I'm thinking about selling my S3100s and making a move on those Ti10Ks ..............

[Tweak48]

.......on the Harman site if they're still available and if I thought I could get my money out of my S3100s.

I thought the 3100s sounded pretty good (better than the L-300s they replaced) but not outstanding. A lack of HF extension and so-so bass (these were not the series II versions with the upgraded crossover and HF driver). And ever since I replaced the carpet with hardwood floors in the living room the soundstage is smeared and the bass took a turn for the worse. As you can see I also have rather hard walls and no drapes. I was hoping the Ti's might fix some of that.

Any opinions on whether this would be a step up?

Is it realistic to think I could sell the S3100s in the mid $2K area?

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t181/tweak48/HiFiStuff/DSC_0282.jpg (http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t181/tweak48/HiFiStuff/DSC_0282.jpg)

[MikeBrewster77]

If you plan on placing them in the same position, I'd very honestly tell you to save your money.

[HCSGuy]

I think $1,700ea for "Reconditioned" Ti10k's is awfully steep. I've never heard them, but own Ti2k's and love them, especially the highs, so I do think the Ti10k's might give you something you feel you've been lacking. Sorry you don't like the S3100's - I think they're a real gem and image better than any of the older JBL horn's I've heard. Have you considered something newer - Array800's on stands with a PS1400 or two would get you the great highs, some dispersion control to help the room and imaging, plus great bass. I think I've seen them on audiogon for $2600 or so per pair.

If you sell your 3100's, $2500 or so might be possible if they're clean. They don't come up for sale very often, but I think a pair sold last Christmas for around $1,800 that were fairly well worn. Hope this helps...

[hjames]

Surely does sound like you have a room problem.
Changing speakers is not the cure for a room problem.
Trying room treatments is the usual solution for a room problem.

There are nicer looking solutions for room issues - recommend you look into that first
before swapping out speakers you liked once for an unknown replacement.




.......on the Harman site if they're still available and if I thought I could get my money out of my S3100s.

I thought the 3100s sounded pretty good (better than the L-300s they replaced) but not outstanding.
A lack of HF extension and so-so bass (these were not the series II versions with the upgraded crossover and HF driver).
And ever since I replaced the carpet with hardwood floors in the living room the soundstage is smeared
and the bass took a turn for the worse. As you can see I also have rather hard walls and no drapes.
I was hoping the Ti's might fix some of that.

Any opinions on whether this would be a step up?

Is it realistic to think I could sell the S3100s in the mid $2K area?

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t181/tweak48/HiFiStuff/DSC_0282.jpg (http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t181/tweak48/HiFiStuff/DSC_0282.jpg)

[ngccglp]

I would try to get back the L300. The sparkle of the 2405 is something the S3100 nor the 4430 lacks.

[MikeBrewster77]

FWIW, I think it's largely a moot point as I believe there is still only a single unit for sale (at least there was the last time I checked.) Correspondingly, the limited availability of this model in the market as a whole is why I'm not a bigger advocate of what I feel is an absolutely fantastic loudspeaker that does a whole lot more right than it does wrong. That said, it has been one of the most challenging to integrate into a room I've ever encountered, thus my earlier caution about placement. Seriously, if you're even considering shoving these in corners, look for another solution. Trust me, there is a reason mine are now set up (and thriving) in my basement while the PS stacks do a marvelous job of providing amazing sound in the small(ish) family room.

I think Heather's advice of trying to find ways to better manage the room is completely on point.

As an aside, I think the pricing is fine. I'm pretty sure that's what I paid for mine, one of which was a refurb and one of which was NIB/NOS. You could definitely do a whole lot worse for a whole lot more money.

[Robh3606]

Where do you sit to listen to them??

Rob

[Tweak48]

Where do you sit to listen to them??

Rob

HI Rob-

I sit at the far end of the coffee table on some wooden steps next to a baby grand piano, similar to the ones you see on the right of the photo (about 13 feet from the speakers); it's a sunken living room.

The speakers grills are about 15-17 inches from both the back and side walls. I could pull them out a few inches more but not much more before they start interfering with the traffic flow in the room.

I know that this room is not set up for critical listening, but I would like to make some improvements if at all possible. To Ms. James point, I could fit some of those corner echo traps over where I sit without messing up the decor. I'll give that a try.

Mike as for the PS stacks, are you referring to the PT-800/sub combination? Apparently you can build a pair for just a little over $3k on the Harman site, but after calling Harman, it looks like the Ti and the PTs are gone. Guess they don't update their website often. From the sound of it Harman uses a India based call center staffed with folks with serious ESL challenges so I'm not sure what the real story is.

[MikeBrewster77]

The speakers grills are about 15-17 inches from both the back and side walls. I could pull them out a few inches more but not much more... I don't mean to belabor this point, but I shall because it's really, really important: this will not work for the Ti10Ks. The sixes, maybe (don't know - don't own 'em/never heard 'em) but definitely not for the big brother of the series. Bear in mind that from the apex of the curved back to the floating grill, the Ti10Ks are already ~2ft deep; now add in that (at least in my experience) you need to have them minimally 18 inches from a back wall. Oh, and they don't like to be near side walls either. Maybe they could be tamed with the use of subs and the right crossover point (I did this for a while - n.b., you're going to need a high-quality sub to keep up) or through lots of room treatment; I admittedly did find that the EZSet EQ on the HK990 also helped significantly when I ran them full range, but again, that was with the grills already ~4ft into the room.

I only reiterate because it would truly suck for you to buy them and then hate them because of placement issues - they're far too good a speaker for that, and correspondingly, I'm sure your money could be far better spent.



Mike as for the PS stacks, are you referring to the PT-800/sub combination?

:yes: The combination of their versatility and sound quality is just about unparalleled, as least as far as anything else I've seen/heard in the price range


Apparently you can build a pair for just a little over $3k on the Harman site, but after calling Harman, it looks like the Ti and the PTs are gone.

:o: Sorry about that. First I go and get the last pair of Ti10K's and then I quite possibly took the last two PS1400s. If the PT800s are what's lacking, though, well that wasn't me - I had those already. I'd certainly keep an eye on the site; PS gear seems to show up fairly frequently. However, as my grandmother used to say, 'I wouldn't hold my hand on my ass waiting' for more TiK stuff to materialize anytime soon.


Guess they don't update their website often. From the sound of it Harman uses a India based call center staffed with folks with serious ESL challenges so I'm not sure what the real story is.

This is sadly true and I've [unfortunately] had the displeasure of dealing with them each of the three times I've ordered from Harman direct. Parenthetically, it's worth noting that if you wind up talking to someone stateside, they're awesome to deal with - that is, if there is actually anyone left stateside (and sadly I don't mean that tongue in cheek - I really don't know if there is.) If it were I, I'd be sorely tempted to throw the items in my cart, checkout, and see what happens. The last time I tried to order two of something and there was only one unit, the site simply wouldn't let me do it (it kept reverting back to one in the quantity field every time I entered two and hit update.) Given that, I'm not entirely sure India knows what they're talking about. That said, I'm also apparently not as risk-averse as I think when it comes to this kinda stuff, and I do realize that pulling the trigger, hoping for the best, and just assuming that they'd ultimately have no choice but to issue a refund if the items weren't available isn't everyone's cup of tea.