Jump to content
IGNORED

The Never Ending Equipment Cycle: Speakers


Recommended Posts

I like little monitors also.....when I absolutely can't have a floor stander.

I think it was Harry Pearson from Absolute Sound that put it best "If a speaker cannot reproduce the fundamentals (bass) of an orchestra then it can't reproduce music".

 

I won't go that far but you get my drift *s*, I would rather have a speaker that sounded very good with all music (double bass included) than one that played one

thing exceptionally. I think that bass is THE foundation most music and if you

don't have it you simply don't have all he music. You may want to try that argument out with your wife, it has worked for me for years. *s*

 

David

Link to comment

"...my much loved better half announced to me that she really didn't like the sound of the Maggie 1.7s as much as I do, and worse, they were just too damn big for the living room."

 

I was afraid of this. It happened to me...

 

Good luck. I can't wait to see what you choose.

 

Vinyl: Rega P3-24 (a red one), Rega Exact, Mistral phono preamp, Kimber Hero WBT - Server: Mac Mini 2.66 Core2 Duo, 8GB addressable RAM, Lion 10.7.4, iTunes 10.6.3, Pure Music 1.86, Halide Bridge, Rega DAC, Kimber Hero WBT, Denon AVR-2807, pre-out to Theta Dreadnaught, Kimber 8TC, Linn Majik Isobariks "Passive Bi-Amped" and Linn Ekwalls for surround

Link to comment

Paul .. have you considered the Mark & Daniel Ruby? They may not be very well known but have garnered some good reviews in the past few years. The guys at 6 Moons have reviewed several M&D models including the Ruby. They are made of composite marble so the look may not be right for you & your wife. I have a pair in white sitting on black stands and the look is very sleek & modern .. stunning actually. The sound? Equally stunning.

 

http://www.mark-daniel.com/Pro_En.asp?ProID=15

 

Funny, I recently bought the MMGs as a change from my monitors and love them. Kind of fun to have different types of loudspeakers around to play with. Both offer great sound, different presentation. My other speaker pair is an omni .. Ohm Acoustic Microwalsh. Love this hobby. Good luck. Have fun.

 

Link to comment

I wouldn't have brought this up but since jackfish mentioned the Vandersteen 2 & 3's. I can confirm that they are both excellent choices. Looks wise, I don't think you will be able to get them but I have both and think they are quite a bit better than the 1.7. Just to note, I did have a pair of 1.7's myself so I was able to compare them side by side. With Vandersteen though, its easy to get good sound but if you want great sound, you really have to match your electronics properly, as well as good setup. For some other choices, I don't see why a small floorstander would not be OK because they take up about the same space. Some brands I would look at are Spendor, DeVore, Monitor Audio, JM Labs (Focal). I'm sure there are some other brands in your price range that are good as well. If I think of any more, I will post them. Also, if you are looking for the large image size that you are used to with the 1.7's, you can retain most, if not all of it by the type of electronics you use.

 

Link to comment

Hi Paul......I know we don't see eye to eye on a lot of topics but I feel your pain with the Maggie's. They really do need a big room with large distances between boundaries to allow for their dipole radiation to work properly. I lived with a set of 1.6Qrs for a while and sadly I was sorry to see them go but it was for the better.

 

There's a new school of thought where instead of relying on room treatments and other limiting factors to get an accurate response at the listening position, instead to use a speaker system that has a high or near constant level of directivity. In this case, the HF device is mated to a waveguide which solves quite a fee problems inherent to conventional tweeters flush mounted on a baffle. The most recent work is quite ground breaking and there's not a lot to choose from in the commercial market.

 

One company that's been pioneering constant directivity systems is Amphion. I auditioned a pair a few years back and my entire outlook on speaker system was changed forever. Take a look at their offerings on their site and if you can find a dealer, I strongly suggest you take a listen. The interesting thing about a waveguide CD system is it hardens itself to what you hear with a great set of headphones as except for the lowest octaves, they almost totally eliminate the room's interaction on the sound. How they sound in your dealers room is how they'll sound in yours as long as basic placement guidelines are practiced. I can't say I own a pair of Amphions as they were Unobtanium at the time but as a speaker system designer, I worked with what I learned from Amphion and research from others working with waveguide systems and have since built over 6 systems all consisting of waveguide/constant directivity principles with each system a step above the previous.

 

I hope you get an opportunity to audition a pair as I'd be surprised if you didn't find them a refreshing change from anything you've ever heard. Amphion also uses top quality Danish drivers known for industry leading motor designs and class leading harmonic distortion measurements. Oh....it doesn't hurt that I think your wife will love the look of the Amphions as well.

