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Possible choices for modern speakers...

Adamo0926

Adamo0926

Active Member
I know this could open up to a bevy of opinions as well as the "just audition and listen to your own ears" crowd....lol

So I am basically looking for a starting point since I know much more about the sound of vintage speakers and hardly anything at
all about the modern offerings. I will start by saying that I have auditioned 2 modern speakers. The new large bookshelf
JBL L100 Classics and the small bookshelf Martin Logan Motion XT B100.

The JBL's sounded fantastic but I am not yet ready to open the bank vault to the tune of $3,500.00/pair for them. At least not yet.

The Martin Logan's are a small bookshelf speaker that would require a pedestal stand. Given their size they shocked me with the
bass they produced. But I was in a listening room listening at more than a moderate level and wonder if they would produce that
bass at lower listening levels. They are a more reasonable $1,600.00/pair. Would not require the bank vault like the JBL's but at least
would require opening the safe.

So from what I have seen, it seems that the "large" bookshelf speakers are no longer a thing with modern speakers. Other than reworks
of vintage speakers like the aforementioned JBL L100 Classics. The modern KLH Model 5's are another example. Seems most of the
"bookshelf" speakers are now very small and use pedestal stands as opposed to floor stands. Seems the days of the larger acoustic
suspension speakers are dwindling.

Now when it comes to floor standing speakers it seems that most of them are towers now, at least until you get into the much bigger
and FAR more expensive floor speakers. These tower speakers seem to use multiple smaller woofers to produce the bass. Woofers of either
6" or 8" for example. Also most of them seem to be ported designs, at least from what I have seen when I have been browsing. There seem to be some
nice looking towers out there from Martin Logan, B&W, Klipsch, Paradigm, etc.

So who has some suggestions that would be good for me to look at and audition when it comes to modern speakers ?
 
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Just my $.02, for music you can't go wrong with the JBL's or a set of Klipsch Heritage series speakers.
For A/V. B&W might be worth hearing. Don't' cut yourself short. Buy something you can live with for a few years, & something you can sell when the bug bites you again.
 
dmar said:
Just my $.02, for music you can't go wrong with the JBL's or a set of Klipsch Heritage series speakers.
For A/V. B&W might be worth hearing. Don't' cut yourself short. Buy something you can live with for a few years, & something you can sell when the bug bites you again.
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I heard a pair of Klipsch towers playing as I walked into that shop.....not sure which ones they were but they sounded rather smooth and nice. Not like the
original Klipsch Fortes that I had and sold awhile back. Always liked those speakers but eventually wanted a smoother more refined sound rather than they in your face kind of live characteristic of the Fortes.

My setup is 2 channel as well......not doing anything at all regarding AV and/or Home Theater
 
I have a pair of Jamo C103 speakers, that are no longer made, but that you may find a deal on. There doesn't seem to be that many reviews of them, but they definitely have their fans, as some folks on this site directed me towards them. They are a somewhat larger bookshelf speaker and though I've been using my pair with an SVS subwoofer, I felt that they had pretty decent bass even without (unlike the Klipsch RP 600 mkII speakers that I use in another room). I find them to be a really balanced type of speaker with smooth, strong mids and well defined, but not too agressive highs. They were being blown out on Amazon for a while at a fraction of their retail price, which I think was about $1800. I missed that, but managed to find a barely used pair locally for just $350 and though it seems that prices for these have crept up, even double or more than that would probably be reasonable for these speakers. I feel that they sound good with a variety of music, from acoustic jazz to hard rocking stuff...
 
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Adamo0926 said:
I know this could open up to a bevy of opinions as well as the "just audition and listen to your own ears" crowd....lol

So I am basically looking for a starting point since I know much more about the sound of vintage speakers and hardly anything at
all about the modern offerings. I will start by saying that I have auditioned 2 modern speakers. The new large bookshelf
JBL L100 Classics and the small bookshelf Martin Logan Motion XT B100.

The JBL's sounded fantastic but I am not yet ready to open the bank vault to the tune of $3,500.00/pair for them. At least not yet.

The Martin Logan's are a small bookshelf speaker that would require a pedestal stand. Given their size they shocked me with the
bass they produced. But I was in a listening room listening at more than a moderate level and wonder if they would produce that
bass at lower listening levels. They are a more reasonable $1,600.00/pair. Would not require the bank vault like the JBL's but at least
would require opening the safe.

So from what I have seen, it seems that the "large" bookshelf speakers are no longer a thing with modern speakers. Other than reworks
of vintage speakers like the aforementioned JBL L100 Classics. The modern KLH Model 5's are another example. Seems most of the
"bookshelf" speakers are now very small and use pedestal stands as opposed to floor stands. Seems the days of the larger acoustic
suspension speakers are dwindling.

Now when it comes to floor standing speakers it seems that most of them are towers now, at least until you get into the much bigger
and FAR more expensive floor speakers. These tower speakers seem to use multiple smaller woofers to produce the bass. Woofers of either
6" or 8" for example. Also most of them seem to be ported designs, at least from what I have seen when I have been browsing. There seem to be some
nice looking towers out there from Martin Logan, B&W, Klipsch, Paradigm, etc.

