distance = -6dB level, it's more like -3dB so while still not efficient, in a 550ft2 room they will fill it better than a monopole box. 2) Properly bi-amped with a high-pass/low-pass crossover you will gain up to 6dB dynamic range (equal to 4X the amp power) just from splitting the load. No magic, It's in the math of adding signals. A pair of REL r/7 and Magnepan 1.7s can likely be sourced for $4K. Your concern over subwoofer 'presentation' is well founded. Many subs are designed for high SPL boom, not definition. REL doesn't hide this, they make different lines of subs for home theater and hi-fi. Below Magnepans, they're all boxes, some very good, and I would consider KEF, Monitor Audio, and Golden Ear. I think you'd tire of the Klipsch lack of LF control and 'blattiness', but not their dynamics. |
Thanks again to ALL! There are so many wonderful suggestions, is quite overwhelming. It seems Tekton is definitely an option, as they offer returns and their speakers are very sensitive. The Tektons Moab some of you have suggested are out of the question as they are too big and imposing. The Double Impact or Double Impact SE are options. The Ohm Walsh 2000 is also interesting, as well as Vandersteen 2CE Signature III that Music Direct offers. We might look further into the BMR towers and see if they offer a trial period. Golden Ear Triton Two and Three have high sensitivity so will also find out if they offer a trial period. We are also considering the PMC twenty.24 available in "The music room" and more conventional options as the B&W 703 S2 or Dynaudio Evoke 50. Wish we could extend our budget to the Q Acoustics Concept 500, as we are pretty sure we would like them a lot, but that's not happening. Again thanks to all for your input and passion! |
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BTW as a Vandersteen owner I can tell you that the 2CE sounds best when one gets the right placement in the room and recognizing they are time and phase accurate speakers. The front face (top) of the speaker has to be tilted back by adjusting the feet. Once this is done, the speakers really do sound better. Audio advice sells bases for these speakers that make it even easier and add a really decent stand for the speaker(s). |
