I need some suggestions for some new speakers...


My system consists of:
Creek 5350SE
NAD 541 Cd player
MSB Link DAC
Music Hall MMF-5
Monolithic Phono Preamp, and Power supply
Kimber speaker cable w/ WBT terminations

My current speakers are Axiom M3Ti's.
My room size is approximately 13x11.
My tastes are heavy in jazz, classic rock, classical,and some world music. I am big into imaging from my speakers, and I tend to favor more bass in a speaker. I am looking for something under $1200.

Thanks for the help.
jpbaskin
Greetings JP!
The best bass panels I ever heard in my life were from the magnepan tympanis!..with a hi current amp and proper positioning,...extremely hi res and enough impact to amost "blow out" your windows. I own and use Thiel 3.5,s and I love them!
Rol
I am thinking of getting one since they got good reveiws. In what ways are you not satisfied with them?

Nice mid-fi system you built - you shopped wisely. Should sound pretty good.

You might want to add a sub. I upgrade my speakers many times searching for this mysterious sonic heaven. I found it in a Sony $95 sub SA-WM200 (with a small 5 inch woofer settelite bookshelves).

3 system gives you clarity in the mid and high, due to the bass eminating from a distance. I prefer it to a 3 way (2 way crossover sounds better than 3 way - phase shift). With a sub, you can have a 2way and a full sound.

I was listening to a setup like this with Athena speakers ($170 per pair) hooked upto a modest sony cd and a yamaha receiver - less than a 1k system! And I was mesmerised... This is what I had been searching for. Had me dancing on for hours on my feet.

Hope this helps,
Hello Jpbaskin,

If you don't mind a "vintage" speaker, consider the Snell Type A. Superb imaging, and superb bottom end. There's a pair for sale here:

http://cgi.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cl.pl?spkrfull&1075590669

The asking price is well below your budget, but you'd probably have to spend a fair amount on shipping, which would put you back up near your budget.

Best of luck in your quest,

Duke
Used Thiel cs1.5 for $800 + used $400 subwoofer. Killer for a small room and decent upstream components. Will not sound good with poor source electronics.
You mentioned you favor bass...Vandersteen model 1 would be a nice entry level speaker into the "hi-end"...they are about 1k new with stands....and a sub is more optional than necessary...they are also a time/phase design...which means they image very well...by no means a "party" speaker...but one that is very musical...good luck...
I've seen a few REL Q100E's on sale at A'gon for 600 or less. I've been using one for 5 years and can recommend it with confidence. I'm also running the Creek 5350, but am using Silverline SR 11's and SR 17's. I just saw a demo pair of the SR 17's advertised for 1500, maybe if you get a little Christmas money...
Thanks for the responses! Another thought, since I my room is only 13x11... I had thought about adding a subwoofer to my current system. Any particular subwoofers that can be recommended? Something preferable under $600. I am looking for a good compliment to my current system. Creek 5350SE, NAD C541, MSB link DAC, Monolithic Phono preamp, Music Hall MMF-5, and Axiom M3Ti's.
Magnepan MMG's and a Adire Rava SE subwoofer. Absolute magic for about what you want to spend and no used equipment to deal with. Good luck!
Check out the Von Schweikert VR1s (www.vonschweikert.com). Since they are mini-monitors, they are great at imaging and they go fairly low (40Hz). Of course if you could add their VRS1 sub (which would likely push you over your budget) you might just find yourself in heaven. Good luck!
The GMA Europa can be pretty amazing, placement is not difficult, but good stands (Osiris makes some good ones) will help. There's no shortage of Europa endorsers on this site, you may be able to dig up some useful info from a few of them.
I am into the same type of music......try Von Schweikert VR1's........ or with just a little more investment you should be able to find a pre-owned pair of the VR2's.
Good Luck
If you like the sound of your Axioms, then you could always move-up in the Axiom line to M60's or M80's. Another good choice would be Meadowlark Swifts, especially for imaging.