Best speakers for $1000?

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alxlwson

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So I'm looking to replace my old Sony SS-MB215's that I've had for 18 years or so. My receiver is going out with them as well, it's started to fail, and putting out way too much heat.
That setup is just for my computer in the office. I'm looking spend about a grand on a new set. I've been thinking about just going with a powered set to keep things simple. I've been eyeballing the Klipsch R28PF's. They have pretty good specs, I'm familiar with the brand, and I'm also looking for something with more punch than the old Sony's. These also have a sub out, so if I so chose I could add that at a later date. I am aware that going the powered route eliminates the possibly of incorporating into a surround system at a later date, and I'm ok with that. Other than gaming, I primarily listen to metal- Lamb Of God, etc...


I do want to make sure that this would be the best option for a grand. So, what's the collective thought?
 
Boonie is your man on this one. What is your setup like? On the desk? Stands? Room size? Up against the wall?
 
I have a desk up against a wall. The speaker will be up against that wall, and can be oriented into the corners. These are large floor standing speakers, so they wouldn't be on my desk. The room is 8 or 9 x probably 15'. The short wall is where my desk is, centered on that wall. Not a big room by any stretch.

What say you, B00nie ?
 
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A small room with a big speaker can be a problematic combo especially if you use passive speakers which you can't adjust so readily. A floor stander is almost guaranteed to have problems with bass in a small room. What's your room height? Hopefully not 8' or 9'...

I would look for a bookshelf and sub combo which will give you more options on placement and adjustment - or a quality DSP based active speaker that you can optimize for the room. Those are hard to find for a 1000 bucks.

Elac Debut B6 + a sub or KEF Q350 + sub would meet that price range and yield decent results. Or full active Acoustic Energy AE1 Active (no DSP though but adjustment options).

If you want absolutely best results I would get a free consultation from Acoustic Fields / Dennis Foley and invest half of your budget to room treatment (perhaps DIY from AF) and the KEF/Elac sans the sub.
 
I have a bit of owner's bias here, but I would recommend the JBL 580s.

If physical space is not an issue I say get these guys. They are floorstandings.

They are usually sold for $1600 for the pair, but they are on sale for $860/pair.

The sale is on Newegg Flash. My only guess is they decided they want to clear their 200lb shipping weight out of their inventory. (Usually delivered on a pallet) Sale Link (if link broken, search newegg flash jbl 580)

I actually own the JBL 590s and not these 580s, but those wern't on sale so I can't reccomend them. I got those for $875 and they sell for $2000. I believe the main difference is the 580s use 2 6.5in. drivers per unit while the 590s have 8in. drivers.

I don't own any other $1000 speakers so I can't say if they are worth their price, but I figured $1600 speakers for $860 would probably have a more likely chance of being a good choice.

Not sure what the size of your room is but they should work in rooms both big and small. They will always sound their finest when given some real breathing room, but they do work surprisingly well in place of desktop speakers (ran them this way for a bit myself).

As far as driving them, I bet you could run them off your current reciever as they are a pretty efficient line. I originally bought a temporary 100 watt stereo receiver for $100 and my 590s honestly didn't need to turned past %50 on the dial.

As far as your music choice, I think they would work just fine. I'm a bit of a bass head myself. Great for fusion, classic rock. If your into sparkling/piercing highs there may be better choices than these. I believe the highs are a bit more relaxed in favor of a more relaxed and forgiving sound signature. (I know what piercing highs are like as a HD800 owner lol)

Something to consider at least. There should be a number of reviews out there on them that would give you better specifics.

Don't feel rushed, but the deal supposedly ends in 15 hours. I saw the same deal on Newegg a month ago so perhaps they are just running it until their stock runs out.
 
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B00nie said:
A small room with a big speaker can be a problematic combo especially if you use passive speakers which you can't adjust so readily. A floor stander is almost guaranteed to have problems with bass in a small room. What's your room height? Hopefully not 8' or 9'...

I would look for a bookshelf and sub combo which will give you more options on placement and adjustment - or a quality DSP based active speaker that you can optimize for the room. Those are hard to find for a 1000 bucks.

