Peabody, Mass. - Boston Acoustics replaced the middle series in its three-series component-speaker selection, shipping a six-SKU Reflection series designed to complement flat-panel displays and to bring select flagship-series technologies to lower price points.

The RS 334 floor-standing speaker at $699 (street price) each tops out the Reflection series of component speakers with rounded edges and scratch-resistant piano-black finish.

The company also launched a co-promotion with sister brand Denon, offering consumers up to 25 percent off a combined purchase of any six Boston Acoustics speakers and select Denon electronics.

With Reflection’s launch, Boston Acoustics turned over all three of its component-speaker series over an 18-month period, said Joe Stinziano, sales and marketing senior VP.

read more about the RS 334 and the Reflection Series on Twice.com…

source: Twice.com

www.bostonacoustics.com

So many to choose from! Lets us boil it down. How to Choose a Floorstanding Speaker that fits you:

Editor’s Note: Some of the speakers below can be had at amazing deals right now.  Some are year older models, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t great speakers.  It does mean the prices are a lot lower than MSRP.

Monitor Audio Silver RS6 ~ $900

Stereophile - Robert J. Reina - Normally, any review of a $1000/pair loudspeaker would include a discussion of its flaws—the compromises necessary to meet that relatively low price point. But after several weeks of listening to dozens of recordings through the Silver RS6, I could find not a single shortcoming—no deviation from neutrality, or any other compromise that I would normally expect to find in a cost-constrained design. AudioReview - 22 Reviews 4.42 of 5 - saymir writes - Very good value for money.It does everything what company says,tight extended punchy bass,sweet treble,decent midrange if connected to smooth sounding amps-such as Technics.I was using Technics su-a700mk2.Simply amazing match.Relaxing sound.If connected to entry level hi-end gear,(krell kav500i)these speakers are capable of amazing 3D imaging and soundstage and dynamics goodsound.com - Philip Beaudette - Monitor Audio’s Silver RS6 — a relatively inexpensive, exceptionally well-built floorstanding speaker that provides considerable insight into what the best has to offer.

Editor’s Note: The RS6 has been replaced by the RX6 which is supposed to sound better, but is more expensive. RS6 speakers are still easy to find in Monitor Audio dealer shops and online. You might want to snatch up a pair before they are gone.

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Wharfedale Diamond 9.6 ~ $800

AudioEnz - Michael Wong - The Diamonds are the kind of product expected from a long time manufacturer dedicated to making music accessible. With it’s canny balance of abilities the Diamonds do a very good job of disappearing and do not get between the listener and the music. With no major flaws, they are a steal, solid proof that the art of building good value stereo equipment survives. AudioReview - 8 Reviews 4.88 of 5 - sburken writes - all four drivers blend together for a warm sound that can be played to exceptionally loud levels without being fatigueing. however, these speakers do not shine when played with very harsh material (IE metal), they shine beautifully when tasked with rock through classical though

Energy Loudspeakers C-500 ~ $400

Canada HIFI - Through my test, I discovered that the Energy C-Series are a set of very musical speakers with a sweet tooth for the home theatre. With their modest size, they can be easily accommodated into a smaller room, although their sound can effortlessly fill an average sized listening space. AudioReview - 5 Reviews 5.00 of 5 - mastermind717 writes - For the price these are the best speakers I have ever heard. Highs, lows and midrange are tight and accurate. The sound stage is full and pleasant to listen to for hours no matter what your taste in music. I am running the C-500’s without a sub though I’m certain a mid size velodyne would compliment these nicely, especially for movies.

Magnepan Magneplanar MMG ~ $600

Goodsound.com - They’re so good that they’ll make you look like an audio wunderkind and make your system sing as never before. They do need to be driven by a good, strong receiver or amp — no 25W weaklings need apply — and they’ll expose weaknesses upstream from them (if you have a cheap, tinny-sounding CD player, for instance). They’ll also expose the intricate layers of beauty that might be hidden by your current speakers, so if you’re tempted to give ‘em a try, you can have these Maggies in your home for a 60-day, money-back trial. AudioReview - 283 Reviews 4.72 of 5 - stuartson writes - First off, The MMGs are amazing! Not simply “amazing for the money”, but flat out amazing. The soundstage is open and expansive, the tonal reproduction is exceptional, the speed and detail are mind-boggling at times. They truly have the ability to reproduce certain types of music with a scary accuracy and realism. AudioReview - DPS writes -I have had a pair of MMG’s for about six months and will most likely quit searching for the elusive audio nirvana I’ve been chasing since the mid 70’s. The simple fact is these speakers provide a window into my music tastes that cannot be duplicated by any other available speaker any where near this price.

