Wednesday, January 6, 2021

What is the Best Floor Standing Speaker? Experience High-Caliber Sound System At Home [2021]

best floor standing speakers

You can only expect the best sound that money can buy with heavy duty floorstanding speakers. Regardless of the price, floorstanding speakers are known for their exceptional, reverberating sound that is perfect for home theaters.

To guarantee you buy the best and without being involved in a lengthy return process, our experts have reviewed the best floor standing speakers in the market.

Best Budget
Klipsch 2 Pack R-610F Floorstanding Home Speaker
Best Overall
Polk Audio Signature Series S55 Floor Standing Speaker (Pair)
Best Premium Choice
KEF Q550 Floorstanding Speaker (Each, Black)
Klipsch 2 Pack R-610F Floorstanding Home Speaker
Polk Audio Signature Series S55 Floor Standing Speaker (Pair)
KEF Q550 Floorstanding Speaker (Each, Black)
For those on a budget, you can still enjoy amazing surrounding sound thanks to the Klipsch R-610F floorstanding speakers. With the lower price comes thunderous sound through Klipsch’s very own Tractrix Horn Technology.
The Polk Audio Signature Series S55 Floorstanding speakers come in a pair. They redefine hi-fi sound with surround sound capabilities and innovative design. The construction is designed to minimize distortion to bring you the best sound quality.
Although you need to purchase each speaker separately, the KEF Q550 is worth the premium price. With the unique driver array, you get balanced sound at any level and distortion-free audio.
Best Budget
Klipsch 2 Pack R-610F Floorstanding Home Speaker
Klipsch 2 Pack R-610F Floorstanding Home Speaker
For those on a budget, you can still enjoy amazing surrounding sound thanks to the Klipsch R-610F floorstanding speakers. With the lower price comes thunderous sound through Klipsch’s very own Tractrix Horn Technology.
Best Overall
Polk Audio Signature Series S55 Floor Standing Speaker (Pair)
Polk Audio Signature Series S55 Floor Standing Speaker (Pair)
The Polk Audio Signature Series S55 Floorstanding speakers come in a pair. They redefine hi-fi sound with surround sound capabilities and innovative design. The construction is designed to minimize distortion to bring you the best sound quality.
Best Premium Choice
KEF Q550 Floorstanding Speaker (Each, Black)
KEF Q550 Floorstanding Speaker (Each, Black)
Although you need to purchase each speaker separately, the KEF Q550 is worth the premium price. With the unique driver array, you get balanced sound at any level and distortion-free audio.

Reviews of the Best Floor Standing Speakers

1. Polk Audio Signature Series S55 Floorstanding Speakers

Polk Audio Signature Series S55 Floor Standing Speaker (Pair)

The Polk Audio Signature Series S55 Floorstanding Speakers is the ultimate definition of high end hi-fi sound. This pair of speakers are the perfect addition to complete your home theater system. 

The S55 features Polk’s Dynamic Balance acoustic array, to make sure the speakers hit every note in the spectrum. The S55 has 2 speaker drivers with one terylene dome tweeter that are designed to deliver thumping bass and a high frequency response.

The design is stylish and created with one thing in mind – no distortion. The speaker cable, which comes with your purchase, has a plastic jacket wrap around the tips to further reduce distortions.

Pros

Cons

2. Klipsch 2 Pack R-610F Floorstanding Speakers

Klipsch 2 Pack R-610F Floorstanding Home Speaker

The best floorstanding speaker brand will consider those with different budgets. If you are looking for a system within a lower price range, you can consider the Klipsch R-610F speakers. The speakers come in a pair and feature Klipsch’s Tractrix Horn Technology, which focuses the audio to give you maximum clarity.

On top of the Tractrix Horn Technology, the R-610F also features Klipsch’s Linear Travel Suspension tweeter. The aluminum tweeter is lightweight and designed to optimize audio clarity, detail and balance. 

As for the low bass tones, the R-610F has copper spun woofers to emphasize the low rumbles. Created from IMG, or Injection Molded Graphite, you can count on the woofers to deliver amazing precision for the bass.

Pros

Cons

3. KEF Q550 Floorstanding Speaker (Each)

KEF Q550 Floorstanding Speaker

Unfortunately, the price of the KEF Q550 Floor Standing Speaker is only for a single speaker, but that’s what gives it the title of our premium choice.

It’s the smallest choice of the Q series floorstanding speakers from KEF, which also makes it a great choice for those who want the tower speakers design but are limited on space.