Elac Debut B6 + a sub or KEF Q350 + sub would meet that price range and yield decent results. Or full active Acoustic Energy AE1 Active (no DSP though but adjustment options).

If you want absolutely best results I would get a free consultation from Acoustic Fields / Dennis Foley and invest half of your budget to room treatment (perhaps DIY from AF) and the KEF/Elac sans the sub.
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I rent a townhome, so room mods are a no go atm. Yes, unfortunately I do have a short ceiling upstairs in the office, 9'.

I should be able to do some tuning with these via software, correct? I'll be using an optical input to the speakers from an SA card.
 
alxlwson said:
I rent a townhome, so room mods are a no go atm. Yes, unfortunately I do have a short ceiling upstairs in the office, 9'.

I should be able to do some tuning with these via software, correct? I'll be using an optical input to the speakers from an SA card.
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EQ/DSP helps a bit but can't do magic. A room treatment can be like magic when done right. You don't even have to 'mod' the room just add portable elements.

But I get that room treatment is not for everyone. Just avoid getting too bass heavy speakers in that room unless you like wallowy echoed bass.

The Studio590 is not probably the worst choice also. It has a good waveguide and pretty well balanced response. Note that you'll have to toe these speakers in directly towards your seating position to sound right.
 
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B00nie said:
EQ/DSP helps a bit but can't do magic. A room treatment can be like magic when done right. You don't even have to 'mod' the room just add portable elements.

But I get that room treatment is not for everyone. Just avoid getting too bass heavy speakers in that room unless you like wallowy echoed bass.
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Indeed.
I have been using the Sony's in near field for the last several years. I don't have much bass "sound" from them when sitting at my desk. I back away to the center of the room, and they sound much better. My big hope is that going with a bigger speaker, that I'll get more of what I'm wanting in the location that I actually sit.
My office is far from empty. I pretty much have zero wall space left due to a dresser, shelving, etc. and the floor is carpeted.
I do understand the sound dynamics and I know I have far from an ideal space. I want to do something, though. My thought is that having a bigger speaker(but not a hugely bigger speaker) would enhance my not-so-great experience that I have right now. I recognize that it might be in essence some wasted money because my space isn't ideal.
I was/am looking at the 28's because from what I've read, they don't need any breathing room due to the port being on the front of the cabinet. The other reason is because I don't actually have any room on my desk for speakers. I would like to get a pair of The Sixes and a sub, but no desk space with a 38" curved UW and a 27" taking all the space.
 
alxlwson said:
Indeed.
I have been using the Sony's in near field for the last several years. I don't have much bass "sound" from them when sitting at my desk. I back away to the center of the room, and they sound much better. My big hope is that going with a bigger speaker, that I'll get more of what I'm wanting in the location that I actually sit.
My office is far from empty. I pretty much have zero wall space left due to a dresser, shelving, etc. and the floor is carpeted.
I do understand the sound dynamics and I know I have far from an ideal space. I want to do something, though. My thought is that having a bigger speaker(but not a hugely bigger speaker) would enhance my not-so-great experience that I have right now. I recognize that it might be in essence some wasted money because my space isn't ideal.
I was/am looking at the 28's because from what I've read, they don't need any breathing room due to the port being on the front of the cabinet. The other reason is because I don't actually have any room on my desk for speakers. I would like to get a pair of The Sixes and a sub, but no desk space with a 38" curved UW and a 27" taking all the space.
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You can put bookshelf speakers on stands to clear your monitor (see my sig)

For 1k speakers, I'd get the Kef LS50s but you still need an amp and everything else.

Their Q series on stands with a sub will do you right.
 
DoubleTap said:
You can put bookshelf speakers on stands to clear your monitor (see my sig)

For 1k speakers, I'd get the Kef LS50s but you still need an amp and everything else.

