Diva , PSB , Dynaudio or Meadowlark ?


Trying to stay in the $1500-2000 range,Ive kinda narrowed it down to these speakers: Diva 6.1, PSB Silver i, Dynaudio Audience 80, Meadowlark Shearwater Hot Rod. I,ve only read reviews and have no place to audition but they seem to fit my criteria which is 1 full range speaker with good Bass response,2 a relatively small footprint,3 not super fussy about placement and 4 look good (for wife). My equipment is Conrad Johnson MF 2200 (200wpc) and PFR preamp. Both are SS not tubes. My listening room (living rm) is 15' x 20' with a 12'x12' dining room at the end with no wall of separation. Speakers are on the short wall, however because of a door in that wall I only have about 12' of wall space for placement. Which of these speakers would you choose? As always your help is appreciated>
128x128artemus_5
Artemus, I am glad you like the Gold i. They have a very good sound. I do not own them, but have A LOT of experience with them. They are not difficult to place. In fact, I have found them more easy than most speakers. Their flared ports are located on the driver baffle, which seems to help. For their size, they sport a narrow baffle. That seems to make them behave like a much smaller, less profound speaker. Their footprint is actually quite small, their box size being more a function of their height and depth. The footprint is really no bigger than anything else, and they are not tall enough to dominate a room. In fact, they seem to add to a room's decor. Actually, they have always garnered a very high WAF. Just make sure to choose the cherry or black laquer(this finish costing $100 more). Let your wife see and hear them. I think you and her may be pleasantly surprised. My only reservation about the Gold i is its loading. The speaker is more insensitive than its ad copy reads, with a difficult impedence(4 ohms nominal, much lower in the current hungry bass region) and phase angle. The speaker is a real current hog. So, macho solid state is the only way to make it come alive. I used to sell them, and always argued with the store owner about their claimed sensitivity(90 or 91 db/2.83 v). I thought it was impossible. Even big Adcom amps didn't drive them particularly well(but then Adcom power is not what you would expect from what their amps look like on paper). Then I read the Stereophile review where John Atkinson measured its sensitivity in the 83/84 db/2.83 v range. I can honestly say that Atkinson was right in this case. It's a fine full range speaker(in every sense of the word). A bargain at your price point. I have always felt Meadowlark and Soliloquy do not sound their best without tube amplification.
I own the Soliloquy 5.3s and although I feel they are among the finest speakers in the $2k range I'd be concerned they might load up your room with too much bass, unless you plug the large rear port. I also get the best results with them about 4-6 feet out from the back wall, as this allows them to breathe and for the soundstage to truly open up. By the way, the 5.3s are 2-way speakers with dual 5.25" mid/woofs.

I've found Meadowlarks to sound rather flat relative to the best in this class, which would be the 5.3s, ProAc 1.5s, Thiel CS1.5s, and Joseph Audio RM22s(in my opinion, obviously). Given your price/room constraints I'd recommend giving the Joseph Audios a listen if the 5.3s don't work.

I don't have any experience with the Diva, PSB, or Dynaudios. Best of luck.

Tim
Although they are a little more money than you are asking about, might I suggest you concider the Legacy Classic(2,895) or the Legacy Studio(995.00). I don't think you will be dissapointed).
Hey Wcwhisper: Do you have these speakers and if so how particular are they about placement? With a rear firing woofer it would seem that they would require staying away from corners and front wall. Since they will be in my living room, I am confined to staying closer to walls than if I had a dedicated listening room