monitor versus tower

[micklentz]

I am a new member who just read that Sam Tellig, John Actkinson and Michael Fremer say that if you have $5K or less you should be buying a monitor on a stand not some half assed floor stander. I was thinking $3K for my two channel main speakers. Should I call MadSound for a kit or buy a pair of used Sonus Fabers.
Mick

[botrytis]

I never listen to people - buy what you like and dont look back. That sounds like elitism to me (there is always exceptions to every rule) - my main speakers are small thin floorstanders and they cost less then 5K and I would put them up against the best.

Also, listen to speakers before you decide - with music you know and like.

[BroonsBane]

I am a new member who just read that Sam Tellig, John Actkinson and Michael Fremer say that if you have $5K or less you should be buying a monitor on a stand not some half assed floor stander. I was thinking $3K for my two channel main speakers. Should I call MadSound for a kit or buy a pair of used Sonus Fabers.
Mick

Elitism is right. Those dudes have never hear my rigs :smoke:

[240sx4u]

The madisound kits can be excellent! IMO read a bunch on AK. I trust their opinions as much (or more) than most reviewers.

Evan

[Gohan]

Welcome to AK micklentz!

Gohan

[catrafter]

Welcome to AK!

Tom

[Arkay]

Welcome to AK, micklentz!

Take people's advice about audio with a big grain of salt. Yes, some people's opinions are "better" than others... but everyone has different ears and different tastes. Your friend may like punk rock, where you may enjoy classical. Neither of you is "right" or "wrong". So it goes with many choices. Floorstanders or bookshelves, direct drive or belt drive, acoustic suspension or open baffle, tubes or solid state... there are more choices in audio than you can ever wade through, so absorb what people say, try it on for size when you think it may be right. Then accept what your ears and heart and mind tell you is right for you, and set the rest aside. Keep an open mind, because what you think is best today may not be what you think is best tomorrow.

Also be careful about statements with budget limitations. Sometimes you can get something on the secondhand market for relative peanuts (or even free, if you are really lucky) that can only be equaled in the new market by something costing hundreds or thousands of dollars. Hang around and read up here (LOTS of good info in old threads!), and you'll gradually learn what may be best for you, and you'll increase your chances of spotting a real bang-for-buck deal or high-quality bargain, when you see one.

[lguise]

opinions are like rectums,

everybody has got one,

mine really stinks!

welcome to AK!

[Tube Radio]

Large floorstanders with large woofers sound best IMHO.
Welcome to AK!

[ozmoid]

welcome to AK! :music:

The madisound kits can be excellent!

I'll second the recommendation for Madisound kits- I heard quite a few of their speakers at the Fest, there were some real stand-outs!

[cableguy]

welcome aboard




Bill

[Brett a]

Welcome!

I'm a proponent of buying speakers that are sized to fit your room. It's the job of a speaker to pressurize the air in the listening environment. If you put too big a speaker in a small room, you will be less likely to get all the potential out of the speaker; it will over-pressurize the room, causing boominess, poor imaging and general listening fatigue. Too small a speaker, and it won't fill the space with the rich aural image we're hooting for.

It's not enough to figure room area, you need to figure volume. So multiply the room's length by width, then multiply that by its hight.
It's my opinion that if your room is 1,500 cubic feet or less, there's a chance that floorstanders will not have room to breathe and monitors will 'fit' better

I have floorstanders in my 1750 cubic foot room and believe I could have gone either way. But the music I listen to isn't very bass heavy, so boominess is not an issue in my source material most of the time.

This matter monitors v. floorstanders has been discussed in many places on the internet. Do a search and you'll come up with some good info.