I also suggest you look into Fritz Carbon 7 SE mkii. Wonderful speakers!
looking for bookshelves - Another usual boring speaker discussion
i am looking for bookshelf speakers to pair with hegel H400 in my condo. i have Wilson watt puppies in my house and absolutely love the sound of the WPs 50th anniversary.. WPs are paired with d'agostino momentum C2 and progression s350.
i will be placing them on a granite shelf near a wall. sort of a klitchen counter.
i listened to SF Amators and BW 805d4, both somewhat laid back, SF Amators i did not like at all. too warm, bass lower mids were overpowering the treble. Also listened to wilson tune tot- lows are an issue. with the 5.75in woofer.
i am now seriously considering the focal sopra 1. i have not auditioned them yet but will do in next week or 2. i know one can't get a full picture from youtube but i have been listening with headphones to several youtube pistes where they do A-B or even A-B-C.
i find the focals and wilsons sound similar. Wilson's have a bit more clarity in the upper mids but overall similar, so i think i will like them.
Would appreciate suggestions and any more recommendations form the experienced audiophiles herewith vast knowledge base.
thank you
Amar
32 responses Add your response
I have a Hegel h160 and had Focal 807Ws, both a step down from your interests but I thought they went well together. Since then, I have been downsizing and have been using a V/A CA-1 which is as great sounding as the hegel and sufficient as I don't need the power. Wanting smaller speakers I looked at Revival Atalante 3, Fritz Carbon 7se II, Audio Craftsman Laval an Victoria, Dali Rubicon 2 on discount with the intention of having the CA-1 drive them. Along came another option in an Audel Magika II on closeout/demo which I ultimately bought. If it weren't for the Audel, I would have bought the Fritz. The Audel was a bit smaller, less money and the birch plywood box intrigued me. No regrets but I would still like to obtain a pair of Fritz Carbons someday. They will be different and definitely different from Focal but seems to give alot of what I want today. This would be your least expensive option that would be easy to sell down the road. The others are not so easy a sell or hold their value from retail. Although the Audio Craftsman are being highly spoken of. For a Condo, any of these could do. If you can get the Focals on discount, sure. The Cabasse Murano someone mentioned, if at discount though some say well worth the retail. Someone mentioned Dali Menuet SE which nearfield in warm and a bit too dark for me but puts a solid 3D image of the performer in front of you. More than 5 feet away you start to lose that as I had those but didn't work for me. Even if I had the funds, I don't know if I would want to spend alot on standmount speakers but TAD at a sizable discount is interesting, and you have the Hegel.
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Sorry I’m late. Consider the following that are my preferences, in order of SQ and price. Each are highly musical. Each sound different so you need to audition. The Vivid recommendation is rear ported so an open shelf, not a closed cabinet is required. All will not have much below 40Hz but what bass the have above is so good you will not much miss that deficiency. I find the list below much more musical than offerings from Wilson, B&W, KEF, etc. I have not auditioned the other recommendations from others above. Good luck.
Vimberg Amea Sonus Farber Electra Amator Vivid Kaya S12 |
Monitor Audio Gold 100 6G. 8" 3-way, Port tuned to 38Hz, 3" midrange, ribbon tweeter. 500W power handling. All combine for greater range and dynamic range than are possible in most standmount/bookshelf. The fact that the also have great soundstaging and imaging combined with a undeniable 'PRAT' make for a compelling speaker that happens to fit the 'bookshelf' definition. I suggest you read the reviews and listen for yourself. . https://www.monitoraudio.com/en/product-ranges/gold-series-6g/gold-100-6g/ |
Oops! It looks like I have an older version called the Tiny Dancer. Very similar bookshelf speaker, primary difference aside from a slightly different cabilet shape being the Be versus diamond tweeter. The model is Be-718. May be worth some consideration. I picked mine up used from a guy who had only had them for about 6 months, which wasn't even long enough to break them in. That may ybe the reason he had them listed for $1200, but I considered it my advantage. : ) I just looked for you and unfortunately there aren't any used pairs currently listed out there for sale that I can find, but if you're into used gear you might keep an eye out. https://www.soundstagenetwork.com/revequip/usheraudio_be718.htm |