These high end premium speakers have a high frequency response and have the “sit anywhere” Uni-Q sound driver array. The unique design of the drivers on the Q550 bring you a more dynamic soundstage and 3D sound no matter where you are sitting in your listening room.

Pros

Cons

4. ELAC Debut 2.0 F6.2 Floorstanding Speaker

ELAC Debut 2.0 F6.2 Floorstanding Speaker

This ELAC speaker earns a place on our list because it’s a three-way design. This means there are separate drivers to handle the high notes, mid range, and bass, which all result in more detailed audio.

The ELAC Debut 2.0 F6.2 Floorstanding Speaker does not come in a set. Our experts suggest purchasing two for the most balanced sound when listening to music and watching movies.

The soft dome tweeter will extend the frequency and the woofer features a weave pattern that will match the high frequency response of the tweeter and mid range.

The rigid cabinets have internal bracing, which will greatly reduce the vibrations and the effect the floorstanding speaker has on the overall audio standard. 

Pros

Cons

5. Sony SSCS3 3-Way Floorstanding Speaker (Single)

Sony SSCS3 3-Way Floor-Standing Speaker

Although this is another speaker that doesn’t come in a pair, the price point is low enough to still make this one of the more affordable options on the market. The lower price point doesn’t keep this speaker from having a high end appearance or high quality audio.

As a 3-way speaker, the Sony SSCS3 3-Way Floorstanding Speaker has separate drivers for the high, mid and low sounds. With state of the art technology such as super tweeters and foamed mica-cellular diaphragm woofers, the SSCS3 outdo bookshelf speakers and other tower speakers by a mile.

The high resolution audio will bring you the best listening experience a new tower speaker can offer.

Pros

Cons

6. Fluance Signature Series Hi-Fi Three-Way Floorstanding Tower Speakers

Fluance Signature Series Hi-Fi Three-Way Floorstanding Tower Speakers

The Fluance Hi-Fi Tower Speakers are created with not only good, but the best components to ensure your music and movies are delivered to the best of its abilities. There are dual 8-inch woofers that will satisfy bass lovers with clean and deep bass tones.

To balance the bass, the neodymium tweeters will clarify the high frequencies and the midrange is taken care of by the mid range driver, straight from a woven glass fiber cone.

The cabinets are also constructed with audio precision in mid and made from high quality MDF wood to boost audio precision.

Pros

Cons

Floor Standing Speakers Buyer’s Guide

How did we determine which floorstanding speakers were good enough to make it onto our list? Our experts are here to answer that question by breaking down what to look for when buying the best floor standing speaker.

The excellent loudspeakers you can buy will always be made out of the best materials, suited for a long lifespan in your living room. Aside from the construction and the design, what else should you want?

Design and Size

As said above, the quality of your new pair of speakers depends on the materials used and the overall design. You don’t need Dolby Atmos[1] to be one of the best speakers, what matters is how the floorstanding speakers were made.

For starters, the cabinet should be optimized to reduce vibrations, which will increase audio accuracy and reduce distortion.

Parts of Polk Audio Signature Series S55 Floor Standing Speaker (Pair)

Good materials to look for regarding the cabinet is rigid and has internal bracing. Also look for MDF wood, which will help improve audio precision. The design of the housing should help the audio relay and not hinder it.

A removable grille can be considered a hindrance, so looking for a design with an option that’s removable will give you the option to enjoy louder sound.

Then there is the consideration of a 2-way, 3-way or even 4-way design, but our experts will dive into more detail on that in a bit.

Another major consideration is the size of your new floorstanding speakers. You need to consider the layout of your home and the rest of your system. If you are looking to assemble a full home theater setup by adding your new tower, then  you probably have the space to spare.

For those who don’t put too much thought into the amount of room available, the diversity of your new speaker options  greatly increases. However, if you are short on space, our team suggests smaller designs, such as the Q550 series.

Setup and Placement

Elaborating on the above point, the placement of your new speakers will depend on how much room you have. If you are considering floorstanding speakers, then it’s safe to assume that you have a mid to large-sized room.

If you have a small room, our experts suggest looking at bookshelf speakers, which can also be converted into tower speakers with an additional stand.

KEF Q550 Floorstanding Speakers in black in a living room

The tower speakers should go at the front of the room, on either side of your entertainment unit. To get the best sound, try angling them slightly towards your listening spot. Our team also advises purchasing a pair of floorstanding speakers rather than just a single option for more balanced audio.

Keep the speakers away from the wall and corners with a few inches of leeway. This is so the audio has enough space to travel and not be muffled by the acoustics.