 

Link to comment

I don't see why a small floorstander would not be OK because they take up about the same space.

 

A small story from a friend of mine. He and his wife went shopping for a new couch. They narrowed down the selection to two different sofas, then eliminated one. So my friend asks his wife if they want the last sofa.

 

She says "No! It is totally wrong!"

 

My friend, greatly puzzled by this asks what his wife does not like about it. The Color? No, the color was perfect. The fabric? No, she loved the fabric. The shape of the furniture? The pillows? Is it comfortable?

 

Every question came back with a no - that part of the sofa was perfect. My friend finally is ready to give up. The perfect couch is definitely all wrong.

 

In desperation, he asks, is it the legs? Yes- the shape of the legs was totally wrong. Replace the legs with different ones, and its the perfect sofa and they put in the order.

 

My case seems to be similar right now. (*sigh*)

 

We have been looking at speakers on the web and she keeps zeroing in on those PSBs. There is something about them she likes more than anything else. They sound small and boxy to me, but hey...

 

-Paul

 

 

Anyone who considers protocol unimportant has never dealt with a cat DAC.

Robert A. Heinlein

Link to comment

Richard,

 

I have Odyssey power amps (I don't have a Candela, but I have been sorely tempted. Right now I'm pretty happy with the variable out on my DAC.) I don't have any stand mounted monitor recommendations, but small floor-standers really don't take up any more space.

 

The first speakers I used with Odyssey amps were Vandersteen 2ce's. They are great speakers and worked well with the Odysseys. The current edition (2ce Sig II) should be MUCH better. They do sound a little rolled off on top but it's very balanced with the bottom end. If you put them too close to a wall, however, the bass can get boomy.

 

I am currently using Gallo speakers. My dad (who has a mega Vandersteen system) heard them and he listed their strengths as "imaging and clarity", exactly the terms you said you were looking for. They just came out with a new line that is definitely in your $2-3k price range that would be worth checking out (if you can find a dealer.) They are not overly lush sounding speakers, but they aren't clinical either. Imaging can get really spooky good. The top end does not roll off at all and is very nicely extended.

 

 

 

Roon ->UltraRendu + CI Audio 7v LPS-> Kii Control -> Kii Three

Roon->BMC UltraDAC->Mr Speakers Aeon Flow Open

Link to comment

This whole story / topic / thread is just weird.

 

Any decent speaker that can compare with the Maggies is going to be similarly sized, or at least take up the same general space.

 

Little box speakers can shine sometimes (usually in the demo room) but always end up sounding like, well, little box speakers.

 

Definitely don't get some little box speakers and A/B them with the Maggies. Then you WILL be mad.

 

Sac up dood. If you like the Maggies, keep em.

 

 

 

Regards,[br]Rob McCance[br]Audiophile, Engineer for Cadence Design Systems, and Founder of Atlanta Real Estate Info[br]Mac Mini w/ Pure Music+iTunes>>Audiophilleo2>>Metrum Octave>>Passive Attenuator>>GFA555II>>JBL6332

Link to comment

Hows' the M51 doing?

 

I finally got the Metrum Octave and I'm on day 6 of the 24/7 continuos play burn in period. When it's completely burned in and I'm very familiar with it, I will go borrow the M51 (also burned in) from a local shop and do the ole Alpha-Bravo.

 

The Metrum is really solid so far though, at least after about day 3.

 

 

 

Regards,[br]Rob McCance[br]Audiophile, Engineer for Cadence Design Systems, and Founder of Atlanta Real Estate Info[br]Mac Mini w/ Pure Music+iTunes>>Audiophilleo2>>Metrum Octave>>Passive Attenuator>>GFA555II>>JBL6332

Link to comment

Paul, my friend, though I can unhesitatingly recommend Vandersteens as some of the very best sounding full range speakers you will get in your price range, I very much doubt you can fit them in to either your room or your WAF. A foot from the back wall is not where the 2Ces, which have a rear-firing bass radiator, like to be for good, balanced sound. (The manual has a *very* thorough section on placement - I've got mine measured to 1/16" tolerances on distance to side and rear walls, toe-in and vertical plumb. I'm not at home now, so I don't recall the exact measurement from the back wall, but it is around 3 feet.) And re the WAF, they look like big black totems, being mostly black grill cloth (you can get beige, but almost no one does) and a smidge of wood veneer on the top and bottom. Seeing a picture of the PSBs, which are smallish with lots of lovely wood, and could pass for furniture accent pieces, the Vandys are pretty much the opposite. Guess you could ask her and see, but my guess as to your chances is slim. I would say that you ought to have a listen at a dealer, though (sure there is one or more in Austin), because they are worth it.

