Help fine-tune my speaker search
I'm in the market for a new speaker and hoping to find something that blends what I like about the two that I'm using now -- KEF LS50 Meta and Nola Boxers (original). Both speakers are really good at imaging and soundstage. The Nola's are a little more organic sounding and go a little deeper on bass extension, but the Metas are much more revealing about what's in the music. So I guess I'm looking for a speaker that provides detail while also sounding organic and musical and that is also dynamic enough for what I like to listen to -- jazz (old school and bebop), blues, and rock.
The rest of my system right now is iFi Zen Stream >>> Denafrips Ares 2 >>> Schiit Freya + (Sylvania NOS tubes) >>> Schiit Vidar (or McCormack DNA 1 original 1980s). I also play around with a Yaqin MC-13S integrated tube amp with the Nolas. For bass, I run 2 SVS SB-1000 Pros. Long term I see myself sticking with some combo of tube preamp and SS amp but can also see myself with all tubes someday. The room is 14' wide x 24' long but only has 7' ceilings (basement room with concrete floors and sheetrock walls). I'm thinking of staying with bookshelf speakers on stands and using subs, vs going with floorstander. Easier to control bass that way and move around when needed. Open to any other suggestions about my system. After speakers, it will be power amp next.
Just started building a short list of what I want to audition but hoping the hive mind has some ideas for me. Thanks in advance. Budget is $3K - $3.5K.
I've auditioned Fritz and Special 40s and I'd go with Fritz: https://www.fritzspeakers.com/sound.asp Eminent looks very interesting: http://eminent-tech.com/LFT8.html I am totally happy with my Ascend Acoustics Sierra with Raal tweeter for my tube amps. I have 6.5ft ceilings.
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Below are links to a couple of reviews I did. Special 40’s need a lot of power. I found their presentation both engaging and a bit perplexing. As if I was listening to an interesting speaker but the music was somehow behind those effects. Hard to explain. There is a teardown of them (literally, figuratively) at GR channel. Review of Carbon 7’s One more thing about Fritz vs. some of these other companies -- Fritz has no overhead, no marketing, no advertising, no factory, no staff. When you spend on his speakers a very high percent of your $$ goes to the parts and expertise in the speaker. The speakers are very heavy and have really great drivers. Most important, they sound amazing. In retrospect, I actually prefer the Carbon 7’s now, because I’ve decided the Be tweeter is too bright for me. I agree with the comment about the Philharmonic BMR. Those would be worth a listen. |
I had ordered the Salks. They took 7 months to build (Covid plus the usual time for custom speakers) and I got the Fritz as trials. I loved them but had a lot invested in the Salks. Over time, I wanted more sensitive speakers for my tube amps and also a ribbon rather than Be tweeter. That's the journey. But something magical happened with those Fritz Carbon 7's which stuck in my mind. I underestimated what a gem they are, but they are, still, a bookshelf and I want to stick with towers.
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@nymarty I hear you about GR Research, but there are some elements of his demonstration -- about parts quality, e.g. -- which would be solid data points regardless of what his overall objective is with his videos. That, for me, is the key to modest skepticism -- listen to every aspect of an argument, including the subarguments, and allow those whose validity do not depend on the larger argument to remain standing. As for the Fritz speaker, all I can say is that listening to the Carbon 7s would at least give you a useful benchmark. |
