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Round Two: Best Speakers for LOUD music and rock??

Hi:

ROUND TWO, here we go.......

I listen to mostly rock, classic rock, female vocals, and the occasional dramatic symphony or opera, VERY LOUDLY.

I posted here before, and, taking everyone's comments into account, I purchased a used set of Genesis Vs.

They are great speakers, but failed for me in three critical areas: One, they seem to cause my amps to shut down at much lower volume than my present NHT 3.3s (even though the Genesis are rated as 3dB higher efficiency -- 90dB/4 ohms, as opposed to 87dB/4 ohms for the 3.3s), two, I cannot successfully couple these speakers to my room in such a way as to make the bass taut, dynamic and authoritative, and three, they do not image, in my room, as well as the 3.3s. Not even close.

My main system now consists of:

NHT 3.3s,
NHT SubTwo Subwoofer (60Hz & below only)
Cary 306/200 CD Player,
Sony XA 777es SACD player,
BAT VK5i preamp,
Audio Research M300mkII tube monoblocks,
MIT 750 Shotgun Tube Biwires,
MIT 350 Twin 30' ICs,
AudioZen Silver mkII I/Cs for front end.

I have a LARGE listening room with lots of glass & high sloping ceilings, app. 20x40 ft. w/18' ceilings.

I want to try again to upgrade my speakers, and I am considering a used pair of either Dunlavy SC-Vs, JM Mezzo Utopias, Legacy Focus, VMPS, Montana XP, Revel Ultima Studios, etc., etc.

My system is a tad bright right now, but not objectionably so. The imaging is stellar, and the soundstage depth is good, not great. I want smooth, rich, warm sound, yet detailed and clear, and as I said, I listen at VERY loud volumes for extended periods of time. I MUST have the slam and tight, low bass needed for the type of music I listen to.

Because of the size of speakers involved, I will obviously not be able to hear them with my system 'til I buy them, but, I guess I can just buy a good used pair here on Audiogon & sell them and try another pair if I need to.

Any comments/suggestions?

Thanks - Jeff
jeffj
phasecorrect's avatar
phasecorrect
2,013 posts
 
Sean...Dynaudio uses simple first order slopes in their designs...since they make everything in-house...they are able to intergrate drivers with minimal x-overs...but more to the point...they do play loud...and they do it clean...the common issue with most first order designs is that the drivers overlap...hence designers such as Pat M from Meadowlark being a strong proponet of listening at a distance of 6 ft or more...in short...they would be a poor choice for near field...they require room to separate individual driver frequencies...
sean
6,231 posts
 
Phasecorrect: You are right about the Dynaudio's and their crossover slopes. I was thinking about them being "parts heavy" and confused the crossover rates. Their crossovers are not "simple" as they use notch filters, impedance compensation, etc... It is all that "extra crap" that sucks up power and the reason why you need a small generator to drive them to high levels.

As far as your preference for "open and deep" soundstages, there isn't a speaker made ( that i'm aware of or have heard ) that can touch a well set-up pair of Ohm F's in this regard. No crossovers, no multiple drivers and no "box" to get in the way of their 360* presentation. That is one of the major reasons that i love them so much. Sean
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phasecorrect's avatar
phasecorrect
2,013 posts
 
For vintage speakers(and for that matter new)...Ohm has a loyal following...and for good reason...they are about as boxless as one can get...you would be surprised at how many Hi-End employees have or have had Ohm speakers in their current or past systems...they are very affordable in relation to what is out there...like any older designs...they do require some "babysitting" and maintenance...which is a slight turn off for myself(I am lazy)...but if you can find them used...and get them up to speed...they have the ability to sound very good...I think they look pretty cool myself...does Ohm service these older models? I have heard of parts being an issue...
jack_dotson
210 posts
 
This is an easy one. If your looking for loud, I'm talking loud, clean and detailed rock speakers, get the older Klipsch (the real one's). Klisph horn's, LaScalla's and Cornwall II's. They will knock you out with 100 watts, but if you want really smash you in the face dynamics, put them with something like the old Adcom GFA-565 mono amp's. Add a good 15" sub and you wont look back. Your ears will give out long before these speakers.
cdc
1,820 posts
 
Mackie HR-824 active studio monitors.
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