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Magnepan

Paradigm Reference Monitor 7 ~ $800

hometheaterreview.com - Soundstaging and imaging are both superb with the Monitor 7s. The Monitor 7s’ soundstage is as deep as it is wide and very nicely detailed and natural in its presentation. In terms of imaging, especially center focus, the Monitor 7s react much more like mini monitors than floor-standing loudspeakers. AudioReview - 98 Reviews 4.55 of 5 Spock1234 writes - This is especially obvious when listening to Jazz and Blues recordings which contain male voices and acoustic guitar segments. The bass extension is low enough to ‘feel’ the music, but it never sounds ‘boomy’. The single best thing about these speakers is that they are ‘Neutral’. If you are used to listening to other speakers that make the music sound ‘shrill’ or ‘boomy’, the Monitor 7s may sound a little ‘flat’ initially. But after you listen to them for a day or two, you will appreciate of the neutrality the Monitors. reviews.digitaltrends.com writes - The highs are sweet, the mids are richly detailed, and the bass is tight and accurate. Our only complaint is that the midrange could be a little richer on some vocal recordings. Additionally, the finish on these speakers left little to be desired in terms of a luxury finish – but now knowing their true price, we feel this is almost an uncalled for assessment.

Polk Audio TSi500 ~ $800

Bestcovery.com - Polk’s TSi500 floorstanding speakers are well designed with excellent build quality and finish for the money. The sound quality and especially the bass are very good. Music is lively with clean detail and highs. These speakers have a whopping four 6.5” drivers that deliver strong bass. The frequency range is rated at 28Hz-25kHz. They work well for both home theater and music listening. AudioReview - 2 Reviews 5.00 of 5 - pvsat writes - the best performance in the upper entry segment. I moved from a set of polk R300s to these and yes they make a huge difference in the sound. I feel the room shake during explosion and low bass sequences. They image very well..the image size increased about 2-3 times from the r300s when listening in 2 channel.

Store Name	Store Rating	Price	Notes	Buy Now
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		$399.95	POLK AUDIO Authorized Dealer and WARRANTY! Award-winning customer service and price guarantee!
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		$400.00	New
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Fluance ES-1 ~ $400

Amazon.com reviewer Richard Hebbourn - Although I’ve heard quite a few good things about the ES1 speakers, I was still surprised by the amount of bass that comes through them. The highs are even better - each note is crisp and defined, and the sound fills my entire house. AudioReview - 9 Reviews 4.11 of 5 - Joseph writes - My lucky day! Awesome speakers when coupled with a sub for frequencies below 70Hz. I power them with a 120 watt per channel HK Stereo (yes I said stereo) reciever and run them through a 15 band equalizer just to tweak them ever so slightly. Add a 12 inch 150 watt sub and CD’s, Movies, and Concert DVD’s rock! Don’t let the fact they won’t cost ya an arm and a leg fool you, these may be the best deal in HiFi to be had in a long time! AudioReview - Chris writes - First few weeks, these speakers were breaking in. They sounded distinctly harsh. After the break-in period, however, they REALLY smoothed out. I would highly recommend them as excellent value. They look good (my wife likes them) and they sound very good.

Featured Merchants

Fluance

Klipsch RF-52 ~ $660

AVguide.com - Few affordable systems offer a more compelling blend of detail, finesse, and dynamic clout plus an almost magically vibrant quality that brings music and movies alive. Bravo, Klipsch. AudioReview - 1 Reviews 5.00 of 5 - boorat writes - Amazing, crisp sound! Will wake the neighbors with no distortion. Crystal clear highs and smooth, tight punchy bass. I can hear every instrument on it’s own. My sound dream come true! Highly recommend these!! Not too big, not too small. My receiver is the DENON AVR 5700 (140 watts per channel).

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Infinity Systems Primus P252 ~ $230
	soundstageav.com - … was so blown away by the experience of listening to them that I felt almost compelled to purchase a pair. In these recessionary times, it’s good to know that an audiophile who doesn’t have much cash on hand can still upgrade his or her audio system without going bankrupt

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More Floorstanding speakers on AudioREVIEW.

If you think we left a great sub $1000 speaker out, comment. Let us and others know why you think it should be included.

MSRP: $ 1000.00 Description: frequency response is 47-20,000 Hz +/- 3.5 dB for towers; 80-20,000 Hz +/- 3.5 dB for center Recommended amplifier 20-150 watts per channel Subwoofer recommended in home theater systems, optional in music only systems. 14 Reviews 0 Quick Ratings 4.93 of 5 Rate it! 1 - worst 2 3 4 5 - best More Floorstanding Speakers from Ohm >> Search AudioReview forums for the Ohm MicroWalsh Talls >>

Reviewed by:SoundBoiler (Audio Enthusiast)
Review Date October 22, 2009
Overall Rating 5 of 5
Value Rating 5 of 5
Used product for More than 1 year

Nobody I know of who heard the original Ohm A speakers thirty five years ago ever forgets the experience.

They were tall, bulky and expensive. But when they were allowed to speak, they vanished—leaving behind a wide, deep sound field with an articulated and detailed midrange, highs without a hint of grit or sibilance, and lows with neither hollowness nor resonance at any level they were driven and in any octave anyone could hear.

And whether the music was played by a symphony orchestra, a jazz ensemble, or single human voice and whether you walked left or right or even through the middle of the pair of Ohms, the stereo image stayed solidly in place. It was as if in disappearing they took the room with them, leaving behind the concert hall or club or chamber that the music had been played in.

They sounded so well because of their remarkable down-firing single driver, invented by Lincoln Walsh and developed by Marty Gersten to produce the entire audible range seamlessly and without any crossover components. But the driver’s mass and orientation required both powerful magnetic assemblies and equally powerful amplifiers. Inevitably, the drivers had to fail.

