Floydy Posted February 8, 2020 Posted February 8, 2020 Hello, I'm an Australian now living in Nashville, Tennessee (15 years). For the past 20 years I have relied on a pair of Sonique SAV-4 floor standing speakers bought in Harvey Norman in about 2000 as my go to speakers. I think at the time they cost about AUD$1,600. I have always thought highly of these speakers since the day I bought them and still do. They're getting a little tired now and I'm thinking about replacing them. My fear is that new speakers won't be an improvement on the Sonique's , which I think were largely under-rated. I am very interested to hear from anyone who has/had these Sonique speakers and who has recently bought new speakers that they consider to be as good or better. By the way, I want these strictly for music listening so I'm looking for speakers tuned for music primarily (not HT) and which don't need the addition of a sub in order to have a decent lower end. Not sure what the popular speakers are in Australia right now but the one's I'm looking at here in the USA (AUD$3,000 - $4,000 range) as possible replacements are: SVS Prime Pinnacle SVS Prime Ultra Martin Logan Motion 60XT Wharfdale EVO 4.4 But not limited to these! Thanks for your opinions
wolster Posted February 8, 2020 Posted February 8, 2020 Welcome @Floydy Good to have you on board. I heard your Sonique speakers some years ago and was impressed. A brand that I would add to your audition list is Revel. They are very underrated here in Oz and being a U.S. brand, should be good value where you are. Cheers
Floydy Posted February 8, 2020 Author Posted February 8, 2020 Thanks for the tip. I will check them out!
Addikt Posted February 8, 2020 Posted February 8, 2020 I am in the same position as you. Have had the sav-5’s since late 90’s. Absolutely adore them but feel it is time for an upgrade. I am currently looking at the Kef Q950’s. Any opinions? I am really interested in what others in here say are the closest matching to the Sonique’s.
Floydy Posted February 8, 2020 Author Posted February 8, 2020 21 minutes ago, Addikt said: I am in the same position as you. Have had the sav-5’s since late 90’s. Absolutely adore them but feel it is time for an upgrade. I am currently looking at the Kef Q950’s. Any opinions? I am really interested in what others in here say are the closest matching to the Sonique’s. I was leaning towards the SVS Prime Pinnacle (expensive in Oz but relatively cheap here). I also liked the look of the wharfdale Evo’s but British tone can lack dynamics IMO. Based on a recommendation above I’ve started reading reviews of the Revel Concerta2 F36. They look interesting....
THOMO Posted February 8, 2020 Posted February 8, 2020 (edited) Salk Sound seem to have a good reputation and direct market so represent very good value.They use very high quality components. Edited February 8, 2020 by THOMO 2
Floydy Posted February 9, 2020 Author Posted February 9, 2020 1 hour ago, wolster said: Welcome @Floydy Good to have you on board. I heard your Sonique speakers some years ago and was impressed. A brand that I would add to your audition list is Revel. They are very underrated here in Oz and being a U.S. brand, should be good value where you are. Cheers So after some research the entry level Concerta2 F36 floor standers are in my price range. They are not mainstream here either but have a phenomenal following from owners. Reminds of Sonique in that regard. Entry level or not this model is very interesting based on some reviews I’ve read and I plan to try and find a pair to listen to.. thanks for the tip. 1
blakey72 Posted February 9, 2020 Posted February 9, 2020 Would you consider another Aussie speaker? Only floorstanders or bookshelf ok? So is the budget $3-$4k aud?
Floydy Posted February 9, 2020 Author Posted February 9, 2020 2 minutes ago, blakey72 said: Would you consider another Aussie speaker? Only floorstanders or bookshelf ok? So is the budget $3-$4k aud? Yes to Aussie speakers. Really want floorstanders. My A/V room is too large for bookshelf sized speakers. I’m looking to spend USD$2,000 -3,000 which equates to AUD 3-4
blakey72 Posted February 9, 2020 Posted February 9, 2020 Hmm have to allow shipping too. Wonder how much that would be? Maybe $500?
