# Need recommendation for Budget tower Speakers



## Deth V (Apr 11, 2012)

I'm looking for a relatively cheap pair of of front speakers. I'm trying to keep the cost down as much as I can, so my budget is around 200-300/speaker (400-600/Pair)

My uses will be: 40% Movies, 60% Music.

I'm looking for something just with the most balanced response I can get for the money. I do not want anything with "harsh" tweeters.

These will be used in a room that is roughly the same size as a two car garage.


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Hello,
I would seriously consider the $1999 a pair PSB GT1 that DMC-Electronics is blowing out for $699 a pair. They are fantastic Speakers and feature a really nice Piano Black Finish. Another Choice would be Klipsch's Icon WF-35 that usually sells for $1500 a pair, but Newegg is selling for $600 a pair. I do think the PSB's would be better for Music and are definitely the ones I would go with.
Cheers,
JJ


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## GranteedEV (Aug 8, 2010)

Deth V said:


> I'm looking for a relatively cheap pair of of front speakers. I'm trying to keep the cost down as much as I can, so my budget is around 200-300/speaker (400-600/Pair)
> 
> My uses will be: 40% Movies, 60% Music.
> 
> ...


I would suggest the EMPTek E55Ti speakers. Very balanced with no harshness, articulate mids, defined midbass, and an easy amplifier load as well. THey won't have the deepest of the deep bass, but that's what subwoofers are for anyways. 

Here they are in their former home in my similar dimension room:


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## Deth V (Apr 11, 2012)

I forgot to include: That price does include shipping... I can have around a 40 dollar max on shipping costs though.

@Jungle Jack
I'll look into the Klipsch speakers
I can't really afford the shipping on the PSBGT1, looks great though! Thanks!

@GranteedEV
Sounds like what I want! But that's a bit out of my price range, If I can find it on clearance or on sale somewhere then I'd probably try getting those.


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Deth V said:


> I forgot to include: That price does include shipping... I can have around a 40 dollar max on shipping costs though.
> 
> @Jungle Jack
> I'll look into the Klipsch speakers
> ...


Hello,
Just to make sure my post was clear, the GT1's are $699 a pair. I figure it was the extra $100 over your budget that takes them out of the running, but I would be remiss if I did not make for sure that you did not think they were still $2000. Also, DMC sells other PSB Towers that will accommodate your budget.
Cheers,
JJ


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## Deth V (Apr 11, 2012)

Jungle Jack said:


> Hello,
> Just to make sure my post was clear, the GT1's are $699 a pair. I figure it was the extra $100 over your budget that takes them out of the running, but I would be remiss if I did not make for sure that you did not think they were still $2000. Also, DMC sells other PSB Towers that will accommodate your budget.
> Cheers,
> JJ


The GT1s got knocked out of the running because of the shipping costs. (800 for the pair w/shipping)

I'll look into the other PSB towers.

Thanks for the recommendations so far!


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Deth V said:


> The GT1s got knocked out of the running because of the shipping costs. (800 for the pair w/shipping)
> 
> I'll look into the other PSB towers.
> 
> Thanks for the recommendations so far!


Did you try haggling with them. Also, it might be worth talking to another Salesperson there. This technique has worked amazingly well for me.
Cheers,
JJ


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## Deth V (Apr 11, 2012)

No I didn't. Ok cool!

I'll try haggling if I end up choosing that. (Just waiting for a couple more suggestions, then I'll check reviews and such and try making an educated guess on what is the right speaker for me)


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

I would watch for a b-stock sale on those Emp Teks - GranteedEV pointed them out for me a while back when they were going for $399 for the pair. They are manning my living room system and I really like the sound. As he stated, they don't dig really deep, but they will be just fine for a mostly music system.

Also, I had a chance to audition 3 different offerings from PSB - was impressed with all 3. I do not think you would be disappointed in GT-1s at all - or any other PSB offering.


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## zieglj01 (Jun 20, 2011)

The PSB GT1, would also be my reccomendation.


