The first stand mount speakers I ever heard that imaged better than anything that I had heard up to that point was a pair of Artemis Eos monitors which Cost $5500 in 2000... I was absolutely mind blown. So Huge, so correct, so smooth.
I owned them for years until the Accuton concave ceramic tweeter failed and haven't replaced it yet. As I found the $2000 Wavetouch Gen2 GT's that have been every bit as good or better at imaging but with greater resolution and impact and even more refinement...I haven't been in a hurry. |
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Agree with the Joseph Audio suggestion. The RM7xl, a little lower in the Joseph lineup, also image extremely well. |
Joseph Audio Pulsars are excellent. I agree with Soix that these are great imaging speakers and have a great balance throughout. Very accurate and very well balanced presenting a surprisingly convincing soundstage for bookshelves. |
Well, I've had and heard lots but must second the Harbeth P3ESR for their ability to disappear and create a very correct placement of instruments and the air that surrounds each of them on the soundstage. And while they're busy doing all of that, they render voices with such silk and realism its eerie. |
Stirling ls3/5a v2. Nothing I've ever heard creates a realistic image of musicians in a performance space like these do. They are also sensitive to all kinds of fun tweaking with cables, tubes, stands (particularly) and they yield a variety of imaging solutions. They keep me pinned to my listening chair. |
Spiral Groove Canalis Anima. |
Genelec 8050, psi a21m, quested v2108. All will play loud with no compression and blow away anything mentioned here. |
ATC SCM 11 (2013)
what hi-fi % STAR RATIING
http://www.whathifi.com/review/atc-scm-11-2013
" .... Best standmounter £800-£1500, Awards 2013. ATC has struck gold again. These are the most talented standmounters anywhere near this price...."
" .... Verdict: The new SCM11s are a drastic improvement over an already talented performance, and they have the good looks to match. ATC has raised the bar it set itself. This isn’t just a step up – it’s a running leap ..."
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+1 @ doggiehowser. The Soundfield m1 uses the kef coax uniq driver augmented with an 8" powered long throw subwoofer. They are the best imaging speakers I have heard under $5000 and cost a fraction of that. |
Surprised nobody has yet mentioned Joseph Audio. I find them to be among the best in terms of imaging and disappearing, and they also strike me as a very natural sounding speaker despite conveying lots of detail -- not an easy or common feat to pull off IME. They also have the benefit of being relatively tube friendly as impedance generally bottoms out at around 6 Ohms. |
Spendor SA1. These little babies cast a HUGE soundstage, image precisely, and disappear from an audio standpoint. They are quite handsome too.
Every time I have given up small Spendors I have regretted it, so I have been holding on to this treasure since it came out a few years ago. |
For imaging, coaxial speakers are hard to beat.
I second the KEF LS50.
And if you can find them on second hand, Thiel MCS-1s tho they are on the large side of "bookshelf". I have always loved Thiels so here are some more - PCS1 and SCS4. |
Harbeth P3ESR is the best sounding bookshelf speaker I've owned! |
I second the Sonus Faber. I would add the B&W 805D. Either way, you will be rocking! Keep us posted on your buying decision. Happy Listening. |
As a former SPica owner...I can also attest to their legendary imaging qualities...very 3D realism...however I found the tweeter too subdued for my taste...and the bass a bit shy as well...but I am nitpicking...its a unique speaker for sure...GMA Europas are also imaging champs...with amazing speed and transparency...on the budget side...NHT Super Zeros are quite good in this regard...then there is Proac, Sonus Faber, etc |
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I vote for any of the Green Mountain Audio monitors. I've heard several of their monitors and they have exceptional imaging capabilities. |
OHM Microwalsh.
Shorts can be placed on a bookshelf if desired.
Tall are floor standing, ~30 something inches tall.
Both have cross section about the size of a CD.
I always end up on the OHM Walshes as best sounding, though there are many other top notch imaging smaller speakers out there. Plus they sound top notch from most any listening position with minimal setup compared to many more directional designs. |
I have a pair of Red Rose Music "Spirit" and "Rosebud MKII" and they both are very musical bookselfs. They incorporate a ribbon tweeter that is fast and dynamic without being forward or bright. The 5" woofer is very tight & tuneful. They image like "beast" but are rear ported and need to be place 4-5ft. from rear & side walls. I'm really impressed with the sound of such a small size speaker....Always enjoy the MUSIC!!! |
I bought my girlfriend two pairs of Spica TC-50s for her new house. When paired with decent electronics, they are hard to beat for the money. They image well. Base is more than adequate. And off-axis listening is surprisingly good. |
Soundfield audio monitor 1 and speaker art super clef. Both are quite scary with the right amp
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These I have owned and can recommend: Dynaudio Contour S1.4, Vienna Acoustics Haydn Grand, KEF LS50s, Evolution Acoustics MMMicroOnes, Volent Chorale CL-2.
On my to own list: Vapor Audio Cirrus, Nola Boxer, something in the Monitor Audio Platinum series-P100 or P200.
Best of luck with your search! |
Totem Sigs I's DO as Mattmiller said, image well.
They also have great dynamic range , fully as capable with a symphony as a jazz trio. My summer pre,a Bryston B-6 overloaded on my most dynamic CD
before the Sigs did, had to put my EE Avant back to work which
also has great dynamics. |
By "bookshelf" I assume you include stand-mounted. I have a pair of Sonus Faber Electa Amators that are imaging stars. I have heard the B&W Silver Signatures that are also outstanding. |
What Telescope_trade said, or their little brother, the Dulcet. Both are imaging monsters. |
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Harbeth,Dynaudio,Totem Signature 1's (highly recommended). Spendor, and LSA all make fantastic sounding mini monitors in all different price ranges from $2000 per pair and up. The totems are every bit as good as the Dynaudio special 25,s($4500)for half the price $2000. |
I'd sure give the KEF LS50s a listen. |
I had a friend back in the day who had TC50s and yes, they imaged very well. If you like the Spicas, you might like some of the Single Driver speakers that are out there. They image fantastically and like Spicas, don't cover the frequency extremes. My single driver Omega's image better than the Harbeth P3ESR and Kef LS50's that I've also had in my system.
I've also got a little pair of Silverline Minuet's that you might like as well as they have nice imaging capabilities. |
