FULL RANGE vs. SUBWOOFER+NO FULL RANGE

Hi Jair. If you ask most 'Philes' who listen to symphonic and classical music, you'll find that two of the many performance aspects that they really look for are tonality and dynamics. Some will tell you that "true" full range speakers are they way to go because of the fact that a good full range speaker is tuned well and balanced in presentation. Some may go for the Bookshelf and sub system for the fact that some feel that an 'excellent' bookshelf is better than a 'good' full Range speaker in the upper octaves of musical presentation. Also with the sub/bookshelf system, you can be flexible with the placement of the sub. As far as "High End" sound goes, that's relative to your experience and your 'sense of reality'. If your system is revealing to you and it retreaves full picture information at low volume levels and it gives you that "I'm at the concert feeling" then really what more could you ask for except for backstage passes?

What is the rest of your system looking like nowadays? This may help with matching your system and allow people to give you their opinions that might be able to help you. If you buy used that $2,500 will go a little further since your looking for perfomance speakers.

If these speakers are for your 9'x11' room that you described in your other post, go with a monitor or a small, 2-way floorstanding speaker. A full range speaker will deliver too much bass for your room. I also have a small (10x11) room, and if I did not already have my 3-ways I would go with a small 2-way floorstander. They will have a fuller sound and more bass than a monitor, but will be able to be controlled with room treatment. I'm really not sure about an integration with a sub in a room that size. I would imagine that it wouldn't work very well in a room that size because low frequencies in general do not work in small rooms, but hopefully someone who reads this will pick up the ball. If you can work a sub in to the mix then get a monitor, if not, get a small 2-way. Like Pls1 said on your other post, the room will definitely need to have some acoustical treatment, no matter what speaker you go with, especially if you like it loud. Audio Advisor sells some inexpensive treatment, there's also Echobusters and other brands. Regarding your other post, find the speakers you like, then think about what amp to get for it. Good luck and feel free to email me.

The previous posts are both excellent.

If your room is large enough, a full-range floor stander may be best. Your overall sound will probably be more balanced and better integrated. I don't think you'll have any trouble finding a quality used pair of floor standing speakers for $2500.

If you have a small room like me, monitors and a subwoofer is a viable alternative. At 12 x 16 feet my room isn't that tiny, but I got a ton of other stuff in there too. And that reduces the size of it considerably. In my room, a near field setup doesn't work. I'm too close to the sub, the standing bass waves are just too long, and I get no bottom end. When I can sit at least 10 feet from the sub, it sounds more natural and has much more presence. Also, dialing in a sub can be very tedious and time consuming. Finding the right spot to put it may take time. For some people it doesn't work at all. Fortunately, for me it has.

Hi all, I'd like to know what is better for symphonic music with a budget of $2500 for the speakers: full range speakers or speakers + separate subwoofer, or speakers with build in powered subwoofers. can I get high-end sound with any of this configurations within my speaker budget? which combinations would you recommend me in this budget for my musical tastes? your help on this matter will be greatly appreciated! Thanks.jair2fdc

OK well so for $2500, this is in 2001 prices = todays $4G;s.  (inflation)
So for 2500
Lets see.
W22 Graphene /$1G
+
Vox /AC!A/$2G's
yep you  got it.
$3G's
Best speaker for classical music, 2nd to none under $10G's.
See this is why I love FR
Get a  panel of thick plexiglass (ain't cheap)
cut the hiole, plop it in, worlds best looking, and super wife friendly cabinet.
Light weight and just gorgeous aesthetically
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nAZFohYTPQ

Not sure if this member is still around after 20 years , but I did get his  Q's answered.
Pity I did not know  this combo  back in 2001.

 full range speakers or speakers + separate subwoofer,

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
jair
could not figure this dilemma out, AT that time, no one had the imagination to play with these ideas of FR + Sub or regular box + sub Or etc etc. 
jair knew FR may be the best option offering a  rich, full , highly detailed midrange where 80%++ of our music lies withing this fq bandwidth. 
But  jair could not put the pieces of the puzzle together. 
As I say, no one had yet worked out this equaltion before, Marrying FR with sub or sub + regular box things.
Well after I upgarded my Thors, I realized, *I'm lookin for more, something ain't right*
Then I started looking into **Point source  aka Full Range**. After soending ,,ohhh about 60 hours research, I hit on **Voxativ**, 
I was looking closely at  davidlouis drivers on ebay, but again, i did not understand what a  FR/PS is, how it works,  how it sounds.
So is tarted a  experiement of ordering various low priced drivers.
Little by little i started figuring how how these things work. 
I dumped the new Millenniums and began using vaious Point Source as midrange/highs. 
Then I started experiementing with higher sens tweets and hit on the Magnovox horn tweeter.
So little by little all these experiments have started paying off. 
I now have bass with dual W18E001's, DL 4 inch as midrange and the Magnovox horn tweeter.
The DL 4 inch *full Range*, is ok, but it was only $200 and as the chinese seller says *you GET exactly what you pay for**. WEll we all know thats not true, Sometimes we pay alottttt more and get alotttt less.
Now i am saving for a  real midrange which will voice classical music with highly detailed soundstage , with pure super high fidelity.
jair had some good ideas, its just that back in 2001, no one had even the slightest clue how to respond to his post.
fast forward 20 yrs later, There  now exist designs which intergrate a hidden woofer in with the Full range /point source driver.
Most likely I will live with the W18E001's as bass. 
But down the line after I pay off the Vox AC1A's, I'll save up and get the Seas Excel Graphene W22, I already have the xover. and sell off the 20 year old W18E001 at half price. 
This is exactly what I am going to do, as the 2 pairs of W18E001's will fetch ,,ohh say, $400, the W22;s will run me $1G, so all I need to come up with is $600, and the AC1A;'s already have some  wooffer punch.
Yep thats the golden combo. 
Might keep the Magnovox horn, not sure, we will have to see how the AC1A response is on the highs. 
I will roll off the W22 at 1200hz., this way  keeps the energy flowing to work more as a  pure bass woofer. Its sort of a waste cutting the W22 off at 1200hz,  as the Titanium VC really offers stunning clarity, purity in the 1200 all the way up to 2500hz. 
Its just that the AC1A has even a  higher fidelity in that 1200-2500 range

There will be over lap in fq's from the lows through 1200hz. 
But here's the thing.
 
 the W22 is 86db sens, = acting more as a  background bass woofer, sort of adding a  subtility, a  soft richness, a  fullness so to speak,  adding a  punchiness  which  the AC1A can not perform on its own. 
I should have this *The Frankenstein* up N running by years end/before. 
Well just the Dual W18's, not the W22,  that upgrade will have to wait til 2022 til I beef up my audio budget , which is pretty low at the moment.