So you’ve narrowed down your floorstanding tower speaker budget to under $1,000…. now what?
Listen, I will be the first one to tell you that being an audiophile isn’t cheap (haha)! But, I think we all appreciate vibrant sound here. If you’re like me, then we’re willing to put our money where our mouth is and purchase one of these speakers that will make our music and movies feel much more ALIVE (Pearl Jam baby)!
I’m not going to Bull Sh*t around here, there are A LOT of decent tower speakers out there. Some are better to buy when they are on sale. Others are worth every penny if you truly love good sound.
With that being said, the sound these speakers produce is greatly effected through the system you have in place. That means if you use a Power Amp, Receiver, DAC, types and brands of speaker cables, etc. If you are an audiophile, you’ll know what I’m talking about. If you are a beginner home audio buyer, you’ll need to understand what works where and how it all hooks up.
I’ve tested and reviewed plenty of floorstanding speakers, especially in the price range around the one-thousand dollar tag. There are a ton of great options, but I wanted to make this article a little more special than others. Mainly because it takes a lot of research and time to keep narrowing down your choices.
Top 3 Best Floorstanding Speakers Under $1,000
I decided to create a super dedicated list of just 3 tower speakers that will be below $1,000 when you decide to look into them further. I’ll provide easy go-to links so you don’t have to search the best prices on these platforms. Most importantly, I’m here to help you find something awesome.
For the record, I used the exact same preamp, SACD player, and Power Amplifier when testing these 3 because I wanted to change up my full stack. I used a few different power amps when conducting listening tests on all my favorite tower speakers because some of the speakers sound better with the right hookup.
Here’s what I used:
Preamp
Warm Audio WA273-EQ
SACD Player
Marantz SA-KI Ruby
Power Amplifier
Crown XLS2502 Two-channel, 775-Watt at 4Ω Power Amplifier
Let’s just say that these 4 floor standing speakers stood out the best for the under $1000 price range with the stack that I used above. I am going to sum up all the notes I took below for the reasons why.
Here’s How This Review Works
The first 2 options will be sold as a pair under the price point of $1K. The next 2 options (yes, I did a BONUS review!!) are sold under this price point, but for each speaker. I thought it would be beneficial to have my favorite pair under this price tag and my favorite “each” price.
#1: Focal Chorus 716 2 1/2 Way Bass Reflex
The beautiful Focal Chorus 716
As you will quickly find out (if you read other “audiophile” blogs) I am not like everyone else. In fact, my lists are much different for the most part. My choice for the Focal Chorus 716 1/2 Way Bass Reflex (black color) is, without question, a Sleeper Pick. What I mean by this is not many people know about this particular model, but WOW they are ROCKIN’!
What I Love
Focal is all in-house. Most of these speaker manufacturers use China to outsource some of the technology and parts. Not Focal. You’re getting what they intended it to be. Enough said there.
What Does 2 .5 Way Mean?
Most of my readers either message me or tell me on my Pinterest page that they prefer 3-way speakers. The number refers to where the sound is produced from three separate devices which are called the mid-range, woofer and tweeter drivers. 2.5 way will lack the mid-range device, but will have the woofer and tweeter drivers. If you’re real technical, you may not get all the low frequencies that you want. But, that doesn’t mean 3-ways are better than 2.5 ways.
Why Get a 2.5 Way When I Can get a 3-Way?
My favorite thing about the 2.5 way is a MAJOR benefit in my humble opinion. To me, a 2.5 will have more of that “voice of one” coherence compared to a three way.
Conclusion:
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#2: ELAC Debut 2.0 F6.2
The Unique Design of the ELAC F6.2 Towers
I have TONS of friends who love this particular model, and around $450 each – you can’t beat the value. What I noticed right out of the gate was that the F6.2 is a little cleaner at higher volume than the F5.2. Now, you may be thinking that the newer model should be better, but it doesn’t always work that way. In this case, ELAC nailed it.
For the record, it took a little over 30 hours to break them in.
Best Spot to Place Them
I decided to add this in for the ELAC F6.2 because it did make a difference when I tested them out. The previous speaker, the Focal Chorus 716, didn’t really matter where I placed it. However, this one mattered. Reading my notes (and I can also remember) the best place to put these is around 1 1/2 feet from the wall. Any closer will hinder the soundstage, and anyone who reads my reviews on speakers knows I love soundstage!
What Makes These Good Value?
The one thing you don’t want to do is go down the audiophile rabbit hole. Yep, been there done that. Not fun at all, believe me. With this price point, you will have a hard time finding towers as good as these. Super clear sound where you will be able to hear all the instruments in the music. Bass is very good, but not excellent. Overall, a great value choice.
Conclusion:
As I said before, great value. The soundstage is really clear and crisp. The mid and high range made me say “wow” a few times. The lows are very good. Again, not excellent, but super respectable.
#3: Martin Logan Motion 60XT
The Stunning Martin Logan 60XT Towers of Power!
Alright, so like I mentioned before, the next two options are just under $1K each. So a pair would be just under 2k. I’m choosing the 60XT by Martin Logan because of the pure, rich, powerful, clear and full sound it produces.
The Only Downside for Some of You
Every retailer sells them at $999 each. So, keep that in mind, but they are under 1,000 dollars. If you’re looking for a pair under this price range, go with the Focal Chorus 716 or the next option.
What I Love
The glossy black gets me going! It’s a thing of beauty and I love manufacturers that take the time to design their speakers uniquely. MartinLogan has engineers in house – I LOVE that! I also absolutely love the Folded Motion® XT Tweeters. This technology allows you to play your music (or sound from movies) louder without causing distortion like some of the typical 1-inch dome tweeters give off.
Conclusion:
Again, keep in mind that they are just under one-thousand dollars each.
Going back to my notes, I wrote over and over again how good these played with my Post Modern Jukebox music. If you’ve read any of my reviews you’ll already know I love their music. In addition, I wrote down how loud the sound was able to hold, in terms of clear sound and not breaking up. Lastly, and sometimes most importantly, the sound stage was excellent. If I had
Bonus Review: Polk Audio LSiM 707 MVC
Just look at these beauties by Polk Audio! Wow!
Let’s address the elephant in the room about Polk Audio, shall we? They have a reputation for being very bright with extreme highs. I’m here to tell you right here, right now, that the LSiM 707 MVC are almost the complete opposite of Polk’s rep. Not that bright sound is a bad thing. In fact, there are days that I love bright sound.
What I Love About These
The mid range is serious. For this price, you’re getting a bargain. These speakers are kick ass, they look beautiful, but sound even better. The one thing I noticed most was when I turned up the volume, the music almost became more clear. That’s a sign of a good speaker.
Conclusion:
Overall I was very pleased with the bass and the mid range. The highs are nothing too bright, as I mentioned above. Clarion clear when the volume is turned up. You can become a Music Audio Star with these speakers.
Final Words of Wisdom
This article was fun to document my experience and write about. However, it wasn’t as fun as actually using these speakers, testing them, listening to them and relaxing to sweet Post Modern Jukebox music.
Any one of these choices is considered dynamite. Most of the time, you’re just going to be window shopping and that’s fine. What isn’t fine is you not actually pulling the trigger and getting something nice for yourself for once. I really hope the time I took to research all of these speakers actually helps you get closer to making a decision for your budget. Good luck, and, as always – ROCK ON!