OT - Stereo speaker recs, and connection question...

[awdwon]

Not sure if you're familiar with Canuck Audio Mart but some good used/demo speakers on there. I bought some KEF Q950 speakers from there a year or so ago that I'm very happy with.

[oldguy00]

Originally Posted by C40_guy

Wait...you watch live performances while riding your trainer? Do you take your trainer to the bar/hall, or do the performers come to your place?

Do tell!

I find if you ask nicely, the sound crew will usually let me set my kickr trainer up in the sound booth in front of the stage. I totally rocked my trainer road workout at a Metallica concert last year. Kirk kept giving me the thumbs up!

[choke]

Tekton Lore or Mini Lore

https://www.tektondesign.com/lore.html

https://www.tektondesign.com/mini-lore.html

Regarding the connection question, if you have more HDMI connections on the receiver then I would use one of those for the Xbox. You should get better sound if everything runs through the receiver.

[zap]

Canada. Check out speakers made by Totem. Model 1 speakers were very nice back in the day.

[el cheapo]

Crutchfield.com is the place to go. I've bought lots of stuff here and these guys have the answers to your questions.

[Peter P.]

I'll definitely echo the previous replies suggested used speakers through craigslist, etal.

I'm a Klipsch devotee and I've settled on a pair of Heresy II's craigslist, and an SVS SB-1000 subwoofer. Together, they were under $1k. Heresy's are beasts; for a "smaller" floorstanding speaker, they are brutally efficient. Klipsch's advertising calls them "hot rods" and I'd say that's an apt description. And their footprint is similar to a tower speaker so they don't take up much floor space. The horn loaded midrange driver, and the fact that it's a three-way, definitely enhance the sound.

You could always buy just the Heresy's and wait to see if you need a subwoofer to augment them, as that approach will save you money.

I also agree with the suggestion to visit dedicated stereo shops vs. the big box stores. You'll get more attention, patience, and freedom to listen and reposition speakers to replicate your room's limitations.

If you want more advice on Klipsch speakers, check out their forums. I can't speak for their newer offerings but perhaps others on the forums can.

[Ken Robb]

I like Vandersteen speakers a lot and a used pair of 1C or 2Ci should be within your budget. Where do you live in Canada?

[C40_guy]

Originally Posted by Peter P.

You could always buy just the Heresy's and wait to see if you need a subwoofer to augment them, as that approach will save you money.

Everybody needs a subwoofer.

In fact, I connect a small subwoofer to each of my standalone tvs (not AV setups) via the line out connector. Turns a decent sounding XBR tv into a much better sounding system. Many tvs, by the way, have CRAP audio.

[IJWS]

Not really psyched about the mid-fi you can get at Best Buy when you can find hi-fi elsewhere in your price range. Would advise against Polk and tread carefully with klipsch.

If You are set on paying retail at a big box, consider using amazon which has a pretty lenient return policy. Audition a few pairs and see what sticks. In your price range Kef and Dali are easy front runners. Q acoustics and Elac also merit some consideration.

Buying used will get you much more bang for your buck. Canuck audiomart is a great resource. One thing that in have seen a lot on the forums is Canadians spending lots of money (like 30% of retail) to get big heavy speakers shipped to them just to find out they want something else. Find some used speakers on Canuck audio Mart and you will have let someone else pay that expense for you.

Someone mentioned Tekton. For your case, a pair of Lore’s would be great! Go browse used speakers online and come back with questions about anything you find appealing.

[binouye]

If you want a Canadian company, Paradigm makes a wide range, includes some nice speakers in the signature series. They also make cheap ones that don't sound so nice...

[pjm]

For pop, rock and metal music, I would check it Emotiva.

[19wisconsin64]

Right now you can get amazing speakers for your price-point.

I'd suggest these German speakers from Elac: https://www.crutchfield.com/p_970UF5...ni-Fi-UF5.html, currently on sale. You can not go wrong with these. Read the reviews. I have a pair of the bookshelf speakers from this series of speakers.

Also, Magnepan's new planar speaker, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ti0k4N8aQao . These will be best paired with a sub woofer.

Emotiva has a pair of floors standing speakers on sale right now too. All of these about $700.

Enjoy the Music!

[Rpoole8537]

Originally Posted by jghall

A few tower recommendations to throw into the mix. SVS and Def Tech. Should be more than adequate bass in your room. IMO, much better speaker than Klipsch too. As is Elac.

Good luck in search.

I bought a pair of Def Tech towers on craigslist for may $150. My new house doesn't really have a proper space for them. I could turn my entire LR around, but that may not go over well with the wife. But, they were a great value, and I may build a listening room in my basement some day.

I, too, like to listen to concerts on You tube while riding my trainer. I was in high school in the 70's and I'm finding some things I never knew existed. Like Ten Years After in Germany in the early 70's. Alvin Lee is a favorite of mine.

[C40_guy]

Two recommendations for the Maggie LRS. Interesting.

Love the Maggies, but...they require attention to set up and create a fairly narrow listening window. If the OP is only going to use this setup on his trainer, his listening window is about as narrow as it gets

They also require decent electronics - specifically an amp with some headroom (extra power.)

They don't have a lot of base, relative to larger bookshelf or tower box speakers, and without a subwoofer, may not be the best choice for rocking out on a trainer...

[polyhistoric]

Echo many of the comments above about finding the "sound" you are looking for. Only by demo-ing do you really get a feel for a company' voice. No towers for my home, only monitors on stands were permitted.

For me, although Paradigm's are exceptionally detailed and highly regarded, I was not a fan of the sound. Too detailed and brilliant and not enough musicality. Focal's sounded muddy. B&W sounded great in the higher end offerings and had lovely build quality. Revel's hit the sweet spot for me, but were way too much $$$.

I ended up with Monitor Audio silver 100. 8" ceramic woofer gets me low enough and the sound was not too exhausting once you get into upper registers. I felt like they were a budget version of the Focal and on-par with B&W 705 s2.

Lots of good choices out there. have fun.