Great bookshelf or small towers suggestions

Dali makes some great bookshelf and small floorstanders, with matching centers, that include a ribbon tweeter

If you are buying store brands, Monitor Audio Silver series, no question, especially used. 

If you are up for making it yourself, or having it made, the ZRT's will devastate the B&W's or Focal's in the range.

Add about $900 to the kit part for the good Mr. Taylor to build them for you.

https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/2.5-way-speaker-kits/zaph|audio-zrt-2.5-way-revelator-tower-pa...

That tweeter uses the same motor that's the basis for the current crop of Magico's. The Revelators are stunning and deep woofers.  If you want to go with a Be tweeter, the Klang-Tong Nada with a single Scanspeak woofer may be your last speakers ever.

https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/2.5-way-speaker-kits/zaph|audio-zrt-2.5-way-revelator-tower-pa...

Again, those Scanspeak woofers have amazing bass. Especially if you are going to go with a sub for movies, one of these woofers in a ported cabinet will stun you.

JBL

I also like Paradigm as well as Monitor Audio Silver. The Monitor Audio Radius line does very well for small speakers, and measure very well, but are pricey for what you get. 

If you are open to Open Source (kind of) speakers, the Klang Tong NADA will smoke the Sopra's, and can be built floor standing.  Contact Taylor Acoustics.  You should be able to get a pair for under $3k built to your favorite veneer.  The single Scanspeak woofer is deceptive and has TONS of bass.  They won't have the full dynamic range of the larger B&W's, but have a much better treble and natural balance. 

I just don't think I'm that adventurous yet. I just can't see buying something I couldn't hear first.  It is a cool idea though and I admire the DIY ethos. Although I have come close to just taking the plunge on the ascend towers.

I've been shying away from used speakers too.  I owned a pair of used Mordaunt Short speakers and blew a tweeter.  It took 6 months to get the person I bought them from to make a warranty claim for me to replace them..

I did audition a few things. I got a chance to go to Innovative Audio and heard Linn Majik 140's, and 3 different Spendor two ways.  (D1, A3, one fo the classic bookshelves)

The Linn's sounded the best but were too big.  I'd be interested in hearing the Linn bookshelf 109's but they sold their demo pair.  The Spendor towers were 2nd best - lots of bass.  I was very impressed by the two way speakers overall.  

But so far I really didn't hear anything that had the bright high end of the Magnepans or the 805D3's I recall hearing. 

I need to go back there and hear a few more speakers: PMC and hopefully the Linn 109's.  Then I need to try a few other places.

Thx

I love my Maggie 1.7s, but looking at your room diagram I'd say the layout and available space is as big an obstacle as the WAF thing. When I was shopping for speakers at the time, the dynamic speakers in that price range that best approached the sound and dispersion of the Maggies were the Focal Chorus floorstanders. Even the smaller ones threw a big, well-defined, room-filling soundstage. Sound was fast and immediate, midrange pure and transparent, bass linear and quick. Best of all they have a modest footprint and offer a matching center channel speaker. 

The best deal I know of right now are the 726 V tower and CC 700 V center channel speakers, both in wenge veneer and deeply discounted at Musicdirect. We're talking $1348 for the set of three, down from a list price of $2299, $951 off.

You might be able to find a local dealer, audition them, and negotiate a local deal.

I was at a retailer recently selling a demo pair of NEAT Motive SX3 and PMC Twenty 21 for a great prices (I bought the Twenty 23 demos he had).  He also had some used SF Guarneri Memento and Reference 3A MM DeCapo i for sale.  I'm not affiliated with them but can give you their contact information if you PM me.

The PMC twenty 23's are what he wants me to hear next as well as a large stand mounted pmc that I guess is the 22? 

I'll pm you too.

Thanks!! 

Odd - I can't figure out how to PM you.   Maybe I don't have enough posts or something?   Anyway, I'd be interested in that dealer if you wouldn't mind.   wolfereeno @ gmail.

Thx!!

wolfernyc - Here is the link to the dealer:  http://www.bluemoonav.com/

Ask for Len (the owner)

Hey Wolf,

You and I seem to like the same sound. Improved brightness, upfront treble and mids. Which speaker are you leaning towards now?

I really don't know yet.  I need to do a lot more listening.  Next up for me to go hear are a few PMC's, a Linn bookshelf, and then I'll have to go to another dealer to hear other things like the B&W 805's and Focals again.  I live in NYC so there are a lot of dealers. 

But I tell you I keep coming close to just buying ascend towers with the ribbon tweeters or maybe the Sierra 2's because really, I just hate the hunt and I like what I've read!

