Top-5 Affordable 3-Way Floorstanding Speakers

Headphones, wireless speakers, and even soundbars have long become familiar companions in the lives of many music enthusiasts. However, when we talk about true audiophile classics, we refer to full-fledged floorstanding acoustic systems in a three-way configuration. It turns out that even today, one can find a model from a well-known manufacturer that fits within a five-figure budget.

To back up our words, here is a selection of the most characteristic examples.

Yamaha NS-777

Japanese company Yamaha gained significant recognition for its musical instruments. Its first piano was manufactured in 1900, and today it is the largest producer of keyboards in the world. Yamaha's range now includes string, wind, and percussion instruments — both acoustic and electric. Yamaha's motorcycle division, which has been producing since 1955, is also well-known. However, we are more interested in the fact that a year earlier, a Hi-Fi class record player with the now-recognizable logo of three crossed tuning forks was released. From that moment until today, Yamaha has been a recognized authority in the world of home electronics.

The NS-777 model, over a meter tall and nearly a quarter of a ton in weight, is equipped with a pair of 8-inch woofers, a 5-inch mid-range driver, and a 1-inch tweeter with an aluminum dome. The crossover frequencies are 1 kHz and 4 kHz, impedance is 6 Ohms, sensitivity is 89 dB, and the nominal amplifier power is 100 W. An interesting detail is that the inside of the speaker uses cables from the American company Monster Cable.

Focal Chora 826

The company Focal was founded in 1979 in Paris by engineer and journalist Jacques Mahul. Initially, acoustic systems were produced under the Focal brand, and speakers under the JMLab brand, but in 2005 it was decided to unite all products under the single Focal brand.

The flagship Utopia series has been in production for over 25 years. We will discuss the budget Chora series, introduced four years ago. The Chora 826 model is the flagship of this line, equipped with a pair of low-frequency drivers and a 6.5-inch midrange driver.

Despite the name Slatefiber, these drivers are made not of slate fiber but of thermoplastic polymer reinforced with non-woven carbon fiber. It uses a proprietary concave tweeter made of aluminum-magnesium alloy.

The crossover frequencies are 270 Hz and 2700 Hz. The minimum impedance is 2.9 Ohms, and sensitivity is 91 dB. The manufacturer specifies the lower limit of the frequency response at 39 Hz, promising impressive low-frequency response in combination with a maximum power of 250 W.

Wharfedale EVO 4.3

Gilbert Arthur Briggs was born in 1890 into the family of Phineas Briggs, a Yorkshire textile worker, and was the eldest of four children. After his father's death in 1899, they were raised by their mother Mary Ann Emsley. After finishing school, Gilbert continued the family tradition in the textile industry. In 1924, he married Doris Edna Mart. The Great Depression impacted the textile industry, leading Briggs to establish an acoustic system manufacturing company in 1932, named after the Wharfe river valley. His wife initially assisted him in assembling speakers.

Recently, Wharfedale introduced the new flagship Elysian series based on its latest developments, followed by the relatively budget EVO fourth-generation lineup.

The entry-level model in this series is the three-way floorstanding EVO 4.3, equipped with a pair of 5-inch low-frequency drivers with Kevlar cones and phase inverters. A 2-inch midrange driver has a woven dome, and the high-frequency driver is a Heil tweeter loaded onto a waveguide on the front panel. Crossover frequencies are 1300 Hz and 4300 Hz. The grilles attach with magnets for a clean facade. The minimum impedance is 4.4 Ohms, sensitivity is 88 dB, and the recommended amplifier power is from 25 to 150 W. The lower frequency response limit is specified at 42 Hz.

Magnat Monitor S70

The German company Magnat was founded 50 years ago by Rainer Haas. The Monitor S70 model is based on a pair of 6.5-inch low-frequency drivers, a mid-range driver of the same diameter, and a 1-inch tweeter.

The crossover frequencies are 400 Hz and 2900 Hz. Sensitivity is stated at 91 dB, with a maximum power of 380 W. The speakers are quite compact: just under a meter tall and weighing 15 kg. This model is almost the ideal budget solution for implementing a full-range acoustic system, achieving the main goal of confident and attractive universal sound without pronounced genre preferences.

HECO Victa Elite 702

The company HECO was founded by Hans Gerhard Hennel in 1949. Initially, it produced radios, and the first acoustic systems under this brand appeared in 1965. The venture was so successful that in 1972, several HECO employees decided to form a separate company, Canton.

The Victa series appeared in the product line in 2006, with the second version released in 2010, and a Prime version introduced in 2013, which was recently updated to the Elite. The model 702 tops the line, well-balanced in all parameters. Within the 3-way design, it features a pair of 170-mm low-frequency drivers, a mid-range driver of the same diameter, and a 1-inch tweeter. The LF and MF diffusers are made of long-fiber kraft paper. The HF driver with a silk dome is complemented by liquid cooling and a waveguide in the form of a wide metal flange to expand the working range and improve matching with the midrange driver.

The enclosure is constructed from MDF panels with internal bracing and curved sides to suppress standing waves and unwanted resonances. Adjustable supports ensure a stable installation. Thanks to the refined design of the bass reflex, the model handles high sound pressure levels without airflow noise.