Their Q series on stands with a sub will do you right.
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Just looked at the Q550. They are terribly inefficient. 87dB@1w. That's like...worse than cheap PA DJ speakers. Even Q950 is still only 91dB@1w. I guess 450 a speaker isn't that bad for those beasts. I wonder if I'll be able actually hear anything from them at my listening distance, or just feel ALL of the bass? Lol
 
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alxlwson said:
Just looked at the Q550. They are terribly inefficient. 87dB@1w. That's like...worse than cheap PA DJ speakers. Even Q950 is still only 91dB@1w. I guess 450 a speaker isn't that bad for those beasts. I wonder if I'll be able actually hear anything from them at my listening distance, or just feel ALL of the bass? Lol
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I honestly don't understand your point here.

BTW. The LS50s are 86dB...
 
I picked up a new pair of KEF LS50 for $1000 back in December 2017; price is back at $1300, now. Amazing sound. A cut above anything I've heard before. I put them on a pair of IsoAcoustics stands and couldn't be happier. My sub is an SVS SB-2000.

112516_IMG_20180325_165451.jpg
 
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Commander Shepard said:
I picked up a new pair of KEF LS50 for $1000 back in December 2017; price is back at $1300, now. Amazing sound. A cut above anything I've heard before. I put them on a pair of IsoAcoustics stands and couldn't be happier. My sub is an SVS SB-2000.

View attachment 78344
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Awesome. I'm planning on a pair in Racing Red. Hopefully this year but probably next.
 
DoubleTap said:
Mostly the fixation on sensitivity.
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It's not really a fixation. Sensitivity/efficiency is paramount to quality drivers, as well as not needing a huge amp to drive them.

87dB@1w
90@2w
93@4w
96@8w
99@16w
102@32w
105@64w
108@128w
111@256w
114@512w

See how this inefficient speaker starts to run away with power requirements? Especially when compared to

93@1w
96@2w
99@4w
102@8w
105@16w
108@32w
111@64w
114@128w
117@256w
120@512w



So when you look at these numbers, you end up seeing that at 114dB, one speaker needs 512w of power, while the other only needs 128w. That's a pretty huge difference, especially when you multiply that number by two for stereo.

Perhaps you can tell me why you DON'T feel these numbers are worth heavy consideration?
 
Do what I did. Drive a pair of LS50 speakers with a Crown XLS 2502 power amp. 8 ohms/440 wpc. More than enough clean power to loosen fillings while playing Doom 2016! :D
 
Commander Shepard said:
Do what I did. Drive a pair of LS50 speakers with a Crown XLS 2502 power amp. 8 ohms/440 wpc. More than enough clean power to loosen fillings while playing Doom 2016! :D
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Dang that's awesome and great idea! Crown amps for the win, so clean works well.
 
Ehh, I'm so impatient. Just ordered the R28PF's from GC. If they suck, I'll send them back. I have a hard time believing that they'll suck, though. Just gotta wait for them to come back into stock and ship. Will probably be direct from Klipsch if I had to imagine.

Thanks for the advice on the LS50's, but aside from needing a big amp to truly drive them, which is something I don't want, I think they're hideous, lol. At the end of the day though, it comes down to desk space, which I have none of. I want to shed some equipment(space heaters) from my space.

20180224_121908.jpg
 
alxlwson said:
Ehh, I'm so impatient. Just ordered the R28PF's from GC. If they suck, I'll send them back. I have a hard time believing that they'll suck, though. Just gotta wait for them to come back into stock and ship. Will probably be direct from Klipsch if I had to imagine.

Thanks for the advice on the LS50's, but aside from needing a big amp to truly drive them, which is something I don't want, I think they're hideous, lol. At the end of the day though, it comes down to desk space, which I have none of. I want to shed some equipment(space heaters) from my space.

View attachment 78359
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Nice setup! Will the R28PF's be too large for the setup? They should hold off well, I was looking for similar for a computer setup, there's been some good deals on them. Having them powered is nice.
 
deaedius said:
Nice setup! Will the R28PF's be too large for the setup? They should hold off well, I was looking for similar for a computer setup, there's been some good deals on them. Having them powered is nice.
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My only concern is on the right side of my desk where the 27" hangs over a bit. That is easily remedied, however. As far as the actual sound, I'm not overly concerned. Klipsch are known for being a bit on the "bright" side. If I were going with a different brand, I might be worried that due to how near-field I sit that I wouldn't get much from the tweeters.
 
