High end bookshelf speakers vs more common brand floorstanding speakers??

[supaman72]

I was wondering what people thought were better smaller bookshelf speakers from PSB and Paradigm vs comparably priced floorstanding speakers from brands like klipsch and Polk ?

[Opips2]

Originally Posted by supaman72

I was wondering what people thought were better smaller bookshelf speakers from PSB and Paradigm vs comparably priced floorstanding speakers from brands like klipsch and Polk ?

yeah, I consider....maybe arm and leg....for speaker stand.. lol that's stupid question.

[jdc115]

In general, prefer both the PSB and Paradigms. But if I were you, just go listen. But if you are trying to compare at the same price points, remember to factor in the stands to the cost of the bookshelf speakers.

[crazyBLUE]

Room size too ; Do you have the room for tower speakers !

THERE AREN'T ANY STUPID QUESTIONS ! JUST STUPID RESPONSES !!


BETTER !!

[cravnsn]

By sacrificing some overall bass response, you’re gaining better drivers & crossovers, which will translate to better sound. Plus, the size of the smaller speaker will give a more open and unboxed sound.

[MacDaddyOJack]

Originally Posted by supaman72

I was wondering what people thought were better smaller bookshelf speakers from PSB and Paradigm vs comparably priced floorstanding speakers from brands like klipsch and Polk ?

It heavily depends on the amount of use, type of use, space constraints, and source material. I would never blindly recommend either 100% of the time.

Originally Posted by crazyBLUE

THERE AREN'T ANY STUPID QUESTIONS ! JUST STUPID RESPONCES !!

You spelled responses wrong

[rlf3911]

Well, if you need the good bass response(dont have an awesome subwoofer), and you have the space get the floorstanding. Lots of people use floorstanding for their FL and FR speakers, because with the center they handle the majority of the work in the higher frequencies.

[sokrman14]

Good bookshelves can almost extend their bass down the level of name brand towers. I like the Vienna Acoustic Haydn Grand. Here is the link. Also go to the absolute sound magazine's website, they probably have reviews for them. They run $1500 for a pair, but they always seems to amaze me..

[PSB_Paradigm_HSU]

Go with PSB B25's and a sub!

[supaman72]

thanks guys as always very helpful

[HHX]

oh yeah, the Haydns are awesome speakers, some of the most accurate bookshelf speakers I've ever heard. The problem is - they are really hard to drive. You have to have an amazing receiver to get the most out of them...(we had them powered by a two channel $2800 Primare amp at some point and they sounded better than when we had them powered by our denons, yamahas and pioneer receivers).
But you can get some Boston Acoustics towers that sound really really good too for a reasonable price - look at the VR2s or the VR3s.

[Beta Man]

I downgraded from B&W 703s (towers) to the 705s (bookshelves) because the difference in price wasn't reflected in the difference in performance......

The 703s were certainly better/fuller but not for the price.... and I also took into consideration the fact that although I listen to a lot of music, I've been using my equipment for far more HT usage recently, so my subwoofer is more than enough to compensate any (which wasn't much actually) difference in bass given the smaller cabinet size.

Also the 705s aren't really a "Small" bookshelf speaker either..... I think they sound fantastic in 2-channel usage still


like all other speaker scenarios.... it comes down to personal preference.



EDIT: I will echo the above sentiments though, as my speaker stands were $375 for the L/R

[jomari]

i actually prefer Dynaudio focals for that matter.

it also depends on which floorstanders you are comparing them with. are you comparing the klipsch synergy speakers? or the reference ones? heck even the heritage line can do.

for what its worth, id choose higher end quality bookshelves (see personal choice above), over 'mediocre' towers anyday.

[shelland]

Definitely go listening and make the decision with your ears. You may be surprised how good some bookshelf speakers can sound.

I went into a dealer planning to by Paradigm Monitor 7's. I was blown away by the Mini-Monitors at half the price. That being said, I still used their 1 year upgrade option to trade in the Mini's for 7's at a later date. Mostly because I had a young child that made me nervous around the speaker stands - I felt better with the towers. Yes, the 7's do sound better, but I certainly could have survived with the Mini's.

But the most important point is that everyone has different tastes and price tolerances - get some general recommendations, but make your purchase based on what YOU think is better.

Good luck and have fun!