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## zieglj01 (Jun 20, 2011)

The other one that I would look at, is the
Wharfedale EVO2-30, at MusicDirect
http://www.musicdirect.com/p-15532-wharfedale-evo2-30-tower-speakers-pr.aspx


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## Deth V (Apr 11, 2012)

ALMFamily said:


> I would watch for a b-stock sale on those Emp Teks - GranteedEV pointed them out for me a while back when they were going for $399 for the pair. They are manning my living room system and I really like the sound. As he stated, they don't dig really deep, but they will be just fine for a mostly music system.
> 
> Also, I had a chance to audition 3 different offerings from PSB - was impressed with all 3. I do not think you would be disappointed in GT-1s at all - or any other PSB offering.


Ok, how often do they do b-stock sales? Would thehttp://www.emptek.com/e5ti.php be good? It's a bit cheaper than the model you guys are suggesting. Or should I wait until I have enough money or until a sale for the E55Tir's? Yeah I will be listening to mostly music on it, and 50hz is getting into the sub bass range anyways, I'll just use my subwoofer for that if I need to.

The PSB speakers look great, but I cant' really afford them (I'm trying to keep this as cheap as possible while maintaining some good quality sound.

I'll look into the Wharfedale speakers too.


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## GranteedEV (Aug 8, 2010)

Deth V said:


> Ok, how often do they do b-stock sales? Would thehttp://www.emptek.com/e5ti.php be good? It's a bit cheaper than the model you guys are suggesting. Or should I wait until I have enough money or until a sale for the E55Tir's? Y


I would save up a bit more for the E55Tis. The biggest difference is in the midrange, where you've got double the drivers, resulting in lower distortion and more dynamic headroom as a result.


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## Deth V (Apr 11, 2012)

Ok, Thanks!


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## cdguy (Sep 5, 2012)

What do you have powering them? How many rms watts at 8 ohms?

Ascend CMT340SE's , With the stands {which are $40 off rite now}, and B stock with the stands comes to under $700 shipped... You wont be sorry... 

And if you have a lower wattage amplifier, there are a few deals on Energy towers on ebay, they dont need much power to scream..


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## Deth V (Apr 11, 2012)

I'm just getting the speaker recommendations, then I'll be looking for a receiver to kind of match.

So I have nothing at the moment. I am planning on getting a receiver that has around 100w/channel

I'm planning on getting the EMPtek speakers that GranteedEV suggested.

Thanks for the suggestion though.


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## cdguy (Sep 5, 2012)

Deth V said:


> I'm just getting the speaker recommendations, then I'll be looking for a receiver to kind of match.
> 
> So I have nothing at the moment. I am planning on getting a receiver that has around 100w/channel
> 
> ...


Good speakers there, keep in mind they like power, if you are 5m away from the speaker and want to play 92db you need a true 125 watts per channel... If you go with something like the Energy cf50 you only need 20 watts per channel, much more likely to get that out of an AVR than 125... I own a set of cf50's they sound very good, and are very efficient, although they will cost you $800 shipped too, there are some great deals on ebay for them, you can probably get a set for $550...

The cf50ss are A LOT brighter than the Empteks, soooo it all depends on how you like to listen


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## Sunlesstrawhat (Mar 2, 2012)

Deth V said:


> I'm looking for a relatively cheap pair of of front speakers. I'm trying to keep the cost down as much as I can, so my budget is around 200-300/speaker (400-600/Pair)
> 
> My uses will be: 40% Movies, 60% Music.
> 
> ...


Hello, I recommend having a look at Arx speakers. http://www.theaudioinsider.com/product_info.php?p=arx-a3-floorstanding-loudspeaker&products_id=67&

The A3 goes for $499 (for the pair) but here's someone selling his A3s for $250. The Arx towers are very musical and are great with HT. They are clear and they go loud. http://www.theaudioinsider.com/forum/showthread.php?1673-MINT-Pair-of-ARX-A3-s

The owner probably upgraded to the A5s. Here is a review of the A3s. Please check out the videos at the very bottom.
http://www.theaudioinsider.com/forum/showthread.php?1538-ARX-A3-Review

I own the A5s, A2 and A1s. They sound fantastic. Hope this helps. Note that I'm not the one selling the A3s and just want to help out.


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## GranteedEV (Aug 8, 2010)

cdguy said:


> Good speakers there, keep in mind they like power, if you are 5m away from the speaker


I have run them off a ~30 watt @ 4 ohm SMSL amp, a ~175 watt @ 4 ohm marantz amp, and an ~600 watt @ 4 ohm Tapco amp. At everyday listening levels, I did not find them to respond differently to any of these amplifiers.