Aside from the placement of your speakers, another aspect that factors into the placement is your home furniture. The furnishings you have in your listening room can affect the music and movies in a good or bad way.

Anything such as large couches and armchairs can absorb the sound while flat surfaces, tiled floors and bare walls can bounce the sound around too much.

Do you need an amp? If you go for a passive speaker option, then you need an external amplifier, or amp for short. Active or powered speakers come with their own amp built-in.

ELAC Debut 2.0 F6.2 Floorstanding Speaker Pair

Having an external amp will affect your placement and the amount of space you have to work with. Therefore, a good solution for those who have small rooms is to go for an active speaker option.

Our experts remind you that active speakers are often heavier than passive ones because of the included amp. You can play around with the placement because floorstanding tower speakers are often portable, even though they are quite large and heavy, they are not fixed in place.

Sound Quality

Some tower speakers include advanced audio technologies such as Atmos and DTS. Others rely on brand specific technology such as Linear Suspension, horn loaded drivers and Tractrix Horn. Whether you have the help of these proprietary bonuses, the good news is that’s not the only thing you should look for.

The construction and build of your full-range speaker will have influence over the audio as well. For example, copper spun cerametallic woofers will have even better sound than regular ones. Silk dome tweeters will push out the high frequencies with more precision.

The drivers should have the right amount of rigidity and flexibility along with the cabinets to balance the sound relays. To get the best audio, you need overall quality construction. Look into speakers with added features to help with the audio quality. 

The cable you use will also affect the audio standards. If you need long wires, our team suggests the thick 12 or 14 gauge speaker wires. They are also the best to support high-powered speakers and low impedance options.

Power Rating

Many people think the power rating is directly related to how loud the speaker is, while that is correct, there is more to consider. The power rating of speakers are identified in two different categories: the RMS and the peak power. 

Polk Audio Signature Series S55 Floor Standing Speaker (Pair) Big Sound

Both refer to how much wattage one speaker can push out, but one refers to the continuous output and the other is what the speaker can support in short bursts. You will find that one figure is higher than the other, sometimes doubling in amount. 

The RMS is the continuous power and the one you should pay more attention to. This number will reveal how much power your speakers can put out when you pay at average volume. The peak power is the maximum power output of your speakers.

If you don’t intend on damaging them anytime soon, our audio team does not recommend blasting your speakers at peak power over a long period.

Sensitivity of Speakers

Now that you understand the speaker wattage, we will move on to more statistics such as the sensitivity. In short, the sensitivity is the efficacy of your speakers.

Frequency Response

The frequency response is how well your speakers can produce the highs and lows. The measurements for frequency response are Hertz or Hz and kiloHertz kHz. The wider the frequency spectrum is for your speaker, the better it is at producing more detailed sound.

KEF Q550 Floorstanding Speakers in a living room setup (white)

Remember when we said the power rating is somewhat responsible for how loud your speakers are but there is more involved? The figure to really pay attention to for loudness is the sensitivity.

The speaker sensitivity is measured in decibels, or dB for short. It pertains to how loud your speakers are and how well they process signals with a certain amount of power.

There is no standard for the sensitivity of speakers, so our experts will give you a suggested range: anywhere between 88 to 90 dB is a good place to start.

Do not go lower than that figure if you want to get top quality audio. The higher the dB rating, the louder your speakers will be. With that logic, you will need a higher dB rating in your system if you have a larger room.

Drivers

Our experts will touch on what drivers are before we go into the different types of floor standing speakers. The driver is basically the point of sound emission on your speaker. Go for full upward firing speakers for the highs and low firing for the lows. 

As our experts have said, to ensure great sound and understand how well your speakers can produce audio, you have to review the materials used for construction. Only the best materials can produce great music and movie audio.

Three-Way Floor Standing Speakers

Remember we talked about the kind of speakers that can rage from 2, 3 or even 4-way speakers? 3-way floor standing speakers are common and are also considered the standard of tower speakers. They are a step above the two-way speakers, which we will elaborate on later.

KEF Q550 Floorstanding Speaker (Each, Black)

3-way floor speakers, also considered full spectrum speakers, have a dedicated tweeter for the high notes, one for the mids and a woofer for the bass. If you like a balanced and dynamic soundstage, then you need 3-way speakers.

Four-way speakers are less common but are also available. In theory, they produce even more accurate sound, thanks to the presence of a super tweeter which takes care of the highest pitched notes. However, a poorly constructed 4-way speaker will have nothing on a well-built 3-way.

