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New house, wife reveals she hates my Maggies- looking for stand mount speaker suggestions

Just closed on a new house and as we were walking through and discussing furniture, my wife revealed she has always hated my Maggies and wants them not to make the move.  I have had a semi-dedicated music room, so they were kind of out of sight at our old place, so she never complained.  So a bad news but good news (new speakers!) situation.

Present set up is near field, room perhaps 10x10,but partially open, angled ceilings for some pretty good acoustics. Should be able to set up similar size near field space in new home.

Amp is Primaluna HP with 8xEL34, Conrad Johnson ET7 tube preamp, PS Audio Direct stream DAC and Naim Uniti digital ripper/hard drive.  I listen to lots of different music, but always come back to acoustic guitar or piano with female or male vocalists, or acoustic jazz.  Big soundstage, vocal warmth and detail (guitar strings plucking) are what I enjoy.

My Wife liked (the looks of) my old Rogers LS3/5a back in the day, or my Reference 3a Royal Masters.  So I figure I will be looking for a stand mount monitor.  But my budget is $5-10k, used or new, so I suspect I can do better than the LS3/5a.

i have always loved the Joseph Audio Pulsars, but you never see them used and the new graphine ones are out of my price range. Looking for other ideas:  Sonus Faber are easy to look at, but I have never listened to their monitors.  The monitor versions of Raidho and Focals are ugly enough to fail the WAF test.

so help me out here- what should I consider?

meiatflask

Showing 1 response by audionutjeff

audionutjeff
37 posts
 

Interesting predicament!  Fortunately, you have some great options.  Here are recommendations from speakers I’ve experienced:

Wolf Von Langa Serendipity+: I recently heard these at Gestalt Audio and they are phenomenal speakers.  Definitely worth checking out.

Acora Acoustics: outstanding speakers, I’ve been repeatedly impressed by Acoras and they look terrific. 

Morel Sopran: These good looking narrow floor standers blew me away at a show last year.  Superb speakers at an exceptional price   

Joseph Audio: I’ve heard numerous Joseph speakers and have always been impressed.  A safe bet if you can find a great used pair.

PS Audio FR5: I’ve heard the bigger FR models at a friends and they were terrific, better than I expected.  

Salk Sound BePure 1: an absolute giant killer with the terrific SB beryllium tweeter and the incomparable Purifi woofer.  Unfortunately, Salk Sound is no longer in business.

Boressen X1 or X3: I haven’t heard the X1 but I loved the X3 when I heard it at a show.  Coming off Maggie’s, you may like their unique ribbon tweeter.  However, they can be a bit sterile and fussy.

Alta Alyssa: Mike Levy makes great speakers with gorgeous cabinetry.  Definitely worth considering.  

MBL 126: a very special and unique speaker that generates a holographic stage unlike almost any other speaker.  Unfortunately, MBL is in bankruptcy and their fate is in question.  
 

Good luck in your journey!  

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