# Floor standing Speaker



## mohsen.alshokan (Aug 31, 2011)

Hi,

can we have discussion about the best floor standing speaker for medium size HT in the range of $700 for the pair . I would suggest TSI400 http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/tsi/index.php?s=tsi400

what do you think.

Mohsen


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## zieglj01 (Jun 20, 2011)

mohsen.alshokan said:


> Hi,
> can we have discussion about the best floor standing speaker for medium size HT in the range of $700 for the pair . I would suggest TSI400 http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/tsi/index.php?s=tsi400
> 
> what do you think.


I would skip that one


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## Guest (Dec 28, 2011)

Are you going to run one AVR, or use external amps. If you want to run one good AVR and be able to play loudly and cleanly, then this guy might work for you.

http://www.klipsch.com/rf-82-ii-floorstanding-speaker

Go demo it. They aren't for everyone. For home theater, I think they do a pretty good job at recreating the horn sound that a actual movie theater has. Their efficiency can't be topped today. Klipsch seems to be the only company to stick to the same formula. Bic America sells knock offs and I wish I could do crossover design because if they could be improved, they would be way cheaper. Some say they are just as good, but I doubt it.


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## GranteedEV (Aug 8, 2010)

I'm not personally a huge fan of Polk or Klipsch, or at least not the stuff from these companies that i've heard. Just a general lack of clarity in the midrange IMO.

I recommend the EMP e55ti towers. 
http://www.emptek.com/e55ti.php
You can sometimes get some discounts on B-Stocks by the way.

If I had to make some more recommendations, look into PSB, Focal, and also try to find some older stuff from Energy.

I've also heard some positive things about the ARX A5s but without actual measurements or listening i can't go as far as to recommend them. They look like they use nice drivers but to me the crossover is the heart of the speaker and that's the mysterious part.


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## Guest (Dec 28, 2011)

I'm not trying to stand up for Klipsch or anything, but for HT, they are hard to touch. Also, the current reference line is a lot nicer then speakers they have sold in the past. In the past, they have sold some speakers that just didn't impress me at all, but they really cleaned up the top end shouting and clarity in the modern reference line of speakers. I know they are not the best sounding and I wouldn't recommend them for music only, but for movies, I bet they match actual movie theater specs closer then musical studio monitor style speakers.

IMO, no speaker can do it all. 88db sensitivity speakers aren't going to work as well for HT as 98db speakers. Unless you do all separate amps. At that cost, it would just be better have separate stereo speakers for high end audio.


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## tesseract (Aug 9, 2010)

GranteedEV said:


> I've also heard some positive things about the ARX A5s but without actual measurements or listening i can't go as far as to recommend them. They look like they use nice drivers but to me the crossover is the heart of the speaker and that's the mysterious part.


I do know that the ARX 5 crossover has been in development for at least a year. It will be nice when this speaker hits the streets, I'm looking forward to people's impressions. It is fairly sensitive, with a 90 dB sensitivity rating.


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## GranteedEV (Aug 8, 2010)

Generic said:


> but for movies, I bet they match actual movie theater specs closer then musical studio monitor style speakers.
> 
> IMO, no speaker can do it all. 88db sensitivity speakers aren't going to work as well for HT as 98db speakers. Unless you do all separate amps. At that cost, it would just be better have separate stereo speakers for high end audio.


I don't think we're on a different page, but I honestly do think there's better choices out there. 

The E55tis for what it's worth, while 88db sensitive, are a very dynamic speaker at the price point. The dual 5" mids, and triple 6" woofers, and high-ish crossover point near 3khz, make for very good power handling... I can feed them a good 300+watts into 4 ohms and with the power, they can play very loud without strain. Loud enough that the large, open room overloads before they do on most content including movies. No, the dynamics aren't as effortless as many horn loaded speakers, and they won't do reference levels. But reference levels themselves are very loud and operate under the assumption of a very dead, treated room. In an untreated room, you can get the same experience 5 to 7db below reference. The bass wont' be as impactful, but then you need VERY capable subwoofers to do reference levels of 115db.