I thought the company itself had failed; but when I learned that Ohm Acoustics had reinvented itself as an enterprise that dealt directly with consumers via the internet and after I read some very favorable reviews of the MicroWalshes, I talked with the Ohm folks and bought a pair of MicroWalsh Talls and their SB-5.2 subwoofer. That was six or seven years ago.

They arrived quickly and safely; but though they sounded good initially—smooth, clear, and spacious—they were a little thin. Maybe with good reason: because my listening room is large (24 by 24 feet), oddly shaped (5-foot knee walls supporting a gabled roof 15 feet high), and very live (the floors and ceiling of bare wood, the gable walls of bare plaster and glass with nary a rug or drape to cover them) because of my allergies,.
I called Ohm and talked with John Strohbeen, the engineer who heads the company. I asked whether I should consider trading up to a bigger model. John said wait a month or two for them to break in (the Ohms come with a 120-day money back guarantee).

He was right. Their range, clarity, and sound stage expanded significantly—much like the original Ohms I had heard decades ago, even though they and their subwoofer cost less than half that of the originals.

I drove them for years with an NAD 30-watt stereo receiver which played larger than its spec. Somewhere along the way I turned off the subwoofer. It just wasn’t needed for the music I liked—jazz ensembles and an occasional orchestral classic. The MicroWalshes have surprising bass extension all by themselves, essentially flat down to the 40-something Hertz range, when they are well broken in.

A month ago I replaced the NAD with a considerably more powerful and versatile pair of separates, a Sherwood Newcastle P-965 Preamp/Tuner and A-965 Amplifier—the latter capable of 200 watts per channel at 4 ohms with two channels driven; and then I fired up the Ohms with the Sherwoods set to a jazz channel on XM radio that happened to have a1950’s vintage Ella Fitzgerald number playing.

Before I replaced the NAD, I might have said that the MicroWalshes’ greatest virtue is that I never tired of them, as I had with a precession of good but conventional closed and vented box speakers. And I would have been wrong—because I was dazzled by what I heard.

The little Ohms had disappeared; and there was Ella in the room she sang from, solidly positioned in the center of the field no matter where I walked. There too was much of the wondrous Ohm A sound stage with just about the sort of the depth, clarity, and range I’d been impressed with decades before. I found myself being drawn into the cliché you hear from anyone who gets a good new audio component—the compulsion to play all one’s old favorites. Sure enough, I discovered not just nuances but whole new layers of musicality I had not heard before–like the three different halls and two different studio venues from a Willie Nelson CD that hadn’t shown them before.

The battle scene early in Master and Commander was a revelation. The thuds, thumps and horrific crack and crash of cannons coming from the Ohms shook my 24 by 24 foot plank floor so well that I had a hard time wiping the smile from my face.

And that was without the subwoofer. The Sherwoods’ power had given the MicroWalshes the “air” to drive my big, live room.

So I turned the volume up; and what happened is what’s supposed to happen when you have a good, tough set of speakers driven hard: the Ohms just got louder.

But I also met the dark side of the cliché: a good sound system inevitably reveals the deficiencies of the media you play. And some of my favorites—the voices of Tierney Sutton, Judy Wexler, and Norah Jones— consistently displayed a hollow, strident segment in the upper midrange that I had not heard much of before.
I remembered that John Atkinson (www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/687ohm/index.html) reviewed a pair of the larger Ohm Walsh 5’s some years ago and was puzzled by the same sort of coloration. He swept the Ohm tweeter range with a 1/3 octave band generator and found them essentially flat. Lacking the test instruments, I played a Blu-Ray setup disc that drives each speaker with a 20 to 20,000 Hertz sweep and heard no resonances in the upper register.Then I jacked a pair of decent headphones (Grado 125’s) into the front panel of the preamp and listened. I heard the identical coloration that I had from the speakers.

So I fed the Ohms a recording with neither electronic nor room acoustic enhancements, Madeleine Peyroux’s Half the Perfect World (Rounder 11661-3252-2). I heard no resonances, no hollowness, no coloration from the Ohms; but I did hear the trumpet breathe on the disc’s last track. I was satisfied that the Ohms weren’t adding coloration.

The opening of 2001, A Space Odyssey taxes the MicroWalshes’ bass range. But with the SB-5.2 sub turned on, the small Ohms played the 20 Hertz or so organ drone at high levels–as they did with other virtuoso organ pieces. In fact, the Ohms have such spaciousness and presence when driven by two-channel mix-down codecs like Dolby VS that I’m not sure I need to supplement them with a couple of extra pairs of channels for HD movie viewing.

Some reviewers of the MicroWalsh Talls recommend them only for rooms a good deal smaller than mine and with a lot more square feet of sound absorbent surfaces. I’m sure that’s good advice, but I found that the little Ohms absolutely glow in a big, live environment.

Verdict:

Impressively smooth, detailed, sound field with great width, depth, and stereo solidity. Surprising bass extension. A bargain entry to high end listening.

