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Time to replace speakers, suggestions wanted

I have enjoyed my Totem Rokks for about 8 years now. Recently I noticed the distinctive sound of the paper separating on the left mid-range. So I will start the search for replacement speakers and will limit my search to full range towers. I listen to mostly rock from acoustic to hard and I am looking to get back into vinyl soon. Fidelity is important. I have heard Aerial 7B's and was very impressed. They might be a bit much for my system. I would appreciate input on speakers to audition.

My system consists of Marantz 63SE CD, Adcom GDA600 D/A, Rotel RC-990BX pre, 2 bridged Rotel RB-980BX amps (horizontally bi-amping to keep leads as short as possible), all fed by a Rotel RLC900 line conditioner. I also have a Paradigm powered sub, but I hope this will go away.

My listening room is the 15x20 L part of my finished basement. Berber carpet, bare (for now) walls, and 8' drop ceiling.
dan_ed
dan_ed OP
2,451 posts
 
Absolutely. I don't buy anything I haven't heard. I am trying to find places within my home area, southern N.H., to audition the speakers I am interested in. Some makes are easier to find than others. I have heard Thiel, Revel, Aerial, and the Aerials easily won that round. I've listened alittle to Martin Logans but only with light jazz and a female vocalist. I'm looking for places to demo ACI, Vandersteen, and Totems.
dan_ed OP
2,451 posts
 
Recent snows have kept me from making progress on the speaker upgrade search.

Totem says they will sell me replacement drivers for $90 each. Maybe it's worth replacing the mid-range in both speakers at the same time to keep them balanced. What do you think?
perkadin's avatar
perkadin
286 posts
 
If those are dynaudio drivers you can read off the numbers and they can send you a matched replacement, without having to get a pair. On the other hand, if the damage is due to age the other will probably go soon anyway.
dan_ed OP
2,451 posts
 
That's the thought I had. The "head light" theory, if you will. When one goes replace both.
subaruguru
1,376 posts
 
Socrates, it's quite UNlikely that a replacement driver will match sufficiently in sensitivity to provide excellent imaging. Dynaudio et al sell their mid-spec runs to OE manufacturers and sell the production "tails" to hobbyists, etc. I guess you could use a RS meter afterwards, and retweak the cross-over with a driver pad if necessary. But what a chore....
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