Maybe this hobby's not in my bones.  Probably whatever I buy I'll get used to!  :-)

Usually if you expect to get used to something in your system, it never happens and you end up wanting to swap it out.  You should definitely take your time and buy what you like - you'll know it right away when you hear it.

If you like the PMCs, it's a great time to get a deal on the Twenty series since the Twenty5 series just came out.  I am traveling and haven't picked up my demo Twenty.23s yet so thinking about moving up the PMC line a bit because of that.

You should also try to find a dealer that sells NEAT out there.  The Motive SX2 is a very underrated small tower speaker that simply disappears in the right sized room.

Heard a few more good speakers this weekend. Dynaudio Excite X18, Dynaudio Contour S1.4, Spendor SP3, and Rega RX3 (or maybe Rx5?).

I liked the Excite X18 a lot. Not a ton of bass but amazing imaging.   The Contour had a lot more bass and almost the same imaging.  Overall it did sound better than the X18 but not by much to me.  I didn't care for the Rega's much - and the side speaker might be strange in my layout since one side of the room has an open side wall.

I was surprised by the Spendors since I'd heard them before and did not like them at all the first time.   Of course different room, different equip but both stores are top shelf so odds are one setup wasn't particularly inferior.  I might have to hear them again in the first store again.   

The good news was that there are a lot of small speakers that really sound great.   And having smaller speakers than my sound dynamics would be nice for living purposes.

But what's kind of bugging me is that the stores don't really do the A/B speaker switching thing with the high end gear.  So you hear things 10 minutes apart.  And frankly that doesn't work unless something's glaringly  obvious, which at this level of gear isn't all that apparent. 

So I'm thinking maybe just taking an in home trial of one of the ID speakers makes sense so I can live with them a bit.  I think more dealers would be wise to try to meet that convenience.  

Anyway, I have a few more speakers on my list to hear.  PMC, a few more Dynaudios, Linn 109, and if none blow me away, I'll just take a chance on something mail order and try to get used to them.  If that's the case it would prob be the ascend sierra 2's or towers.

wow, thanks for sharing your experiences... you are lucky to have access to all these models.  Focal 714 still high on your list when compared to speakers costing 2-3 times more ?

wolfernyc, in a slight fit of insanity, I did upgrade to the FACT 8 so the demo Twenty.23 pair is available again.  If you like the PMCs you should give Len a call fast.

Try My Sonata -001 30 day no problem return

hmm, I would agree with sunnyjim and NOT BIASED to say that the Wharfedale Denton sound musical, engaging, romantic, excited, and you feel great when you listen to it, and yet I found that it sound absolutely the best if pair with Fostex HP-A3 DAC preamp & any reputable power amp, the only thing you may consider is to add a sub to cover up the lack of dynamic at some dangerous extreme volume, which I dun think most people need to do that in order to enjoy music. My current thought is the Denton is nothing short of amazing, except if you would like to showcase some extreme dynamic bass sonic, there are better speakers I think, but not at $500 price, and it look as good as any decent furniture you can find.

Yeah. Thx but not interested in subs at all.  Sux for neighbors in an apt and usually not necessary w halfway decent mains.  Just my opinion.  

Bache, do you have a showroom/workshop I could hear your speakers?  Thx!

In a small room Merlin Tsm are the best I have had. 

OP,you said you did like the Focal Chorus 714 but want this to be end game for speakers why not look at the next step,the Aria line?
Right in your budget & everything I'm seeing says these are superb speakers...

Check out Source Loudspeakers. John Sollecito of JSE is the owner and chief designer. A small company in South Windsor Ct.. They hand build all of there enclosures. You can call them up and John answers the phone and is happy to talk to you about your needs and the best fit for you system. Made in America and have a 10 year warranty. I have a pair of the 7211's and love them. The website is not fancy but check it out give John a call. 

I can get you  Evolution Acoustics MicroOne Loudspeakers for 3000 a pair. 

I'm not sure what your budge is, but if you are looking for bookshelf speakers you can hardly go wrong with a set of Legacy Audio Studio HD's, or their bigger brother the Calibre.

 A little over a year ago I was looking to build a system for the master bedroom, and like you, were looking for a bookshelf type speaker. After listening to KEF, Paradigm, Revel, and others I bought the Legacy home. They sound so much larger than what they actually are. I could not believe how they produced such clean and rich music... At the present I have two pairs of the Studios and a pair of the Focus SE's for my main system in the family room.

I don't know where you are located, but if it's anywhere close to Virginia feel free to contact me and come by and give a listen.   

@fritznayoan  

I see you are new here and may not realize selling is done through the classified section, not the forums.