If you can stretch the budget a grand, you may be able to score the set of Legacy Audio ClassicHD in Rosewood here on Agon. Open, airy highs with the ribbon tweeter, and tight, powerful bass down to 32Hz. I'd be tempted to snag them myself if I was in the market now.
Best Small Floorstanding Speaker under $2K
What is everyone's opinion?
I really like the idea of Zu's Omen and Soul but they do seem a little bigger than I would like.
I am not a bass-head so I don't need the deeper, stronger, bass that a larger speaker provides.
I love the simplicity of having a couple of tower speakers as opposed to a 2.1 setup.
I really like the idea of Zu's Omen and Soul but they do seem a little bigger than I would like.
I am not a bass-head so I don't need the deeper, stronger, bass that a larger speaker provides.
I love the simplicity of having a couple of tower speakers as opposed to a 2.1 setup.
57 responses Add your response
The Pure Audio Project Speakers have greater detailed resolution and clarity. As I note above - get on your PC with some ear buds and go to YouTube and find the various speakers and listen to them via your ear buds. You’ll quickly see how the sound differs. Start with the Legacy Aerius (though it may ruin you for anything less). The ones that stand out for me (other than the benchmarks) are the: Pure Audio Project Open Baffles, and the WaveTouch Audio Grand Tetons, as well as the various Linkwitz designs (e.g. Orions, LX521s, and LXMinis)... with the others closely following. Their overall sound quality just exceeds so many other alternatives at many times their price. Though... I should note... I prefer the detailed clarity and forward presentation of the speakers I cite. Some may prefer, more melow, smoother sound (which is not as realistic, but may be less stressful on their ears) - I’ve got to have it all... preferably for a "bargain price" without the markups of the "name brands." And... in general... those with the AMT ribbon tweeters (e.g. Heil AMT, etc.) will present greater detailed resolution, but must be carefully integrated with the mids (because they're so much faster than other types of tweeters). Though, the Pure Audio Project 15tbs do not use the AMT tweeters they still have superb detailed resolution (they offer several AMT tweeters as alternatives to the Tang Band drivers and you can upgrade them as you have funds to do so - simple DIY upgrades). |
To understand what I mean... get on your laptop with some ear buds (Apple will do fine)... and... search YouTube for soundtracks of these speakers and you will see quite clearly what I mean. The speakers I note above will have far superior sound quality to almost anything else - except a few "high end" speakers (e.g. Legacy Aerius, Nola, GamuT, etc. - all dipole / open baffle hybrids). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADmvtet6v6c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUJS7nQVA6I Use the Legacy Aerius, or Nola's as "benchmarks" - and compare those I noted above to those "benchmarks" - and you will have the proverbial "ah, ha" experience. It will all become very clear to you - as clear and detailed as the sound of these speakers. Others such as the Ryans or Golden Ears are very good, especially in the mids, but they do not have the detailed, clarity and resolution of those I noted, or the "benchmarks" I site. Those I noted will provide the best overall sound (in all aspects - especially detailed resolution and imaging) for the money. |
There are some superb alternatives in your price range - the best available in the approximate order would be: 1. Pure Audio Project Open Baffle Speakers - Trio 15b (a bit above your price range, but sound as good as any speaker available no matter the price - currently available on USAudioMart). 2. Linkwitz LXMini (if you don't mind a project and their unconventional look) 3. Spatial Audio M4 or M3 Open Baffle Speakers 3. Emminent Technology LFT-8b 4. Magnestand Magnepan MMG's (much better than stock Maggies -currently available on USAudioMart - I have the Magnestand 1.6's) All of these are open baffle or dipole designs, which few, if any, box speakers can come close to matching. And... if... you can accept stand mount monitors as an alternative to floor standing speakers - you'll find the WaveTouch Audio Grand Teton's will sound as good, or better, than any of these, and rival the best speakers at any price - though they are a ported box speaker. Forget the "name brands," which can't match the sound of these speakers - though they may look much better, and be easier to sell. But, if pristine sound is your primary criteria - any of the above will do very well. |
I've had several "Totem" floor standing speakers: Totem Forest, Hawk, Wind and the large-ish Mani2 bookshelf (not a wimp). The best bang for the buck are the Totem Forest and those are the ones I kept. As mentioned, they throw a wide and deep soundstage and do bass very well for a compact footprint. They play larger than they are and do immensely well when fed ample power. And if they're not your cup of tea, they are an easy re-sale. |
Recently, I too was looking for sub $2K speakers. Fortunately, I saw
Emerald Physics AG adv for their KC IIs with a free BOM. If not for their super special, they would have been off my radar. I sprang for adding WireWorlds fairly new internal speaker wire. I don't know the KCIIs sound with standard wire, but was told by Mark S who assembled them that he was impressed. Assuming your system is capable of sending them quality music, you would be hard pressed to approach their magic. hth |
