Help Deciding On New Speakers For Small Room, $10k budget

  I think a pair of Spendor Classic 3/1's would put a big smile on your face & keep several thousand $ in your bank account...

Do you have any placement limitation; such as, the speakers need to be near a room corner or a wall, etc.?  Does the speaker have to be small in size?  More detail is helpful.

There are some fairly large speakers that work extremely well in small rooms, so don't assume you need tiny speakers.  For example, speakers from Volti, though on the larger size, will work in a small room.

If you can place speakers near the corners of the room, or at least along the front wall, the Audio Note line offers great sounding speakers that are not very bright yet they remain lively sounding.  If you can place speakers somewhat away from the side walls, then something from JM Reynaud and ProAc fit your description. 

Good luck on your search. 

I also forgot to say that the Spendor 3/1 recommendation above is a good one too.

Sonus faber Sonetto VIII G2 or a smaller model of the same series. The Amp will matter! Go high quality over high quantity watts

Dynaudio Contour or Confidence.

Read the review of Borensen x1.

Congratulations! I have more than one friend with a small room system… they can be fantastic. Great that it is already treated. Your price range is high enough to achieve great things. 

I am not a fan of trebly speakers. Leaving out a lot of brands.. like B&W, Focal, etc.

Your description, to me would definitely point you towards Sonus Faber… definitely stand mounted. Olympic or better. Also, Franco Serblin speakers.

Then tweak

Worth considering the German made Canton Reference series. Bought the Ref 7’s on an impulse last year and am enthralled with their performance (Hegel H390). Very neutral with dynamics far beyond their size. Very high WAF as well. Not so common in the states but quite popular high-end in Europe.

Plus one for Sonus Farber.  Check out the Electa Amator lll’s.  They’re are beautiful two ways that can be bi-wired or bi-amped.

All the best.

Yamaha NS-800A is stand mount you might like. As a musician you may have encountered Yamaha pro audio equipment. 

Just make sure whatever you buy shows you the crossover components and back wave management technology. Beware any that do not. 

Do you have any placement limitation; such as, the speakers need to be near a room corner or a wall, etc.?  Does the speaker have to be small in size?  M

nope! No limitations, it’s an empty canvas.

Disregard my Yamaha recommendation. 

We import the Jern monitors from Denmark they might be perfect for you

they can be placed right next to a wall, they have incredible imaging, and are very liquid sounding, and they work really well with your Rel

https://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/0721/JERN_11S_Compact_Loudspeaker_Review.htm

https://jernspeakers.com/review/hardware-review-jern-12xf/

we can send you a pair to demo

Dave and Troy

Audio Intellect NJ

Jern Importers

Larsen 8.2 & check out the smaller Pure Audio Project speakers..

@cookiecurls - I recommend checking out the Buchardt line of speakers. They are Danish and sell direct to the consumer. I own the Buchardt S400 Mkii and use them in my office which is pretty small. They recommend at least 50 watts to drive them.

The sound of the speakers leans towards the being warm. And the bass on the speakers is incredible given their size. I highly recommend them. They just came out with a new E50 speaker which is a more premium version, but I’ve not heard them. R

There are plenty of reviews online to check out. By the way, they are easily in your budget! 

Based on your listening preferences, Harbeth should be right up your alley. The C7es should work great in your room.

Joseph Audio pulsar2 graphine. Would be an absolutely perfect speaker for what you’re looking for!

PureAudioProject open baffle speakers are an interesting recommendation made above.  The smaller models, like the Trio 15 with something like the horn midrange/tweeter module might work.  I have not heard these speakers in as small a room ss you have, which is why I said “might” work.  Open baffle speakers need at least two feet of space behind then, and ideally, more than that.  The Trio is a fantastically good speaker well within your budget.

Charney Audio makes some extremely good sounding speakers that work well in small rooms.  I’ve only heard several versions of their Companion model, which is beyond your budget, so I don’t know how well their lower-price models work, But I am hopeful.

