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Hunt for new floor standers

Having sold my speakers, I’m in the hunt for a new pair of floor standers. I’m stepping up my game from the PSB Silver i’s that I had for years. I’d be interested in hearing from fellow Audiogoners about their suggestions for 2 channel, audio only towers. I’d like good bass response and prefer not to invest in a sub. Having said that, high end clarity is a must as well. Currently I’m using a tubed Rogue Super Magnum 99 preamp and a SS Belles 150A Hot Rod amp. In short time I may opt out of the Belles amp but for now it’s stays. I’ve auditioned the KEF R700 and the Sonus Faber Chameleons and liked them both but I’m not sure how either would play with my rig. My budget allows for mid $2K max and I’m OK with used equipment that’s been well taken care of. Insightful input is appreciated.
axspike
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steve59
1,781 posts
 
go listen to the expensive stuff and figure out whats the most important aspect of playback to you and we can narrow the field some. VA, Klipsch, and Martin Logan shouldn’t all be in the same thread.

I heard a pair of $400 paradigm stand mounts that blew me away! I expected them to cost at least $1200. Paradigm like monitor have built a solid reputation on value for the dollar and probably are the most competitive at the $1000 range. PSB is in the same class and if you liked the silvers why not step up.
helomech
1,706 posts
 
Holy Shelter-in-Place! It's been a while since I've checked this thread. I thought I'd add some info on what I've been looking at these past few weeks. Any thoughts on the Monitor Audio Silver 500's? These are in their 6G and consistently get great reviews...even back to the 4G models. Comparisons to Focal, B&W and ML?
IMO, the new Silver series was not a big improvement over the outgoing Silvers. These brands sort of play leap-frog, and the B&W 7 series has taken the lead over MA. I'd say the same for Paradigm'd Prestige line which sounded excellent in my recent audition, possibly even overtaking the B&Ws.

As for the Martin Logan Motion series, it's still competitive and I consider them a killer value at their closeout prices.
axspike OP
34 posts
 
With adherence to the shelter in place rule, it's impossible to audition anything, even if my area were riddled with good hifi shops- which  it  isn't. I'm sure others share my dilemma of being in the market and not able to audition. So I'm relying on opinions of reviewers and owners to help me make a decision. I've no idea how long this crisis will continue and in the scheme of things, new audio equipment is pretty low on the non essential list of things. Well...kinda. And you guys have been very helpful. I've talked with a couple of Fyne dealers and in reading about  them, the 502's look like a promising candidate. Anyone here have any  knowledge of them? How they might compare with Tannoy's XT8F's or Monitor Audio's Silver 300's?
sunshdw's avatar
sunshdw
257 posts
 
I recently bought a pair of Fyne Audio F501s and I'm shocked by how good they sound for a mere $1800. Mine are in a small-ish treated and dedicated room and powered by a pair of Schiit Aegirs. Plenty of out put and loads of bass. The latter I calmed down with the help of a DSPeaker Anti-Mode 2.0 in my application. 
tomaswv
231 posts
 
I love my Dali Mentor 6 floorstanders and I’m amazed that you can get them used for well less that $2K. Lots of bass, detailed but not shrill at all. The newer Rubicon 6s are one step closer to the Epicon series that first got me interested in Dali. You can find used Rubicon 6s for around $2.5K. 
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