Do think about that available space vehind the speakers. If you dont have room or S.O. cooperation to let you pull them 3+ feet out from the wall behind then, then forget about Maggies, Lxminis, LFTs or other dipoles. Or ominis either for that matter. If you have to have speakers next to side walls then wide dispersion models are out (dipoles should be ok, assuming again the space needed behind is available). Location requirements should be considered during your selection process. Too often there are speakers designed to have space all around them, installed shoved up against a wall! I once saw/heard a set of fine Martin Logans no more than 10 inches from a back wall and in a corner.... Sounded awful, but just the wrong (but very costly) speaker for the room. |
IF you are open to dipole/planar speakers, and IF you have at least 3’ (5’ is better) to move them out from the wall behind them, there is a mint pair of Eminent Technology LFT-8b’s on U.S. Audiomart right now at an asking price of $1800 (retail $2500). Somewhat similar to the Maggie MG1.7 (both being 5’ tall magnetic-planar dipoles), but with an 8" cone woofer for 180Hz down. Some listeners prefer the LFT-8b to not only the MG1.7, but also the MG3.7! THE best value in a dipole/planar loudspeaker at the present time, imo. Including the bass enclosure, the speaker's footprint is about one square foot. |
I have new KEF Q500 that are now broekn in and they have a lovely balance sound. They are in a somewhat small room being run with an Accuphase E307 Integrated Amp, Kimber 8TC speaker cables and Kimber interconnects, Linn Basik turntable with an Akito tone arm and Rega Exacta 2 Cartridge, PS Power Cords (2), Marantz CD5004, airport Express with an optical cable, Using a Gdrive to store and stream 2000 CDs. In this system the speakers have a surprising good sound and the speakers are under $2000. |
Buying used removes much of the concern over buying 'unheard'. Item can be resold without great loss if purchased at fair price. With speakers shipping does become an issue. However, you can purchase a set of $2K speakers for under $1k buying used. Reread the above suggestions for opportunity on used speakers. Research selected ones online for further input. Good luck! |
Yup. Definitely thinking about buying used. I am however somewhat scared of buying something used and then finding out later that it doesn't meet my tastes but maybe I will take the plunge.I don't blame you. I would be too. But why limit yourself to being scared in taking a plunge with only used? The same applies to new also. Unless you can hear the speakers, you really have no idea if any of them will suit your tastes. You now have close to thirty suggestions (myself included) and are you any closer to finding the best speaker with a small footprint under 2K? There is no best of anything, especially loudspeakers. There is only what is best for you. You must now make an effort to go out and hear some of the speakers that were suggested for yourself. You may hear some that weren't even mentioned in the thread and find out these were the right ones. Your amp will drive most of them so no worries here. What your doing right now is akin to selecting a vacation destination, while blindfolded and throwing darts at a map. Good luck with that! |
Some of the suggestions are over 2k. a Pair of Vienna Mozart Grands are in you price range used. I think your amp would be a good match. I just got a used pair with with a 90 watt high current solid state amp and they are very nice. A musical speaker that can be warm to just a touch of warmth depending on room, source and amplification. The have a pretty deep bass that tends to be rounder with bloom than a tight pinpoint bass. There is a slight sweetness in the mid range that is very pleasant. A speaker that you can listen to all day. Some have suggested Spatial speakers. They are indeed very good. I chose the Mozarts over them (M1) in demo with the same amplification. Both sound stage and image like champs. The Spatial would be more neutral with a tighter bass but not as deep. I would warn you that due to the High Efficiency of the spatial's could be a problem with the wrong preamp or integrated. If there is noise you will hear it in the Spatial speakers. Also if your gain in preamp is too high you may end up with a small range of movement on the volume pot before reaching very high volume levels. |
Hi Have you considered used. There are some nice speakers that are available for under 2 grand. In fact I just upgraded my system and have a used pair of focal 918 black diamonds. (black gloss) They are drop dead gorgeous and asking 1700. Not just these speakers but there are many others as well. I would never buy a pair of new speakers but that's just me. Good luck there where many fine speakers mentioned in this thread just an option Norm L |