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## cdguy (Sep 5, 2012)

GranteedEV said:


> I have run them off a ~30 watt @ 4 ohm SMSL amp, a ~175 watt @ 4 ohm marantz amp, and an ~600 watt @ 4 ohm Tapco amp. At everyday listening levels, I did not find them to respond differently to any of these amplifiers.


usually when someone is looking for budget speakers, they are powering them with an AVR, and I learned the hard way years ago how AVR's can damage speakers and themselves when ran to there limits, by lower efficiency 4 ohm speakers in large rooms... I have a good friend with the empteks and he started out with a mid grade yamaha avr, powering a 5.1, the problem wasnt even his listening levels it was the size of his room, he had the avr turned up all the time, trying to fill the room and it ended up hurting the speakers and the avr, both of which were covered because they were new, but still a pain... He ended up using the avr for his rears and buying a 3 channel 600w amp for the front stage. 

The emps are awesome speakers, but IMO they need a good amount of power for large rooms or elevated listening... 

Sure you can power them with what ever you like, but If they were going in my listening room I would want at least 200watts per channel...
My only point was either you will want a good amplifier to push them or a more efficient speaker... 
I see a lot of people buy speakers because everyone says "these are nice" {and they are}, but you need to factor in what you are going to power them with and what they are going to be asked to do... 
You will not go wrong with Empteks, but the 340se's will be clearer louder, and give a nice neutral sound stage that can not be compared to anything else I have heard in this price range... Although the empteks are prettier, I can not deny that....


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## Deth V (Apr 11, 2012)

I don't think I want the Energy's, I want more midrange than I do bass and high frequencies. I listen to a lot of
progressive rock/metal that tends to have a lot of midrange content.



Sunlesstrawhat said:


> Hello, I recommend having a look at Arx speakers. http://www.theaudioinsider.com/product_info.php?p=arx-a3-floorstanding-loudspeaker&products_id=67&
> 
> The A3 goes for $499 (for the pair) but here's someone selling his A3s for $250. The Arx towers are very musical and are great with HT. They are clear and they go loud. http://www.theaudioinsider.com/forum/showthread.php?1673-MINT-Pair-of-ARX-A3-s
> 
> ...


I'll look into those too

It's down to the EMPteks, ARX, and CMT-340s now. 




cdguy said:


> usually when someone is looking for budget speakers, they are powering them with an AVR, and I learned the hard way years ago how AVR's can damage speakers and themselves when ran to there limits, by lower efficiency 4 ohm speakers in large rooms... I have a good friend with the empteks and he started out with a mid grade yamaha avr, powering a 5.1, the problem wasnt even his listening levels it was the size of his room, he had the avr turned up all the time, trying to fill the room and it ended up hurting the speakers and the avr, both of which were covered because they were new, but still a pain... He ended up using the avr for his rears and buying a 3 channel 600w amp for the front stage.


I am going to be powering them with an AVR.
What exactly happens with the reciever's amps? Do they clip or something? I'm going to watch the volume
if I can, probably won't need much volume while I'm using them in my living room. How much do separate amps cost? 



cdguy said:


> The emps are awesome speakers, but IMO they need a good amount of power for large rooms or elevated listening... Sure you can power them with what ever you like, but If they were going in my listening room I would want at least 200watts per channel...


 What do you mean by elevated listening exactly?



> My only point was either you will want a good amplifier to push them or a more efficient speaker...
> I see a lot of people buy speakers because everyone says "these are nice" {and they are}, but you need to factor in what you are going to power them with and what they are going to be asked to do...
> You will not go wrong with Empteks, but the 340se's will be clearer louder, and give a nice neutral sound stage that can not be compared to anything else I have heard in this price range... Although the empteks are prettier, I can not deny that....


I'm more looking for audio quality than looks, although looks are an added bonus.

I looked at the response graph for the CMT-340, really like how flat it is, of course that probably won't be as flat in my room, but that definitely puts it far up on my list.


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## cdguy (Sep 5, 2012)

Deth V said:


> I don't think I want the Energy's, I want more midrange than I do bass and high frequencies. I listen to a lot of
> progressive rock/metal that tends to have a lot of midrange content.
> 
> 
> ...


