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What planer speaker to start with? Budget 2k

I've been wanting to try a pair of planer speakers for a while now. I just don't know where to start. I have an Aleph 5 to drive them, and I have a sub. My listening room is 17' by 25' by 8'. So far my favorite speakers are an old pair of Epos es-11's. My budget (which hasn't been cleared by my wife yet...) is $1999. I listen to everything except country and jazz. Thanks in advance.
rtenyes

Showing 2 responses by martykl

martykl
3,578 posts
 
MMGs ($600) and a Velodyne SMS-1 ($600) to integrate your sub. If the sub is decent, you will have one awfully good, truly full range speaker system on your hands. I just set this system up (with two Velodyne SPLR 8" subs) and -in most (though not all) important respects- it's the best sounding speaker system I've had in my room. It's also BY FAR the cheapest.

Incedentally, don't overlook the benefits of a small panel. I used to own Maggie 3.5s some years back and room interactions were far more difficult to address with those than with the MMGs.

Good Luck

Marty
martykl
3,578 posts
 
Like Douglas, I think the ET LFT 8 is a great choice at the price point - the Vandy 2 would be the other (non-planar) speaker that instantly comes to mind at app $2K. When asked my opinion, I've recommended these 2 speakers as the "go to" choices at the price point for many years - in the case of the Vandys, for decades.

However, the MMG offers the opportunity to utilize the Velodyne SMS sub interface and PEQ (and an $800 sub of your choice) at the same price point. Since you already own a sub, you can pocket the difference. IMHO, in most rooms, this is simply a better mousetrap. Note that you'll be crossing actively below 100hz and, with a little work, integration issues can be minimized (particularly with the SMS). In my room, the integration could reasonably be called "seamless".

As to the MMG vs. 12 or 1.6s, there are certainly trade offs. But, I've owned 3.5s and never got them to perform nearly as well as the MMG/SMS/SPLR 8 set up I'm now using. Before buying the MMGs, I auditioned the 3.6Rs at a local dealer. Diferent system, different room, etc. Not remotely a controlled comparison. However, I'd note following:

The total cost of the SMG+sub set up I just bought is app $2400 (with 2 SPLR 8 subs) The 3.6Rs carry a current list of $5K. Although the 3.6 certainly has some performance advantages -- it is noticeably more dynamic than the MMG -for me, the cheaper set up would be a no-brainer even at the same price point. No doubt this reflects my personal priorities, so YMMV.

Marty
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