@ruleof72
You do know you can buy a pair of Treo's or Quatro's used and save a lot of coin. That's what I did.
Bob
You do know you can buy a pair of Treo's or Quatro's used and save a lot of coin. That's what I did.
Bob
$1000-$2000 Floor-standing speakers for larger room w/NAD 326bee
I’m looking for a set of floor-standing speakers for our main listening room. They will be 2 channel music only. They need to be "cat safe" (no fabric on front, or removable grills), able to fill a larger room (20x15 with vaulted ceiling) with decent volume (typical max listening level is 85-90db but a lot of listening is at low volume as well) and efficient enough for a NAD326BEE. Budget is ~$1000-$2000 for the pair. My old speakers in the room were open baffle design (Hawthorne Audio Duets) and I did like the relatively open sound stage they provided. I may move them to a different room or just sell them (they’re too wide for our current configuration in the room and they aren’t too high on the "cat safe" scale). I have a couple of Polk TSi400’s in the room now as "placeholders" until I decide on a permanent pair. Minimum distance between speakers is about 8-10 feet and listening position is about 10 feet from the speakers. The speakers will need to be within about of the wall behind them. The floor is carpeted.
Music is a mix of Jazz, Classic Rock and Classical and sources are turntable and streaming from a Roon server. I live in the Atlanta metro area and
I’ve been out of the speaker hunting game for a while so any suggestions would be very much appreciated!
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Ha! good for you we got our model 7 from Alan at HiFi Buys, love them and yes they are badA we did take over his high end room for 6 hours one day audition power amps while our Labrador slept at our fett so in short my guess is Alan is so customer focused you could ( almost ) move in !!!! what I love most about your Post is the FUN you had |
I made it down to HiFi Buys today and listened to the PSB X1t, the ELAC Uni-Fi UF5 and the new Monitor Silver 200. Based on my short time with each speaker I enjoyed the Monitor’s midrange and imaging the most. They had a nice overall sound but lacked quite a bit in the low end. I’m thinking that might be a deal breaker, but I might be able to get a better low end with the now discontinued Silver 8’s?. The ELAC had a nice overall sound and was especially solid in the lower end. The PSB’s were somewhere in the middle but I think I would enjoy their sound if I had some additional low end presence. I wasn’t able to listen to the PSB X2T because they were still in the back but my guess is that they will have more of the low end presence of the ELAC. On a budget busting note I was able to listen to a set of the new ELAC Adante as well as the Vandersteen Quatro Model 7 MKII and . Here’s my short review of each in order...WOW, WOW WOW WOW, and Holy Crap WOW WOW WOW!!!!!!! The Adante’s were the winner in my mind on a "dollar spent per audio nirvana unit achieved" basis. Simply put, for the $5,000 asking price, you are getting a fantastic speaker. I could almost, possibly, with an extra large tax refund in my pocket, see myself with them in my living room.The Quatro’s were also very impressive but at $14,000 for the pair I can’t drive them to work. The Model 7 MKII’s were massive and absolutely awesome sounding but at $62 grand for the pair I’d need to be able to live in them in order to justify their purchase. |
4425 says " I would strongly consider a mint used pair of Revel F206’s which list for $3500. Overbuilt with sound quality far beyond its price range. These are great speakers and I’ve been around the block many times. Much pride of ownership once you open the box and listen. FWIW" I can attest to this recommendation. If you have a dealer in your area to hear them it is worth the listen. They are probably the clearest speakers I’ve heard in their price range. Remove the magnetic grills to reveal the walnut finish with blackened aluminum drivers. Yes, they are out of range $ new but a nice second-hand pair could come along...I might know a guy... |
Hi @ruleof72 Is Neutral Detail a thing? I dunno - they certainly aren't overly bright. But I wouldn't describe them as laidback sounding in general. Just very pleasant at all volume levels, and I notice a lot of depth and texture that other speakers haven't had for me. I do keep the treble knob down a smidge, but otherwise they just sound great playing everything. Their detail can also reveal differences in quality of your source - mp3 vs cd - very clearly, but mp3s don't sound bad if you aren't ABing the CD. Here's a review I read before my purchase that was helpful to me: https://www.stereophile.com/content/wharfedale-diamond-107-loudspeaker |
Tomic, great story. I need to get that first hand. You may need to call me on that one. The visual is just stunning, lmao. Yes, when set up properly the Maggies can get excellent, but personally I dont 'love the bass and no matter what folks tell me, I have yet to hear any sub that integrates properly with them and I've heard most as all my dealers carry them. JMHO |
