Reimer, reimer, reimer. I have A pair of Tetons being made right now. They are full range 15hz-25khz and AWESOME. 95DB efficient, bass to die for, with musicality I have never heard from a speaker in any price range. I recomend trying to audition the wind rivers, or the tetons, then stop and enjoy the music.
Best Floorstander Under 10K?
This thread is prompted by another that started to head in this direction. I've been looking for over a year for an attractive floorstanding speaker with outstanding musicality in a two channel application. Much of what I've heard has been pretty disappointing--barely or not at all bettering my Harbeth Compact 7's at $2500. I'm interested in hearing from folks who are passionate about their floorstanders. These could be current production or something from past years that provides excellent sound and value. Perhaps I've missed the diamond in the rough. My listening room has grown to 26 X 14 X 9 and I really would like to find something the wife will find attractive/unobtrusive and provide a fuller sound but preserving the "rightness" of the Harbeths. Any thoughts?
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Hello, I have had the opportunity to hear the Harbeths that you own and was very impressed with them. My suggestion, as long as you have listened to others in and above the price range and still find the Harbeths equal to or better than most, is to add a high quality subwoofer to your existing system. In addition to the increase in low frequency response I believe you will find a great improvement in almost every parameter, especially soundstage presentation. There are many excellent subwoofers that are available on the new and used market. I have had great results from companies such as REL, Definitive Technology, Sunfire, and VMPS. There are many to choose from. I hope this helps. Good luck in your search. |
The merlin VSM-MM and even moreso the VSM-MX are unbelievable, overachieving speakers. My pair of VSM-MMs is one of the best purchases I have made, ever. It greatly outperforms everything else I've heard. I can only imagine how good the VSM-MXs are. Not to mention, Bobby Palkovic, merlins CEO and designer, is a hell of a nice guy, unbelievably helpful in all areas audio, and readily available. His insight and advice alone is one of those incredibly valuable resources that make or break and audio system. Jason |
Are you totally against panels i.e. electrostats, or ribbons? Your 3 feet of space might not be optimal but just enough for a pair of Maggie 1.6 or 3.6's, or Martin Logan Ascents............. Both really great speakers. Your amp would probably power the ML's better, but would work pretty darn well with the Maggies too. |
i will be the third to throw my vote in for the tyler linbrooks. i have had mine for several years and drive them with a cary v12i. this is one hell of a speaker. granted my firsthand listening experience isn't equal in measure to many audiogoners but i have never felt shortchanged or been left wanting listening to my linbrooks. i have never suffered listener fatigue whatsoever. they are not the last word in detail or low, low bass extension, but they clean house over a realistic freq distribution for a speaker of this size. they are an incredible value competing with speaker twice the price. i do not have the bass modules since my room is not large enough for me to really derive benefit at the moment. i would buy them in a heartbeat if my room warranted it though. there are lots of speakers to choose from out in the market , take your time and find something you can live with long term, sit back and enjoy some great music. hope this helps |
I'll second the Tyler Acoustics Linbrook System. I just broke in a pair of the 1 piece systems. Very balanced, neutral and revealing, without undue upper range emphasis. Very smooth. Tight bass. Big soundstage at low to moderate volumes. They run a very close second to my long time favorites which are no longer available and rarely on the used market, the Paragon Jubilee/Gem. The fundamental difference between these two speakers is the Linbrook presents a much fuller soundstage at low volumes at the cost of a tiny bit of resolution in comparison the the Paragons. You have to apply some power to the Paragons to get them off the ground, but at mid to loud volumes they are one of the best speakers at the sound stage thing. They are also neutral and smooth. Although the Tylers are 4ohm speakers I've run them with as little as 35 tube watts very satisfactorily. |
I will second the db99 from Von Schweikert, I am enjoying them too much for a speaker in this price range! I was not at T.H.E. Show but from others I have talked to(and trust) who have heard the db99's in multiple locations, did not feel the performance at T.H.E. Show did them justice. These speakers don't seem to do anything wrong and are so much fun to listen to, they can do it all from rocking out or playing chamber music. Break-in is horrible and it can be troublesome getting them set up properly, but once you are even close they sound really good. They image much better then my Avalon Eclipse's did, and that speaker is known for its imaging. There is also going to be an add on ribbon super tweeter available sometime in the summer of 05 which will increase freq. response and add even more air and better imaging! To me the best part of these speaker is the choices of amplifiers! They are so flexible you can achieve full dynamics with as little as 3 watts! So if you want to run a little 2a3 amp or something you can, and with the bass "booster" you don't lose the bass. My only complaint with the speakers is that the finish isn't spectacular and the iec jack on the plate amps is to close to the heat sinks- you can't use most aftermarket powercords, unless they have a very slim iec plug. |
Dodgealum, I'm a big fan of the Merlin VSM speakers in the price range you mention. While I'm not an owner, two members of our local audio group have these speakers and I'm tremendously impressed every time I listen to these speakers in their systems. The Merlins would be at the top of my candidate list in your price range and above, they are clear overachievers. If you do a search here, you'll find lots of comments. . |
Thanks Jphii. Over the past year I've slowly upgraded my entire system--except the speakers and thus the post. Current equipment, which I expect to keep for a good many years, includes: Audio Research 100.2 Audio Research SP16 w phono VPI Scout/JMW9/Dynavector 20XH Speakers will go on the short wall positioned a maximum (unfortunately) of 3 feet out from the wall. Good clearance on the sides--4 feet on one side and on the other the room opens to the dining room. Area rugs over hardwood. Thanks for sharing your suggestions. |
There are a couple I would recommend you audition in no particular order... The Von Schweikert DB99s at just under 10K new (maybe 6K used) impressed me quite a bit at THE Show in Vegas last week powered by sanely priced Consonance electronics. They had very tight, full-sounding bass, and a very natural midrange. They personally are not to my taste visually (not to say they are ugly or anything), but they look good enough, and they were not obtrusive at all. The next pair of speakers I own... They are the Tyler Acoustics Linbrook System speakers (the 4 piece version). They can be had direct from tyleracoustics.com for about 5K new (about 3.5K used). Subjectively a better value than the DB99s (same level of performance for 50% of the price), but somewhat more risky purchase as Ty sells Internet direct only. The Linbrook 4 piece System features a very solid midrange, excellent soundstaging, and tight bass... Highs are very natural sounding, but not fatiguing at all to my ears. They also look quite good, IMO. A dark horse contestant might be the Dali Helicon800s: While these were not quite as good as the two speakers above to my ears, they were close enough to merit strong consideration for anyone looking in the 10K or less price range... The Helicon800s retail for $5900/ pr. new (about 4K used), and they impressed me quite a bit with their reproduction of brass and wind instruments in particular. Their fit and finish rivals the best I have seen at any price as well. Worth a look. Good luck, ---Dave |
