http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/floorstanding/rss.xml Reviews of medium to large speakers that need a space on the floor of their own. hourly 12 2006-12-01T00:00 http://www.audioholics.com/static/logo.jpg http://www.audioholics.com/ http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/floorstanding/emp-tek-ef50-speaker-system While the EMP EF50 speaker system does sacrifice a bit of performance at the altar of aesthetics, it is very little performance for a whole lot of aesthetic gain. The tiny sub belies its performance and impact and the surround speakers sound too good to be surrounds. The removable faceplates may be a bit gimmicky, but it's a good gimmick. If this is your first foray into home theater and you want to do it right this is the set for you. tom 2008-04-15T13:45:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/floorstanding/yamaha-soavo-1-towers Considering Yamaha has such a good reputation with making fine instruments and some of the most reliable and accurate monitor speakers ever to hit the recording industry, it's astounding that they aren't equally appreciated for their home audio speakers. This past year Yamaha aimed to change that with the introduction of their new Soavo series loudspeakers. We were fortunate enough to get our hands on a pair of Soavo-1 towers - their flagship product and a magnificent-looking specimen to be sure. We got a sneak peek at these speakers during the 2007 CEDIA Expo, but now we actually get a chance to put them through their paces in one of our reference listening rooms. clint 2008-02-19T09:55:26+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/floorstanding/paradigm-s6-v2 Some speaker companies need no introduction. There are few names that are as associated with speakers as Paradigm. One approaches a speaker of this caliber with a sort of reverence. You don't play music through them; you allow them to recreate the music for you. The Signature 6's are an expensive speaker, but for that you get fantastic build quality, great sonics, and aesthetics to die for. The Paradigm S6's present a laid back but full soundstage that is both wide and deep. Bassy, full, with a detailed high end, the S6's aren't the perfect speaker, but they may be right for you. tom 2008-01-01T00:10:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/floorstanding/av123-x-mtm-tower-speaker-review AV123 is one of a handful of internet direct companies manufacturing quality loudspeakers at affordable prices. The company's Onix line of speakers has changed a bit, and they have dropped the Onix nomenclature. After having a pair of the x-ls monitors in my home for several months, I was excited when they shipped me a pair of the brand new x-mtm towers. After living with them for a couple of months, I'm ready to report to you my findings on what is surely a highly-anticipated speaker for many who are looking for a lot of bang for their buck. jclarke 2007-08-07T15:43:33+00:00 Tech Article http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/floorstanding/rbh-sound-tk-5ct Winner of the Audioholics 2007 Product of the Year Tower speakers under $1k, the RBH Sound TK-5CT's are among the best we've heard in this price class. Their ability to deliver clean unadulterated sound quality with plenty of bass makes them ideal for someone looking to assemble a cost effective home theater system that also does music equally well. You owe it to yourself to demo these at your local dealer or take a plunge online with the virtually identical EMP Ef30T offering at the Audioholics e-store. tom 2007-07-23T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/floorstanding/rbh-sound-wm-24-wm-30-fm-45-m-series-loudspeaker-system-review The M Series loudspeaker from RBH Sound should be on your list of products to audition. The system as a whole works very well together and blends seamlessly thanks to its excellent timber matching and system synergy. mark 2007-07-17T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/floorstanding/kef-iq-series Can speakers that look great sound great? Over the years, the majority of speakers that I have heard that really sounded great all look pretty much the same. While finishes and grills can make one speaker look better than another, they are mostly all pretty boxy. I'm reminded of a great line from the old movie "Crazy People," where an ad executive ends up in a mental institution and begins to enlist the patients to come up with ad campaigns. My favorite was one they came up with for Volvo, and it went something like this: "Volvo. They're Boxy, But They're Good." KEF's iQ line of speakers certainly can't be considered boxy, but trust me, they're good. jclarke 2007-06-04T17:05:41+00:00 Tech Article http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/floorstanding/jbl-l880 JBL has been making big speakers for decades. I can remember entering my freshman college dorm for the first time and hearing rock music shaking the door of a guy's room at the end of a hall - it was like he had a small concert PA in