First of all, you have to be honest with yourself.

Or, if you’re shopping at Audio Emporium, please be honest with us.

What do I mean by this?

We know our products really well- speakers most specifically. Loudspeakers each have their own personality. I’d love to get you speakers that are best for YOU- which isn’t necessarily the one that’s the best for me, or your best buddy.

Yes, we want to sell speakers and other products to make a living. But I want to be sure you get something that fits you like a glove. I want you to love your Audio Emporium speakers so you’ll know that when you’re up for your next product, we can hit the nail on the head again.

With this in mind, let’s approach speaker shopping.

What Kind of Music Do You Enjoy To Most?

How Loudly Do You Want To Play It?

What’s The Size Of Your Room?

Is It In Your Basement?

These seem like simple questions.

For some reason when guys visit a hi-fi store they think we’ll think poorly of them if they don’t say “classical or jazz.”

When I ask how loudly you like it, a lot of visitors will say, “I never listen loudly.”

But when I put the iPad in their hand to select music, I often hear “Money” or “Hey 19” at 95dB plus. We all like PF and Steely Dan. What’s wrong with saying so? Let’s get for speakers that will fill the bill.

A small room doesn’t need as much speaker, or power as a large one.

Your basement is an EXTRA CHALLENGING environment because it’s a concrete slab, even if you dress it up. With all of this in mind…

Klipsch

The Klipsch family of speakers is born and bread for classic rock. They can play other music too, of course. But K is all about high efficiency and low distortion.

When you attend a rock concert there will always be a pile of horn speakers on the stage,

if not out in center field. An electric guitar or keyboard has no sound without its amplification. You couldn’t hear a singer in a pop/rock show without amplification as well. You’re always hearing the singer and these instruments through horn based speakers. That’s what Klipsch is all about. K is faithful in its reproduction of this music.

If you play classic rock through inefficient speakers… you’re just kidding yourself. They simply cannot have the speed and explosive heights that make this music FUN.

We like the Klipsch Heritage family of speakers best. They’re made in Arkansas. They have enormous octane and you don’t need a Herculean amp to drive them. They have a vintage CLASSIC look and they’re beautiful in your living room.

Klipsch makes the Reference Premier 2 line of speakers that they design here and make in China. That’s what it takes to land a muscular tower HERE for $1200-1800 per pair. If you’re a classic rocker first and foremost, it’s really tough to beat something in the Klipsch family.

Bryston

Bryston speakers have enormous power capability. They actually have significantly DEEPER bass than Klipsch. Brystons are designed and made in Bryston’s own factory in Canada with a 20 year warranty.

Bryston’s sonic flavor is SMOOTHER than Klipsch. They are more accurate in their depiction of acoustic instruments and unamplified voices. Bryston’s bass goes THROUGH your floor boards!

Bryston actually serves a wider variety of music well- compared to almost any other line. They have the power that rock demands, yet their acoustic reproduction is quite neutral.

Bryston speakers need a lot more power than K. But guess what? Bryston makes phenomenal amps as well, which also have a 20 year warranty. If you can swing a Bryston amp, buy one!

Yet, I’ll be the first to tell you that getting the right speakers is job one. If you can’t also afford a Bryston amp for $6000-7500, there are good, less expensive options.

NAD

Exhibit A, is NAD. NAD makes a family of integrated amps and power amps that WILL do justice to Bryston, or other mid level efficiency speakers.

The NAD Classic models are downright inexpensive. The NAD Masters are about half way from the Classic line to Bryston or Mac.

Regardless of your choice of speakers, there is going to be an NAD amp that makes sense for you at reasonable money.

Again, I want to get the speakers right for you first. If we need to save a few bucks on the amplification, let’s do it. It makes sense.

Amphion

Amphion of Finland is for the listener who loves his acoustic music at less than frightful volume levels. Amphion has paid exquisite attention to all the fine details of speaker building to get musical timbre, texture and spacing RIGHT. The authentic nature of Amphion with the human voice or grand piano is simply beautiful to behold.

The air, space and IMMEDIACY that Amphion brings to your music brings goose bumps where you didn’t know you had them. Amphion has a unique cardiod dispersion pattern that obviates the need for a perfect listening room. Who has one of those anyway?

Whether big or small, all of the Amphions have this gorgeous character and intimacy of sound.

We don’t hold it against Amphion that they’re not made to play as loud as Klipsch or Bryston. For the customer who wants the utmost in affordable transparency, you owe it to yourself to hear Amphion.

JL Audio Subwoofers

Powered subwoofers absolutely have a place in our two channel world. JL subs, built like a brick outhouse in Florida, are in a class of their own. JL driver construction is unsurpassed. Their cabinets are all SEALED for tightness.

They’re the most real sounding subs for music that you can get. Don’t be fooled by little active drivers with passives- compared to a JL. JL will leave them quaking in their boots.

JL will fill any niche.

If you like your rock and roll at full figured volume levels, it DEFINITELY makes sense to add a JL to a Klipsch. The Ks are uber dynamic and fast. But their bass needs to be bolstered by a JL sub.

If you like kettle drums that simply appear out of your floor, add a JL to ANY wing speakers and get ready to be impressed.

And for you Amphion lovers…who appreciate the spacing and transparent immediacy that Amphion best brings to the party- a JL will augment the bottom as the wings cannot.

Wings & Subs

Wing speakers are your main right and left speakers.

Few wing speakers go deep enough to give you REAL bass. Bryston… is one notable exception!

Wings mated with a sub makes GREAT sense for people who want to start with affordable wings. You can buy gorgeous Amphions for $1900-3200. Add a JL for $1300-1900 and you’ve got an amazing transducer combination that makes sense for anything this side of high level rock & roll.

If you DO want your classic rock at PUSH levels, consider whichever K or Bryston you can afford- and toss a JL underneath to move your floorboards. Depending on the Bryston, you just might not need a JL!

Big Time Towers

If you simply want a right and left tower to run the gamut, look no further than Bryston. From roughly $3-12k, Bryston makes a wide array of muscular towers that can move the tectonic plates within your neighborhood.

What you typically get for $5-6k on down is a Chinese built tower that will sound like a rattle trap if you turn em up. That ain’t Bryston!

Further, Brystons are not priced like Wilsons or Magicos- fine products that push $30k on up for anything you’d actually want.

And even then, Bryston’s Model T takes a back seat to nobody. Even the entry level Bryston towers for just over $3k have prodigious bass. You won’t believe what they can deliver!