Use powered speakers your amp won’t do a pair of ATC justice unless they are powered. Also try Genelec with a small rel sub.
15k USD Speakers for Classical and Pop Extended Listening, Near setup, Low volume
Dear Audiophiles,
I am looking for some speakers for my home office. Speakers would be place 6ft from me on either side of my desk. Speakers will be 8 ft apart.
I love classical music and pop. I am looking for speakers for extended listening at not very high volume. They should be warm and non fatiguing.
I am currently considering following speakers:
1. Monitor Audio Gold 300
2. ATC SCM40
3. Kef R7 Meta
Do you have any other suggestions. Thanks and appreciate your help!
98 responses Add your response
@OP You would be better off with a pair of Harbeths is you want some thing leaning towards a warmer presentation. If you are considering the speakers you've mentioned, as per pennfootball71, have a listen to one of the Genelec G series. You're effectively creating a nearfield monitoring setup so a domesticated studio monitor could be a good choice. |
I have ATC SCM40’s in an arrangement not totally different from what you have, including a large reflective coffee table in front of my sofa. The key aspect of the ATC’s is that they are very essy to place in rooms to get optimal imaging. They do play loud very well but that midrange driver gives plenty of life at low volumes. I like listening to them at modest listening levels as well. The reflective surface doesn’t affect the sound much, the spatial information in my system is as good as I have heard anywhere. The ATC’s are very modestly priced now, I recommend them highly. |
Wow! Nice size room for an office. I am a biased Maggie fan. So this will come as no surprise. The LRS + set and a Rel 8” sub will get you the biggest soundstage and dynamics at anywhere near its price point. That would open up your budget for electronic devices such as streamer/phono, DAC (if digital) and a high powered high current amp. Just my two cents. |
Recognize I speak from personal preference and you should purchase based on your preferences and based on audition. I find KEF a little aggressive on top. I find the ATC could be a little more rich in timbre but overall a great performer. I never heard the Monitor. As I have in past posts I recommend you audition Vivid. The models I recommend are the Kaya 90 and better the Giya G3. I chose the latter. They well perform like the ATC but have a rich timbre. You will need to get past their unique aesthetic. I love the look. You will have to go preowned to be at your price point. They come up occasionally on this and the other site. My room leaves much to be desired due to the WAF. They still sound coherent, balanced, with a wide and deep stage. I sit about 7 feet from the speakers and they are extremely coherent and balanced with bass better than ATC and one of the best high ends. I recommend after market vibration products of your choice to extract full potential. Read pro reviews and more important, audition. Listen to how natural cymbals (the hardest instrument to get timbre correct) are reproduced. Let your own ears/mind make the choice. Good luck |
No recommendations about speakers from me on this one, but just a remark about the poster advocating for placing the speakers BEHIND the listener. I could not disagree more. As far as I know the human ear is designed with the full opening in FRONT of the ear and a flap in the back to better direct the sound into the ear. Just saying, why fight mother nature on this one. |
ATC SCM40 may be a great choice...If you like a flat and still musical sound ATC is a great choice. Since your username is ilikeclassical ..you could try a pair of Audio Note UK Type Ks...they come in many performance levels and cabinet finishes...Great at low and medium volumes ...A small speaker that can reproduce solo piano in a fantastic, realistic manner in small rooms. |
looking at the photo, I am confused. To say it is not conducive to good imaging, clarity, etc. would be putting it lightly. Imaging the soundstage as a plume or a pear. Your screens, your desks slice up that plume and you won't get much out of your 1000s of dollars, for the result you should expect. You could be better off with nearfield listening, having smaller speakers by your desk. You would save a lot of money. E.g., Dynaudio Evoke 10s or Harbeth P3esr and you can also add a sub away from you, by the wall. |
Consider which is the lesser of 2 evils. Sitting backwards or having an obstruction in front of your face. Test it out before coming to a conclusion. ******************************************** Here is a 2-channel experience without 2-channel speakers. You do look funny with these on, SR-1b • RAAL-requisite (raalrequisite.com) I sold mine to raise money for the new RAAL 1995 Immais. The Immanis is not as 2-channel like as the SR1b. The Immanis are vying for the title of the world's best. Going against the $50k+ headphones. |
We have to agree with YZ the speakers need to be in front of you. When we have had a similar room setup we find it disconcerting to have the sound source be coming from behind the listener The brain wants to be organized with the body's orientation you are facing opposite the sounds direction that will be disorienting over the long term. Your best bet placing speakers in front of you or getting a set of small speakers you can use on the desk.
