# old guy needs suggestions on speakers



## sgkent (Aug 19, 2012)

Hi - Thanks in advance. This question gets asked a million times around here I am sure - but after days of reading on speakers my head is spinning. I want new or pre-owned speakers.

I am 63 and wear hearing aids these days. My high frequencies fall off although the hearing aids help with that. So here is the problem, back in the 1960's and 1970's I sold high end audio equipment. My best speakers ever were some Pioneer CS-R700's. Maybe that combined with racing, convertibles, hunting and Lord knows what else is why I wear hearing aids. 

We listen to XM-Sirius (sounds terrible), some Pandora (sounds better), CD's, and DVD movies including concerts. I had some JBL knock offs for many years but the bass of things like cannon shots in movies caused them to delaminate and buzz - even at moderate volume. So I found a set of KLH 15" speakers on sale at a good price a few years back but they sound awful in the mid-range. They boom. What I mean is all the mid-range sound from them sounds like they are at the end of a Quaker cereal box. The tweeter doesn't tweet crisply, it saturates too easily. If I put a cheap headset on and hold the pads away from my head the highs are crisper and cleaner than these speakers so I know it is the sound coming from them or the AMP. I am guessing it is the speakers although the Onyko receiver will be next to go if new speakers don't fix the issue.

I know how to listen to sound to tell a good from a bad speaker. My heart tells me that something like an older JBL or Pioneer CS-99A would be a good choice but all the ones I see are rotted or the dog chewed up the corner. We are running 7 speakers right now. R-C-L, R side, L side and two rear. The R and L are the 15" KLH. Is there anything on the market these days that is really clean and crisp that will play rock and movies cleanly? I do not know the brands. I do know that some brands back in the 1970's played with multiple say 6 - 8" speakers and passive radiators in a column to get good sound but they never sounded as good to my ears as say a 4 or 5 way system. Can someone point me in a direction to begin this search? Should I just try to find some CS-99A's and have them repaired? I am looking for a really solid set of R and L speakers that sounds good in a 12 x 14 area. The midranges off these KLH sound like an AM radio to me and I can't stand it any longer, especially with Sirius compression making it worse. HELP! $below $650 - $850 a set new or used.


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## Tonto (Jun 30, 2007)

Well my friend, you just happen to be in luck. We just auditioned some solid speakers & the set that we felt preformed the best just happens to be $749 a pair. You can buy a center & surrounds to go with them. I know that will be a bit over budget, but being one of the evaluators...I can assure you these babies will not dissapoint. Midrange & tweeters were phenominal. You can read our eval here.

http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/two-channel-audio/69421-official-1-000-speaker-evaluation-home-audition-event-results.html


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## sgkent (Aug 19, 2012)

Thank you. Looking at the graphs those perform about like that style tower did in the 70's. The bass falls off about 60 HZ which means a subwoofer is needed. I'll never forget the first time I heard Bombay Calling by It's a Beautiful Day, I think that is the track on the album, where there is about a 20 cycle gong in the beginning that you barely hear but you can feel it in your chest as pressure waves. The Focal ones do look fairly consistent above 60 HZ so maybe I need to rethink and consider something like those and a subwoofer for bass.


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

I agree, you will get no better sounding system than going with tower speakers like the ones mentioned above and a nice sub like this one here. You will never go back to listening to music any other way again.


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## sgkent (Aug 19, 2012)

I can see where that combination would give the same results as an older Pioneer like the CS-99A or HPM-150/1500 - and easier to find without the repairing foam and veneer issues on a 30 - 40 year old cabinet speaker.


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

sgkent said:


> I can see where that combination would give the same results as an older Pioneer like the CS-99A or HPM-150/1500 - and easier to find without the repairing foam and veneer issues on a 30 - 40 year old cabinet speaker.


Oh, it will be MUCH better than the old pioneers. The bass will be much tighter and cleaner.


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## sgkent (Aug 19, 2012)

which pair did you feel performed the best? I have read the evaluations.


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

The Arx A5 speakers were given the best marks for sound quality under $1000. Many also really like the Klipsch RF-62


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## sgkent (Aug 19, 2012)

I saw the Klipsch RF-62 II but the $2000 - $3000 price tag for a matched set is too high for us right now. It would kill two or three other projects.


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

Are you looking for a full 5.1 speaker setup for under $1000

You can get the Klipsch RF 62s here $1000 for the pair.
You can also get the Focal Chorus 814s here for $799


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## sgkent (Aug 19, 2012)

the 814's weren't in the test. It appears that replace the 716's that were tested. Are there any other differences? One local big box here has the Klipsch RF-62 II as a good price as well as the RF-82. I am guessing that the RF82 is more boomy than the 62 due to the 8" vs 6" drivers? Is that true for the 814's vs the 716's also?


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## sgkent (Aug 19, 2012)

A fellow nearby has one of these for sale at a reasonable price. Would it be adequate as a subwoofer with say the Klipsch RF-62 II speakers? KSW 12 

I am interested in the ARX speakers but no one nearby carries them. Is the factory in Reno and do they have a showroom there? Anyone know? Will they sell off the showroom if they have one? We are about 2 hours from Reno.


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## |Tch0rT| (May 2, 2013)

Arx are internet direct through The Audio Insider. They don't have a showroom, however they have a 30 day in home trial period. That's the best place to test speakers anyhow.


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## arkiedan (Oct 20, 2013)

Old guy????? Are you kidding me? I'm 76! I can tell you about being an old guy. Know what I mean, kid?

I agree with the "the place to audition speakers is in your listening room" but, the cost of shipping a pair of floorstanders both ways can get real expensive (close to $200 in the case of ARX.) Still, I firmly believe in internet direct and there are even a couple speaker manufacturers that will cover shipping both ways. Other than that, reading as many "opinions" and "reviews" as you can will probably get you where you want to be. That's how I ended up with my Ascend Sierras and I have no regrets (although I'm thinking of a change just for change's sake.


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## Sonnie (Apr 11, 2006)

If you get the Arx A5's in your home and you can set them up properly, you ain't gonna wanna send them back. If you can't set them up properly, it probably won't matter what speakers you get. 

I would never audition speakers in a showroom... or anywhere else but my own home if I were looking to buy them. You can go to an audio show and audition, but have to realize that they likely won't sound the same in your own room, unless you can get them setup properly... as there is no replacement for the best placement.


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## arkiedan (Oct 20, 2013)

Sonnie said:


> If you get the Arx A5's in your home and you can set them up properly, you ain't gonna wanna send them back. If you can't set them up properly, it probably won't matter what speakers you get.
> 
> I would never audition speakers in a showroom... or anywhere else but my own home if I were looking to buy them. You can go to an audio show and audition, but have to realize that they likely won't sound the same in your own room, unless you can get them setup properly... as there is no replacement for the best placement.


True, true. Being out here on the frontier there are no showrooms anyway, unless you walk into Best Buy rolleyesno drive over to Memphis, and only a couple over there. As for shows, I haven't been to an audio show since I left Washington, DC. As you said, you won't know how they sound until you get them home anyway. So, if and when I replace the Sierras, it'll be internet direct.

I bought the Ascends based on a plethora of favorable revews, both user and pro. When I ordered I felt I wouldn't be sending them back and I didn't. If I go for those ARX A5s I'll bet I won't be sending them back either. Again, that confidence is based on dozens of great reviews, including your excellent speaker evaluation event. :hail:


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