Minuses:

• You’re not going to find them at your local big-box store, or even your local high-end dealer.
• You’ll need the better part of a thousand dollars to try them out.
• If you really need the bottom of the lowest octave you’ll want to add a subwoofer.
• Your receiver or amp should be able to provide at least 30 clean watts at 4 ohms for modest-level listening; but 75 honest watts or so will let you hear much more of what the Ohms can say.

Pluses:

• They play what they are fed—no more, no less.
• Unlike the original Ohm A’s, they don’t break easily.
• They don’t mind big, live spaces to live in.
• They project a wide, deep sound field so stable that you can walk around or even between the speakers and the stereo effect stays put.
• Because they don’t sound like boxes, you probably won’t tire of them.
• They’re so small and nicely finished (especially in Rosewood) that they pass the “wife factor” test with flying colors.
• You might not need center or surround channels to enjoy movies.
• They’re made in the USA.
• You can talk to the president of the company, and he’ll give you good advice.

Featured Merchants

Ohm Acoustics

Popular Floorstanding Speakers 1. Bose 901 Series VI 2. Klipsch RF-7 3. Magnepan MMG 4. Vienna Acoustics Mozart 5. B&W DM603 S3 more…

Top Ranked Products from Ohm. SB-1A Rated: Subwoofer for Satellite speaker Rated: Walsh 100-S3 Rated:

MSRP: $ 300.00 Description: The OMNI 550 features two 6.5″ multi-layered fiberglass composite drivers and a 1″ aluminum dome tweeter mounted in a cleverly designed rear ported curved speaker cabinet. One of the 6.5″ drivers is used as a woofer that reproduces bass frequencies up to a crossover point of 700Hz. The other 6.5″ driver is mounted in a precisely aligned angle on top of the cabinet. It acts as a midbass driver, reproducing all bass and midrange frequencies to the tweeter crossover point of 2.2 kHz. This innovative design allows for room shaking bottom-end performance. It’’s hard to put together a home theater system that looks as good as it sounds. But the OMNI 550 lets you do exactly that. The flawlessly finished curved cabinet of the OMNI 550 elegantly floats over a high gloss black base, which further increases the overall visual appeal of this unique loudspeaker. The OMNI 550 is available in a timeless Black Ash finish, so it will match almost any decor. 1 Reviews 1 Quick Ratings 5.00 of 5 www.miragespeakers.com More Floorstanding Speakers from Mirage >> Search AudioReview forums for the Mirage OMNI 550 Main / Stereo Speaker >>

Reviewed by:cravnsn (AudioPhile)
Review Date August 11, 2009
Overall Rating 5 of 5
Value Rating 5 of 5
Used product for Less than 1 month

Summary:
More than any other piece of equipment, changing speakers and/or their configuration makes the biggest impact in an audio setup. Some people have a preference for reproduction of stereo music, and something different for home theater surround sound. Many people are limited by space or budget and try to buy speakers that will fit both bills. This can be difficult because many people perceive the sounds produced in movies as being different than a studio recording of music. Indeed, the way each is recorded and engineered is quite different, but the goal of the system reproducing the sound should be the same – a faithful recreation of what was recorded. And as we all know, how a speaker operates can have a great impact on how this is achieved. Direct radiating, bi-polar, di-polar, drivers pointed in varied directions…not to mention size of drivers, how many drivers, size & shape of cabinet, crossovers – there are many different combination to choose from. Each person has their own idea what makes for good & bad sound, so there is no right or wrong, just a difference in taste (and budget).

The designers and engineers at the Mirage speaker company recognized early on the sound does not radiate in one direction, as reproduced by direct radiating front firing speakers. Rather, sound radiates from a given source, then reflects from the boundaries near it – the floor or ground, walls, furniture, windows etc. It’s the combination of these direct & reflected sounds which give information on location and size relative to the subject being recorded. This is how our ears hear and our brains perceive, but not always how the subject is being recorded. Most of us are familiar with the sound of an acoustical instrument, like a piano, acoustic guitar or drums & cymbals. Some of us have been fortunate enough to hear this music being played live, but likely we don’t put our head right inside the piano, or right next to the drum. This though is typically the location for the microphones used for recording these instruments. In reading reviews of speakers you may see where the reviewer commenting on how the speaker “solidly placed the voice/instrument in it’s proper place in space” although it was not recorded that way.

By introducing the first bi-polar speaker, Mirage added the depth & breadth that was lacking from many speakers, and re-introduced sound radiation in a more natural way. The speakers were heralded for opening a door long closed by conventional designs, and highly regarded in the audio community. Not willing to rest on their laurels, Andrew Welker set about measuring sound in a way that would reveal how sounds are produced. After extensive research, he concluded that (for the most part) the sounds reaching our ears are 30% direct & 70% reflected. This was a departure from the 50/50 approach of the bi-polar speaker and the result was a speaker that employed what the company called the “Omni-polar” design. The easiest way to visualize how this differs from traditional design is to look up a picture of one of their offerings. The first thing you notice is the top of the cabinet is slanted. The next thing is that little UFO looking thing sitting atop the driver in the slanted baffle. This houses the tweeter, and employs what is called a wave guide. This helps the sound reproduced by the speaker emanate in a 360 degree pattern, with 30% directed to the front of the speaker and 70% to the areas surrounding the speaker.