Dave and Troy Audio intellect NJ |
@audiotroy I think you mean that you DISAGREE with me about the speakers being behind. Coming from you I take that comment with some interest since you are rather knowledgeable about audio. From my perspective my brain is not messed up with the unobstructed sound from behind me. I am totally messed up with sound on my desk or obstructed by monitors. It sounds awful that way. Maybe I am a freak. Rick James style.
.
|
Is a single Curved Monitor a possibility, i.e. sound not blocked by 2nd monitor on right side. Is it technically up to what you need? 34", but curved, so only 32" wide centered between the speakers? Samsung CJ791 34" 21:9 Curved FreeSync VA MonitorThere must be others, just a quickie find. 4K resolution models exist also. Pedestal Base allows passage of sound
34WQ60C-B 34" Curved UltraWide™ QHD IPS HDR 10 Monitor with Dual Controller & OnScreen Control
|
Hi Everyone, There are some excellent suggestions. I appreciate your time, especially @elliottbnewcombjr @yyzsantabarbara @audiotroy @akg_ca @yogiboy @grislybutter @ghdprentice Because of the challenges with layout, I am going to create two separate setups in my office: A. Near distance long term listening: Speakers will go on my desk. I will likely get a bigger display to replace the two displays on my desk. B. For easy listening: This setup will go to the back of my room and I will use it when I am relaxing in the recliner in my office. Both setups will run on Roon. So I can easily play and switch between them. I want to start by finalizing setup A. Once I am happy with the near listening setup A, I will start working on the setup B. Based on multiple reviews, I have finalized Harbeth P3ESR XD for the setup A. What is your recommendations for the integrated amps for these speakers. Current contenders are: Naim Uniti Atom/Nova Hegel H120 Thanks and once again I appreciate your help a lot! |
A bit late to the party here, but I would like to share my workplace setup. I too had to deal with limited space but so far this setup gave me much enjoyment. Cabasse Baltic Evolution driven by Audio Note Cobra with built in DAC. The coaxial nature of these speakers make their near field experience excellent. Beautiful speakers for female vocal and classical, more musical compared to Diablo Utopia imo. Other excellent options I have heard were Yamaha NS3000 and Raidho X1T. The Harbeth you have shortlisted is excellent as well.
|
If you are considering the Harbeth P3ESR XD, I would encourage you to check out the Neat Petite Classic. I have had them for a bit and they have that LS3/5A sound with more dynamics and drive.
|
@ilikeclassical You should also consider the following. I do not like headphones, but these are. different (especially the (SR1a/SR1b). They do not replace 2-channel for me in my office, but they do serve the purpose of late-night listening. I used to look for gear that sounded great at low volume, which I have, but I now always use the phones late at night. I have spoken with people who have replaced entire 2-channel systems, such as Magico based to go with the older SR1a. The new stuff is supposed to be even better. Send me a DM if you are curious about what the heck I am talking about. |
+1 on Harbeth P3esr for nearfield listing. They’re supremely balanced and natural sounding. You’ll be surprised how transparent they sound, and the vocals will be better than most speakers in this size range. One of the few speakers I regret selling. Hegel is a solid recommendation. I wasn’t too impressed with Naim but of course YMMV. You can also add a REL T5 down the line if needed. |
I love my Atom but your other choices are also solid. Support is in Canada although in 6 years of ownership in a variety of systems and roles, I've had zero issues. You can check my virtual systems ( Casa Pacifica and Vintage ) to get an idea of the wide range of gear it has successfully been paired with. Best to you in your musical search
|
@ilikeclassical I’m curious (read the thread but I didn’t chime in since “warm” speaker = not for me, but the proper pairs can be great!): are you sticking with the double-configuration of 2 sets of speakers for the room? |
Do a search for Shahinian Acoustic Larc speakers. For some reason they are not on the website, which hasn't been updated since day 1. The late Richard Shahinian designed his speakers around large scale orchestral music. I had the Diapasons but sold them because they were too large for my current listening room. Somedays I dream about moving back to my previous home and having them again. They are very musical. |