So who has some suggestions that would be good for me to look at and audition when it comes to modern speakers ?
Click to expand...
Look for say newer vintage floor standers ! Klh , realistic off brand that will give you a nice sound without killing your wallet !
 
I have always been a fan of Focal. Unfortunately, their pricing (new and used) seems to be on an acid trip these days.

I also like the bigger KEF and Canton offerings, but I have a large-ish room to fill.
 
On the high side, Wharfdale Linton Heritage, about $1,500 or $1800 with dedicated stands. They look and sound great. Save some $ and upgrade power or not with Triangle Borea BR03 for $350. They don't give up a lot to the Wharfdales, especially if your room isn't too big. Efficient and don't require a lot of power. Very detailed with bass to 40Hz or so.
 
Bill S said:
On the high side, Wharfdale Linton Heritage, about $1,500 or $1800 with dedicated stands. They look and sound great. Save some $ and upgrade power or not with Triangle Borea BR03 for $350. They don't give up a lot to the Wharfdales, especially if your room isn't too big. Efficient and don't require a lot of power. Very detailed with bass to 40Hz or so.
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I have checked those out online several times.....certainly a gorgeous looking speaker and I am sure quite fabulous sounding. They would definitely be on my list.
 
I have modern KLH Model Fives purchased a few years ago. I seem to remember the decision coming down to those and JBL L100s and Wharfedale Lintons. I believe the KLHs being the most bass neutral is what made my mind up.
Subsequent to that purchase, I picked up a pair of new Magnepans. If I was a speaker advice columnist, I would say get Magnepan LRS+.
 
JBL Studio 590s or used JBL L7 will get you to within a half block of heaven and you will only need to crack the vault open a tiny bit. It's REALLY hard to beat these examples.
 
Bill S said:
Depends. What size is your listening space. What will you power them with? What kind of music do you listen to with what sources. There are a lot of good speakers out there.
Click to expand...

There's lots of options and lots of factors to consider (see questions from @Bill S). Also, do you need speakers that are easy to drive or not so much?
 
I can second the Jamo C-103 if you can find them, and yes they retailed for $1800 and worth every penny.

I was one of the lucky ones to score five pair during the crazy Amazon sale and sell four keeping one for myself.

As already mentioned with a 7" mid-bass and weighing nearly 30lbs each these aren't your typical stand mount mini monitor. They like their juice, I have my pair connected to a 300watt beast.

They were offered in three finishes, high gloss white or black, and real wood veneer. I'm running mine with twin Dayton Audio Sub 1200's as mains for the multi-channel system but really these punch out some serious bass on their own. The size of the rear port hints at just how powerful the bass output really is.

Very holographic imaging with a huge soundstage when called for. Lots of tech in the design, a floating tweeter so any vibrational energy from the front baffle doesn't smear the upper registers, solid billet aluminum phase plug, curved enclosure, etc.

Some eye candy, not mine this was pulled from the Internet.

z32tbcc38t7qmwwtb7k4.jpg
 
Ok, so just checked and apparently someone has a cache of these and selling for $799, I could have purchased more than one pair it appears. I just looked on the Internet and clicked on "shopping" if interested.

silarius.com

Jamo 1060882 C103 Concert Series Flagship 2Way Bookshelf Speaker (Pair HighGloss

Jamo® C 103 Concert Series Flagship 2-Way Bookshelf Speaker (Pair | High Gloss Black) The aesthetic of Jamo’s flagship Concert Series was envisioned by Kieron Dunk, world-renowned industrial designer. These Concert Series speakers feature beautiful exteriors that house high-performance drivers...
silarius.com silarius.com
 
Sgt Shultz said:
I can second the Jamo C-103 if you can find them, and yes they retailed for $1800 and worth every penny.

I was one of the lucky ones to score five pair during the crazy Amazon sale and sell four keeping one for myself.

As already mentioned with a 7" mid-bass and weighing nearly 30lbs each these aren't your typical stand mount mini monitor. They like their juice, I have my pair connected to a 300watt beast.

They were offered in three finishes, high gloss white or black, and real wood veneer. I'm running mine with twin Dayton Audio Sub 1200's as mains for the multi-channel system but really these punch out some serious bass on their own. The size of the rear port hints at just how powerful the bass output really is.

Very holographic imaging with a huge soundstage when called for. Lots of tech in the design, a floating tweeter so any vibrational energy from the front baffle doesn't smear the upper registers, solid billet aluminum phase plug, curved enclosure, etc.

Some eye candy, not mine this was pulled from the Internet.

View attachment 3124671
Click to expand...
You were one of just a few people that recommended these to me and I was very lucky to find the pair that I did locally, particularly since they are the walnut veneer ones and I really dig that (though the piano black are cool as well). I talked a friend into buying a pair too and he really likes them as well...
 
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