@ruleof72 , I have only heard the T2, T3 (flagship) and Alphas (I think). I also have your situation where I have my speaker cables in the wall. I started with Monoprice, like you, and now I have signalcable wire in the wall. I thoroughly enjoyed the speakers, including my Totems, with 12-14 gauge Monoprice cable runs. You'll get a lot of different views on the subject. Mine is a middleview--I believe cabling makes a difference but it's hard to imagine a great system sounding terrible with good gauge hookup wire. I found--in my room/my system that interconnects made more difference. And keeping the WAF high keeps me enjoying music right in the living room. I also like the recommendations for Monitor Audio and Totem. The "PSB sound" was different to me than the Totems I had before. The Totems were very lively--not harsh, yet very much forward sounding. The PSBs are more neutral and warm and, yes, they can sound slightly laid back with some recordings. I got very accustomed to the sound and now I prefer it just slightly over shiny, forward, etc. sounding speakers. |
I have a pair of Wharfdale Diamond 10.7 speakers hooked up to a much older NAD amp (7175PE) in a similar sized room (15x40, with 8.5ft ceilings) and I love them. Great detail and great bass. They are now the older model and available for less than your budget from Music Direct. https://www.musicdirect.com/speakers/wharfedale-diamond-107-tower-speakers-pr |
funny story ( now ) we took a pair of MMG in trade which was a small win against our cross town arch rival and because our backwalls were pretty highly damped they never did sparkle, so on a whim i bought them from store owner came home to find GF cat hanging stuck to panels ( btw they sounded freaking fantastic in our 10’ ceiling brick townhouse) said to GF declaw the cat she moved out the next week... |
In this thread there are many who like the softer sound of PSB and some who like a livelier sound of many of the others. You need to go listen to some stuff and figure out what your flavor is. I've owned PSB for the bedroom system, but they didn't do it for my wife and I. I have close friends who swear by them and love them. That's what makes this hobby wonderful. Flavors and colors for all. Totem would be another good one to listen to along side the PSB's. One of my favorite dealers in CT, Take 5, carry both of them. Both make a very attractive speaker if that matters to you. The Tektron's are also a different type. Question, are the grills of a speaker the only thing that the cat will go after? Will they try to scratch the cabinets or exposed drivers? I guess for me, I'd be scared to death of them taking a driver or more out, lol. |
What about Totem Arro, Staff, etc? Those fully comply with your cat clause, as there is only wood exposed and they likely don't make a scratching post for the animal. They also have huge WAF (very slim and seductive). Totems also don't mind (and are recommended) to be placed near walls and aren't fussy with placement. Just another thought. |
A couple notes on the PSB Imagine option. I have the Imagine T2. The grils are metal, which is a fine feature. I ordered a back up set from PSB because I switched out the grill cloth on one set to off white--for WAF. On the white set I made I painted the metal grill white. The takeaway here is that even if the cat got after the grill cloth you could always consider removing the grill cloth--the cat may not like the metal. In any event, the curved small surface area of the grill is slim and may not be attractive to the cat in the first place (i.e. there's not much surface area inviting the cat). Also, Lenbrook (the parent company of NAD and PSB) has great customer service and stocks replacement parts. I know this firsthand as I just received my backup set of grills from them. With regard to recommendations, folks have given you many good ones. I'm very happy with my T2s. They are out of your budget new, but you could find a pair used right within the top of your budget. You may want to consider this as an option because the T2s are a real contender (Stereophile recommended) and they might give you room to upgrade other stuff in the future. With respect to build quality, the photos online do not really show how nice the T2s (or T3s--I've demoed those too) look in person. They are in the league of Focal and BMW. And finally, the T2s are big on WAF in my house. My wife comes from the interior design field and these made a small shortlist of acceptable loudspeakers in my house. They are super slim and their profile doesn't overwhelm the room. The Tektons, for example, didn't work for my WAF as they are pretty boxy and un-elegant--in my opinion. I won't address sound unless you want me to. I'll say this the T2s are superb and do many things right and nothing wrong. |
joshelston-Thanks for the lead on the Elos, they look interesting. @kenm10759- The KEF are over my budget new but I bet I can find used within the budget. Thanks for the suggestion. @redbaron The ML look great, except I think they will look even "greater" to our cats! @axememan and @64voxac30 - I have considered Tektons, especially the Lore and Enzo models. So many possibilities out there, but keep the suggestions coming. Now I need to get some listening in! |