I just sold my Monitor Audio Gold 300s 5G. Spectacular speaker and great bottom end. I drove them with Hegel H590. They filled up a very large room, 15x25 Living, Dining area. So Im confused how you want these very large speakers at the end of your desk??? But they are an amazing performance and the tweeter is proprietary and sweet sounding. Stop you in the tracks. I sold them to a man who wanted rock at very high volume. I played a vinyl copy of Pink Floyd Dark side of the moon with some thunderous bass segments. He bought them on the spot. Good luck and I hope you enjoy them if they are your choice. PS they recently raised the price from 7.5K to 9.5K! Yikes. |
@dherring - Thanks for your feedback. I realized that they are too much for my need. I settled on following for my desk: Harbeth p3esr xd Hegel H190v - launching in May |
@ilikeclassical I mentioned that I had the Magnepan LRS+ in my small office. It sounds amazing in there. However, if I had your room I would look into this speaker (I mentioned before) or maybe the one below it. I would use an amp like my CODA #16 (slightly warm with tons of power). I just saw this review tonight. Diptyque DP 140 MkII | HFA - The Independent Source for Audio Equipment Reviews (hifi-advice.com) BTW - this review mentions the great and cheap headphone I use in my office in comparison to the reviewed speaker. Something that I had also done with my headphones and the LRS+. Sometime this week I will (or supposed) to get the next version of this headphone. I will post a photo of the demo pair(s). |
out of those three that you have listed the monitor audio gold 300 G5 will probably be the best, The MPD Tweeter is so natural and three-dimensional sounding I have the platinum 200g2 which are even better than the gold 300g5 and they're absolutely phenomenal sounding also getting the Townshend podiums and putting them underneath your speakers will improve the sound as if you had upgraded the electronics to much more expensive gear, they isolate vibration down to three Hertz and get rid of pretty well all room problems as well. |
If you want the best sound under $15K the Vivid Audio K25 is the best I've heard ($12,300). If by chance you are persuaded to go a bit above the $15K mark, I'd go for the Vivid K45 ($21,000). I've had more fun with these speakers. Besides being neutral and phase correct they are dynamic, involving, and 3D. |
@magnuman - thanks for your feedback. How do you think the Monitor Audio Platinum compare to KEF Reference series. Thanks |
I think the monitor audio platinum is better they're much more three-dimensional airy and spacious and the sound stage is more enveloping it makes you feel as if you're right in the middle of the performance and there's no dome tweeter that will beat that MPD. but remember it's still an individual thing everybody's hearing is different. |
If your listening at low volumes, why are you going to spend 15k? There are plenty of speakers that play well at low volume for far cheaper. And for a desk set up?? I'd be looking at no more than a 500 buck speaker. Wharfedale would be my choice....$249/pair diamond 220, or diamond 225 at a bit more, can be had for 349....on sale, if you can still find them. Both play well at low volumes, non fatiguing and good bass. |
first of all whoever said that the gold 300 G5 would overwhelm the room doesn't know what they're talking about that room is more than big enough to accommodate them I had them in a room 8 and 1/2 by 23 and they didn't overwhelm the room but I bought the platinum 200 G2 instead cuz they were better but if you really want to improve your system get the Townshend podiums they isolate vibration down to three Hertz and they'll get rid of almost all room problems The improvement is as if you bought much more expensive electronics Best upgrade you could do. |
6 feet is fairly close, not enough distance perhaps for drivers on some very good speakers (Borresen, etc) to sum properly. The Andrew Jones "concentric drivers" should work better for your placement restrictions. Get a pair of the Mofi Sourcepoint 10 or 8 and the KEF KC62 or Rythmik subwoofers to go with it.
|
Hi Everyone, Thanks for all the information. This really helped me figure out what I need. Given my low volume listening, made many hifi speakers not a good idea. Harbeth P3 ESR XD seemed like the best option. I wanted to pair it with Hegel H190v, but it isn't launched in Canada yet. To avoid going in the rabbit hole, I decided to pull the trigger on Buchardt A10 along with Primare SC15. I am very happy with the sound. They have a master tuning for studio listening at low volume. It's working very well. The speakers are still in the break-in phase, but as I said I have no complaints. Currently I am connected to the SC15 through Roon via USB. Once SC15 roon support is launched, I will go completely wireless. Once again, thanks everyone for your help! |
