[TKonrad.NOLA]

After a brief hiatus from owning a system, I am jumping back in with both feet.  I am considering using my dining room as a dedicated listening area.  If I do this I will have space for towers.  Being that this is the only area I could fit towers, part of me thinks I should go with a monitor, just in case I would like to reclaim my dining room at a later date.

Songtower owners, could you ever see yourself being satisfied with a monitor after owning the towers?  WOW1 owners, do you ever feel like you want more bass response? My only concern with the WoW1 is bass response, as I have no desire to use a subwoofer.  In the past I have used ACI Sapphire XLs and Ascend Sierra-1.  I like a monitor capable of digging deep.  I also love a warm/open midrange.  I tend to listen to a lot of female vocals.  I like a voice to sound like it isn't coming from a box.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

[mg8]

I went with the Veracity ST and have been thrilled with the performance. The Salk monitors are very appealing to me as well.  Although I haven't had the pleasure of hearing any of them, I am drawn to the Ellis 1801 based on it's size and W18 Seas.  It may be a good balance of your considerations.  The Rythmik package may also give you a great 2.1 system with any of the monitors.  Happy hunting!

[TKonrad.NOLA]

I should have added, my plan is to stay below 2K and again, I have no desire to use a sub

[abd1]

What will you use to drive the speakers. I originally started out with WOW1's and I loved them. However, I ultimately decided I wanted something a little more dynamic and upgraded to SongTowers. They are fantastic. My room also used to be a dining room and it's 10x12 and I don't feel that the ST's overpower the space. The WOW1's also had no issue with the space, however they are hungry little speakers and to really get them to open up I would make sure to have at least 100wpc driving them. I'm using a Peachtree Nova (1st gen) and while the WOW1's sounded great it wasn't until a friend brought over a more substantial amp (I believe it was a Rotel around 120wpc) that they really opened up. There's also the Songbirds which will easily come under budget with a standard finish (don't forget shipping costs). The Songbirds also need some power but Jim told me they're more dynamic than the WOW1's, but not quite as much as the ST's due to their extra driver and size. The other option I would consider is the SongSurrounds. These look like a steal at under $1000. They have the same tweeter as the WOW1 and ST, so your vocals will sound about the same, but they may sound more dynamic than the WOW1's due to the larger driver and cabinet. You may want to ask Jim about this, and possibly front-porting them if that's an issue. Plus, at that price point you could add a sub like the SVS SB1000 and still be way under budget. Just a thought. That's a lot of options, but I'm sure they'll all sound great.

[srb]

I have no desire to use a sub

And unfortunately it looks like you'll have to keep repeating yourself ad infinitum!

Steve

[Gzerro]

How large is your room? Is it open to other areas? What sort of female vocals - accoustic/ jazz or more rocknroll? How loud do you want to listen?

I have both Songtower RTs in my main room and WoW1s in my bedroom system. They each have there own strengths and I enjoy them both.

Nearfield at moderate volume the WOW1s match and possibly exceed slightly the STs for clarity and smoothness for sparsely arranged accoustic/vocal music. In a small room they dig plenty deep. They aren't as impactful as the STs and can't go as loud. They may be fine if your dining area is not open to other areas of your home and you listen at lower volumes.

The Songtowers are more dynamic and do a much better job filling a moderate to large sized room, but still do accoustic music really well.

I would describe both as more neutral than warm.

Good luck!

Tom

[MikeC78]

Like others have said, the efficiency is quite low on the WOW1's.  Also, since you are not using subs and have room for some towers, I'd look into the towers any day of the week.  Sounds to me like the SongTower's would be the perfect fit for you.

I'm going to use the WOW1's for surrounds in conjunction to my VST's, but they will be near field to my ears and efficiency shouldn't be an issues, or we'll see...

[TKonrad.NOLA]

The dining room does open into another room.  Actually it is a huge living room/dining room combo.  The only things separating the dining room from the living room is a couch and columns.

I will be using either the Nova125 or the NovaPre/Nova220 combo.  More than likely I will get the combo since it is double the power and only $200 more.

I am not familiar with the Songbird, I will research them now.

[MikeC78]

Keep in mind, the efficiency between the SongBird and the SongTower.  84db/1m - 88db sensitivity for the SongTower, which is much easier to drive for a larger room.

[dB Cooper]

Salk petty much flat out states on the Songbird page that it is not the best choice for large spaces and/or high levels, so that may be a dealbreaker on the 'bird. A conversation with Salk would probably be a good idea.

[JonnyFive]

Towers all the way.  Dealing with stands is a pain.

[robcentola]

I have the Peachtree Nova Pre/220. I'm currently on "Sealer Session 3" while they electronics wait patiently. I will report upon their arrival.

[Saturn94]

Without a sub, I'd go with towers over monitors.

[neosomatic]

I ordered a set of WOW1's for a nursery that we will be powering with a Nad 7050. Can't wait for them to ship.

I also have a pair of Ellis 1801's so that should make an interesting comparison.