Floydy Posted February 9, 2020 Author Posted February 9, 2020 8 minutes ago, blakey72 said: Hmm have to allow shipping too. Wonder how much that would be? Maybe $500? Depends on weight. 100 - 300 probably.
blakey72 Posted February 9, 2020 Posted February 9, 2020 Well I've had two pairs of Sonique's. A pair of Sav 5.5 and a pair of Sav 3's. The closest sound to them that I've found are my current Equinox Pluto's which sound nearly identical to the Sav 3's. Sonique Sav 3 My actual ones Equinox Pluto So similar in speed, timing and detail. I don't know how close the floorstanders would be but that's about all I can go on. This is the Equinox site. They are't cheap however they perform.
blakey72 Posted February 9, 2020 Posted February 9, 2020 (edited) I'm almost tempted to say they (the Sonique's) were also along the lines of my PMC's, not quite as honest. Edited February 9, 2020 by blakey72
blakey72 Posted February 9, 2020 Posted February 9, 2020 I gather you like that fast, detailed, accurate sound?
Addikt Posted February 9, 2020 Posted February 9, 2020 When I purchase my new fronts (most probably the Kef Q950's) I'm going to continue to use my Sav-5's as my rears. Floor standers all round. Any recommendations for speakers in the 2-3k range for floor standers that are similar to Sonique and reasonably priced in Aus?
needlerunner Posted February 9, 2020 Posted February 9, 2020 5 hours ago, Floydy said: I was leaning towards the SVS Prime Pinnacle (expensive in Oz but relatively cheap here). I also liked the look of the wharfdale Evo’s but British tone can lack dynamics IMO. Based on a recommendation above I’ve started reading reviews of the Revel Concerta2 F36. They look interesting.... As others have indicated, it would make sense to buy American speakers. I also have heard good things about Revel. See if you can home demo a pair within your setup. That will tell you if they sound better (you have probably worked this out for yourself. Not done done much research on USA speakers, as they can be very expensive here. Heard a pair of Wilson Puppies awhile ago. Stupendous. But way over my pay scale. My PMC twenty 23s are an English monitors, they sound very dynamic...to me. But probably expessive over there. Not sure what British speakers you have listened to? But l love my PMCs. They lack in nothing IMO. But they do require a good amp and source to get the best out of them. A lot of people in America seem to love Klipsch or KEF ( on USA forums). Good speakers, but there are better out there. The Revels would blow 'em out the water. Good luck in your speaker journey.
t_mike Posted February 9, 2020 Posted February 9, 2020 Why not just recap and refoam the Soniques? Keep the sound you like with a freshen up, and spend the savings on your music collection.
Floydy Posted February 10, 2020 Author Posted February 10, 2020 On 08/02/2020 at 7:49 PM, blakey72 said: Well I've had two pairs of Sonique's. A pair of Sav 5.5 and a pair of Sav 3's. The closest sound to them that I've found are my current Equinox Pluto's which sound nearly identical to the Sav 3's. Sonique Sav 3 My actual ones Equinox Pluto So similar in speed, timing and detail. I don't know how close the floorstanders would be but that's about all I can go on. This is the Equinox site. They are't cheap however they perform. Can;t seem to find a reference to Equinox in the USA. I think they'd be hard to get here.
Floydy Posted February 10, 2020 Author Posted February 10, 2020 On 09/02/2020 at 4:06 AM, t_mike said: Why not just recap and refoam the Soniques? Keep the sound you like with a freshen up, and spend the savings on your music collection. I actually do plan on keeping the Soniques. There is nothing really wrong with them that warrants re-coning etc. When I say "tired" I mean more from a speaker technology standpoint. I feel like there have been some major breakthroughs in speaker design over the past twenty years; materials, tweeter design, port tuning etc. that would be nice to audition. The concern is that sometimes technology = marketing hype and I don't want to spend several thousand only to find that they are no better than what I already have. Someone else on this thread suggested home demo's. That is a good idea but its a major investment in logistics. To do it right you really need to get all of them in at the same time (my short list is currently 7 models) so that you can properly A/B test between them under identical circumstances.
