Which pair is the best for front speaker? Which brand ? Bookshelf of Standing ?

[johnmn]

I live in Canada and I want to buy speakers from the US, as a pair of front speakers for my HT, I narrow down to these pairs, they have the same price but I don't know which one is better in quality/performance:
*Klipsch Synergy B-3 is US$330 at Amazon.com
*Polk Audio Rti6 is US$300 at J&R.com
*Polk Audio Monitor 40 is US$300 at Crutchfield.com
Anyone ever has experience with either of these pairs, please give me some insight to decide, thanks a lot.

Also I need an advice on choosing between bookshelf or standing speakers ( I don't care about space/ appearance/ or asthetic issues, as long as it give me the best sound quality for my HT) I wonder if one of these pair might be an option too (they are standing speakers):
*Infinity Beta 40 is US$300 at Vanns.com
*Polk Audio Monitor 70 is US$356 at Amazon.com

My budget is $300-$400 for a pair of front speakers . Any insight would be very appreciated!

[draganm]

at your price point small bookshelf speakers make no sense at all. firstly you would need a pair of speakers stands with bookshelfs and that's $50 to $100. better spent elsewhere.
People run bookshelf speakers for one of 2 reasons,
1)they're small and cheap so that wife will like them
or
2) a very expensive pair of bookshlef speakers in a small dedicated 2-channel system have the potential to deliver musical accuracy and holographic imaging unparalleled by towers. The price that is paid here is loss of bass response but certain kinds of music can do without it like Piano, female voclas, violin concerto's, etc.
$400. is not a huge budget for main speakers but the Polk Audio Monitor 70 look like a good bargain at that price point. While I have not heard the 70's, my previous experience with Polk's has always been positive. They're well built and Polks deliver a smooth and laid back sound which is very forgiving at high volumes in a HT. I would avoid Infinity as they're build quality is poor IMO. The best advice I can give you is go and listen to the Polk's, let your ears be the judge.
don't forget that room accousitcs are the most important aspect fo good sound in any room. I would rather spend $400. on speakers and another $400. on acoustics that simply buying $800. speakers.

[johnmn]

at your price point small bookshelf speakers make no sense at all. firstly you would need a pair of speakers stands with bookshelfs and that's $50 to $100. better spent elsewhere.
People run bookshelf speakers for one of 2 reasons,
1)they're small and cheap so that wife will like them
or
2) a very expensive pair of bookshlef speakers in a small dedicated 2-channel system have the potential to deliver musical accuracy and holographic imaging unparalleled by towers. The price that is paid here is loss of bass response but certain kinds of music can do without it like Piano, female voclas, violin concerto's, etc.
$400. is not a huge budget for main speakers but the Polk Audio Monitor 70 look like a good bargain at that price point. While I have not heard the 70's, my previous experience with Polk's has always been positive. They're well built and Polks deliver a smooth and laid back sound which is very forgiving at high volumes in a HT. I would avoid Infinity as they're build quality is poor IMO. The best advice I can give you is go and listen to the Polk's, let your ears be the judge.
don't forget that room accousitcs are the most important aspect fo good sound in any room. I would rather spend $400. on speakers and another $400. on acoustics that simply buying $800. speakers.

I love Polk and I decide to buy bookshelf speakers due to my small HT. I will put them on the shelf/furniture. At this point of my research, I also consider this Canadian home made product Axiom that has the same close price $460. http://www.axiomaudio.com/m22ti_main.html
Anyone ever has experience with this Axiom, please help me to have an insight. Thank you for the feedback.

[kirknelson]

First, you're the only one who can say which of those speakers are better for you. Everyone has different tastes for sound.

In your price range I'd recommend you also take a look at Ascend Acoustics and Paradigm. Ascend is available online and Paradigm is a Canadian company.

As far as bookshelf vs. floorstander is conserned different people have different tastes...

For HT only usage many people prefer using Bookshelf speakers with a dedicated sub woofer. There are acoustic advantages for this type of set-up and if you are planning to use these speaker just (or primarily) for HT that is the route I would recommend. However, if you will be using the system primarily for music or can not afford a seperate sub then floorstanders are probably a better way to go.

[draganm]

I love Polk and I decide to buy bookshelf speakers due to my small HT. I will put them on the shelf/furniture.

placing speakers on a bookshelf is one of the worst things you can do short of sticking it IN a bookshelf. A speaker needs room to breathe, like a musical instrument. You can't stick it on a shelf, in a box, or next to a wall and expect to hear accurate sound reproduction.
A bookshelf speaker needs to be on stand, 3 feet away from the wall and next to nothing unless it's an accoustic panel or bass-trap.

[johnmn]

First, you're the only one who can say which of those speakers are better for you. Everyone has different tastes for sound.

In your price range I'd recommend you also take a look at Ascend Acoustics and Paradigm. Ascend is available online and Paradigm is a Canadian company.

As far as bookshelf vs. floorstander is conserned different people have different tastes...

For HT only usage many people prefer using Bookshelf speakers with a dedicated sub woofer. There are acoustic advantages for this type of set-up and if you are planning to use these speaker just (or primarily) for HT that is the route I would recommend. However, if you will be using the system primarily for music or can not afford a seperate sub then floorstanders are probably a better way to go.

Oh, I see ! To make it effective for the best limit budget result: Either (2 Bookshelfs + 1 Subwoofer) or (2 Floor Standers) ! I think I can make my small HT decent by that ways. Thank you for the advise.

[johnmn]

placing speakers on a bookshelf is one of the worst things you can do short of sticking it IN a bookshelf. A speaker needs room to breathe, like a musical instrument. You can't stick it on a shelf, in a box, or next to a wall and expect to hear accurate sound reproduction.
A bookshelf speaker needs to be on stand, 3 feet away from the wall and next to nothing unless it's an accoustic panel or bass-trap.

Good point, I will manage to give them some sapce ! either by laying it on top of furniture or hanging in the corners of the room.... Thank you for your advise. !!!

[Fred333]

I would definitely go for the free standing. There are some nice stands out there that are relatively small.