Two-Way Floor Standing Speakers

As you can imagine, two-way floorstanding speakers are lacking in diversity. The 2-way option lacks the mid range driver for the middle of the sound spectrum. How do 2-way speakers portray the mid tones you ask? The tweeter and the subwoofer have to work together to compensate for it. 

As you can imagine, this creates lower precision for your music and movie content. The bass from the woofer will also be less accurate because part of the woofer’s role is to deliver on the mids.

The same can be said about the tweeter, the accuracy is diluted because it also needs to accommodate for the lack of mids.

Our experts suggest getting the 3-way over the 2-way speakers any day of the week. However, your choice should still be contingent on the quality of the build. Similar to what we said above, a well-built 2-way speaker can surpass the performance of a lower end 3-way.

Price

Our experts always consider people with different budgets when selecting the best floor standing speakers. We have options that are suited for small to large rooms and also have compact options such as the Q550.

Fluance Signature Series Hi-Fi Three-Way Floorstanding Tower Speakers

The price hinges on many things including the type of speaker, the materials, the acoustic technologies and of course, the brand. Our experts will never suggest sacrificing the quality for the price, as there are many high end options that are still affordable.

Another thing to pay attention to is whether the speakers come in a dual combo or as a single. Many consumers don’t read the label carefully enough and end up with only one single expensive speaker. Just because the price is expensive doesn’t mean it’s only one speaker and vice versa, so it pays off to read the description in detail.

If your budget permits, our team always recommends going for two speakers rather than one. This will allow you to assemble a full home theater system and create stereo sound. Two speakers doesn’t always mean a higher price, as there are some options that are very affordable.

Warranty

Whether or not you go for an affordable option, floor standing tower speakers will still cost hundreds of dollars. For something of this price, you would expect some sort of guarantee or warranty. In fact, it’s one of the factors our experts suggest you have.

ELAC Debut 2.0 F6.2 Floorstanding Speaker,

With so many components and parts in a system, the entire setup could break down if one small thing goes wrong. A good way to ensure your system runs smoothly and efficiently is with a warranty.

The longer the warranty the better, and we suggest you make sure it covers all the parts that are more likely to break down such as the drivers.

One-year warranties are the industry standard, but our team has seen some brands offer warranties for a lifetime. We are the last people to suggest purchasing a product just for the brand, but there is something to be said about renowned brands and their ability to stand behind their products.

Manufacturers that can offer extended warranties also show consumers that they stand behind their product 100%, thus increasing the reliability of the speakers.

Don’t be discouraged if you have your eyes set on a set of two tower loudspeakers that do not have a lifetime warranty. There is plenty you can do to prolong the life of your speakers.

For one thing, you can play it within the suggested power output and remember that the peak power is for short bursts and not consistent playing.

FAQ

What is the best floor standing speakers?

The best floor standing speakers are the Polk Audio Signature Series S55. They have an ergonomic and high end design that redefines hi-fi sound. The Dynamic Balance Acoustic Array consists of drivers that will work together to bring you a wide soundstage. Combine that with Polk’s patented Power Port Technology for a higher bass response and you will get great sound for your home theater. 

How do I choose a floor standing speaker?

You choose a floor standing speaker by paying attention to the construction, materials, sound quality and design. Go for 3-way speakers over 2-way if you like more accurate sound. Copper spun woofers and silk dome tweeters along with proprietary technology will not only give you good sound, but match your expectations in other areas such as longevity.

Can you put floor standing speakers on stands?

Yes, you can put floor standing speakers on stands. Some come with a base that elevates the whole speaker, which will help the tweeter, mid range and woofer hit the notes without vibrations. It’s best to keep your floor standing speakers a few inches away from the walls as well, which will affect the boundary gain.

Our Top Pick For a Floor Standing Speaker: Polk Audio Signature Series S55

Polk Audio Signature Series S55 Floor Standing Speaker (Pair)

Our team’s pick for best floor standing speakers is the Polk Audio S55. Not only is the set of 2 relatively affordable, it is also capable of delivering surround sound. The speaker pair has a removable grille for those who like it off. Polk’s patented Power Port Technology will help with the deep bass tones if you like heavy rumbles and vibrations.

The S55 has virtually no distortion and only brings you complete full-range audio for all your content. The rounded design and metal feet will protect its surrounding fixtures and the setup is easy with the included 14-gauge speaker cable.

The post What is the Best Floor Standing Speaker? Experience High-Caliber Sound System At Home [2021] appeared first on The Product Analyst.



from The Product Analyst https://theproductanalyst.com/best-floor-standing-speakers/

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