This thread is fun, but also nuts. The best advice I can give is go look up local dealers, check out what brands they carry, then make a shortlist and have as many auditions as possible, ideally with your own gear. Speakers are completely subjective things and one person’s audio nirvana will sound utterly crud to the next person. Remember also that the actual space footprint of a mini bookshelf on stands may be no smaller whatsoever to a slim floorstander.
Best bookshelf speakers
I’m building my first high fi system after being more of a portable audio person. I want to start with the speakers. Space is limited so bookshelf speakers are a must.
Preferences:
Balanced and revealing with a hint of warmth.
Midrange most important to get right over highs and lows
Timbre is super important - I listen mostly to acoustic music especially jazz
But I do need some bass as I also listen to some electronic music
Smaller is better but SQ is most important
A speaker that sounds good with different amps but also scalable with high quality sources
Wide sweet spot - I wont have money for a great amp at first but want them to be scalable for later
These speakers have caught my eyes - any thoughts on them?
Ascend Sierra 2s - Ribbon = dispersion limitations?
BMR Philharmonitor - See above. Also massive.
Buchardt S400/S300 - Wary of the sudden hype train and limited info
Silverline Minuet Grande - Limited info
Reference 3A De Capo - This caught my eye as a potential endgame speaker if I could blow up my budget a little. But concerns about BE tweeter as well as some potential snake oil stuff (cryogenic treatment (!?)), exaggerated sensitivity claims and wonky measurements put me off.
What else should I be looking at?
Edit: I could have sworn I had <$2,000 in the title... Anyway, my budget is 2k.
Preferences:
Balanced and revealing with a hint of warmth.
Midrange most important to get right over highs and lows
Timbre is super important - I listen mostly to acoustic music especially jazz
But I do need some bass as I also listen to some electronic music
Smaller is better but SQ is most important
A speaker that sounds good with different amps but also scalable with high quality sources
Wide sweet spot - I wont have money for a great amp at first but want them to be scalable for later
These speakers have caught my eyes - any thoughts on them?
Ascend Sierra 2s - Ribbon = dispersion limitations?
BMR Philharmonitor - See above. Also massive.
Buchardt S400/S300 - Wary of the sudden hype train and limited info
Silverline Minuet Grande - Limited info
Reference 3A De Capo - This caught my eye as a potential endgame speaker if I could blow up my budget a little. But concerns about BE tweeter as well as some potential snake oil stuff (cryogenic treatment (!?)), exaggerated sensitivity claims and wonky measurements put me off.
What else should I be looking at?
Edit: I could have sworn I had <$2,000 in the title... Anyway, my budget is 2k.
Showing 3 responses by motokokusanagi
A small floorstander might do the trick too, but so far none have piqued my interest. Any suggestions?-- Living Voice Auditorium sounds to me like your perfect speaker, but they’re way above your budget new http://www.borderpatrol.net/livingvoiceloudspeakers.htm Another variable is synergy with a given amp and interaction with your room, hence the need to go visit some dealers and just get some initial pointers on viable systems. Brands/Models I’d recommend to try to hear are the Nola Boxer, various Totems, Harbeth P3-ESR and the ATC SCM11s. All have their attendant compromises, but broadly fit your stated sonic preferences. Two current listings that catch my eye both happen to be Italian! https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis99e4g-opera-mezza-bookshelf-speakers-cherry-pair-13119-monitors... https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis99848-diapason-audio-neos-full-range |
I think it was Steve Gutenberg who recommended a 50:33:17 speaker:amp:dac cost ratio. What if you do something more like 70:20:10? Will you get better SQ out of a more balanced "Gutenberg distribution", given a fixed budget?I think it's more to illustrate a principle - DACs generally have faster diminishing returns than amps and speakers - rather than to be taken literally. For example say one had a total budget of $10k and was buying new, you could make a great system with say a Metrum Jade / Chord Qutest, Primaluna Dialogue 2 (I think you might like tubes, btw) and Living Voice Auditorium speakers. One can also find a lot of integrated amps nowadays with built-in DACs, and don't at all discount buying used for big savings. This is so damned unpopular with audiophiles but I'd argue that if you spent 10/20/30% of that budget on room acoustic treatments (bass traps, panels, diffusers), you'd get even better sound than any gear upgrade... |