Best speakers under $3000 USD ??

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avahifi

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Re: Best speakers under $3000 USD ??
« Reply #40 on: 4 Jul 2020, 07:15 pm »
Check out the Salk Songtowers, the basic version at $2000 a pair.  They are a slim tower design that perform way over their price point.b

Frsnk

SET Man

Re: Best speakers under $3000 USD ??
« Reply #41 on: 5 Jul 2020, 03:54 am »
With the number of speakers on the market, I would rule out all those that did not have measurements, photos of the crossover and internal construction.

I would bet on existing DIY, made by yourself or on request. But always with a lot of measurements.

Hey!

   OK, interesting. So, based on your criteria. What you think would be the best speaker for under $3000? 

Buddy

AvsFan

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Re: Best speakers under $3000 USD ??
« Reply #42 on: 5 Jul 2020, 06:55 am »
Check out the Salk Songtowers, the basic version at $2000 a pair.  They are a slim tower design that perform way over their price point.b

Frsnk

I have listened to the Salks at many RMAF shows and not only are they one of the best sounding speakers I have heard, they are one of the most beautiful and well built speakers I’ve ever seen. Simply gorgeous speakers. At last year’s RMAF, I spent a lot of time in the Salk/Schiit room.

But Frank, the op’s original post stated this.




Do the Songtowers play at high spl’s with no distortion? No need for a sub? And are they okay placed close to a wall?

I’ve only ever heard them at moderate levels.

Thanks.

david45

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Re: Best speakers under $3000 USD ??
« Reply #43 on: 5 Jul 2020, 06:59 am »

Tyson,
You’re not referring to the new Cornwall 4 or the recently updated Heresy 4, are you?



Klipsch Forte III will get you there.  Not the Heresy (not enough bass) or the Cornwall (too aggressive sounding). 

Forte III's are 99db efficient so they'll hit 110db at the lister spot with ease.  They also go down to about 40hz with power.

And if you're feeling REALLY adventurous, you can upgrade them - https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=166996.0

JLM

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Re: Best speakers under $3000 USD ??
« Reply #44 on: 5 Jul 2020, 12:16 pm »
No thermal distortion at 110 dB and medium to high efficiency with no sub and high WAF?  You'll need large (probably multiple) professional woofers in a largish cabinet.  To get good sound with those requirements will cost you more than $3k/pair.  Beyond the JTR's mentioned above, suggest looking at Duke LeJeune's creations:

https://jamesromeyn.com/audiokinesis-speaker-models/azel-towerb-towerm/

RonN5

Re: Best speakers under $3000 USD ??
« Reply #45 on: 5 Jul 2020, 01:31 pm »
I guess it is possible that with some music...a 110db peak could actually be 100db non peak....which would then could be in the 100-105db range at 1M based on the room and speaker positioning.....still, pretty stressful for most speaker to play for a couple hours at that level with peaks to 100db and not worry about damage.  Takes a great speaker, great electronics and EAR PROTECTION!

Tyson

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Re: Best speakers under $3000 USD ??
« Reply #46 on: 5 Jul 2020, 04:33 pm »
Tyson,
You’re not referring to the new Cornwall 4 or the recently updated Heresy 4, are you?

I owned the Heresy III for about 6 months before getting the Forte III.  But I've not heard the Heresy IV yet.  I did hear the Cornwall IV at RMAF last year and it was disappointing that it was just as forward/shouty as historical Klipsch speakers.  Even with nice Cary tube equipment driving it....

Jon L

Re: Best speakers under $3000 USD ??
« Reply #47 on: 5 Jul 2020, 04:59 pm »
I did hear the Cornwall IV at RMAF last year and it was disappointing that it was just as forward/shouty as historical Klipsch speakers.  Even with nice Cary tube equipment driving it....

This video reports the forward and aggressive sound of Cornwall IV went away after damping the resonant plastic horns, which seems an easy fix.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X12FkoQHcTg







audio2addict

Re: Best speakers under $3000 USD ??
« Reply #48 on: 5 Jul 2020, 05:15 pm »
I reached out to Mark Schifter who designs speakers and he suggested to reach out to him.  He did mention the 110 db playing level would take a discussion.   Most likely would be an open baffle design.

Freo-1

Re: Best speakers under $3000 USD ??
« Reply #49 on: 5 Jul 2020, 06:23 pm »
Might be a good time to review loudness in general:


https://music.eku.edu/sites/music.eku.edu/files/ekuhealthandsafety.pdf

rajacat

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Re: Best speakers under $3000 USD ??
« Reply #50 on: 5 Jul 2020, 07:31 pm »


" With extended exposure, noises that reach a decibel level of 85 can cause permanent damage to the hair cells in the inner ear, leading to hearing loss." http://dangerousdecibels.org/education/information-center/noise-induced-hearing-loss/

AmpDesigner333

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Re: Best speakers under $3000 USD ??
« Reply #51 on: 6 Jul 2020, 03:22 pm »
Quick rule of thumb for max SPL....

With two 88dB efficient speakers placed away from the walls and 8 feet from the listener, driven by 400Wpc (peak), you get 109.3dB SPL max.

