Speaking of speakers

Hello All. I'm new to Outlaw but not new to loving music and movies. I am looking to upgrade my system. I have replaced my Carver AV705 amp and CT-26v preamp with the Outlaw 970/7125. I currently have Bose 901 in front, Polk Monitor 40's in the rear and Velodyne VA 1012 Sub. I prefer to replace the 901's first, then sub, the rears. I'm looking for suggestions on 901 replacements. I'm shooting for loud and clear. Room size is 15x20 with 10 foot ceilings. Let the suggestions begin!

help us help you...

do you prefer full range?
budget?

Sorry. Somewhat new to this. Budget is $1500 front, $800 sub, $600 rear. I also forgot to mention that I have HSU HC-1 for center channel.
No reference to full range. I'm fond of Magnepan but output is limited.

Sorry. No preference to full range.

There are a number of good options to choose from. Among brands distributed by traditional channels, some good names that come to mind are Paradigm, Klipsch, Polk, B&W, KEF, Magnepan, and a few others that I know I'm forgetting. Among internet-direct brands, there are a number of big players. There's Axiom Audio, Ascend Acoustics, AV123 (Rockets, X-Series, and Onix Reference), and more recently HSU Research, SVS, and Outlaw. Outlaw already has their bookshelf speaker on the market, and the feedback on them has been excellent. Their LCR is due this fall, and the concensus around here is that the other two speakers that Outlaw has mentioned as possible additions to the line are a floor-standing speaker and a surround of some sort.

What sort of budget do you have? What speakers have you heard in the past that you were particularly fond of?

Gonk,
Thank you for the suggestions. The budget is noted above. I've listened to the majority of the above traditional channels (Klipsch, Polk, KEF, Magnepan). I have not heard any of the internet brands. In my DJ'ing days I loved the Klipsch Heresy's and LaScala's. I've heard the RF line but was not impressed. I'm sure my ear or taste has changed since my DJ days. Magnepan has always been my favorite. I just received the HSU HC-1 and I have not listened to it enough to say this is the line I want to go with. I'm also not saying that my system has to comprise of one brand. I would love to hear Ascend Sierra-1's.

I would recommend, based on personal experience, checking into Atlantic Technology.

RedSIinPa,
Thank you for the suggestion. I was able to locate a dealer. I'll audition them within a week. Thanks again.

OK, I have got to add my $.02 to this discussion.

I love Sonus Faber speakers! Hands down the best quality speakers you can buy for the price that you pay for them. Not only do these speakers sound incredible they are absolutely beautiful to look at as well. I will admit these are not inexpensive speakers but you just can't get anything that sounds so good for the money as you can from SF.

What I recommend is looking for a good set of used speakers. My Electa's are nearly 20 years old and sound and look unbelievable! You can find them occasionaly on Ebay or Audiogon for around $1500. You can also find a set of SF Grand Piano speakers for around $1500 to $2000 as well. The GP's are a floor standing while the Electa's are monitors. SF also makes surrounds and center channels that are great as well.

I have a complete 5 channel SF setup and I love it. I have the 990/7500 combo and it really drives those speakers quite well. I have people come and listen to my setup and can't believe how good it sounds consider I have only about $10K in my entire Home Theater setup. I have been to peoples houses who had more than $10K in their front speakers alone and my system blows them away by their own admission!

Sonus Faber, Baby you can't go wrong!

BTW, I just looked on eBay there is a great set of Electa Amotor II's on sale right now, check out this auction,
Sonus Faber Electa Armator II\'s on eBay

Have you thought of going with an all Hsu Research speaker system? If you look at their site, the size of your room is exactly what their speaker system can handle. If you like the sound of the Magnepan speaker which model did you have a chance to listen to? I have a room larger than yours and my Magnepan system is more than loud enough for me. Based on your budget you can easily find used Magnepan 1.6s and MG 12s. If you like your Velodyne VA1012 (which I used to own) and want to go lower than the rated 28Hz of the VA1012, you may want to look at the Outlaw offerings or a used Velodyne SPL or HGS series sub. Any of these will go down to 20Hz and below.

IMHO, most HT speakers do not sound good for Music. This is why I use Alon 2 Mk2 speakers. They are built buy Carl who used to be the lead design for Dalquist.

I find Ascend speakers to be good for the center and fronts, they can play both formats well.

Lizard,

I got curious since I'd never heard of Alon speakers before. It seems they are now sold as Nola by the designer you mentioned. Is the Alon 2 comparable to any of Nola's current offerings?

ez2,

Listening to speakers in your own space is very important as each room contributes greatly to what we hear. Most internet direct sales companies offer a 30-day return policy but you generally have to pay shipping. If you can't get a local store to loan you a set of speakers you like it may be worth it to try out speakers in your price range from the internet companies Gonk listed. Just my $.02.