Monitors that compete with quality floorstanders??

How can anyone say their speakers are the best for anyone else's situation when you don't know his room or the whole system they are using? That's what I never understood. Not trying to be a jerk, but if you ask anyone who knows, they'll tell you that room and the rest of the systems is everything. I've heard the same system in two different stores on the same day, sound totally different. Similar traits etc... but midbass to midrange were completely different. I've heard most of the speakers mentioned in this thread and some I have loved. I have liked a couple and not liked a few. Again, my ears are different than anyone elses...

Just an observation. This is a good starting point for him to go out and listen for himself. I personally have never heard a sub/monitor system that works for me. No continuity and I can hear it pretty easily. I have however heard subs work well with full range speakers to smooth the bass and augment just a bit. Anything is about proper execution a most know. Sorry if I stepped on anyone's toes.

Here's the problem - bass response. The ideal here would/should be bookshelf sized speakers and subwoofers, but bookshelves are still all made for at least decent bass response when you really don't need them to get much below 80hz. This means that you will be hard pressed to find a 2 way that isn't made inefficient (less than 90dB) and doesn't allow for high power handling to give you this unnecessary low end. Find something like Gedlee speakers that are made to be used with subs as opposed to ones on the market that will be helped by subs but don't need them.

The increased internal volume for a floorstander (assuming
roughly the same footprint) gives it a significant advantage
in bass extension and/or efficiency relative to a stand-
mount. The standmount can be designed to take advantage of
boundary reinforcement (a la Sjofn and Audio Note), but then
so can a floorstander.

So if we compare roughly equal-cost/equal footprint options,
the floorstander enjoys some advantages compared to the
standmount + stand... depending in part on how expensive the
stands are.

In my experience most stand-mount speakers usually benefit
from at least some boundary reinforcement. While it's
possible to build a stand-mount that doesn't need any
boundary reinforcement, such would tend to be either very
low efficiency or very large. So I guess my first questions
would be:

- What's the room like... size? Open into other rooms?

- What are your speaker positioning options?

- How important is performance (soundstaging, timbre) when
you listen from outside the ideal "sweet spo"?

- What sort of amplification do you plan to use?

By the way, I've been consistently very impressed by Fritz
speakers, and the concept behind the Sjofn Clue is
brilliant. The guy who designed the Clue is really good,
and I'd trust his work.

Duke
dealer/manufacturer
Sorry about the weird spacing; I'm not trying to write
poetry here

To Simao, In the noble hobby of hi-end audio, there must be some standard of performance/satisfaction versus price. The YG "Sonja" which retail for a cool $109,000 are probably great sounding speakers, but where in this calculation of retail price, does the standard of "good value" emerge??? Sure, if you have the money to buy them, and also can afford to use the absolute best electronics, there is no issue about price vs performance\satisfaction ratio.

I have heard the latest version of Reference 3A De Capo on two different occasions in different show room systems, and I just don't hear $3000 worth of speaker. They do sound very good, and the bass is as described by others: punchy and clean, but so are a lot of other monitor speakers that are $500-1000 less, like the Nola, PSB Imagine B and even Monitor Audio's PL-100, and a few in the ProAC monitor line-up. ( I wish someone could get a pair of the Sjorn's "The Clue" speakers recommended by AG member Soix, and provide an in depth evaluation as to whether they are the real deal or just another episodic phase of audio hype that pops up in the market several times a year.)

I think it is a bit nuts to just accept what many manufacturers's claim, and then try to justify as their "suggested retail price"

To Grinell, If you come across a clean pair of DECapos at $1200.00, please let me know. I have never seen them sell that low on AG

I still don't get why subs are out of the question. I sometimes think one should start with the subs to define how you want to pressurize the room, and then get the stand-mounts that finish off the overall sonic picture.

I already had my subs when I got my Mag 1.7s. I knew they would be articulate and fast--up to the task, and would energize the listening space. The naysayers kept warning me that Maggies are too fast for most subs, but I was right. They blended seamlessly from the get-go and provide the fullness, dynamics, and drive that bring out the best in the Maggies. For the record, I have a pair of out-of-prouction Mirage MM8s, tiny 9" cubes with 1200 watts peak power (380 rms) with high excursion 8" aluminum cones with two matching passive radiators per cube. They don't do much below 35 Hz, but what they do from 35 up to wherever you need to cross over is magic. I cross over around 50-60 Hz.

I loves my Maggies, but the subs pretty much obliterate the downsides people talk about--dynamics, extension, sensitivity, etc.