The Ascend Acoustics Sierra-1s are also a classic recommendation in the bookshelf range, thanks to their long throw woofer they throw out a ton of bass for their size, and have won numerous AVS speaker shootouts against ~1k offerings.

Revel M16 is also a excellent performer around 1k, but more bass constrained.

Also if you are willing to buy used your money will go quite a bit farther.
 
alxlwson said:
It's not really a fixation. Sensitivity/efficiency is paramount to quality drivers, as well as not needing a huge amp to drive them.

87dB@1w
90@2w
93@4w
96@8w
99@16w
102@32w
105@64w
108@128w
111@256w
114@512w

See how this inefficient speaker starts to run away with power requirements? Especially when compared to

93@1w
96@2w
99@4w
102@8w
105@16w
108@32w
111@64w
114@128w
117@256w
120@512w



So when you look at these numbers, you end up seeing that at 114dB, one speaker needs 512w of power, while the other only needs 128w. That's a pretty huge difference, especially when you multiply that number by two for stereo.

Perhaps you can tell me why you DON'T feel these numbers are worth heavy consideration?
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Trying to determine the quality of a speaker by it's efficiency is like trying to know if a woman is beautiful by only looking at her measurements. It's silly.

Do you only have a 10W amp or is your PC in an amphitheater? Why do you think you need your PC sound system to go that loud?

I recommended the Kef speakers because I assumed, based on your target price point, that you wanted a high quality pair of speakers for enjoying music. If you're just looking for maximum volume, you should go with the BIC RtR EV15s (from their Eviction line).

But if you care about music, consider the Kefs - I would go with bookshelves and a sub over the tower Q550s, but whatever. Read some reviews and perhaps audition them in a local store.
 
alxlwson said:
Just looked at the Q550. They are terribly inefficient. 87dB@1w. That's like...worse than cheap PA DJ speakers. Even Q950 is still only 91dB@1w. I guess 450 a speaker isn't that bad for those beasts. I wonder if I'll be able actually hear anything from them at my listening distance, or just feel ALL of the bass? Lol
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An inefficient speaker usually means that it has good bass reproduction. It's physically impossible to make a small speaker that is efficient on bass - so if you want bass extension you have to sacrifice efficiency for extension. You can have a large speaker with good bass efficiency and extension but not a small one. You either sacrifice in size, efficiency or extension.
 
And by the way: It makes little difference if the reflex port is on the back or front of the speaker. The port only needs half the port diameter distance to back wall to work properly.
The main problem is that you should never place a speaker next to a wall ideally. The boundary effect boosts bass and maximises room modes making the bass louder but very uneven. It also has many other negative effects on the sound.

I would definitely get a bookshelf + sub combo to a small room instead of floor standing speakers - simply because the floor standers are designed to work in a bigger room and will with high degree of certainty overpower the room with bass. With a bookshelf + sub combo you have the ability to adjust the crossover point and the level of bass in order to compensate the problems of the room. Especially so if the sub has a room calibration option.

In fact if I were you and had to get speakers for such computer setup, I would buy professional near field monitors for the use. They work better than hifi speakers when listening very close and have the necessary adjustments to make them work better in the location you need.
 
alxlwson said:
My only concern is on the right side of my desk where the 27" hangs over a bit. That is easily remedied, however. As far as the actual sound, I'm not overly concerned. Klipsch are known for being a bit on the "bright" side. If I were going with a different brand, I might be worried that due to how near-field I sit that I wouldn't get much from the tweeters.
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That makes total sense, I was wondering about that, still will be solid none the less! Maybe you can tilt them a bit to get more tweeter!
 
B00nie said:
And by the way: It makes little difference if the reflex port is on the back or front of the speaker. The port only needs half the port diameter distance to back wall to work properly.
The main problem is that you should never place a speaker next to a wall ideally. The boundary effect boosts bass and maximises room modes making the bass louder but very uneven. It also has many other negative effects on the sound.