I have a pair of the Usher Mini-X’s that @soix mentioned and can vouch for them. They’re a 3rd pair of speakers for me. My other two are Martin Logan, Summit and I have a pair of limite edition (500 run) Ohm 5’s from back in the day that have been updated and are completely amazing. I drive my speakers with a Lyngdorf, which tends to be sort of an unknown brand around here, but it presents a very clean and pure signal. For those that understand the concept, it’s basically a wire with gain, as far as the signal path is concerned. And it has some muscle behind it. My Cambridge Audio streamer is my weakest link, but I don’t feell the need too upgrade it because it sounds great and a pretty big bang for the buck. Oh, and I use Nordost Freya cabling. Both of my big speakers are known for their imaging and both of them have the low frequencies covered real well. The Ohm’s are a different presentation kind of all the way around, they’re a very unique and innovative speaker (design) but the’re on a par with my Summits as far as performance is concerned, and have got to be one of the funnest speakers in the world. I guess that last part is kind of an Ohm thing, something I guess Jeep owners would understand even though I don’t drive one. Not kidding when I say that the Usher Mini-X’s perform on a level with both of them from a performance standpoint. That may be hard to believe, but if it is, I encourage you to access 2 or 3 reviews and see what they say. One of them called it one of the best speakers regardless of size because of the design execution. I did, before I bought them and I remember how most of them spoke about not only the level but the quality of bass that they could produce. I never even paired them with a subwoofer because my electronics are capable of making them sound so amazing that I actually enjoy them the way they are. All it would give me is that last little bit and I have two other pair that can, so. The point is that the bass is that amazing. Another thing they mention is, as the other member already pointed out, the woofer is their top of the line design that they put in their most revered other floor stander. And last but certainly not least ... the thing that probably makes these speakers the most! special, imo, is the Beryllium tweeter. I don’t think you’ll be able to demo these speakers, so I guess you’d have to bite the bullet and buy them to get to hear it, but the way it presents the high frequencies is on a par with my electrostatics. And It’s not just that it’s a super special tweeter, what makes this speaker so amazing is the way it’s married so beautifully to the other things I’ve mentioned. So, yeah, I agree with Soix it would be a great fit for you. And an extra bonus, in your particular case, is that their front ported so you can place them closer to the wall if you have to. Mine have enough room to breathe where I have them placed, and I think that’s one of the reasons they’re able to present bass the way they do, but ... I suspect that all the other features that I mentioned are really what you’re looking for. Almost all the reviews said they sound great, but if they have good solid electronics driving them and some serious power that they were amazing.
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Given the speakers will only be about 12” from the wall I’d avoid rear-ported speakers. The Usher Mini-X is front ported, uses their best diamond tweeter also used in their $40k flagship speakers, are extremely well built and look gorgeous, and at $3500/pr. are an outrageous value and could save you thousands. This seller offers a 30-day return policy so relatively low risk to try at home, which in your specific use case is a huge positive. Just another option, and best of luck. |
I have a pair of FRITZ carbon 7 SE MK2, have trouble remembering all the designations. This is in a smaller room (2nd system) 13x13' give or take. I listen to just rock and roll, 85 to 95 Db. (these are accompanied by a SVS SB 3000 sub. Have a very good AMP and DAC. IMO? I will never sell these, they are that good. I can't speak for a 10k bookshelf, but, at about 2.5K or so they can't be beat. He has a 30 day window, I believe. They are something to be heard. Go on some of the web sites and you will hear the same. Spend your money elsewhere on other items, you will be quite pleased. Robert TN |
If looking toward the classic BBC monitor derivatives from HARBETH and SPENDOR et al does not stir your drink, then I’d first choose the following on my list:
DYNAUDIO HERITAGE SPECIAL https://youtu.be/FdOCBoDkngE?si=RvcjO91ruYHfwH1c TRIANGLE MAGELLAN DUETTO 40th ANNIVERSARY https://youtu.be/yR4ZATW1Kro?si=KlVt5zLN2rc8PGP1
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You don’t want to miss the TAD CE1TX if you have disposable money. It’s 40% off and includes a pair of factory stands. If you don’t need the stands, you can resell them to recoup some money. ‘Absolutely class A...’ You can place it close to a wall (no rear ports) and still enjoy the immersive soundstage, which projects from the sides (rather than the top, like Atmos). It’s an ideal candidate for placement on a kitchen countertop. |