Enter the Omni 550 & 150 speakers. They are second generation speakers from Mirage which have popped up on several vendors web sites (Vanns, Amazon) at a great discount. For a mere $450 US, I got a pair of the Omni 550 & Omni 150 speakers shipped to me. That’s $450 TOTAL for all 4 speakers! At that price, I just had to give them a try, and I’m glad I did. When they were first offered, the 550 was the “flagship” of the line, with the 150 doing a wonderful job in its place as a surround speaker. I’ve gone the “Phantom center” route for several years now because I like to have all the sound pan cleanly across the screen, and the 550’s make a center practically non essential. Whether playing music or soundtracks, the speakers melt into the wide, deep & tall soundscape and disappear. Every note and every sound is produced with ease, even tonality and bass which belies the speaker’s size. Indeed, when I first hooked them up, I had unplugged my subwoofer to get at the speaker cables, and forgot to plug it back in. I watched “Watchmen” in its entirety and never felt like I was missing out on any of the bass information. True, the LFE effects weren’t there, but as this was the first time I watched the film, I didn’t feel I was missing anything. But bass extension is only part of the goodness these speakers offer. As you might expect, the soundstage is spacious, with a rich, lush sound absent in so many speakers. Everything from 2 channel music to the most intensely engineered surround soundtrack is presented in a manner which envelops the listener, making them feel as though they are part of whatever action is taking place. Voices, sound effects, instruments…nothing gets lost no matter what you throw at them. A real testament to the speaker’s capabilities is the move “Knowing” on Blu-ray. The plane crash scene with its screaming engines, explosions, fire & panicked passengers literally produced goose bumps, and made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end – something I’ve never experienced in my personal HT before. Bits and pieces that were flying all around were palpable to the point where I felt as though I were standing in the field next to the wreckage. Wanting to experience this again, I re-watched this scene the next day while the rest of my family was out of the house. I turned up the volume and let’er rip and – WOW! With 4 8 ohm speakers, my Emotiva XPA-5 is cranking out 230 watts, and the speakers never gave any sign of being distressed. Indeed, the sound was so real it was frightening.

Music is also presented in a manner in which the listener is part of the recording session, and not just subject to the end product of the engineers whims. Vocals, instruments – it’s all there in 3D with as much realism as you could ask for, and sounds glorious.

I can’t recommend these speakers enough, regardless of your budget. For the current asking price, they’re a downright steal. Brand new, they carry the full 5 year warranty (from an authorized dealer) They look great, sound even better and would put a smile on your face as you blend in with the incredible sound they produce.

Associated Equipment:

Panasonic BD80 Blu-ray player
B&K reference 50 pre-amp
Emotiva XPA-5
Mirage Omni 550 & 150
Audioquest cables

Store Name	Store Rating	Price	Notes	Buy Now
Vanns.com		$149.88	New
		$299.99	Fantastic prices with ease & c…
More Prices >>

Popular Floorstanding Speakers 1. Bose 901 Series VI 2. Klipsch RF-7 3. Magnepan MMG 4. Vienna Acoustics Mozart 5. B&W DM603 S3 more… Top Ranked Products from Mirage. OMNI 550 Main / Stereo Speaker Rated: OMNI 150 Main / Stereo Speaker Rated:

www.miragespeakers.com

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MSRP: $ 1500.00 Description: Technical features Nautilus™ tube loaded aluminium dome tweeter Kevlar® brand fibre cone FST™ midrange Aluminium/paper/Kevlar® cone bass driver Flowport™Description 3-way vented-box system Drive units 1x ø25mm (1 in) aluminium dome high-frequency 1x ø150mm (6 in) woven Kevlar® cone FST™ midrange 2x ø165mm (6.5 in) Aluminium/paper/Kevlar® cone bass Frequency range -6dB at 30Hz and 50kHz Frequency response 38Hz - 22kHz ±3dB on reference axis 3 Reviews 0 Quick Ratings 4.33 of 5 More Floorstanding Speakers from B&W >> Search AudioReview forums for the B&W 683 Floor standing speakers >>

Reviewed by: PDN (Audio Enthusiast)
Review Date July 27, 2009
Overall Rating 4 of 5
Value Rating 5 of 5
Used product for 1 to 3 months

I upgraded from a pair of 2 year old B&W DM603-S3s to the 683s. I’ve had my eye on them for a while now. While I absolutely loved my 603s, I was able to sell them and upgrade to the 683s for a reasonable and manageable cost.

I’ve owned them now about 1-1/2 months and they’re burning in well. Immediately, I observed significant improvement in the mid-range from the new FST drivers over the older style drivers in the 603s. I heard that in the demo room of my Hi-Fi dealer so I knew that’s what I was buying up to. But there’s nothing like hearing it at home though. For my size listening room (23′ x 13′ x 8′ high), the 683s seem to be the perfect size floorstander. The 603s were great but just a bit on the small size. My room has two openings out to hallways with no doors. Bass extension and production has improved but that was not my first priority. With 2 B&W powered subs already in the room, I didn’t buy these for bass response. What I was more keen on in the bass dept was “drum slam” which you don’t necessarily get from powered subwoofers (in my opinion). Subs provide great ‘electric bass guitar” sound and LFEs but drum slam comes from larger drivers and more of them in the main speakers. The 683s have those over the 603s. Imaging is also improved due to their larger size and greater output. They’re being powered by a Rotel RMB-1075 5 channel amp in a surround sound 5.1 system with a Rotel RSX-1057 AVR used as a processor. Whether I’m listening in 2 ch stereo, 5 ch stereo, or the various surround sound formats, they sound fabulous. More “in your face” than the 603s.

