Monitor speakers - choices to narrowed down to...


To facilitate family life I am being presses into moving my 2 channel gear into a small dedicated room that will end up being a less than ideal 12X12X8 which no doubt I will have to treat. My Maggie 1.5's may end up being sounding constrained in such a small space. The rest of the system is:
Modded 333ES sacd cdp
Rogue 66
Bryston 4B-ST
HT Pro 9 single wires

Based on budget I have come up with the following choices:
1. Silverline SR-15
2. Piega 2
3. Monitor Audio GR-10
4. ACI Sapphire
5. Proac Tablettes 2000
6. Totem model 1

Many of these cannot be listened to prior to purchase account factory direct or no local dealer. As low end bass has never been a big desire I don't feel the need for a sub.
I'm looking for musicality first above detail in hopes to minimize listener fatigue.

Any members here either have a similar system or can offer some "sound" advice as to creating a short list? Many thanks in advance for you input.
rgd

Showing 1 response by danheather

I'll second Jeffloistarca regarding stands. No matter which of these terrific monitors you choose, you'll absolutely need a pair of high-quality stands factored into the equation.

I posted a thread a few weeks ago which was very similar. I just moved into a 10' X 12' listening room and was looking for a compatible pair of speakers.

I was hoping that I might be able to get by with a smaller pair of Maggies, like the MG12's. With this small of a room, it would have had some significant trade-offs, so I decided to concentrate on a small monitor that can be placed relatively close to the wall.

Some of the recommendations included the following:

Totem Model 1
Totem Arro
ProAc 1SC
Spica TC-50
ACI Sapphire (I'd love to hear these)
Audio Physic Step

I ended up with a pair of Aerial Acoustics Model 5's. I just got them about a week ago, so I'm still working on finding the optimal placement (plus I'm waiting for a pair of Osiris stands that I ordered from Avalon Audio Video - $299 shipped!!), but they work EXTREMELY well and are VERY musical. Huge soundstage, detail without being bright or forward, and they don't seem to be too finicky about placement.

Your system allows you to have a LOT of flexibility in selecting a speaker - lots of power and current - nice warm tube preamp. I haven't heard the ACI's or the Piega's. Between the remainder on your list, I would have to give the nod (by a good margin) to the Totem Model 1, followed by the Silverline then the ProAc. I've never been a big fan of Monitor Audio speakers - not sure what it is, but they just don't sound very musical to these ears.

The good news is that you've got a lot of great choices. Have some fun and don't be swayed by others pushing their opinions. You're the one who will ultimately be living with the system. If a speaker sounds good to you (in YOUR room with YOUR equipment), that's all that matters.