My best bet would be Audio Note speakers.  Their big speakers, the AN-E are actually quite compact and fit in the corner of the room, but they are probably too big in terms of bass response, so look at the smaller AN-J or AN-K models.  Within each model type, there are many options that can take one well past your budget, but, there will be something within budget.  There is nothing harsh or bright  about any of their speakers.  These speakers are normally used with low and medium-powered tube gear, but they sound good with almost anything.

 I would go with standmounts or small towers with twin subs to give you the bass you want.  I Also am sensitive to sibilant sound with my old guy ears.  Consider beryllium tweeters.  I have a pair of Revel M126Be on stands with a pair of subs in a similar sized room and it sounds great.  Revel has 226 towers too that are smaller towers if you want to avoid stands. 

TAD ME1 second hand would fit your budget and are amazing speakers. I have niched preferred them to Joseph Pulsar. Not sure McIntosh amp would be an ideal match though. 

Zingali monitor speakes or Audiovector R1 are ok.

Slate Fischer & Fischer SN 170's- $6900

https://fischer-fischer.de/en/snsl-170/

Or go for the 270's. 

Totem?

With your room well treated Focal Kanta 2 should do well without sounding too bright. A corner set up can also work well to mitigate room modes. Good luck ! 

I believe someone already mentioned Franco Serblin. They have a new stand mounted I heard this year at Axpona called the Goldberg. Very even sounding and has that beautiful Italian look as well.

I use Borresen X1 with a T9X rel sub. You will be delighted. This is in my office set up and it plays all day with no fatigue!!

Have a look at Totem Tribe Towers

https://totemacoustic.com/product/tribe-tower/

https://youtu.be/JOreZP9uNhA?si=qnFW4gGGZ_HJRCJN

Good luck with your search 

cheers

Woots agree.I have one x1 using 3 sub.

Look at ATC. They are very accurate and ATC are used by many recording engineers for monitoring. Imaging is amazing. 

I agree with a previous recommendation. Consider auditing Joseph Audio Pulsars. At $10K, I would definitely try to demo your top 1-3 picks on your system or something very similar at your local dealer. Keep in mind, the demo room, cables, etc, make a difference. Unfortunately, demoing speakers may require a few road trips. Your local shop may not sell any of your top picks. I’m currently using B&W 805D3 paired with a Conrad Johnson amp and preamp. The Pulsars are at the top of my list when I get the upgrade itch. Take your time and have fun. 

Any speakers from the BBC family would fit nicely, I have the Graham Audio LS 5/9, can listen to them all day without fatigue, I am very sensitive to upper middle and treble, another brand is QLN, great speakers. 

You should definitely look at the monitor audio platinum 100 G3 or G2 if you can find them still very three-dimensional airy and spacious and excellent bass.

If you prefer a more detailed, transparent, yet full-bodied, minus the fatigue, great dynamics, great bass, huge soundstage, high resolution, great value for the money sound, I would highly recommend one of the smaller Revel PerformaBe speakers.  If you prefer a more lush, softer, more romantic sound, then Sonus Faber would be a great choice.  Happy listening,   

I have really been enjoying the Vivid Audio Kaya S12 speakers.  They are small speakers with matching stands ($9,700 with stands).  I have to say they are a slice of pure heaven.  They have an uncanny sense of presence and amazing imaging with "reach out and touch" focus.  Their tonal balance is spot on and just when you are wondering if they have bass, it shines through with detail and articulation and the proper quantity.  A very special speaker with some obviously amazing technology.

I have a Yamaha NS5000 "bookshelf" in a decent sized room, but it is too big for a small room. To solve this for people Yamaha introduced the NS3000 which are true bookshelf speakers (use stands). The NS3000 is not sold in the USA but can be bought from Canada (I know a store in Toronto).

I have heard the TAD ME-1 and the NS5000 is at a different level to the BE drivers on the TAD's. The NS3000 would be the same as the NS5000 since the Zylon drivers are essentially the same.

I recently moved into a smaller office from another small office. In the larger office I had a Magnepan LRS+. It was not the utmost in detail and dynamics, but it was a great listen with the wall of sound it produces. You need a lot of power for this speaker.