I know some say that B&W loudspeakers lend themselves more to classical symphony music than good old rock N roll. That they’re not in your face speakers. To that I say hogwash. I don’t buy it. I listen to it all and they sound great regardless of the music genre. You should hear the drum slam on “Honky Cat” in the Elton John “Honky Chateau” SACD. WOW. I never thought I could ever produce that kind of powerhouse sound in my home. But it’s here !!

Physically, I love the cherry wood finish but not as much as the gorgeous sorrento oak of the 603s. The sorrento finish brightens up the room better than the cherry wood. But that’s really not important. Just an observation. For the price, the B&W 683s offer so much magnificent sound and performance through state of the art technologies from the engineers at B&W. They can handle serious power. To me, they can be all you’ll ever need in a lifetime !!

Popular Floorstanding Speakers 1. Bose 901 Series VI 2. Klipsch RF-7 3. Magnepan MMG 4. Vienna Acoustics Mozart 5. B&W DM603 S3 more…

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B&W 704 Rated: 5 of 5 Read the Reviews

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Top Ranked B&W speakers on AudioREVIEW.com and other User reviews of B&W products.

www.bowers-wilkins.com

MSRP: $ 10500.00 Description: Merlin Music Systems has elevated the critically acclaimed performance of its VSM loudspeakers to a new level, the Merlin VSM-MM and VSM-MX. The VSM MM’s & MX’s use the same rigid cabinets, state-of-the-art drivers, proprietary wire harness, specially designed “Z” feet, and high-quality internal parts as in previous versions of the VSM. The VSM MM & MX continue to use our proprietary ultra low loss Hovland inductors and the Merlin Bass Augmentation Module (BAM) that was developed for the VSM-M. New to the VSM-MM & MX is the further improvement of crossover components which takes the speaker performance to the next level. 12 Reviews 0 Quick Ratings 5.00 of 5 More Floorstanding Speakers from Merlin Music Systems >> Search AudioReview forums for the Merlin Music Systems VSM-MXe >> merlinmusic.com

Reviewed by: snowshoe(Audio Enthusiast)
Review Date July 19, 2009
Overall Rating 5 of 5
Value Rating 5 of 5
Used product for 3 Months to 1 year

These speakers arrived in February, so I am now about 6 months into them. I am still amazed by how they good they sound. I had on Cowboy Junkies ~ The Trinity Session the other night and was truly impressed. The depth, stage and presence was all there. I can spend a lot of time writing up a long review on how these speakers sound, but it will not say much more than what others have said about these speakers all ready. They are truly fantastic.

I will say that care needs to be taken in their setup. The first pair of Merlin Speakers I heard were the previous revision, a pair of VSM-MX. I’m not sure what it was but it sounded like the high and lows were coming from separate disjoint speakers. There was absolutely no cohesiveness with the sound. I pretty much discounted them until a while later when I heard another pair of VSM-MX. I was taken aback. I could not believe how good they sounded. I had a hard time believing that they were the same speaker. I attribute it to their setup and the room they were in, but it could have also been the equipment/cables driving them. Something was different and the second time around they sounded great.

The customer service from Merlin is top notch. You can call them up and talk with Bobby himself. If he does not answer the phone himself, he will soon be on it. His support does not stop at the speaker terminals. You can talk cables, amps, sources, music and so forth. Bobby wants you to get the best possible experience out of his speakers and your equipment and he will offer suggestions to get you there.

= = = Associated Equipment = = =

Marantz 7
Marantz 8
Joule Electra Ops-2 Mk4
Thorens TD-124

Popular Floorstanding Speakers 1. Bose 901 Series VI 2. Klipsch RF-7 3. Magnepan MMG 4. Vienna Acoustics Mozart 5. B&W DM603 S3 more…

Top Ranked Products from Merlin Music Systems. VSM-MXe Rated: VSM-MMe Rated: VSM-SE Rated: more…

merlinmusic.com

10 Reviews 0 Quick Ratings 4.90 of 5 Description: Dual 6 1/4″ Polymer Injected Mica Diaphragm (PMD) woofers 5″ cone midrange 1″ Aluminum dome tweeter Midrange and Tweeter use Waveguide Horn for better imaging Internally Wired With Monster Cable–ensures a clean, clear signal from the crossover network to the speaker driver Magnetic Shielding Speaker Stand included Bi-Wiring Capability Black piano finish Grille design More Floorstanding Speakers Products from Yamaha >> Search AudioReview forums for the Yamaha NS-555 >>

Reviewed by:allan1836 (AudioPhile)
Review Date July 17, 2009
Overall Rating 5 of 5
Value Rating 5 of 5

I don’t usually write reviews on audio products that goes through my room, either good or bad, but I am going out of my way to write this review since I feel this speakers is something special. I said special because for it’s price, I believe this is truly one of the very rare audio products that can really be regarded as “bang for the buck”.

