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Bass driven floorstanders?

I am in search of floorstanders that can do bass without sub... Beside totem sttaf, do you see anything else between 1k and $2k?  I have had vandersteen 2ce, great, but they happened to be too large for the room.  Thx for suggestions!
chrisr
gdhal's avatar
gdhal
1,641 posts
 
chrisr, please don’t take this the wrong way, but given your response I recommend (a) look for another audio dealer because if they poo poo the Triton’s, well, you get the point and (b) not sure if it’s because your wife doesn’t understand audio or doesn’t appreciate the JBL S412Ps size/look, but I suspect the former.
yakbob
487 posts
 
If you're willing to shop in the used market, these floorstanders will provide excellent sound and ample amounts of bass for their size:

Gemme Audio Tanto or Katana (v-flex transmission line cabinet). Very easy load on amp, clear sound, lots of bass. Their tiny stature makes for higher WAF. $1000-1200 for the tanto, closer to $2000 for the katana.

KEF reference 107/1 or 107/2: brushing up against vintage category here, but a tremendous value if you can find a restored pair with the requsite Kube. Fantastic sound, but polarizing looks. I'm not sure what size begins to upset your wife's decor. $1400-$2000 depending on condition.  Foam surrounds on inner bass drivers rot over time and need to be replaced about once every 20 years.

Onix (av123) Strata Mini: I will be drawn and quartered for mentioning a Mark Schifter product in the elite audiogon forum, but this speaker represents a great value with its driver set and built in 8" sub. It's extremely configurable and a real looker in rosewood finish. You could likey find a pair for $700-800. 

The tritons mentioned earlier seem to be a good option too. I have not had a chance to hear them yet, but from what I've read there hasn't been much negative criticism.
ghosthouse's avatar
ghosthouse
4,321 posts
 
Chris - I'm not sure what they sell for used OR how they'll compare to some of the other speakers suggested to you -  but for me, bass from the Totem Forest speakers has been a real surprise.  Early on with them, I'd considered getting a sub.  That is no longer necessary.  Two keys to getting great bass from them were 1. proper placement - nearer together rather than further apart &  2. adequate amplification - the quality of the bass with a Class D amplifier (Taranis from Merrill Audio) is excellent...deep, well-controlled and nuanced.  Cosmic Hippo by Bela Fleck is a great track for plumbing bass depths, as you may know.  I would note, bass from the Forests, even when driven by 78wpc Class A/B tube amps, did improve greatly once I found the proper placement for the them.  Placement takes priority over power in my experience.  Hope this helps.  Good luck in your search.
wolf_garcia
6,744 posts
 
Vandy 1Cs it they're not too large…I had a pair of 1Bs years ago and the transmission loading works very well to give that 8" driver some mojo…great speaker for the subless.
chrisr's avatar
chrisr OP
543 posts
 
  vandies 1ci are on top of my list, but I will probably loose the mid/tweeter clarity of the Regas.... I think i should just add a sub, even though I have always resisted this... the Svs sb 1000 is on my list (sealed box), and I will send signal using the pre-amp out of the marantz, and cross it over at 50 or 60 hz, frequency at which the Regas drop significantly in spl.  If this does the trick, I' ll get a second one later to have even even bass in the room.... I' ll report when I do it, very very soon I hope.

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