If you double the power, you gain 3dB SPL.  You lose 3dB with half the power.

If your speakers aren’t 88dB, just add or subtract the difference, so 90dB speakers will get you 2dB more, or 111.3dB SPL.

AmpDesigner333

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Re: Best speakers under $3000 USD ??
« Reply #52 on: 6 Jul 2020, 04:02 pm »
Quick rule of thumb for max SPL....

With two 88dB efficient speakers placed away from the walls and 8 feet from the listener, driven by 400Wpc (peak), you get 109.3dB SPL max.

If you double the power, you gain 3dB SPL.  You lose 3dB with half the power.

If your speakers aren’t 88dB, just add or subtract the difference, so 90dB speakers will get you 2dB more, or 111.3dB SPL.
....please note this is MAXIMUM SPL, not average SPL.  The difference between the peaks and the average is determined by the individual track.  Higher Ground (Stevie Wonder) is a pretty dynamic track and I measured 95dB peak at medium volume and 110dB peak at what could be considered “loud”.  Still, the system was at only 80% volume when loud, and this was with a MEGA MK2 stereo amp driving 95dB JTRs, so the sound was SUPER CLEAN. This system is capable of about 120dB peak SPL with vanishingly low distortion.

I’d like to discuss the perception in more detail later, but most people associate loudness with distortion. When your system has lots of headroom, and not just on the electronics side, you can play loud without distortion for an amazing effect.  The speakers are often the weakest link dynamics-wise when a Cherry Amp is involved based on the ability to deliver clean wideband power.  I’m not just saying that because it’s my design. I’m saying that because that was one of the design goals in the first place.

AJinFLA

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Re: Best speakers under $3000 USD ??
« Reply #53 on: 6 Jul 2020, 04:33 pm »
Quick rule of thumb for max SPL....
With two 88dB efficient speakers placed away from the walls and 8 feet from the listener, driven by 400Wpc (peak), you get 109.3dB SPL max.
Yep, that can all be objectively calculated.

- not gigantic
- no need for a sub
- high wife acceptance factor
Well....

cheers,

AJ

AvsFan

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Re: Best speakers under $3000 USD ??
« Reply #54 on: 6 Jul 2020, 11:35 pm »
Thought this would be a fun little article to throw into this thread. I plan on being a lot more involved in this topic because it has been on my mind since switching up all my systems and having 4 VERY different systems and speakers in my home.
Anyway, here is the information. It is about the the loudest recorded events.

http://blog.e3diagnostics.com/loudest-live-events-ever-recorded

Tom Bombadil

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Re: Best speakers under $3000 USD ??
« Reply #55 on: 6 Jul 2020, 11:55 pm »
I owned the Heresy III for about 6 months before getting the Forte III.  But I've not heard the Heresy IV yet.  I did hear the Cornwall IV at RMAF last year and it was disappointing that it was just as forward/shouty as historical Klipsch speakers.  Even with nice Cary tube equipment driving it....

+1 on that.  I've never heard a Klipsch speaker which I could live with everyday. 

Delta77

Re: Best speakers under $3000 USD ??
« Reply #56 on: 7 Jul 2020, 12:15 am »
I own a pair of Tekton - Double Impact SE..

I almost bought the Electron SE ,
and still believe I would have been just as happy with the Electron SE..

NICKTENN

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Re: Best speakers under $3000 USD ??
« Reply #57 on: 7 Jul 2020, 01:04 am »
I own a pair of Tekton - Double Impact SE..

I almost bought the Electron SE ,
and still believe I would have been just as happy with the Electron SE..

Are you strictly 2- channel listening, or do you use them for home theater too? I’m contemplating the double impacts (non SE, but with internal upgrades) for my theater room.

morganc

Re: Best speakers under $3000 USD ??
« Reply #58 on: 7 Jul 2020, 01:33 am »
Are you strictly 2- channel listening, or do you use them for home theater too? I’m contemplating the double impacts (non SE, but with internal upgrades) for my theater room.

I've owned many Tekton speakers that were inferior to the DI (pendragons, lore and lore reference) and all of them would have been great in Ht.  My good friend has the DI and they have great bass and dynamics. 

AmpDesigner333

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Re: Best speakers under $3000 USD ??
« Reply #59 on: 7 Jul 2020, 01:55 am »
....please note this is MAXIMUM SPL, not average SPL.  The difference between the peaks and the average is determined by the individual track.  Higher Ground (Stevie Wonder) is a pretty dynamic track and I measured 95dB peak at medium volume and 110dB peak at what could be considered “loud”.  Still, the system was at only 80% volume when loud, and this was with a MEGA MK2 stereo amp driving 95dB JTRs, so the sound was SUPER CLEAN. This system is capable of about 120dB peak SPL with vanishingly low distortion.

I’d like to discuss the perception in more detail later, but most people associate loudness with distortion. When your system has lots of headroom, and not just on the electronics side, you can play loud without distortion for an amazing effect.  The speakers are often the weakest link dynamics-wise when a Cherry Amp is involved based on the ability to deliver clean wideband power.  I’m not just saying that because it’s my design. I’m saying that because that was one of the design goals in the first place.
The SPL measurements for playback of Higher Ground were c-weighted.