I don't consider them to be the optimal speakers at all, of course. there's honestly no speaker at the price point that seems to fit all my personal choice of design criteria. I will say that even for movies, it helps to have a speaker that can do vocals with clarity, since vocals are the anchor of a movie. 

As for a recreating the "movie theater sound"... i'm not sure that's what most of us want, and I suspect that includes the mixing engineers. Movie speakers are maximally efficient because of the huge rooms involved. Living Rooms are a lot more forgiving. Between reverberation and more managable distances of 8-9 feet, there's less of a tax on HT. Don't forget, a lot of horn speakers, while they can go technically louder in terms of uncompressed SPL, seem to still strain in their own unique way at high SPLs due to the internal horn reflections. Movies aren't initially mixed on horn speakaers... they're mixed on studio monitors a la JBL LSR6332 or Genelec 8260A, or more commonly on 100% custom speaker designs.

I don't mean to downplay what klipsch is doing - obviously they're a sucessful brand with plenty of appeal to plenty of people. I'm also a biit'g proponent of higher efficiency as it is. i'm just not sure of any speaker at this particular price point that i could live with that also has higher efficiency. The closest might be a Chase Sho-10 which I again haven't heard and can't judge.

At the end of it all I'd say it's about specific tradeoffs we're willing to live with. I'm still searching for a speaker under 1K that has em _all_.


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Hello,
I agree that there are better Speakers to be had for $700 than the Polks. I highly recommending checking out as many Speakers as possible.
Cheers,
JJ


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## JBrax (Oct 13, 2011)

I must say that I'm a fan of Klipsch and must say that I find mine to be ideal for movies. I have the reference series by the way.


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## Guest (Dec 28, 2011)

GranteedEV said:


> I don't think we're on a different page, but I honestly do think there's better choices out there.
> 
> The E55tis for what it's worth, while 88db sensitive, are a very dynamic speaker at the price point. The dual 5" mids, and triple 6" woofers, and high-ish crossover point near 3khz, make for very good power handling... I can feed them a good 300+watts into 4 ohms and with the power, they can play very loud without strain. Loud enough that the large, open room overloads before they do on most content including movies. No, the dynamics aren't as effortless as many horn loaded speakers, and they won't do reference levels. But reference levels themselves are very loud and operate under the assumption of a very dead, treated room. In an untreated room, you can get the same experience 5 to 7db below reference. The bass wont' be as impactful, but then you need VERY capable subwoofers to do reference levels of 115db.
> 
> ...


Well my main speakers are only 88db sensitivity too and with a 300 watt crown amp, it can get very loud distortion free. I only went for 2.1 sound too. If someone has the budget to get really nice speakers and separate amps all around then ya go for it. For someone who wants to use a single AVR for 5/7.1,2 surround sound, high efficiency speakers work really well and is overall cheaper then great sounding lower sensitivity speakers and a separate amp for each channel.

As far as the sound I was talking about. Both Klispch and movie theaters use horns and they generally have a unique sound. I don't know how movies are mixed. Are you saying they aren't mixed for movie theater sound systems? Or do they remix them for DVD/Blu-rays?


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## nova (Apr 30, 2006)

I agree, I think there are better speakers in that price range. PSB Image T5, EMP E55Ti, and I'd probably even go with Infinity P363BK over the Polk's


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## GranteedEV (Aug 8, 2010)

Generic said:


> Well my main speakers are only 88db sensitivity too and with a 300 watt crown amp, it can get very loud distortion free. I only went for 2.1 sound too. If someone has the budget to get really nice speakers and separate amps all around then ya go for it. For someone who wants to use a single AVR for 5/7.1,2 surround sound, high efficiency speakers work really well and is overall cheaper then great sounding lower sensitivity speakers and a separate amp for each channel.


Even with my 100wpc marantz receiver, I didn't feel i was underpowered even for 5.1 - I'm honestly not sure the high powered amp (my amp will do 550wpc into 4 ohms) really did anything discernable. 88db sensitive speakers, with the typical 160wpc into 4 ohm x2 receiver amps, can normally still produce around 97db @ 10ft - this is purty loud peaks as it is!! It's true that high efficiency speakers can get even louder, but if their tonal balance is off they won't be as pleasant to listen to as a balanced pair of speakers. 