At first, I was hesitant to get this model since my objective is to use it for pure 2ch audio music listening, since this model was labeled by Yamaha as a home theater speakers. But apparently my budget left me with no choice and since I saw the reviews here which hinted me that this can be good also for music.

Well and behold! After a few weeks of breaking in, I am pleasantly surprised with the speakers performance! As described by other reviewers here, the music spectrum is well balanced with smoothness, refinement, detail, and honestly accurate deep bass. I am a long time self proclaimed audiophile with some experience with other hi end mega buck speakers but believe you me, this NS-555 can compete. Though not as truly complete as some of the hi end speakers but certainly for it’s price, this is a no brainer choice.

Many of my friends pass up this speakers since the brand is not to famous on audiophile circles but one’s they heard my system (with only mid fi gears), they were truly astounded! Add to the performance is the very hi end look and finish. Many audiophile brands has this finish too but at 10X the price.

Out of curiosity, I look inside this speakers and saw why this speakers sound so good. No wonder, the raw drivers used were of high quality with good size magnets and exotic materials. The inside baffles were braced very well and damp at the right places. Even the passive crossover were handmade with air core inductors, though the caps can use some upgrade (which means the speaker can get even better!).

As you can now imagine, I love this speakers simply because a got a whole lot of quality for the small price I paid. Also, I am for the underdogs, and surely this very underrated speakers are special. Do audition one if you can and thank me later. Thanks

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RX-V4600

- Front		NS-777
- Center		NS-C444
- Surround		NS-555
- Surround Back		NS-333
- Subwoofer		YST-SW1500

More Yamaha products, Top 10 Yamaha products, and reviews on AudioREVIEW.com

www.yamaha.com

7 reviews 5 of 5 MSRP: $ 5495.00 Description: Design Full-range, floor-standingWMT 3-way Drivers (1) G2 pure ribbon tweeter, (1) Seas Excel W18 EX midrange and (1) Custom aluminum-coned, low-distortion 10″ subwoofer with 21mm XMAX Response 34Hz - 25KHz (+/- 1.5 db) 29Hz - 40KHz (+/-3db) (F10 23Hz) Sensitivity (dB/2.83v/1M) 85db Impedance nominal 8 ohms Recommended Amplification 50 - 200 tube watts 120 -500 solid state watts Box Alignment sealed midrange/ported woofer Dimensions (HWD) 40″x12″x15″ (not including plinths and spikes) More Products from Salk Sound >> Search AudioReview forums for the Salk Sound Veracity HT3 >> www.salksound.com

Reviewed by: texas steve (AudioPhile)

Review Date April 27, 2006

Overall Rating 5 of 5

Value Rating 5 of 5

Used product for Less than 1 month

Summary:
Purchased HT3s and HTC (center)

Ok, so after one week of use and familiarization I promised you all a review update of my HT3s and HTC pictured above.

Cabinets and wood work;
Appearance of the dye/color, style and overall finish is absolutely excellent. I did not have the HTC (center) hand rubbed as it sits up inside a cabinet above Shakespeare (see pictures at http://www.audiocircle.com/circles/viewtopic.php?t=27255 . The woodwork overall is excellent!

Sound in Stereo mode:
The good: Excellent!
The bad: You can tell that 80% of your Cds suck in quality. So now I have to buy better sounding CDs.!

In pure stereo the sound is excellent - with good recordings you can easily hear the different air and space between instruments, and the very detail sounds in each instrument and voice. The male and female voices are extremely accurate. I took some time with toeing in and distance against back/side wall etc. I ended up 20″ from the back wall, and 35″ from each side will. Toed in at a angle that hit each ear. The listening distance from the HT3s are 13′.

What really strikes me is the detail of the ribbon speaker. The mid an bass is also excellent, (in fact I now only use my Muse 18″ sub you can see it in the picture to the hard right for 5.1 LFE effect the sub you see in the picture to the hard left is used for the surround speakers in movie mode). Listening to Aaron Nevel (sp?) his voice is reproduced with absolutely perfect timber etc. On jazz recordings the detail of cymbals is extraordinary, you can not only hear the smallest wave of sound as the sound travels from one side of the cymbal to the other, you can also hear the distance in air between the snare and the cymbal!

Movies 5:1 etc
The dynamics required for theater of a speaker is powerful. The HT3 and HTC absolutely stand up to it. In movie after movie the speaker handled the excessive drive required by pounding base with ease. The HTC blended seamlessly in sound and although cant handle the same amount of base at the HT3s (I’m considering adding a subwoofer to the HTC for theater only), it did really well. The HTC handles the detail (ribbon again I’m sure) of voice and other sounds as well as the HT3s.

The music in DVDs is astounding! Again the small details that I did not hear before are now there. Ruffling of leaves on trees, small things I did not notice before that now appears. No question, this is a major improvement.

