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Floor standers or Monitors?


I'd very much like to have things simple. simple is best IMO. it's not always that easy though.

I'm finding more often than not so called 'full range' speakers, aren't quite so full range. OK. 30hz is fine by me. Maybe even 40hz. but flat at, not -3db or more off at that point.

Also with Eff in mind I'm about give up on finding reasonably high eff floorstanders to provide full range sonics and am seriously considering going the monitor + sub route. Figuring a pair of 2K - 3K monitors should surpass 2k - 3k floor units, save for the lowest octaves.

Then what have been other's considerations here in selecting monitors vs. floorstanders, or vice versa?

Only esthetics?

I feel personally a set of monitors and sub (s), for the same money being spent on a pair of uprights, should surpass the performance of a pair of floor standers, shouldn't they?

Or am I being too simplistic?
blindjim
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blindjim OP
2,837 posts
 
Bob_reynolds
Not opposed to doing FS, just having a hard time finding good sounding ones with the things I need, decent price,m easy load, 91-92db, and reasonable bottom end impact and res.

I don't feel mons are without issues either but mostly they represent at least easier loads. Mostly.
shadorne's avatar
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shadorne
7,333 posts
 
I feel personally a set of monitors and sub (s), for the same money being spent on a pair of uprights, should surpass the performance of a pair of floor standers, shouldn't they?

Any time you have woofers covering a less strenuous or broad frequency range then there is an opportunity for better clarity and lower distortion.....as long as the integration is properly designed (best stick with same manufacturer).

A sealed sub and sealed monitors instead of ported floorstanders is a great way to go.
rlwainwright
1,901 posts
 
"...aren't there other choices besides Mr. Bloom's & mr. yun's units to consider in the realm of easy load and near full range without resorting to Hornsville? "

Ummm, have you given the Gallo Reference 3.1s a listen? They reach down to the lower 30s (without the sub amp, 22Hz with the sub amp), approx. 88-89db efficiency, have outstanding sonics and an immense sweet-spot. In addition, their tweeter is simply amazing. I know someone who is driving his quite nicely with less than 20 watts a side. I see them all the time here on Audiogon for $2k - $2500...

-RW-
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restock
826 posts
 
Just to point out some flaws in the distintion between floorstanders and monitors: My Cain Abbys are floorstanders with a single driver and all the positives and negatives of monitor - as Marco (Jax2) pointed out the destinction should really be between single driver, two way and multiway/multidriver speakers. Otherwise I will have to put my floorstanding Abbys into the monitor category.

As far as value for money goes: IMO the less drivers the better the value for money in many aspects - imaging, coherence, efficiency - there is something to be said for single driver speakers (just my personal poinion though). Adding a fast sub to a single driver, althoug difficult, seems like one of the best ways to achieve good, close to full-range sound.

Of course there are exeptions to any "rule" :)

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