there! Actually, he had some beefy JBL speakers being powered by a big Pioneer amp. Those speakers provided all of us on the hall with great music, night and day, whether we wanted it or not. One thing I remember - they always sounded great. jclarke 2007-04-30T21:03:31+00:00 Tech Article http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/floorstanding/axiom-m60-v2 The first thing I noticed listening to these speakers was a considerable increase in the size of the soundstage over my M22's. Every breath, every move of the lips was recreated so accurately and untainted, so that at times I literally felt like the microphone was right in front of me. tom 2007-01-29T21:49:47+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/floorstanding/rbh-sound-t-30lse-towers-video We interview RBH Sound about their newest flagship loudspeakers, the T-30LSE, which combine the best attributes of the T-2P system with extended bottom end. The expanded cabinet volume allows more bass response which translates into more subwoofer power at lower frequencies. These speakers are insanely well-balanced, though you might need a crew of four to get them positioned safely inside of your home. clint 2007-01-08T00:00:00+00:00 Video Spotlight http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/floorstanding/rbh-t-30lse The RBH Sound T-30LSE system is a speaker system cut from a different cloth. It provides that "better than being there" sonic experience typically only found in unamplified live musical performance. With only 100 pairs being produced, you better get your dose of overindulgence before they are going, going… gone. Gene 2007-01-07T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/floorstanding/infinity-kappa-600 It seems that nearly every recent review I've seen for an Infinity product laments the passing of the perceived glory days of Infinity under its founders: gone are the Infinity Reference Standards (IRS), their many reincarnations, and their offspring. Acknowledgment of what the current masters have accomplished is given almost begrudgingly. Under the guidance of the likes of Harman International Industries Incorporated and Dr. Floyd Toole, who espouses a philosophy of simple design and good engineering, Infinity is perceived to have moved into the mainstream. david 2006-12-07T12:10:53+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/floorstanding/aperion-audio-intimus-522d-pt Enter Aperion Audio. Aperion Audio is a relative newcomer to the scene of direct-sales loudspeakers manufacturing. For those of you who peruse many of the home theater / audio websites and forums, you have probably been blasted by one of their "pop-up" ads (don't worry Audioholics doesn't do pop-ups). However, I do encourage a click on them at least one time. I was surprised to find a wealth of information pertaining to home theater and detailed product specifications on an internet loudspeaker company website. Gene 2006-12-07T12:07:23+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/floorstanding/mcintosh-xls340 The XLS 340 loudspeakers are among the latest products offered by McIntosh. According to McIntosh, XLS product line is intended for both home theater and stereo applications with accurate reproduction as a primary design goal. david 2006-10-31T08:24:17+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/floorstanding/onix-rocket-rs450 In a smaller room, most people will recommend a set of bookshelves and a sub. If you are going to spend any time watching movies, you’re going to need a sub regardless. This is all true and valid. But as a bookshelf speaker owner, I’ve always looked at pics of systems running floorstanders in a room smaller than mine and wondered… What if… So, it was with great excitement that I accepted the assignment to review the Rocket RS450s. Would they really be overkill? Would they really be too much for my room? Would I really convince my wife to let me buy them? Well, I can say definitively NO… to the last question. The rest remains to be seen. tom 2006-10-04T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/floorstanding/psb-alpha-loudspeaker-system With such a vast number of speaker manufacturers it is easy to overlook any one of them. I have heard of PSB speakers but never had the opportunity to listen to them nor did I ever pay much attention to their reviews. PSB, which stands for “Paul & Sue Barton”, is a company that has been around since the seventies and according to Paul, before that unofficially. Paul, like me, was a Do-It-Yourselfer when he made his first speakers with his father. He took the next step when he started selling speakers to students at a nearby college. He later officially started PSB and did all the designs himself. Not until recent years did Paul petition the help of David Smith to be the company’s Director of Product Development because of the large growth that PSB has undergone. The driving philosophy behind PSB is clearly Performance and Value. Their main goal is to offer high performance at reasonable costs and the Alpha Series