I just mean listening loud, my buddy hurt his by trying to fill a 24x18 room with an avr, and while his speakers were getting repaired he only had to go to best buy and swap out the receiver, I let hom use a pair of my energy cf50's and he couldnt believe how loud they were, but the problem is they are tough to listen to not very warm at all...

I can promise you wont find a better sounding speaker than the ascends for the price, I have listened to so many, and there isnt even any need for side by side comparisons, they are leaps ahead... The only thing you will be able to complain about is, the finish, they are made with good wood but the cheap vinyl that covers them can be a deal breaker for some stuck on the vanity... I thought about ordering them unfinished and having them covered locally, but I can live with the black vinyl for now, since they are under $1000 a pair {way under} and they sell bstock and give discounts for more speakers purchased, I think you get $200 off for a 7 channel setup... Check them out, if you are looking for a clean reproduction of real sound, with no attitude of its own, these are worth a listen...

I power my 5 channels with an emotiva xpa5, which you can get for $800 shipped b stock... But a good avr will power them with no issues... My brother powers his new 340's with an Emotiva upa200 $350 and an older {2010} onkyo receiver that he bought for $200 that has preouts and it sounds just like mine, except I can go a little further....


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## Deth V (Apr 11, 2012)

I re-read through your post about the ascends... and with the stands they cost 700 dollars/apir? That's a bit out of range for me. Again, I really like how they are very flat in response, but I'm not sure I could really stretch my budget out that much. The 625 / pair I'm planning on spending on the EMPTeks is already at the top of my budget range. Also, I noticed on the response graphs that they drop off a ton after around 95-100 hz, I'm not going to be getting a large subwoofer for a while (I just have a Velodyne VX-11 for now) so I don't think I'll be able to fill that hole. The EMPteks go down to around 55hz, which is plenty low for me until I can get a bigger subwoofer to fill in the gaps.

I know I'd have to get seperates later, and watch the volume a lot so I don't mess anything up with the EMPTeks, but I think I can wait until I can afford separates.

I'm buying the system in chunks, Fronts and reciever first, back and centers second, projector third, and lastly seperates or a larger subwoofer.


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## cdguy (Sep 5, 2012)

Bstocks are 499 plus shipping and the stands are 40 off when bought with the 340s.... so you would be around the same price..


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## Sunlesstrawhat (Mar 2, 2012)

Deth V said:


> I don't think I want the Energy's, I want more midrange than I do bass and high frequencies. I listen to a lot of
> progressive rock/metal that tends to have a lot of midrange content.
> 
> 
> ...



Cool. The Arx speakers were designed with sound quality first before looks. They are housed in a plain black very inert enclosure. They are not ugly and do not look cheap, just plain. The costs were put towards the high quality components namely the XBL2 mid woofers and the planar magnetic tweeters (sounds similar with Martin Logan and electrostatic speakers). Jon Lane, the designer used to work for BG Radia. Give him a call, it will surprise you that the owner of the company and the designer will actually talk to you about audio. He's a pleasure to work with and he's more of an engineer than a business man (will not push sales of his speakers). He can give you advice on what to get based on your room and requirements. Another thing to keep in mind is that they're currently restocking the A3s. The sale of $250 really sounds like a steal because the A1b monitors (bookshelves) go for $299.

I power my Arx speakers with a modest receiver, costs around $150 only or so but I never go past 50% in my volume levels because of my space. The sound quality is really good and the speakers disappear into the background. You get to enjoy and hear your music and not the speakers. I sometimes leave my settings on stereo (just LR playing) and I forget that the center is off. They are that transparent. I also listen to music with a sub off because the XBL2 mid woofers do a decent job with the bass. Bass is tight and clean, not muddy or overpowering. They play nicely with the planar tweeters. The highs are balanced and are not forward. No ear fatigue with these.


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## Deth V (Apr 11, 2012)

The CMTs are kind of out the running for me, I check the response graphs and they don't have good enough response for me under 100hz, the flatness I'm really liking though, so that could possibly be a speaker I'd get in the future.

I can't really find any information as far as response graphs go for the Arx speakers, also they aren't on Amazon (which is where I'd prefer to get the speakers from) Is there any response graphs out there at all?
I wish I could do a listening test of the speakers, lol.

The empteks are looking strongly appealing to me, I think I'm going to get them. I have until the end of the week though.


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## cdguy (Sep 5, 2012)

I cross mine at 80, but they sound good with no sub too...


