High Efficiency Speaker Asylum

Posted by dr.joe (i) on July 19, 2000 at 08:00:16:

In Reply to: best buy for 3000cdn posted by thunderdome on July 18, 2000 at 09:06:57:

I think the PSB Stratus Goldi is a good choice. My pesonal choice would be a (used) pair of Tannoy System 15 DMT II, though they're hard to find. Steve's Music here in Toronto sells them new for CDN$4500 (plus 15% tax; list $5900), but if you can find, for example, a studio going to powered monitors which wants to dispose of theirs, you'd have an extremely accurate, high-sensitivity (98 dB) loudspeaker with exceptional soundstaging and imaging. They don't have the extreme deep bass (down to 25 Hz, for example) that some lower-sensitivity designs can offer, but the laws of physics require a trade-off between sensitivity and bass response and I think the System 15s have the balance just right. In any case, the bass is tight, taut, detailed and very well defined and you'd be amazed that the manufacturer rates them 3 dB down at 38 Hz. The System 15s would fill your 18 x 24 listening room with very pure sound and permit you to use anything from flea-powered valve amplifiers to behemoth solid-state designs.

Of course, I'm prejudiced: I've not heard every high-end design, but over the last 25 years, I've not found better quality sound for the money than Tannoys.