These any decent

[BLindsay]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Kit-using-RTi12-...item3a5fccd9bb

just wondering if i got that then built the enclosure if it would be a good upgrade over my monitor 70's

I was looking to buy an upgrade over them but it seems any worthwhile upgrade is FAR more money (i paid $400 for the PAIR of my monitor 70's) like the RTI A9's which are like $850 EACH

[callas01]

Originally Posted by BLindsay

http://cgi.ebay.com/Kit-using-RTi12-...item3a5fccd9bb

just wondering if i got that then built the enclosure if it would be a good upgrade over my monitor 70's

I was looking to buy an upgrade over them but it seems any worthwhile upgrade is FAR more money (i paid $400 for the PAIR of my monitor 70's) like the RTI A9's which are like $850 EACH

have you considered like the PSB T5s or Energy CF-70s or Paradigm Monitor 9s?? They are all about $900-1000 list and IMO, have just as good of detail if not more then the A9s. The A9s may have more bass, and perhaps some added output, but if you want to get a good upgrade over the M70s, any of those would be great. Paired with you sub, I think you would be very pleased. JMO.

[lojack1976]

I like the suggestions Callas offered. I can only vouch for the Energy speakers firsthand since I've listened to a few different models and I actually own some Energy satellites. The CF50's sounded excellent and I'm sure the CF70's are even better. PSB and Paradigm are very popular as well. You can also look at Monitor Audio...say the RX6 and RX8 which get excellent reviews. I haven't heard the Monitors but they are extremely popular and are considered some of the finest speakers in their class.

I don't know if you've heard any DefTechs, but I was impressed with the 8020ST and 8040ST speakers. I also like the B&W 684 a lot. Of course you want to demo as much as possible since all of these speakers have their own sound characteristics. I found the DefTech and Energy speakers to have some similarities...certainly not identical, but in the same vein whereas the B&W's had a vastly different sound.

Other considerations that I can't resist throwing out there could be Martin Logan Prefaces and Sources which have been heavily discounted on Audioadvisor.com and are going fast. The Prefaces which I grabbed recently are only available in dark cherry now, but they are $300 each shipped which is a steal. The Encore which is the matching center is $200. The Source is just under $675 each shipped and they are still available in both black and cherry.

My local Best Buy didn't have any Prefaces left so I don't know if you will be able to demo them. Fortunately I heard them before so I knew what to expect. The Motion 10 and 12 replace them, but they don't sound nearly as good IMO. They're more of a shadow of them IMO, but they can however give you an idea of what to expect. A lot of Best Buys still have Sources though so you should be able to demo them. Definitely go out and listen to as many speakers as possible. Best Buy Mag stores are a good place to start and if you have any local dealers definitely go and check them out. They will have more variety as well as more knowledgeable people.

[lojack1976]

Hey Callas...how different are the PSB Image T6 and the the T65? Audioadvisor has slashed the price of the T65 to $300 each. They're charging shipping on them since they're on clearance though. They have the T6 for $600 each and the T5 you suggested is $450 each. What are your thoughts there?

[BLindsay]

I guess the other question i should ask, at this point would i be better buying a power amp (like an emotiva) first and then get new speakers or could i run better speakers on my onkyo and get a good amp later.

Budget would be about $1k for pair (would be nice if i could get a center for that price too but i doubt it lol)

edit: yeah that is a crazy price on those Martin Logan Preface, if only they were in black lol. I have actually heard them before in a best buy a while go.

Its hard for me to demo stuff because there are no real audio places near me, even bestbuy is a 1hr drive from me lol. Also i fell kinda bad wasting their time since odds are i wont buy from them since it is usually waaay cheaper online

[sandman922]

Originally Posted by BLindsay

I guess the other question i should ask, at this point would i be better buying a power amp (like an emotiva) first and then get new speakers or could i run better speakers on my onkyo and get a good amp later.

Budget would be about $1k for pair (would be nice if i could get a center for that price too but i doubt it lol)

edit: yeah that is a crazy price on those Martin Logan Preface, if only they were in black lol. I have actually heard them before in a best buy a while go.

Its hard for me to demo stuff because there are no real audio places near me, even bestbuy is a 1hr drive from me lol. Also i fell kinda bad wasting their time since odds are i wont buy from them since it is usually waaay cheaper online

i would go for the upgraded speakers before the amp they should make a bigger difference

[lojack1976]

I think a speaker upgrade is the better way to go first. You have a very capable receiver. You can gain from an amp since Polks like a lot of power, but it won't be a tremendous impact in sound quality. Better speakers will be much more noticeable IMO. Look HERE on Vann's for some speakers that fit your budget. The Energy CF70 are $499.99 each. There are some other popular DefTech models that I didn't mention that fit your budget as well such as the BP6B, BP8B, and the BP7006 all coming in under $500 each.

You should also look at the KEF IQ90 which have been discounted to $350 each...they are a steal right now. The Mirage OMD15 is another good $500 speaker you can look at. Also, the Monitor Audio RX6 runs around $1000/pair. There's a seller on Ebay right now who has them for that.

HERE's another option you can look at if you want to step out of the box a bit. The Swan Diva 6.1 has a very good following. You won't be able to demo locally, but they offer a 30-day no questions asked return guarantee, so if you don't like them you can send them back. I've yet to find anyone in a thread who has returned them by the way. I was actually really close to getting them until I found the deal on my Prefaces which are another great deal at $600/pair if like the dark cherry finish. There are plenty of good options out there that fall within your budget.

And those B&W and Energy speakers will blow those Monitor 70's out of the water IMO. The Monitor series is a very solid entry level speaker, but if you want a more articulate and all around better sound consider some of the suggested options. Oh, and I could be wrong, but I don't believe that the Encore TF was ever offered in a finish other than black. The front of the cherry Prefaces are black anyway so the center still matches.

[callas01]

Originally Posted by lojack1976

Hey Callas...how different are the PSB Image T6 and the the T65? Audioadvisor has slashed the price of the T65 to $300 each. They're charging shipping on them since they're on clearance though. They have the T6 for $600 each and the T5 you suggested is $450 each. What are your thoughts there?

haven't been able to hear the new T6s yet, I have heard the older series, I understand that they aren't that different sounding from the dealer I spoke to over the phone where I heard the T55s and T65s. He said to me it seems they are more refined speakers over the older series, but tone is similar.

[lojack1976]

Originally Posted by callas01

haven't been able to hear the new T6s yet, I have heard the older series, I understand that they aren't that different sounding from the dealer I spoke to over the phone where I heard the T55s and T65s. He said to me it seems they are more refined speakers over the older series, but tone is similar.

I was just curious. They look very similar even in the specs. I see that the new version has an updated driver though I don't know how much of an impact that makes. I just thought I'd ask since you mentioned the T6s as an option, and I figured the T65 was worth exploring due to the clearance price.

I think the OP has made up his mind on the DefTechs, but yeah...when I went out and demoed all of those speakers not too long ago the salesman I dealt with had similar sentiments. He liked the new DefTechs but preferred the older versions. He has the older version of the Mythos ST and he thinks its the size difference that had the biggest impact. I've only heard the newer version so I can't say myself, but I did like the newer ones a lot.

The latest versions of all their speakers are slimmer and shorter. I think DefTech has been trying to cater to the flat panel crowd with the newer models. Still, I thought the 8020ST and 8040ST sounded very good overall. I did find that the Energy CF50 was a little better in the midrange as were some of the other speakers in the room, but overall I thought they were very well balanced speakers.