advice on speaker matching, selection


New to the forum
Current set up:Custom built (Yaeger Audio) Freed-Williamson design tube amp rated at 25WRogue 66 preampRega 25 w/Grado Platinum 3Pioneer PD 65 through MSB Nelson Link III DACM&K S-1Bs speakers
I LOVE this amp.  It is so vintage sounding... very mellow, laid back, natural.  Obviously not a lot of power.  I live in a small apartment in a large high rise.  Therefore, I never play loud anymore.  My tastes run to jazz, classical, vocals.  I do still listen to rock (but less so).
The vintage MKs I'm running were well thought of in the day.  Unfortunately, I don't think their sensitivity is sufficient to be powered by 25W.  While the MKs are neutral and cast a wonderful sound stage, I'm not getting enough bass, nor inner detail/placement of the musicians in space.

As all of us know in this hobby, avoiding "going sideways" in the next purchase is paramount.
So... looking for opinions of stand mounted or SMALL floor standing speakers to enliven this rig and tastes.  Budget: $1-1.5K.  Thanks for your wisdom and experience in advance.  Peace 

philfoster

Showing 5 responses by philfoster

jjss49,
Thx for your request for clarification.Room: 12x12MKs are 22" from wall, mild toe-inEquilateral distance between speakers and seating position - 8 ft
The MKs really are pretty sweet, especially considering they're 35+ years old now.  Not a sub guy, though, especially in my apartment building.  I've enjoyed my time with them, and someone else will appreciate them for what they are.  My hunch is the NAD integrated was a great pairing.  My little-watt valve amp doesn't have the oomph, and the MKs don't have the refinement to respond to the amp.  My guess.  Hence, the speaker quest.
I am very grateful for all the suggestions and expertise.  I guess by way of clarification: I'm more of a music lover and vinylholic than an audiophile.  At 70, and on a fixed income now, I'm hoping to make one more adjustment to the rig... and that would definitely be speakers.  While the MKs have a generous soundstage, the depth isn't there (again, a 12x12, dual purpose, living/listening room).  Imaging isn't as crisp as I'd like, and then there is the bass which, while fairly articulate and natural, isn't very present at all. 

Thoughts on ELAC (which schurbert mentioned... model?), B&W 606 s2, SVS Prime, others?  I have the ProAcs on my list of auditions (gotta brave 50 miles of ATL traffic to meet a new dealer), but finding another $500-1K is a real stretch.  So I continue to collect data here (and from my local, true audiophile buds) in what will be a lengthy process. 

Again, my gratitude to all.  Happy listening!
So... after consult with Walter @ UnderwoodHiFi, came down to the LSA 10 Sig vs Silvelrline Prelude.  Given the room and associated electronics... any last thoughts???