 

I wish I could remember the name of the mini-monitors with the *huge* sound I heard at the NY Audio Show this past weekend; I think they were a European make and around $1000. Anyone else at the show recall?

 

One never knows, do one? - Fats Waller

The fairest thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science. - Einstein

Computer, Audirvana -> optical Ethernet to Fitlet3 -> Fibbr Alpha Optical USB -> iFi NEO iDSD DAC -> Apollon Audio 1ET400A Mini (Purifi based) -> Vandersteen 3A Signature.

Link to comment

For your budget or a little more you might be able to get a pair of used Devore Gibbon Super 8's. They are small floorstanders, and take up exactly the same space as typical monitors on stands.

 

I replaced my Sonus Faber monitors with them, and they are better in just about every way - deeper bass, better tone, more efficient, and even better imaging.

 

Main listening (small home office):

Main setup: Surge protector +>Isol-8 Mini sub Axis Power Strip/Isolation>QuietPC Low Noise Server>Roon (Audiolense DRC)>Stack Audio Link II>Kii Control>Kii Three (on their own electric circuit) >GIK Room Treatments.

Secondary Path: Server with Audiolense RC>RPi4 or analog>Cayin iDAC6 MKII (tube mode) (XLR)>Kii Three .

Bedroom: SBTouch to Cambridge Soundworks Desktop Setup.
Living Room/Kitchen: Ropieee (RPi3b+ with touchscreen) + Schiit Modi3E to a pair of Morel Hogtalare. 

All absolute statements about audio are false :)

Link to comment

I still think you should look at and listen to the Paradigm Signature 1, v3. With their dedicated stands and in gloss black the WAF is very high. They do not produce low bass, but I find them sufficiently wide range for classical listening. If you are a bass fanatic, you may need to add a sub at some point. Regards

 

Link to comment

Hi Jud-

 

A most accurate summation. The Maggie's were slightly over three feet out from the wall, and I do not wish to duplicate the same problem. Not entirely sure where those "sofa legs" are at in this case.

 

The Vandys sound beautiful, have heard them in several installations around town, and I could easily live with them. You suggestion is spot on about that.

 

Klaus at Odyssey has some beautiful speakers done by a master cabinet maker, and Karen is being very resistant about those too. I am thinking that the size is probably just as important to Karen as the look, which I know is über important.

 

Let me know if you remember those speakers!

 

Paul

 

 

Anyone who considers protocol unimportant has never dealt with a cat DAC.

Robert A. Heinlein

Link to comment

Monitor Audio has always produced good looking cabinetry. My wife wouldn't allow any of my first choices in speakers in the house (Vandersteens, Martin Logans, Maggies etc) but really liked the Silver RX8s in walnut. I have grown to like them and MA makes stand mounts as well as floor standers. Maybe something small in the Gold or Platinum series would work for you.

tomE[br]Bryston BDP-1, Bryston BDA-1, Oppo BDP-95, Rogue Audio Sphinx, Montor Audio Silver RX8s. [br]Analog: LP12, Alphason HR100S, Benz Micro LO04 and Rogue audio Triton phono pre

Link to comment

I know they don't fall into your price range but I do believe that they warrant an audition. A lot of folks have mixed feelings about the looks, my wife likes the look though. There are numerous reviews online, but I would say go and listen, you might just decide to spend a bit more than you budgeted for.

 

Happy hunting.

Link to comment

I had the same debate with my wife about a year ago and settled for the B&W CM8, in white (her favorite color for furniture), but they also have several nice wooden finishes and piano black, as well as magnetic grilles. They really look quite sexy, I receive compliments from every guest to my place.

 

Really excellent value for money in terms of sound as well, clearly won't beat the Maggies on resolution (I demoed them as well, but WAF was 0), but excellent mid-range thanks to the FST driver (voices are just BEAUTIFUL). Issue is that they need a lot of juice to drive them correctly (dips below 4 ohms), but your Odyssey looks like it's up for it.

Link to comment
Were they the Sjöfn HiFi (the clue) ...???

 

That's it! Paul, check out the online reviews - I think these may be the answer for you. I've read a little about the components that go into these, and my reaction is wonderment at the relatively low price.

One never knows, do one? - Fats Waller

The fairest thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science. - Einstein

Computer, Audirvana -> optical Ethernet to Fitlet3 -> Fibbr Alpha Optical USB -> iFi NEO iDSD DAC -> Apollon Audio 1ET400A Mini (Purifi based) -> Vandersteen 3A Signature.

Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now



×
×
  • Create New...