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Back to Square One

I'll make a long story short. Thanks to some car repairs since September I've shot my disposable income for the year. Still need a pair of speakers too because when I was just about to buy a pair my car needed a new engine.

Have looked at the DIY concept but have become very discouraged with the attitude of some of the people. Many have an elitist attitude that ANY commercial offering is junk and pales in comparison to any home built speaker or speaker kit. In light of this I don't entirely trust some of the advice I am getting from those people on another forum.

At this point I think I can scrape up around $400 again by May if nothing else happens to cause me to be out 4 grand or $1500 at a shot. I figure I can still get a decent speaker for up to $400 and be content until at some point when I can build a DIY kit or find a better commercial offering.

1) My current Jamo C 601's sound fine but need to be placed 24 inches from the back wall to give the right sound stage. I need something that can be placed right up against the back wall or perhaps a few inches off.

2) Need a speaker with a mellow high end. Nothing bright. Like a nice soundstage and good detail. Bass does not need to be heavy. Just want to hear it.

3) Prefer a bookshelf speaker though may consider a small tower if it is light weight.

4) Will be using a Qinpu A3 integrated amp and also a Dayton DTA 120 solid state integrated amp. 50 wpc into 8 ohms.

5) Room size is 14 by 12 with a 9 foot ceiling. Hardwood floors too. Thus the need for a mellow speaker.

Was thinking the Boston Acoustics A 25 might work. Read a couple of reviews that said it can be placed up against the wall and still sound decent.

Any other ideas. I am open to suggestions.
will62

Showing 4 responses by johnnyb53

johnnyb53
3,510 posts
 
I suggest you read this review from Absolute Sound about the $400/pair Infinity Primus P363 compact floorstanders.

Although the review mentions that street price is around $300/pair, in my own searches, for the most part they seem to be holding steady at around $400/pair. If they're as good as TAS says they are, that's still quite a good deal.

They are 39.5" tall with a footprint of 8.25"w x 13"d. That's about the size of a mini-monitor on a stand, but in this case you get a twin woofer 3-way, making for a claimed 93dB sensitivity and 38Hz bass extension. Available as close as your local Best Buy.
johnnyb53
3,510 posts
 
03-19-15: Will62

Aon 2's according to a review said don't play well in larger rooms. Best in very small rooms. I suspect that the size room I have and the high ceiling will not work well for this speaker.
I'm curious to know which review this was. The Aon 2 has a sensitivity somewhere around 86-89 dB and power handling up to 200 watts. Its sidewalls are taken up by two large passive radiators. A 9 x 12 room would be child's play for this speaker. It really behaves more like a 40" tall tower.

I heard the Aon 3s in a much larger room (probably 15x18 or even larger) and if anything, people were looking for the hidden subwoofer. Filling space is one of its strong suits.

There are several reviews out there to balance the information. Here's the one from Stereophile.

One other thing: the Aon 2 should be considered a 4-ohm speaker. With the wrong amp it could sound small and undynamic. With a 4-ohm rated amp it should be fine. I heard it powered by a 100wpc Peachtree.
johnnyb53
3,510 posts
 
Why is the weight of the Infinity Primus P363 such a factor? I'd consider 50 lbs to be a good thing for a small floorstander, and it has a lot going for it for being diminuitive while fully energizing your room and being devoid of cabinet resonances.

BTW, I think the WhatHiFi review chose poorly for the amplifier in their Aon test--an NAD D 3020, which is only 30 wpc. The symptoms they mentioned when trying to drive the Aons could easily be from running out of power. The Aons can absorb lots of power (200w) and play LOUD. With an 86 dB sensitivity, they should be able to put out nearly 110 dB (at one meter) with 200 watts input. That's loud, esp. in a 9x12 room. Your ceiling height doesn't make that much difference; it's the same volume as a 10 x 12 room with conventional 8' ceiling. This is the size of a typical kid's bedroom in a 3-bedroom house.

That review reveals more about successful amp-matching than speaker quality.
johnnyb53
3,510 posts
 
Maybe you should consider the Magneplanar MMGs. They are $599/pair, are
only a couple inches deep and only weigh 20 lbs. each. You could place
them within a few inches of the wall when not in use and bring them out into
the room for music. At 20 lbs. each and 14.5" wide, they'd be easy to
move. I have a pair of 1.7s for an open architecture living room (augmented
by some small subwoofers and I *really* like them. It's amazing how natural a
speaker can sound when it has no enclosure and lots of diaphragm area. I
didn't realize how noisy conventional speakers are, trying to contain all the
backwave energy in a small box, which also bounces the sound around and
(presumably) influences the motion of the drivers.

FWIW, your dealer's recommendation of the Wharfedale Diamonds seems to
be a very good fit. I have had a pair of Diamond 7.3 compact towers in
constant use for 16 years.
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