> As far as the sound I was talking about. Both Klispch and movie theaters use horns and they generally have a unique sound. I don't know how movies are mixed. Are you saying they aren't mixed for movie theater sound systems? Or do they remix them for DVD/Blu-rays?


Well it would depend on the company producing it, but generally movies are not mixed with the intent of compensating for the horn speaker sound. The horn speaker sound is a byproduct of horns. Horns are used to fill large spaces and aren't necessarily intentional. The types of speakers used in mixing rooms for movies varies greatly, with a large emphasis on custom-built. 

Even among high efficiency horn speakers the sound varies greatly. There's some really good ones out there that sound very similar to less sensitive speakers - just at high SPLs. 

I think if a Movie Theater has colored sound, it's because it's using poor speakers - not because that's a specific "movie theater sound". This is strictly on the topic of speaker character. As for other factors, you might want to read this:

http://www.hometheatershack.com/for...-industrys-x-curve-suitable-home-theater.html


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## natescriven (Jan 12, 2011)

I think the Paradigm Monitor 7's would be a good choice. They have always been known for being a relatively good value. They are easy to drive and have very good imaging.


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## Guest (Dec 29, 2011)

GranteedEV said:


> I think if a Movie Theater has colored sound, it's because it's using poor speakers - not because that's a specific "movie theater sound". This is strictly on the topic of speaker character. As for other factors, you might want to read this:
> 
> http://www.hometheatershack.com/for...-industrys-x-curve-suitable-home-theater.html


While I have been in some poor sounding theaters in the past, just about any modern theater sounds great. THX and SDDS sound good, but even a Dolby digital built in the last few years should sound good. Saying they are using poor speakers sounds snobbish to me. I've noticed some people are using JBL Pro Cinema speakers for home theater. If horns create a colored sound, then Klipsch helps reproduce the colored sound and the feel of a theater. That is only my opinion, but I have noticed that the slight forwardness of a horn speakers helps the dialog stick out more during really loud parts of a movie.

Oddly enough, I wouldn't want any of my music being touched by Klipsch speakers, but they sure do jam for movies.

To the OP, just go demo them. If the sound is too forward for you, then I 2nd the Paradigms. They shine with music too.


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## JBrax (Oct 13, 2011)

I personally don't understand the negative opinion of playing music on Klipsch speakers. I play music on mine and find it to be very satisfying. I recently purchased Adele and Dave Mathews BD's and felt I was at the concert and sitting first row. Can someone please explain what it is they cannot do properly with music.


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## natescriven (Jan 12, 2011)

I don't think there is anything 'wrong' with it. If you like the way they sound than that is most important. For my ears some speakers sound too bright and quickly tire my ears out. I prefer the sound of soft domes to metal ones. (in my limited experience) I'm sure those blu-rays sound very dynamic and clear.


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## zieglj01 (Jun 20, 2011)

JBrax said:


> I personally don't understand the negative opinion of playing music on Klipsch speakers. I play music on mine and find it to be very satisfying. I recently purchased Adele and Dave Mathews BD's and felt I was at the concert and sitting first row. Can someone please explain what it is they cannot do properly with music.


The main thing is that you enjoy them - for me, they lack good resolution in the midrange.
Also, not much depth in the soundstage - however, they throw a good central image. For me,
the horn also sounds somewhat sharp and edgy, and gives me ear fatigue.


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## JBrax (Oct 13, 2011)

I do think that my time in the military as well as my current job has resulted in slight hearing loss. Therefore the brightness that many describe may not be much of an issue for me. I do like my movies loud but also clear and I think they excel for my personal tastes.


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## Guest (Dec 29, 2011)

JBrax said:


> I personally don't understand the negative opinion of playing music on Klipsch speakers. I play music on mine and find it to be very satisfying. I recently purchased Adele and Dave Mathews BD's and felt I was at the concert and sitting first row. Can someone please explain what it is they cannot do properly with music.


