rega alya, if you wanna stay inexpensive
linn tukan or katan for moderately priced
or ATC scm10 - actives. |
What price point? B&W DM303 are cheap and very nice, as well as the recently discontinued DM302 |
Joseph Audio RM7 signatures or Totem model 1 are both great choice. Also, you can usually find used for good prices and they have good resale values if you want to switch. The new line of inifinity intermezzo 2.6s are getting awesome reviews, in fact they are stereophile class A rated. Revel M20s are also very nice. If these are above your price range try looking at the Krix equinox - I think ~$600 new. |
B&W LM1's mount on the wall and do a fine job for casual listening. A small sub would help them though. Totems are fine speakers, Model One or if you're on a budget Rokk's. |
Suggest you avoid speakers with bass ports on their backsides if you want to place close to wall. Also suggest you audition B&W DM601S2. |
I recommend Triangle monitors, they are cheap, outrageously detailed but not fatiguing (unless you feed them a fatiguing front end). My Cometes are great at all levels from mellow "nighty-night" sessions to neighbor-deafening DSOTM side 2 freakouts. They are front-ported so placement next to the wall is not a problem, mine are probably under 3'. Plus they are quite efficient. Just my 0.02, good luck and happy listening! |
Proac 1SCs are good sounding and well regarded. It has a smooth midrange and, as with most small monitors, it images well but lacks deep bass.
I also have a pair of Red Rose Music R3s. The highs are quite delicate and the lows go surprisingly deep for a speaker of this modest size. The midrange can be a little lean until the speaker is broken in. |
Depends on the price range. Krix, Alon and others make some amazing sound for small box speakers. For less money the Kef Q15.2 do a super job....worth the listen if you are thinking around $300.00 or so. |
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All are good suggestions so far but I must admit to being surprised of no mention of the Spendor 3/5's. Since the Harbeth I heard is essentially the same, I wonder if anyone who has made a suggestion so far (to which I am grateful) has compared their suggestion to either one. Anyone heard the Spendors or Harbeth's? |
I had two pairs of Harbeth P3's. They were wonderful. I bought the second pair after I bought the first sound unheard and used them in different rooms. I have since replaced both with larger Harbeth speakers. But, believe me, you will not find much agreement with your assertion that the Harbeth speaker is "essentially the same" as the Spendor. It isnt even the same as the new Harbeth HL-P3ES. They are, however, the same size.
You could order HL-P3ES's from Wintertree Audio, or find the Spendors in a store near you maybe. The Spendors even come up used here once in a while. New or used they are less expensive than the Harbeths. The Spendors have been well reviewed and a lot of people like them. They should be fine little speakers. I remember seeing someone posting on AA, however, that he had sold his and gone back to LS3/5a's. I cannot imagine anyone who has ever had Harbeth P3's doing that.
The Spendors are easier to drive. The Harbeths require more and better power. Not a good idea to use them with a bright source or amp. The P3's are near field monitors, but unlike most such monitors do not have a dip in the presence region. They are flat through 20khz. They also have really wide dispersion. To use them, you need to keep them away from reflective surfaces like sidewalls and mirrors or glass cabinets. Ceiling reflections can also be a problem if you sit too far away from the speakers. |
Trebleclef, you say in another thread that you have P3's in a den driven by a little NAD amp. In this thread you say you have heard them in a used record store. Which is it?
Here's what a friend of mine who has heard both said over at AudioAsylum about the P3ES - S3/5 comparison:
"The Harbeth HLP3-ES may be hard to drive @ 83db/6 ohms (something like that I think), but if controlled properly, can produce one of the most natural midrange and would offer the wonderful level of transparency to your music.
The Spendor 3/5 is a friendlier speaker, in terms of load and also the sound. They will never fail to please. Sonically, the harbeth and spendors might sound very close, but over time, you'll notice that the spendors gives you an "extra" dollop of sweetness, while the harbeths continue to excel in the transparency and imaging."
The Harbeth needs and accepts more power. The Harbeth is probably the more accurate, closer to your Quad ideal and is probably more dynamic. The component parts of the Harbeth are more costly than the parts used in the Spendor. The Harbeth uses a metal dome tweeter, the Spendor a soft dome tweeter. Some people here will tell you soft is good and metal bad, but it really depends on the quality of the particular tweeters being compared.
When you email someone through Audiogon, it's a good idea to tell them your name and maybe where you live unless your email address identifies you. |
Paulwp, Sorry if email was a disturbance. Yes I have a pair of P3's in my den system but they are not mine. The pair I heard at a used record store in Washington DC metro area are P3. What I'm trying to asceratain through this thread was more knowledge than what was available locally or on Harbeth's website. Specifically is the Harbeth P3 and P3ES one and the same. Apparently no. Since starting the thread I have come across an excellent article by Paul Seydor reviewing the Spendor S3/5 which is probably where I'll end up as there are a couple of good sources locally for these speakers. I rarely find much to get really excited aboutin audio these days so when I accidently find something extroidinary,it is indeed a welcome. One rarely finds good sound in a record store. Or good records in an audio store.I sent you an email as you seemed to know more about the speakers than others. Sorry if it was an intrusion. My email add has my first name (ed) and I live in MD along the Chesapeake Bay. As I said I'm interested in people's first hand experiences with these products, which is why I enjoy this disccussion group per se. |
Not an intrusion, people email each other all the time. I do it. It's just that my email address tells you exactly who I am, including my last name.
The P3ES should sound very similar to the P3. They were both designed by the same person with the same objectives. But there are differences.
Paul |