I would definitely get a bookshelf + sub combo to a small room instead of floor standing speakers - simply because the floor standers are designed to work in a bigger room and will with high degree of certainty overpower the room with bass. With a bookshelf + sub combo you have the ability to adjust the crossover point and the level of bass in order to compensate the problems of the room. Especially so if the sub has a room calibration option.

In fact if I were you and had to get speakers for such computer setup, I would buy professional near field monitors for the use. They work better than hifi speakers when listening very close and have the necessary adjustments to make them work better in the location you need.
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Some speaker designers seem to believe rear ports are better because the output from a front port can interfere or bleed into the mids of a midrange or midwoofer driver that sits near it.
 
I had a pair of Klipsch RP-150M bookshelves on my PC audio, last year. They were really nice, not nearly as bright as previous lines of Klipsch. I would have been perfectly happy with them had I not found the sale price for the LS50.
 
alxlwson said:
My only concern is on the right side of my desk where the 27" hangs over a bit. That is easily remedied, however. As far as the actual sound, I'm not overly concerned. Klipsch are known for being a bit on the "bright" side. If I were going with a different brand, I might be worried that due to how near-field I sit that I wouldn't get much from the tweeters.
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I recommend the Kef speakers because they use a very advanced coincident driver. They work great in nearfield because the sound from the tweeter and woofer don't have to converge.

The previous gen Q100s are basically half price in most places in the US and are front ported. You will have a hard time finding better (passive) PC speakers for $250.
 
pippenainteasy said:
Some speaker designers seem to believe rear ports are better because the output from a front port can interfere or bleed into the mids of a midrange or midwoofer driver that sits near it.
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In reality that's pretty trivial. But I was commenting specifically regarding to positioning close to the wall. The port location really doesn't matter unless you need to put the speaker literally attached to the wall. In that case the back port would be blocked. Ironically enough, you'd also want it blocked in that case to balance the boundary effect from the wall.
 
Commander Shepard said:
I picked up a new pair of KEF LS50 for $1000 back in December 2017; price is back at $1300, now. Amazing sound. A cut above anything I've heard before. I put them on a pair of IsoAcoustics stands and couldn't be happier. My sub is an SVS SB-2000.

View attachment 78350
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Very nice. Is that a Crown power amp? I've lusted after the LS50s for a while, definitely on the short list if a good deal ever comes along.

Here's my desktop setup: https://imgur.com/a/zrc7k
 
m3ta1head said:
Very nice. Is that a Crown power amp? I've lusted after the LS50s for a while, definitely on the short list if a good deal ever comes along.

Here's my desktop setup: https://imgur.com/a/zrc7k
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Great looking setups! I had that sweet XDA-2 dac for a few years before it got crushed during a move. I’m now running a Crown XLS 2502 and Schiit Gungnir Multibit dac. Spent way the fuck more than I planned, but I’m set for the next 10 years, I think.;)
 
Oh happy day, forget that Studio 580 I mentioned.

Those JBL Studio 590s are on sale for $500 from their website (link)

However as others have said, you would probably me better off with a smaller 2.1 setup in your room.
 
I've been pleased with my 14 year old Alesis speakers, they are quite large though and wouldn't suit your setup due to the large size and your second monitor.
IMG_1759.JPG
 
I ordered the R28PF's the other night. I'll return them if I dont like them. They aren't due to ship until the 16th. Gonna swing by BB today after work and give a final listen to them.
 
alxlwson said:
I ordered the R28PF's the other night. I'll return them if I dont like them. They aren't due to ship until the 16th. Gonna swing by BB today after work and give a final listen to them.
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Probably can't go wrong either way. If you ever change your mind, the JBLs have free 2 day shipping :D (dang I should work for JBL's marketing team eh?)
 
alxlwson said:
I ordered the R28PF's the other night. I'll return them if I dont like them. They aren't due to ship until the 16th. Gonna swing by BB today after work and give a final listen to them.
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I don't get where you're going to put those tower speakers. If you put them on the floor, they're probably too low, if you put them on a desk, they'll probably be too high and your system on the right seems to be in the way of either option.
 
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