Well, I guess that I really don't expect you to bite on these, but I'd be doing a dis service not to mention them.... These are a DIY speaker. They were designed by Jay Kim. I have built a design of his. Jay has won many design competitions and his stuff regularly beats out $10,000 retail speakers.... This design is first rate. It uses very good parts, it has very low distortion drivers, it will produce a surprising amount of bass and this set is voiced to be smooth and accurate with excellent detail.... You guys that know me, Know that I'm a straight shooter. I have no idea who this ebay seller is, but for anyone that has a $2000 budget, these are a no brainer. They will Like 100 watts per channel or more, they are an easy to handle 4 ohm load. They are reasonably well impedance compensated and the tweeter has a natural peak that has been dealt with, they are near ruler flat.... phasing is also quite good on these, many tube amps with decent power could drive them . I don't know the seller in any way shape or form... I've seen these speakers since Jay introduced them in 2008. DIY parts cost alone is over $1000 without this persons labor. I've considered building them in the past and have looked deeply into the parts selection and crossover design... http://www.ebay.com/itm/151925962277 Tim |
Thanks brimel1974. Your amp puts out a respectable 125 wpc into 8, 200 wpc into 4 ohms and should have no problem driving most of the speakers recommended. It also has a Class D power amplifier which many consider bright and I tend to agree. So look at a warmer speaker that should compliment this amp design. Suggest you try and hear the Vienna Acoustics Bach Grands. Small footprint, warm and musical, smooth treble and outstanding bass from its 7" woofer. Viennas are often paired with Primare amps that are also Class D with great results. Highly recommended! |
As one who has owned quite a few "small" floorstand speakers, including many mentioned so far, my favorite now is the PSB Synchrony Two tower. Very natural presentation with deep, clean bass, and a small footprint. This choice surprises me as I've always gravitated to the more esoteric brands, and PSB certainly is not esoteric. If I never change speakers again (not likely) I'll be totally happy. |
Brimel, The Maggie .7 is about 4 1/2 feet tall, 15" wide and maybe six inches deep (stand depth). The smaller MMG is about 6" shorter. The former’s bass extension gets down into the 45 hz region, the latter is more like 50hz. The .7 was $1400 and the MMG $600 last I looked. Both are excellent value IMO (particularly the MMG, which is why I own a pair.) |
You now have close to 20 speaker recommendations but you have never told us what kind of amp you have. So how would any of us know if any of these fine speaker recommendations could be properly driven by your amp? Per your criteria, you want a small floorstanding pair of speakers under 2k. But what good would they be if your amp could not properly drive them? Might be a good idea to let us know this. |
Interesting question you pose, as an audio nut for 45 years, I happen to think $2K for a pair of speakers is kind of a "sweet spot" for the cost of a pair of speakers in a very fine system. With a good amp and something like an Oppo 105 CD player, you can live the dream. I will chime in with a plug for Spatial Audio Hologram M4 Turbos or M3's, priced right at $2K. I have had a dozen monitors and floor standers in my system in the past 10 years, many of which were mentioned above, and I am still over the top in love with my M4 Turbo open baffle speakers. If I had to do it over, I would have gotten the M3's, which go down to 33 Hz, but with my subwoofer, I have the LF covered. If you don't have a sub, the M3's will give you outstanding LF response. I drive them with an 80 wpc CJ SS amp and the bass is just outstanding and also with a flea-watt SET amp from Dennis Had which allows the music to bloom, with an immense soundstage. Zu's are interesting speakers that are easily driven with a small amp. The whole line-up of Salk speakers are absolutely musical and very reasonably priced, with beautiful cabinetry -- I have heard several of them at audio shows and they always impressed me. Totem's, too their whole line of speakers sound fine to my ears, and they are also reasonably priced. There are a plethora of great speakers for $2K on the market. Cheers. |
Take a look at the omega 3xrs or 7xrs. I have the 3xrs with primaluna prologue 2 and kt120s. I love the sound. For more money owners love the allinic speaker in omega series, Moore expensive but under 2k. Lois is a great guy and is veruy accessible. I've had Maggie's , spica to 50s and 60 currently own Angelique and like my omegas more. |
stevecham is on to something. If I had not sat with John Rutan at Audio Connection in Verona, NJ and listened to the Vandy 1s there, as a 30 year owner of larger Vandys, I would never have believed the musical truth the model 1 can reveal. It was pretty stunning as I had never appreciated the beauty those speakers produce. We listened to several other speakers that day all of which had unmistakable charms. But what stayed with me were what I heard from the model 1s. |
If your room isn't too big for it, I recommend an in-home audition of Ohm Walsh 1000s, $2000/pr. If your room is smaller, the Walsh Micro Tall - $1400/pr - should do well. You might be surprised at the extension and quality of the bass of these speakers, too. See the Ohm Speakers web site, they offer a 120 in-home trial. |
As a Vandy owner, I think they are one of the best buys in hifi. But, to get a smaller footprint than the Zu’s, you are probably looking at the Vandy 1’s, or VSM. Both of which are going to need a sub. The Zu Omen are pretty small for a floorstanding speaker and will give you pretty much what you are asking for- Bass but not floor shaking bass. After looking at some of the previous suggestions, I don’t see any that are significantly smaller than the Zu’s. If you buy new, you can trial them for 30 days, too. I own the Zu Union(an Omen predecessor) and can attest to their sound quality. When you tune the speakers properly, you can achieve some very impressive bass. |
