Which specs to look at when getting a pair of floor speakers?

[Arcadio]

I got a nice Onkyo Receiver model TX-SR707, but the stock Onkyo speakers are too small. I want to replace them with some good floor-standing speakers. Which specs should I look at to make sure that the speakers will be compatible with the receiver?

 

[DirkGently1]

Is the room big enough to warrant floor standers? Big speakers in a small room isn't a good match.

Otherwise the most important 'spec' is the speakers Sensitivity rating. (Db/1W input/1M from speaker. Most will be around 90dB but higher means more sound at a given input.

iirc Cerwin Vega 1515 speakers back in the day had a sensitivity of 129Db. You'd get the same volume of sound from a 30W Amp than most speakers would need 1KW to deliver!

Monitor Audio make good speakers. The 'Bronze' range is highly regarded.

http://www.intoav.com/brands/monitoraudiobronze.htm

 

[Howard]

As far as compatibility goes, you just have to make sure that the impedance of the speaker doesn't dip below, say, 4 ohms depending on the sensitivity of the speakers and how loud you want to listen to them. Low impedance becomes less of an issue as the frequency increases, but typically impedance will drop near crossover points (e.g. between 200 Hz and 4 kHz). You wouldn't be able to check this unless the manufacturer provides an impedance graph, or hobbyist/reviewer testing is done.

As far as what speakers to get, in general... how much money do you have to spend?

 

[Howard]

iirc Cerwin Vega 1515 speakers back in the day had a sensitivity of 129Db. You'd get the same volume of sound from a 30W Amp than most speakers would need 1KW to deliver!

103 dB/W @ 1 m, actually.

129 dB/W would require either insanely tight directivity, or a breaking of the laws of physics.

 

[Arcadio]

The room is about 15' by 20'.

 

[NutBucket]

There is no "spec". You need to audition speakers and see what sounds best to you in your price range.

 

[Arcadio]

Yeah, but I don't want to buy speakers that won't resist the output of the receiver, or buy speakers that will be too good for the receiver.

 

[Arcadio]

I'm willing to spend about $300 per speaker, unless that's too much for speakers in a room 15' by 20'.

 

[Howard]

Yeah, but I don't want to buy speakers that won't resist the output of the receiver, or buy speakers that will be too good for the receiver.

1) usually not a problem unless you always crank to 11 (or 0 dB in this case)

2) impossible

 

[biostud]

Most speakers has a wattage range like 50-150W, but otherwise you're not going to blow a set of hifi speakers with a regular amp. And no, $300 per speaker is not too much, if you spend it on the right speakers. (I spent $1200 for my bookshelf stereo speakers)

 

[thelastjuju]

There is no "spec". You need to audition speakers and see what sounds best to you in your price range.

This. :thumbsup:

You live in NYC.. check out Park Avenue Audio.. that's my favorite place in the city. Innovative Audio Video is excellent too.. Lyric hi-fi is pretty good.. but avoid Stereo Exchange in the village.

 

[Madwand1]

Listen to the PSB Alpha Towers with your amp if possible.