Now in my new smaller office I sold the LRS+ and got the Magnepan Mini. The mini is used in near-field but I think it would work in a room 12x11x9. It is a bit more detailed and smoother than the LRS+. This speaker also needs a lot of power. (I tried lower 70 watts and it was not enough). I use a Sanders Magtech which give me 500 @ 8 and 900 @ 4. The Mini can be bought used for $1000 and a used amp in the range of $5k (like mine would be perfect)

Remember a small room is not a great friend to great sound.

Aerial Acoustics 5t or 6t.

https://speakerchoices.com/index.html

Joseph Audio still uses the Infinite Slope Crossover Technology of Richard Modafferi, the most amazingly distinct speakers you will ever hear, I loved my JSE Model II’s in a larger room, they still sound awesome in my friend’s even large space, I went back to my vintage family heirloom horns and 15" woofer.

you need a 2 way for your space that is not lacking ......

here’s a used pair at $1,200. local pickup. You would need to use UPS Pack and Ship, just have seller drop them off at UPS unpackaged for you.

note: if sand filled, have them drain it, you add play sand after you get them.

Used Joseph Audio

stereophile review rm22si

excerpt

The improvements in the RM22si Signature Mk.2, while not as dramatic as those I found with the Mk.2 version of the RM7si Signature, were significant.

only sensitivity 86, you need a decent amount of power and won’t need a lot of volume in that space,

...........................

OR, here’s a pair that will take your whole budget

https://nowlistenhere.net/speakers/joseph-audio-pulsar2-graphene

I would prefer the larger rm22si box sand filled, and having most of my money still in my pocket

Jansen Valentina A8. Get the active version if you can up your budget by 2k.

Check out the Revival Audio Atalante 3 monitors. From what you described, it kind of mirrors what I’ve settled for with these speakers. They’re made by Daniel Emonts who was lead speaker designer at Dynaudio for seven years and their award winners were his designs. Before that he led speaker design at Focal/JMLab and before that at Altec.

Everything is bespoke and made in France from the cabinets down to his drivers. Nothing is off the shelf. Here’s the most recent review (reflective of current pricing as well) that I could find. There’s lots more online if you wish to investigate.

For just under $2700 (sans stands) you can save quite a lot.

All the best,
Nonoise

I have really been enjoying the Vivid Audio Kaya S12 speakers.  They are small speakers with matching stands ($9,700 with stands).  I have to say they are a slice of pure heaven.  They have an uncanny sense of presence and amazing imaging with "reach out and touch" focus.  Their tonal balance is spot on and just when you are wondering if they have bass, it shines through with detail and articulation and the proper quantity.  A very special speaker with some obviously amazing technology.

I  am not saying you're wrong as I have no way to know, but I do wonder why anyone would spend 10K on such a diminutive and theoretically inexpensive-to-manufacture loudspeaker when for a fraction of the price this very similar product can be chosen instead-https://www.stereophile.com/content/genelec-g-three-active-loudspeaker

A lot of fine speakers have been recommended here, but, one of the requirements is sound that is somewhat soft on top.  Some of these speakers are on the brighter side.  

You might consider something like Omega Super Alnico Monitors, which are full-range,  mated with a REL subwoofer. The combination will not have excessive upper range dissonance and will have a very natural sound. They are also efficient, with sensitivity >94dB, which would permit you to use a wide range of lower-power class A amplifiers and SET tube amplifiers, if you chose.

ATC SCM40 (active or passive ). Fully sealed/ no rear ports to potentially cause resonant problems in room. I have em in my office, slightly larger than your room, and I love them. Prior used Harbeth C7esXD, SHL5 +XD, and a ton of other standmount and floorstanders. Like you I tend to shy away from bright speakers. Three of the “hot” sounding models of note, were Focal Sopra No1, Marten Oscar Trio , and Devore Super Nine. They all caused listening fatigue. Numerous amps , tube amps, adjustments, ad nauseam.  The balm for me was Harbeth… but they are not great on all the genres I really like. The ATC performs above them all. To my ears the ATC midrange does Harbeth midrange better than Harbeth, which can sound dry at times. If you favor realism, true authentic natural / believable sound, dynamics, soundstage, on and on then def give them a shot. There is a real reason why heaps of the top recording studios and artists demand ATC speakers. I would have saved a truckload of time and money if I had tried ATC years ago. Happy tunes to you and good luck.

