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Lookin' for Treble...


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[de dum de dum DUM]...hope I've come to the right place (insert Elvis sneer).

 

I love and appreciate high-end audio. But alas, in my reality I have to be a budget audio enthusiast. Still, I would love this group's input on my next purchase. Here's the sityo: My main stereo currently sports Paradigm Reference Model 60 speakers. I know they pale in comparison to the systems I see listed here, but they seemed to have the right listening profile at my price-point 10 years ago. They have retained their resale value well over the years. Now I am making bigger dough (despite family expenditures), and am looking for the worthy upgrade. I am not absolutely set on a price limit -- let's say $4000/pair.

 

My collection contains many styles of music, but when any song is playing, my brain primarily tries to tune to all mid-to-high frequency sounds: violins, woodwinds, lead guitar, vocals, and especially percussive instruments like vibes, hi-hat and symbol work. I want those parts crisp, clear, and spacious more than anything. Of course, bass has to be there....but I feel the drone sub-woofer-type bass that comes with many speakers is TOO pronounced. Plus (ahem) we still live in a condo sharing walls with neighbors.

 

I've never owned electrostatics, but my initial listening gravitates towards some Martin Logans. I don't have time to waste listening to models that have no chance, so other ideas to check out would be appreciated!

 

-PC

 

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PSB Synchrony or Imagines. If you have not listened to these guys, find some and listen to 'em. They simply amaze me with how good they are. We use a pair of Imagine B's (the bookshelf version) in our bedroom system, and they produce simply glorious sound. :)

 

They also will probably fit nicely in your budget!

 

 

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

Robert A. Heinlein

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Hi PC - The first speaker that came to my mind was PSB as well. Late last year I had a premiere speaker designer (of a competing product) recommend PSB to me for a pair of reasonably priced speakers.

 

You are also thinking in the right mindset. There is no one speaker that does it all. If you can listen to some electrostats I highly encourage it. One local dealer here carries Martin Logan and Magnepan. He said out of 100 people that come in looking for Martin Logans 99 of them leave with Magnepans. Maggies certainly do sound very good and are a real bargain.

 

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Hi PC,

 

With a $4k budget, my first choice would be the Maggie 1.7s too.

 

However, before getting into speakers (and what something like a Maggie needs to deliver its best), things like room size, speaker/listening position placement, associated gear are things that may need attention. (The ~$2k cost of the 1.7s leaves $2k, in case other changes need to be made in the room/system.)

 

Perhaps this article may be useful to you.

 

With regard to Maggies, in order to get the best from them, they need:

1. lots of air around them; a bare minimum of three or four (more is better) feet behind them

2. good associated gear, including cabling, as they will tell you all about what precedes them in the signal path

3. at least 100 hours of playing music before they begin to show what they can do; good as they sound out of the box, it takes that long before the first hints of their magic start to show up. They don't hit their true stride until they've had about 400 hours of music playing time.

4. they need an amp that can deliver a lot of current into the 4 ohm load they present.

 

The above, especially the first three, are true in my experience, with any good speaker. The better the speaker, the more true I have found it to be.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Best regards,

Barry

www.soundkeeperrecordings.com

www.barrydiamentaudio.com

 

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What are you running for source and amp? A $4000 pair of speakers may be a waste of money. Another important consideration is system synergy. You may come out further ahead by upgrading source and/or amp and going with lower cost speakers.

 

Rob

 

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In the sub $4k market, these are the three I'd recommend you audition:

 

Magnepan 1.7

Reference 3a MM de Capo I

Geddes Abbey 12a

 

If you have/like solid state, I shoot for the Maggies. If you like low-power tubes, I'd shoot for the Ref 3a. An alternative to the latter are the Geddes.

 

All three are great values for the money and seem to bat above their weight class.

 

Enjoy ....

 

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Thank you everyone for your input.

 

The 1.7's sound wonderful. I haven't listened to any planer speakers for several years, but I may be a convert. Yes - airy, clear, and spacious. They seemed to fill the room better than I remember (maybe the new super tweeter have increased the sound stage somewhat). But what really surprised me was the crispness of the lower frequencies. The jazz bass I heard had a satisfying visceral quality that disappeared when switching to some B&W and Focus Audio box speakers. That was one the best "close your eyes and picture the musicians playing in front of you" experiences I've had!

 

The concerns about proper amplification are understood and appreciated. I'm focusing on speakers first, but am willing to upgrade other components to sufficiently drive them. The Magnepan dealer here was running the 1.7's on an NAD receiver...didn't get the model number but it seemed to be working pretty well.

 

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