Meets your requirements except for the 40 watts; you will need 70 - 100 watts (or more) depending on the amp and your tastes, but the good news is that you will have about $500 left toward an amp after paying about $500 for a very nice pair of DQ-10s (including the stands - they need to be on the stands, not the 3 little feet). They will image and present vocals as well as anything in this price range. Assuming you could sell your existing amp for a few hundred dollars you could then buy an ARC D-70 MkII or a D-76A for less than a thousand dollars and be in sonic heaven (if you don't listen real loud, these amps will give you decent volume). I'm sure someone will chime in with something that sounds better, but either one of these amps plus a pair of DQ-10s will give you as natural a human voice as you can expect for anywhere near this budget. DQ-10s come up pretty often on the used market (e-Bay and Agon), but the trick is to find a truely original pair in good condition - no mods (people do wierd things) and no repairs (look for a pair that is owned by the original owner who kept them in a good HVAC environment and babied them so they don't need a woofer surround replacement). These speaker will give you a great sound stage, decent low end, and open airy midrange and highs; with a tube amp, especially an ARC, the highs (and the entire tonal range) will be musical. Throw an ARC SP-3A1 preamp in later and you will have a high performance medium budget system that can't be beat until you start looking at 2-3x the cost. If you have to, you can start with the DQ-10s and a vintage receiver (Marantz 2325, 2275 or Sony 7065 or a Yamaha equivalent) and still have great sound. Speaking of Yamaha, the other alternative would be a pair of Yamaha NS-1000s, but lately they go for about $1k in good condition; different sound than the DQ-10s, but also a legendary speaker. If there is any way to find a pair of DQ-10s and/or NS-1000s to hear, especially driven with decent tube equipment you will quickly realize what is so special about these two. Good luck.
Looking for a speaker under $1000. used.
Hi Audiogoners, I'm looking for a musical, dynamic, involving speaker that images and soundstages like crazy, is easy to drive with a 40 watt int. tube amp. Room is 18' X 22 with a high ceiling. Listen to mainly male and female vocals, singer/songwriter pop rock at lower volumes. I've had monitors in the past,looking for floorstanders now. I'm in a remote area that has no hi-end dealers to compare. Any ideas?
Thanks, Jerry
Thanks, Jerry