Probably standmounts.  Perhaps Vienna Acoustics Haydn Signiture, PS Audio Aspen, Gershman Audio Studio II or one of the Sonus Faber offerings.  The tonality of these speakers may be more in like with your liking.  I also don't like speakers that get grainy or harsh in the upper frequencies but still enjoy the detail.

For that room I’d seriously look at Audio note UK AN line of speakers. They are designed to be placed in the corner of the room. some of the very best for a musical presentation. None fatiguing, excellent detail levels, excellent bass depth and detail, not harsh on top but all the detail you could ask for. Also, quite efficient so it opens the doors to a wide range of amps.

Loudspeakers | Audio Note (UK)

@cookiecurls wrote: "The room size is 10 feet by 11 feet with 10 foot ceilings, almost a perfect square".

This makes me think that a somewhat unconventional set-up geometry might be worth considering: Perhaps with the speakers and listening position oriented almost, but not quite, along a diagonal. This would help to smooth out the in-room bass in your almost-cubic room.

@cookiecurls again: "I also have a Rel A7X subwoofer" and "No [placement] limitations, it’s an empty canvas."

I would suggest main speakers whose low end overlaps the subwoofer somewhat, such that the subwoofer is augmenting the low end rather than being the sole source of low end energy. And, I would suggest elevating the sub so that it is closer to the ceiling than to the floor. Combined with not-quite-diagonal speaker placement, this approach would result in your three in-room bass sources each being a different distance from the nearby room boundaries, with good distribution of your bass sources in all three dimensions. 

Does your subwoofer have a phase control?  A phase control is often useful when there is overlap between the sub(s) and mains.

@cookiecurls: "[The room] has already been professionally sound treated with many panels from Gik Acoustics."

Which types of panels, and can you relocate them if you wanted to try the almost-diagonal setup geometry?

One final question, which has to do with spatial quality preference: Are you more interested in a "they are here" presentation (it sounds like the musicians are in your room), or a "you are there" presentation (it sounds like you are in the musicans’ room)?

Thanks!

Duke

Especially since your room size and sensitivity to highs, I would recommend Electricic Solution rebuild of Quad 57s. They are a bit rolled off in the highs but don’t have very strong bass, But for what they do it is clear why they top most lists of best ever. Also seems you have a great amp for them,

And if you want similar mids with good bass and more highs and an overall more dynamic and real sound, the new Quad 2812X. They are a steal at $10K. The 57s are just $6500. I replaced mine with the new Quads. I miss the sublime 57 sound but am enjoying the more exciting sound of the new Quads,

I am also a musician and love the real and transparency of Quads. Would never have any other!

@cookiecurls you already have received some very good recommendations. I agree with those who suggest one of the BBC models. When I moved nearly a decade ago into a home with a small dedicated listening room, I had opportunity to build a system specifically for the space. Like you, I’m sensitive to high frequencies and lean toward warmer presentations of music. After an exhausting and exhaustive review of every stand mounted speaker at AXPONA, I decided to bring home a pair of Reference 3A MM de Capo BE speakers to audition. At the show, I thought they offered a more perfect balance (to my ear) of accuracy and warmth than any of the others I auditioned, many of which are suggested above. Reference 3A is not well known, but they have been around a very long time and are well regarded. The last I looked, they were less than half your budget. By the way, I recently added a pair of REL T7x subs to my system; they play beautifully with the Ref 3As.

Given your requirements especially in the treble:

odyssey audio Lorelei. $2900 and add a Rythmic sealed sub or two, if needed. 
 

https://odysseyaudio.com/lorelei-floorstanding-speaker/