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Apartment Dweller's Paradise - The Ideal 2 ch. system?

We've had really great threads on Audiogon so far, so I'd like to keep the ball rolling.

One subject rarely covered enough in the music world are systems that are specifically for apartment dweller's. These systems are more modest in size and cost. Dolby Atmos? Forget-about-it!

How would you put together a system, under $10k, soup to nuts?


erik_squires

Showing 3 responses by larryi

larryi
4,188 posts
 

The various Audio Note speakers are quite good at delivering satisfying sound at relatively low volume levels, which is a big plus in an apartment.  I would also suggest looking at ProAc speakers for the same reason.  The old BBC monitors, such as the LS3/5a and the other similar models are good candidates too.  Modern versions are still being made by the likes of Graham Speakers and Stirling Audio.  Many of the DeVore models also sound pretty good at lower volume levels.

If you have the room to allow for the speakers being out in the room, dipole speakers are particularly good at concentrating the sound in the listening area and thereby reduce the volume leaking elsewhere.  I found a dramatic difference in sound leaking to other rooms when I went from Martin Logan hybrid electrostatics to conventional dynamic speakers.

larryi
4,188 posts
 

If you ever looked at Japanese audio magazines, you will see a lot of systems in tiny apartments that seem to defy logic--they are HUGE horn systems.  The reason for horns is that they actually sound fantastic at whisper quiet volume levels.  Aside from the footprint of the speakers themselves, these types of systems are quite apartment friendly.  They also tend to be very efficient, which allows for the use of the best sounding amps: low-powered pushpull or single-ended triode amps.

Another recommendation I have, in addition to those I mentioned earlier, for an apartment speaker is the Gradient Revolution.  This speaker can be configured (the bass section can be made to fire in different directions) for a fairly wide array of setup options, including against the back wall.  I have heard it sounding really good in a small room and at fairly low volume.  One downside is that it is not very efficient.

larryi
4,188 posts
 
I like what I heard from the Odyssey Kismet speaker that was on display at a show.  I believe the company makes direct sales, so it may not be that easy to arrange an audition.  I heard them in a small room at a show, placed not to far from the back wall, so I think they are suited for small spaces (small floor-standing speakers).

In the much more expensive camp, the smallest and cheapest Raidho speaker is pretty good (to me, better than their bigger speakers).

The British company Neat makes some nice speakers that will be a good fit for smaller rooms.

Also quite hard to find for audition, but worth looking for are Trenner and Friedl (Austrian) speakers.  These are lively sounding speakers that are a little bit off the beaten path.
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