What are the best speakers for 80's hard rock?


Hello folks!
I want suggestions for best speakers and amp for 80's hard rock music. Many bad recordings, so many high end speakers (and amps) sounds very harsh and hard, with little bass. It's more important to me that my stereo can play bad recordings in a good way, than play good recordings in a fantastic way.

I want very laidback and soft treble, but I want a bass that goes deep and alo is very punchy.

I know many people say that I should here on vintage speakers. But I want new speakers. Any price range!

Thanks for suggestions!
rockpanther

Showing 1 response by kenazfilan

Klipsch would be an obvious choice if not for the horn. 

I'm a Klipschaholic so my opinion is biased -- but I think you could do a lot worse than Klipsch for a rock-friendly setup.  I find that McIntosh and Marantz both have a very warm sound which helps cut the horn brightness. My main system is a pair of Klipsch Forte Is with Crites crossovers and titanium tweeter and midrange diaphragms powered by a McIntosh MA6200 and I find it most satisfactory for my musical tastes: I was also quite impressed with a Marantz 2220 I keep around as a spare. (I should also note that my tastes in rock are more 70s Prog and blues rock -- think King Crimson and Robin Trower -- than arena rock and *ugh* hair metal).  

My Forte Is (which were cosmetically battered but sonically fine when I purchased them) cost $300 and I spent another $500 in updates.  A new set of Forte IIIs, which have just been released, will set you back $3600-4400 depending on the finish.  You might also be interested in the Forte's big brother, the Chorus: they typically go for $950-1250 on the market.  I've seen used Cornwalls going for $850+ ($4400/pr new) and LaScalas anywhere from $1k up ($8k a pair new).   And if you have the corners and the room for two refrigerator-sized speakers, used Klipschorns can be had for anywhere from $1500 to $5500 a pair -- a new set will run you $11k or so.