Conclusion:
When you spend this kind of money I have to believe you WANT them to sound and look good. And truthfully you will LOOK for only good things! After all YOU spent all that money sight and sound unheard, a blind leap of faith deep into the cravats of your wallet! And if it did NOT prove out to be a wise choice……………………….

In my opinion, I found some faults (cabinet mentioned above, also remember my speakers were the first or second that Jim did with the new “procedure”) but the sound, fit and overall finish is a 9.0 out of 10. I would give them a 10 if it were not for the few cabinet items mentioned. The CD that Jim sends with the speakers has absolutely excellent material and reproduces the best of the HT3s ability.

They say the “road is paved with good intentions”, in this case blind faith has paved and remapped the boundaries to what wonderful listening that is possible with these speakers.

Happy listening to those who have them, and to those waiting - Keep the faith

Strengths:
very detailed and open
absolutely better with the top grill removed
Beautiful superb build quality - almost museum quality
bass is very tight, defined and deep (don’t need my sub any more)

Weaknesses:
Only one - build time (3 months average)

www.salksound.com

Read more reviews on Salk Sound speakers.

Salk Sound Veracity HTC Rated: 5 of 5 Read the Reviews

Salk Sound Veracity HT1 Rated: 5 of 5 Read the Reviews

Salk Sound HTS-MTM Rated: 5 of 5 Read the Reviews

Salk Sound Veracity HT3 Rated: 5 of 5 Read the Reviews

Salk Sound Veracity QW Rated: 5 of 5 Read the Reviews

The Polk Audio R50 has been a popular speaker of late.  It is the most researched speaker of the last month.  If you don’t know much about it, here is your chance.

Polk Audio R50

16 reviews 3.69 of 5 MSRP: $ 215.00 Description: video-shielded bass-reflex design frequency response 50-20,000 Hz (-3dB) 8-ohm impedance sensitivity 90 dB handles up to 150 watts black hardwood veneer 5-way binding posts 9-5/16″W x 37-1/8″H x 11-15/16″D (with base) More Products from Polk Audio >> Search AudioReview forums for the Polk Audio R50 >>

Reviewed by:

TheKid72
(AudioPhile)

Review Date
December 4, 2007

Overall Rating
3 of 5

Value Rating
5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Summary:
The Polk R series has proven to be one of the best bargains in affordable loudspeakers on the market. Any “sins” are of omission such as limitations, as they are impressively free of serious coloration and peaks that so often plagues loudspeakers in this market and real-world street price point.

The R50 is no exception, and may be the best bang for the buck of the entire R series. I’ve read comments that these are great for HT but no music - like heck they are! These are a revealing loudspeaker that is not forgiving of the cheap electronics they are likely going to be connected to. When I first purchased them, I had them on a 30 year old entry level receiver where the sound was so-so. Then as I upgraded to a new Onkyo receiver, let the Audyssey system do it’s automatic setup, and enjoy.

Midrange imaging is impressive . As others have stated, you’d swear there was a center channel speaker installed. On the same token, these aren’t so revealing that the image extends beyond the width of their placement - no 3D sound field here. The image expands from speaker to speaker - no further, no closer or farther away.

Treble is pleasantly airy and natural, without any peak to add “zing” to the music. Dispersion is wide, sound is open, transition from the mid-bass drivers is smooth.

Bass - now here is where I have to disagree with most comments about these. In my setup, running them as a sterep pair without a subwoofer, they have more than ample extension for real-world music reproduction. The bass extends below what their 50Hz -3db point would leave you to expect. If anything, if driven by good electronics, most people would not need a subwoofer for music (unless providing the block with music) - but would for home theater. I strongly suspect that those who have issues with limited, strained output are really hearing their receivers run out of clean power.

Now I’ve been an audiophile for decades. I’ve owned very good equipment both in electronics and loudspeakers over the years. In preparation for a move, I sold everything - now my move has been delayed and I was climbing the walls without music. To say that I enjoy listening to music through these speakers says a lot!

In summary, these may be from Polk’s entry level point, but they are now entry level schlock. How good they sound depends on what you are driving them with. Like the Advent Loudspeakers of the 1970s (which I owned back then), they are affordable, but don’t mate them with budget electronics and expect much. Spend the money you saved by buying these vs. another costlier model - and invest it in the best electronics you can afford.

Strengths:
Overall natural and neutral tonal balance. Tight, extended bass when used with good electronics for music reproduction. Airy treble and respectable midrange detail for this price point. Nice fit and finish for their cost.

Weaknesses:
At this price point, all audible sins can be forgiven. For many buyers who aren’t knowledgeable of differences in brands of receivers, these may be too revealing of other component shortcomings. For those who drive these with good electronics, you’ll notice a lack of “space” and 3D imaging - but again look at the street price!

Similar Products Used:
ACI Sapphire, PSB Stratus Silver, Ohm Walsh 2,. Magnapan MMG, Infinity Reference Studio Monitor (pre-Harmon era), M&K S-1 - the list goes on and on.

Well, here are some speakers you won’t see everyday.  KEF Concept Blade, CNet.uk some info on them and a photo showing off how ‘man sized’ they are.  Hopefully not PJ Harvey ‘man sized’ but, man sized none the less.

Check’em out.

via: CNet.uk

www2.kef.com