Floydy Posted February 10, 2020 Author Posted February 10, 2020 On 08/02/2020 at 11:09 PM, needlerunner said: As others have indicated, it would make sense to buy American speakers. I also have heard good things about Revel. See if you can home demo a pair within your setup. That will tell you if they sound better (you have probably worked this out for yourself. Not done done much research on USA speakers, as they can be very expensive here. Heard a pair of Wilson Puppies awhile ago. Stupendous. But way over my pay scale. My PMC twenty 23s are an English monitors, they sound very dynamic...to me. But probably expessive over there. Not sure what British speakers you have listened to? But l love my PMCs. They lack in nothing IMO. But they do require a good amp and source to get the best out of them. A lot of people in America seem to love Klipsch or KEF ( on USA forums). Good speakers, but there are better out there. The Revels would blow 'em out the water. Good luck in your speaker journey. I over generalized when I said English speakers lacked dynamics I'm a guitarist and that POV is likely influenced by the perennial Marshall versus Fender sound debate as it relates to amplifiers. The Marshall sound, largely attributed to the use of Celestion drivers is characterized as being very "mid focused" and to some this can be described as "muddy". The Fender sound by contrast is more brash and emphasizes extremes of the audio spectrum - attributed to the use of Eminence and Weber drivers. I think a better word to describe my perception of English speakers is that they are too "refined". I feel like you'd buy Wharfdale's to listen to a reproduction of a concert at the Royal Albert Hall, whereas American speaker design is going to make you feel like you are front and center at a Southern Rock festival! Likely a lot of nonsense but its my perception. I actually like the reviews of Wharfdale Evo 4.4's - anyone own a pair?
Floydy Posted February 10, 2020 Author Posted February 10, 2020 On 08/02/2020 at 11:09 PM, needlerunner said: As others have indicated, it would make sense to buy American speakers. I also have heard good things about Revel. See if you can home demo a pair within your setup. That will tell you if they sound better (you have probably worked this out for yourself. Not done done much research on USA speakers, as they can be very expensive here. Heard a pair of Wilson Puppies awhile ago. Stupendous. But way over my pay scale. My PMC twenty 23s are an English monitors, they sound very dynamic...to me. But probably expessive over there. Not sure what British speakers you have listened to? But l love my PMCs. They lack in nothing IMO. But they do require a good amp and source to get the best out of them. A lot of people in America seem to love Klipsch or KEF ( on USA forums). Good speakers, but there are better out there. The Revels would blow 'em out the water. Good luck in your speaker journey. Klipsch in the US is a department store brand. They and Polk Audio tend to be in every discount store and seem to be very popular as home theater components. I think some people buy Klipsch for the look of the copper cones. I personally haven't been much impressed with Klipsch or Polk for music appreciation. Unfortunately the Revel Concerta2 F36 which where looking really interesting seem to be at end of life and no dealer has stock. I suspect they may have been too good as an entry level model and jeopardized sales of Revel's premium lines that are 2 - 4X the price(?)
Pops110 Posted February 10, 2020 Posted February 10, 2020 I’ve gone from Sonique 6.5se to Audio Physic Classic 20’s and couldn’t be happier. The Sonique’s are beautiful speakers and an absolute bargain for what you can pick them up for nowadays. But I think the Audio Physics are better in every way. If you get a chance I think you should have a listen to them. https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lisa01h1-audio-physic-virgo-3-speakers#&gid=1&pid=1
blybo Posted February 10, 2020 Posted February 10, 2020 7 hours ago, Floydy said: Klipsch in the US is a department store brand. Go to a specialist retailer and look at their heritage collection. Heresy IV's are US$3k a pair.
mattd2308 Posted February 11, 2020 Posted February 11, 2020 (edited) You could consider Legend Speakers - Rod Crawford designed ex-Linn. www.legendspeakers.com.au/ The "Kama" model may suit. Has a distributor in the US going by website: Knowledge Resources Corporation 4621 Abiline Circle AURORA CO 80015-3903 USA P: 1 303-519-9076 E: LarryO@KRC-us.com Edited February 11, 2020 by mattd2308 Spelling error
surprisetech Posted February 11, 2020 Posted February 11, 2020 PSB Imagine T or Imagine T2 might be worth an audition in that price range.
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