Help Deciding On New Speakers For Small Room, $10k budget
Hello everyone! A brief background. For the first time in my life, I have a dedicated room for listening! š Iām very excited about it. However, itās not very big. Something is better than nothing though. Previously I always lived in apartments and had to primarily listen on headphones. The room size is 10 feet by 11 feet with 10 foot ceilings, almost a perfect square. It has already been professionally sound treated with many panels from Gik Acoustics. So despite its tricky sizing, it should be all set up for a proper experience! And I already have a nice chain, a McIntosh MC52 Preamp and Primare Power Amp and CD Player with a Holo Audio May KTE. Oh, I also have a Rel A7X subwoofer.
I unfortunately have a disability that makes it very difficult for me to travel. I cannot easily just go to a hifi store and try things. I also live kinda in the middle of nowhere. But Iām a former professional musician and music is my life, and I want to feel connected to my music as much as I can, so Iām willing to invest into it. I have a budget of about $10k give or take $1k or so. I donāt mind looking at used options in like new condition.
A little about my hearing preferences: I am very sensitive to high frequencies, specifically around 7k-10k. For reference, every hifi headphone Iāve ever used made me wince because the high frequencies are too pronounced. I just put up with it because I didnāt have a choice, but Iāve noticed that with speakers Iām usually not so sensitive to them so Iām excited to go down this journey and enjoy my music listening more. I like powerful, punchy bass, and generally prefer a warmer sound signature, however, even though my ears are sensitive to higher frequencies, I love a nice crisp and realistic cymbal sound. In general, as a musician, I think Iād love something that sounds ātrue to lifeā because I have obviously a lot of experience hearing instruments live. I mostly listen to jazz (because Iām a jazz musician) but I also love music of all genres like rock, electronic, pop, soul, alternative, and occasionally K-Pop too, Iām pretty open minded. So something that is a good all-rounder might also be nice. Writing this all out, I now think I might be asking for the moon though, so letās just say jazz and realistic instruments is my main priority š
So with all that said, I would greatly appreciate your suggestions. Iāve been looking at Focalās line of Kanta and Sopra but Iāve heard they are bright. Iāve heard B&W but I donāt think their house sound is for me, again too bright. Ā Also debating between bookshelves and small floor standers for a smallish room. Iāve been looking also at Canton, Dali, Tannoy and Wharfdale, but Iām not as familiar with the speaker world as I am the headphone or IEM world, so Iām quite open to ideas. Thank you so much and best wishes on the evening of this crazy time Iām in the U.S.!
@cookiecurlsĀ I recommend Marten Oscar Trio speakers. They are a little bit more than $10k, but you may find them used for a bit less than your budget. Ā They are hard to beat for speakers in their price range. Ā Sonus Faber would be my next recommendation. |
A pair of Fyne F-701 bookshelf speakers with a pair of Rythmik F12 subs might do quite well and come in about a thousand under your budget. Ā I have the F-702s (floorstanding) and the Rythmiks and am exceptionally pleased with the sound reproduction quality. Ā Alive but not overly bright, excellent imaging, and superb tonal qualities. |
If those high frequencies bother you, I recommend getting a Schiit Loki Max. I have one in my system and itās crucial for taming those highs on tracks where they are too pronounced. It will also make speakers that sound great to you at all other frequencies except the highs a possibility where otherwise that one aspect might have been a deal killer.Ā |
Iāll second the Dynaudio suggestions. Ā I am sensitive to high frequencies as well and their dome tweeters are very smooth and detailed without being overly bright. I have no listener fatigue with mine. They are also not overly picky on placement. The Contour series would fit right in your budget. |
I also highly recommend the Joseph Audio Pulsars. Ā They are a fantastic speaker and you wonāt go wrong with them. Ā The Perspectives are also great. Ā Somewhat out of your price range are the Wilson Sabrina Xās, used. Ā I have a room of virtually the same dimensions as you do (11x11x9.5) and I mainly listen to jazz as well. Ā The Ā Wilsons are simply fantastic in my sized room, and wonderful for jazz, but classic rock as well. Ā Stretch your budget if you can for those! Ā They are way superior to the Pulsars, IMHO, but are much more expensive. Ā Note: Ā I owned the Pulsars, and not the Pulsar Graphenes and Focal Diablo Utopia IIIās prior to the Sabrina Xās in the same room with the same components, so I think that I can make a pretty good comparison. |
