Good Speakers for Rock and Roll Under 15K


I have nice speakers for acoustics, jazz, vocals, etc. but are not great for rock and roll.  Would welcome any recommendations for speakers that do a great job with classic rock and roll.  I will add some components in my system that might influence thinking:

New Audio Frontiers Tube Preamp, New Audio Frontiers 845 Tube Power Amp, Lampizator Atlantic DAC, Innuos Zenith Streamer, Tchernov cables.

gregjacob

Always been impressed with the Sopra 3’s … punchy and full range coverage!!

I will echo a 3rd recommendation for Legacy Audio Focus, 95+ dB sensitive or at $15,200 a pair of the Focus XD's which have an internal Icepower 750 WPC amp, You can bi amp them with your tube amp and they will sound sweet and rock the house. You can also set the switches to run them full range with the internal amp, but I doubt you will after you hear them bi amped.  Either choice is outstanding with rock, the bass is magnificent! They feature 2 -12 inch bass drivers, yet are refined and detailed in the bass, not boomy at all. 

I have $3k Crites with 2 subs.  100dB.  Pass XA25. Don't knock it, this system is really enjoyable.  It will play as loud as you ever want, yet sound good at 70 dB.  You can feel the bass even at lower volumes. These speakers sound good by themselves, but really shine with subs  They come in unfinished birch.  I have seen veneered versions that are very attractive.   Might have too much old school or DIY look for some.

If If I were to spend $15k, Fleetwood speakers would be worth looking at, beautiful, horn loaded.  Others are Volti, JBL, PBN.

I personally prefer solid state, especially for rock.

Bryston Model Ts. Designed and hand built by James Tanner for his own listening room. They were so good at making precision bass (six 8" Woofers) the company decided to make and sell them.

Negatives: They are watt vacuums. They need at least 200 watts IMO. They sound unimpressive and frankly dull at low volume levels. Once you push them above a conversation level they wake up. The harder you push them the more they sing. Furthermore they lack snob appeal. Brand whores can't brag about their Brystons like they brag about their 20K BAs, B&Ws or Sonus Fabers. All great speakers for sure but IMO WAY overpriced. Get a hold of your dealer's wholesale price list and you will be shocked to learn that the markup is 400%!

Positives: A lot of speaker for the money. They look good- heavy duty and substantial. LOTS of bass- so much so a sub is not necessary. Mids are rich and the highs are not harsh but rather bright and sparkly. 

I like French Vanilla ice cream. You may like chocolate. In the end it's what YOU like and not some keyboard warrior's ranting. THEREFORE: Audition them in YOUR room. So many times I have heard speakers that dazzled me in the treated perfect environment listening room but were unimpressive in mine. Take them home and try them out..  Most dealers will allow this. Many direct sellers will allow it as well. 

Good luck and don't forget to crank up Ramstein's Du Hast Niche! 

 

My two picks if it were me are the Devore O/96's and the Volti Rival. The Rival is $1,000 over budget and if you are strictly limiting yourself to 15K, than the Razz would be just fine.

I really have no clue why I am diving into this thread-the simple truth is that if you match a good loudspeaker correctly with your amp and room, you will be fine regardless of genre. 

Oh, I know why I dived in to this thread. At Axpona one year I heard the O/96's and could not get over how fun they are with rock music.