Floorstanding Speakers or Studio Monitors?

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abhi_jollyguy

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Hello Guys, I am in dilemma that whether to chose studio Monitors or Floorstanding Speakers for my Plasma Television. If it's floorstanding speakers so I have chosen two Floorstander Speakers as my budget is under $1000:

1. Paradigm Monitor 7 Floorstanding Speaker
2. Polk Audio TSi500 Floorstanding Speaker

Also please note that My room is 180 sq. ft. and I will listen to these speaker from about 8-10ft. max.

Now come to my sound preferences - I need deep, tight and punchy bass without any boom boom coz I hate boomy bass with vocals like singer or dialogues are coming from the speakers as singer or artist is singing or speaking right next to me. Treble should be smooth only coz I detest sibilance.

So which will be the ideal for this 180 sq. ft. room with 8-10ft. listening distance? Floorstanders or bookshelves aka studio monitors????

An early reply is requested.

Regards.......
 
Well, I personally like floor standing speakers. They are going to give more bass than bookshelves, that is just how it works. Not that you can't add a sub to bookshelves, but then you can add a sub to floor standing speakers as well.

The only downsides are they cost more, and they can't be as close to you. However 8-10 feet is fine. You only need maybe 6ish feet for the sound to properly blend. You'll just want to angle them in a bit to point at you to get a good stereo field. Also you may find that in a computer chair you are too high for the speakers. The tweeters should be around ear level. If that is the case, you should boost the speakers up for best sound. I use shoe racks form Home Depot and just cut some of the wood off.

As for those two choices I can't help you between them, I've heard neither. However your general idea of using floor standing speakers will work fine.
 
I would choose floor standers over monitors. I have not heard the Polk speakers but I did listen to the monitor 7's. The monitors are nice but you might want to listen to some other choice for the 1000$ price point. For floor standers you should check out

PSB Image 5/6 (or the older line T45/T55) -Should be around 1000 from most dealers or here for some nice online deals
Monitor Audio RS6 --dealers only
Energy RC-50 --You can get a serious good deal here
Vandersteen Model 1C - You will only find these at a dealer but they are well worth the listen
Boston Acoustics VR3 Black - These are close out most places

I think all these offer a better value than the paradigm. I dont think Paradigm really comes into its own until the studio series and up.

If you decide on monitors I would have to recommend
LSA Groups LSA1.-- I heard a pair last year and it was honestly the most impressive sub 1000$ bookshelf I heard.
You can also check out
Epos Mi5
Gini Systems LS-3/5A monitors (get the Bass stands with them)
ERA D4/D5
Odyssey Audio Epiphony II

All these choices will give you nice tight bass with the floor standers obviously going deeper. However if you want seriously good bass you want to invest in a sub (true full range speakers that reproduce deep/quality bass dont come cheap). The following companies have great subs at good prices --HSU, SVS, rythmik. If you want a serious sub for music this was my choice Vandersteen 2Wq Subwoofer
 
I would go for a good set of bookshelves with a woofer diameter of 5" or greater and high quality tweeters. IMO floor standing speakers can sound fantastic but bookshelves give you a better value most of the time (though this disappears if you get ripped off for stands, more below). As the previous poster mentioned, good floor standers that cleanly reproduce a full range of sound do not come cheap. I would keep the amplifier out of the speakers themselves (bookshelf vs. studio monitor) as this will give you a wider range of choices.

PSB makes some great speakers for the price, as the previous poster noted. Also get speakers that play nice with low wattage amplifiers as it will give you more options. Stands are also vital for proper bookshelf listening. DO NOT judge them by how they sound on a desk or shelf (despite the name). If you want a cheap way to test how the sound will improve with stands, put them on some large cinderblocks standing on their side.
 
Thanks a lot guys for ur inputs, which one of this - 1. Paradigm Monitor 7 Floorstanding Speaker
2. Polk Audio TSi500 Floorstanding Speaker will be appropriate according to my sound preferences, room size and listening distance which I have already mentioned in my first post.
 
Thanks a lot guys for ur inputs, which one of this - 1. Paradigm Monitor 7 Floorstanding Speaker
2. Polk Audio TSi500 Floorstanding Speaker will be appropriate according to my sound preferences, room size and listening distance which I have already mentioned in my first post.
 
Ok, where are you ordering from? Is this $1000 shipped to India or is it $1000 for the speakers alone?

Do you have a receiver or amplifier to power these floorstanding speakers? If so, what amp/receiver is it? If not, is it included in the $1000 budget?
 
I do not have amplifier coz do not have a budget to buy amplifier now but will buy for sure when I have budget. Polk Audio TSi500 is costing me 40k INR/pair(inclusive VAT) here. Paradigm Monitor 7 is costing me 43k INR/pair(inclusive here) here.
 
Find out how much a basic 5.1 receiver will cost before getting the speakers. No point in buying speakers if you don't have a receiver to run them with.

Do you have any place where you could buy used speakers?
 
Cabinet resonance is a downside to floor-standing speakers in comparison the similarly priced monitors, unless you go into the heavier floorstanding designs (100lb+).
 
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