My room and listening dimensions are very similar to yours. I found a fantastic deal on fully upgraded Tekton Pendragon's for $1,800 barely pre-owned. They are plenty loud enough with my 8 watt SET amp and sound amazing. Tekton's frequently show up on the used market at prices that are low risk if they weren't your cup of tea. |
This whole cat thing made me start thinking. You may not be able to get the sound that you want if the grills are a big deal. maybe you can. I think with Maggies, I'd be freaked out as the grill is the whole speaker panel. If the cat touches those, he could potentially ruin the whole speaker. Could he or she get into the perforations on the ML and hurt him/herself or the speaker? Maybe not, but just made me think, lol. this is an interesting thread to say the least. |
I have a pair of Martin Logan Requests for sale in that price range. These speakers feature a very full sound stage. They are somewhat bright and very responsive. An outstanding speaker for the price! https://www.audiogon.com/listings/planars-martin-logan-request-2017-10-28-speakers |
As an owner of NAD integrated amp C375 Bee and C275 amp. I also paired them up to the PSB Imagine T's. They have a very clean and neutral sound that really got me revisiting old music and enjoying all over again. I have also discovered and now rate even better, Ohm Acoustics speakers. I bought an old pair of FRS 11's and then had them upgraded. Yes, you can upgrade older speakers here, to the latest generation. In this case to the 3000 series. 2 K for the upgrade but to my ears, totally worth it. They are incredible for presence, depth and clarity. They sound like the performer is right next to you in the room. Ohm does have speakers to fit your room size, so it is good to call them first and they can advise on which speaker, room size and price point you are looking for. Plus their warranty and return policy is very good. They have a web site http://ohmspeaker.com/ . It doesn't cost you a thing to look at and you can audition them. Good luck on your speaker quest! |
I have 3 cats, and KEF R500, driven by an NAD T758. The cats totally ignore the speakers, and they look great (to me) without the magnetic attached grills. They don't bother with the speakers even with the grills on, though if they did the grills would just fall off. I never cared for the PSB sound that much. It's just a little too laid-back and warm for me, and the contoured rubber covers over the mounting doesn't always seat right. The push-on grills leave ugly fixings when they're off. With a list of $2600 for the R500 though, you'd have to find used...or the dealer's demo product like I got. Came in under $2k. |
Many great suggestions above. In your price range you really can't go wrong. However, the "cat clause" may be your biggest issue. One suggestion I did not see above is Epos K2. I had a pair and loved them. Got a great deal from Music Direct on them. Silk dome tweeters (perhaps give a more laid back sound) may be a good match for your NAD. They are 89 dB sensitive, front ported, and best of all comes with a cat friendly fascia. Here is a review I found. http://www.epos-loudspeakers.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/K2-Hi-Fi-Choice-Web-Quality.pdf |
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I don't know if your familiar with Magnepan speakers. Try the Magnepan MMG speakers. Magnepan officers a 60 day home trial- money back. Once you hear them, you will not be returning them! They are priced at $650 if memory is correct. Don't let the low price fool you. Go on line and read the reviews. Your integrated amp has 50 watts I believe, or I'd suggest the Maggie 1.7I's. but they may struggle a bit with the NAD. They are priced at $1995. Good Luck!! |
Too bad about the cat situation. I'd just take off the cloth and poles and paint the cabinet, lol....sorry, couldn't resist. I remember a buddy of mine had those ADS speakers with metal grills for the same reason. I have a bunch of friends who are in Atlanta and buy from Hifi Buys and love the place. Nice to have some good stores around the country. Great place for you to be able to audition. Please keep this thread going and us posted. |
Hi, @tomic601 I was planning on going to HiFi Buys and see what they have. As for the cats, they are a couple of very fun kitties but speaker cloth attracts them from all corners of the house. The Polk Tsi400's have the grills removed and neither of the cats has any interest. It's not worth the stress, even with great speakers, to have non-removable speaker cloth/grills |
Check out either the Golden Ear Technology model 7 ($1395) or the larger model 5 which is $1995. They are great all around speakers and their efficiency is 87 or 88db. The NAD 326BBE should work particularly very well with the model 7's The larger model 5 should be mated with the larger NAD integrated, with at least 80 RMS Good luck, S.J. |