falls into the entry level “In Room” speaker. ken 2006-09-19T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/floorstanding/mirage-omnisat-v2-fs Even before you get them out of their shipping carton it’s obvious these are definitely not your average box loudspeaker. Clearly Mirage have done their homework and obviously appreciate the importance of integrating performance with appearance. mark 2005-10-30T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/floorstanding/morduant-short-performance-6 It was last year at CEDIA (yes last year, 2004) that we caught our first glimpse of the Performance 6 loudspeakers from Mordaunt-Short. The reception was incredible as the rather elegant looking speakers were shown off and the new era of Mordaunt-Short was emerging in phoenix-like fashion. Rather than make excuses as to why it took us so long to get to a review, let me just say that it was well worth the wait and allow you to read on. clint 2005-09-29T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/floorstanding/rbh-sound-cinemasite When I first saw the RBH Sound CinemaSITE at the 2004 CEDIA show I was instantly captivated by the sheer genius of the product. clint 2005-08-20T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/floorstanding/axiom-audio-epic-80-600 The Axiom Epic 80-600 system was absolutely unbelievable - like having the power of Mother Nature right at my fingertips. The excellent build quality, high performance, and top notch customer support and service offered by Axiom make these an easy recommendation. They set a new benchmark for performance at this price and about the only thing left to say is "WOW!"" ray 2005-07-27T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/floorstanding/canyon-audio-310-TSC Every once in a while we'll take in a set of speakers from a relatively unknown company in order to see what's available on the market and if some independent shops have some value products available for consumers. Canyon Audio is a manufacturer based in Nevada who works with some domestic designers to have custom modifications made to products which are then manufactured overseas to keep costs down. clint 2005-04-04T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/floorstanding/thiel-audio-speakers For many years I have revered the THIEL speaker cabinet designs and construction. Being a DIY speaker builder, I recognize their efforts on time alignment and minimization of diffraction which tends to be less common among the vast array of traditional speaker designs. Ken Stein 2004-08-31T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/floorstanding/von-schweikert-vr2 The designers at Von Schweikert had some great goals in mind when creating the VR-2. Just to name a few, phase correction in the crossover, full frequency range, and my favorite, transparency. I wanted to remain as objective as possible in my approach to reviewing the VR-2 speakers so I did not read any reviews, entertain any user opinions, nor did I do any research on these speakers until I had experienced them first hand. ken 2004-03-24T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/floorstanding/canton-karat-reference-2-dc Canton was founded in 1972 by four hi-fi enthusiasts who joined together with the goal of always producing the best speakers of their class. Canton is a combination of the Latin word "cantare" (to sing) and the German word "Ton" (musical tone). Canton started officially with 35 employees on 1 January 1973 assembling speaker enclosures. Their initial development work was done in a living room. Steve DellaSala 2004-02-12T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/floorstanding/rbh-sound-t-2 RBH Sound has been manufacturing high performance loudspeakers for over 25 years catering to the high performance (mind you not necessarily high priced) and custom install marketplaces. Yet their name isn't as widely recognized by consumers like some of the big guys out there. Fortunately name recognition is not always a reflection of product quality or performance. I can't think of a better example than this particular loudspeaker manufacturer. Gene 2004-02-01T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/floorstanding/axiom-audio-epic-80 The first thing I noticed about the Axiom Epic 80 System was the incredible presence and detailed highs. The clarity and imaging put forth by the M80s was refreshing and worthy of designating them as a movie theater killer. clint 2003-01-30T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/floorstanding/speaker-face-off-i-battle-of-the-budget-towers The Classic Gold Series from Pinnacle represents their best current offering of speakers. Their product line extends from the small, yet potent, bookshelf speakers called the "Mini-Monitors" to the infamous flagship floorstanders called the "Aerogel Towers". Gene 2001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00 Tech Article http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/floorstanding/energy-loudspeaker-system Gene 2000-01-16T00:00:00+00:00 Pro Review