I think in the current gen of reference series speakers Klipsch has done a really good job at cleaning up the clarity compared to older speakers I've heard from them. Mid range has been improved now they they are using smaller mid/bass drivers. They still tend to be a tad hot on top end. I think this is an advantage for movies as so many (not all) dome style tweeter speakers can have the dialog disappear or get swallowed up by loud moment of a movie. For music, the exaggerated top end isn't correct or realistic for a lot of people, but many people still like it. The bottom line is, if a person likes it, then it's correct.


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## JBrax (Oct 13, 2011)

Generic said:


> I think in the current gen of reference series speakers Klipsch has done a really good job at cleaning up the clarity compared to older speakers I've heard from them. Mid range has been improved now they they are using smaller mid/bass drivers. They still tend to be a tad hot on top end. I think this is an advantage for movies as so many (not all) dome style tweeter speakers can have the dialog disappear or get swallowed up by loud moment of a movie. For music, the exaggerated top end isn't correct or realistic for a lot of people, but many people still like it. The bottom line is, if a person likes it, then it's correct.


Very well said


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## monykaram (Dec 23, 2011)

are floorstanding speakers better than bookshelves?


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## GranteedEV (Aug 8, 2010)

monykaram said:


> are floorstanding speakers better than bookshelves?


Yes. And No.

:nono: There's a lot of advantages the "typical" floorstander may have over the "typical" bookshelf equivalent", but all else equal (internal volume, drivers/driver layout, crossover, placement in room) there's really no technical advantage. That doesn't mean however that all else IS equal. floorstanders will typically have more internal volume, more drivers, a more complex crossover (often 2.5 way or 3-way), and be designed to be placed further out into the room. The tradeoffs are that they'll cost more, and weigh more, and be more physically obtrusive at times.

Personally I prefer floorstanders 90% of the time.


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## zieglj01 (Jun 20, 2011)

monykaram said:


> are floorstanding speakers better than bookshelves?


No and Yes - a lot depends on room size, and if you are using a good sub.
You will be surprised, at what a well designed and engineered bookshelf
speaker can do - if properly set up, like on stands and not hidden in cabinets
and not on a wall shelf, flushed against a wall. It will depend on preference, 
choice and taste. Some bookshelf speakers are built better than cheap towers.
And, some shelf/stand speakers can really nail it in the imaging department, 
while some towers may struggle a little.


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Hello,
There are valid arguments for both. And both have their ardent supporters. To me, it is a matter of preference.
Cheers,
JJ


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## mohsen.alshokan (Aug 31, 2011)

Hi,

most people think that the floorstanding speaker will usually replace the subwoofer cuz of their power especially if they are 3 way .
but for me its easy to install and give more power to 5.1 system.
Mohsen


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## MikeBiker (Jan 3, 2010)

Before powered subwoofers became integrated into the bookshelf system, the full-range towers were the only way to get good bass. Adding a sub to a bookshelf speaker gives the system the bass output that was lacking. 

Towers can still be made that have more mid drivers than bookshelf speakers, so the tower can have more punch in the mid-range.


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

mohsen.alshokan said:


> Hi,
> 
> most people think that the floorstanding speaker will usually replace the subwoofer cuz of their power especially if they are 3 way .
> but for me its easy to install and give more power to 5.1 system.
> Mohsen


Hello,
In this day and age, the only Speakers capable of true full 20khz to 20hz are exceptionally expensive. That being said, I would guess maybe 1% of the World's Population have HT's or 2 Channel Systems that even come close to 20hz. And the 1% is probably being charitable.

With this being said, many "Subwoofers" that are bundled into 5.1 Speaker Packages and sadly many transducers that are called Subwoofers cannot hit 20hz at anything resembling meaningful SPL's. Even ones that cost over $1000 often cannot go lower than 30hz.

With this being the case, many consider Floorstanding Speakers that go down to say 50hz as being capable of replacing a Subwoofer. The sad thing is that with many low grade Subwoofers, these Speakers might actually reach lower frequencies.
Cheers,
JJ


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## mohsen.alshokan (Aug 31, 2011)

Hello,
Until now we didn't have a good list of the best floorstanding speakers.


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