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## GranteedEV (Aug 8, 2010)

Deth V said:


> Is there any response graphs out there at all?


I emailed Jon Lane (Arx speakers) for information once. here was his response:



> I've been giving this some thought lately and think I'll come back to the topic when I have the time to write a more comprehensive comment on what we feel about measurements here at TAI.
> 
> The subject is a mixed bag as far as manufacturer's public disclosures go, although we also rely on scores of hours measuring and scores more modeling and testing. The industry is naturally shy about revealing lots of measurements, and I know why this is - it's only partly out of fear of disclosure, which may not agree with what some folks assume.
> 
> Suffice to say the A5 uses constant power crossovers at both locations, although retuned for our particular wishes. It is a flat design to within typical standards, and has excellent off-axis symmetry for its type and class.


overall that gives me the same reservations as you. They may in fact be the best sounding and/or measuring speakers under $1k. But how would we know that? Different designers have different voicing philosophies and without this information we can only wildly guess. Some are brave enough to go on a limb and make the order. In fact most people don't care about the measurements at all anyways. Personally I want some assurance of a midrange that doesn't have large bandwidth swings or a mismatched off-axis response between midwoofer and tweeter. 

As far as "constant power crossovers" (I'm assuming this refers to an odd-order butterworth - probably 3rd or 5th order), i'm not personally a fan of the ones i've heard, but this is getting into totally subjective territory.


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## Deth V (Apr 11, 2012)

The Empteks jumped in price before I was about to get them... Any other suggestions? I'm looking into getting the Arx speakers at the moment, but want a couple more options, thanks for the help so far!


Thanks for the information GranteedEV, interesting response from John Lane.

Yeah same here about the midrange.


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## 03SONIC (Jan 23, 2012)

Looking for months for a set up. These caught my eye, the reviews have been very high. 


http://www.hideflifestyle.com/audio...sor-7-floorstander-speaker-in-black-pair.html


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## Deth V (Apr 11, 2012)

Sorry that's out of my price range, I can only spend MAX 625 USD/ pair.


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Hello,
These Klipschs are really nice and are $900 off:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882780081
They were On Sale for $700 a pair, at $600 they are a flat out steal. I had a chance to listen to a pair as I recommended them to one of my friends and they are outstanding for HT and are really nice looking to boot.
I do not imagine they are going to last long at this price.
Cheers,
JJ


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## Deth V (Apr 11, 2012)

Newegg says the sale ends the 25th, I can order my stuff on the 27th (Payday)....Too bad it can't work out...

Thanks for the excellent suggestion though!


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Deth V said:


> Newegg says the sale ends the 25th, I can order my stuff on the 27th (Payday)....Too bad it can't work out...
> 
> Thanks for the excellent suggestion though!


It might be worth calling to inquire about putting down a deposit or something like that. They will only rise $100 when the sale ends. While I know it does take you over your stated budget, it still is an excellent value at $700. The other thing is, with them being so efficient, you can spend far less on AVR's as most anything can drive them to Reference Levels.


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## GranteedEV (Aug 8, 2010)

> The Empteks jumped in price before I was about to get them... Any other suggestions? I'm looking into getting the Arx speakers at the moment, but want a couple more options, thanks for the help so far!


Okay, a few more suggestions then!

-Find some local auditions. In your price range I would expect to be able to get some Tannoy DC8Ts You also seem to be located very close to Aperion Audio, whose Verus Grand Bookshelf might be right up your alley. It really does seem that your budget is not going to be friendly to towers though. Don't be afraid of getting an inexpensive stand from a pro-audio website like zzsounds. One such example:

http://www.zzounds.com/item--QLKBS300

- Construct a DIY desgin. Especially on a budget you can end up with some amazing, well-documented speakers such as Jeff Bagby's RS180 MTM, which should come in underneath your budget and could be a fun side-project. The end results should be spectacular and far above the price range you're at.


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## Deth V (Apr 11, 2012)

I just realized that there is the model down from the Empteks that I was planning on getting, the e5tis... Reviews are good, and I'm fine with the response curve that's on them. 500/pair for them. Apparently they should be easier to drive too.

Wow Aperion is just 2-3 hours away! Really close!

Thanks for the suggestions! You guys are awesome!

I'm going to bookmark those speakers stands for my surrounds.


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