Having a dedicated listening room eliminates any problems or issues with a spouse, as I always made sure my gal was happy.....until she wasn’t, or I wasn’t.
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?
130 responses Add your response
Not easy to find in the U.S., but I have owned both Maggies and Harbeth, and am delighted with my (German) Fink Team Kim speakers. I have owned them for ~7 years now, and have no desire to make a change. I sit about 8 feet from them. They utilize AMT tweeters, are more dynamic than Harbeths, and supply greater bass impact than the smaller ones, yet they also produce superb mid-range sound. My partner and I consider them to be very attractive, as well. Here is a link to a comprehensive review by Martin Colloms:
|
Whatever you narrow your decision to, listen to them carefully, hopefully with similar amplification. I am in similar situation where I plan to move to a new house next year, and will finally have a dedicated listening room. I have owned Martin-Logan electrostatic speakers for over 25 years and those will stay in the main room tv/audio system. But as I am considering a second system for the new music room, I have listened to about 6 dynamic only speakers in a high-end music salon, priced between $1,800 (Sonus Faber) and $20,000 (Fyne, SF, etc.). I left feeling underwhelmed. I spoke with a friend on mine that has an awesome audio system with Sound Lab A1's and Jeff Rowland amplification. I mentioned the quandary to him and he reiterated my feelings: that no matter how expensive (he has a buddy with $130,000 speakers and a 7-figure system), he feels he still hears it as coming out of a box, not out of the air. Maybe our hearing is spoiled, or at least tuned, to hearing true dipole panels, which your Maggies would be. Accordingly, I will now be looking closely at new Martin-Logans for my new room. I find them much more visibly attractive than Maggies, so maybe your wife will as well. My wife absolutely love the M-Ls. Take her shopping with you. |
Do you really love your Maggies? Are they black? Maybe it's not the shape your missus takes exception to but the color? Perhaps a lighter color would be acceptable? I went with the cream color for my Acoustat 1+1s and while they're still imposing, they're not as "present" as if they were covered in the black fabric. So far neither wife has had strenuous objections... Happy listening. |
| Post removed |
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! |
I wanted Maggies badly but my wife hated their look. So instead, I bought Spatial Sapphire Open Baffles and she likes their look quite a bit. She thought they made our living room look better actually. I'm happy too. The soundstage is wide and the sound clean and neutral. I think my wife would like the look of Monitor Gold and Harbeth as well. Good luck! |
With that budget, I'd consider building the SEAS Thor kit from Madisound. Actually, within that budget, Madisound could hook you up with a cabinet maker and have them delivered to your doorstep fully built and looking good. The SEAS Thor is comparable to the Joseph Audio Perspective 2 at 1/4 the price. |
Hi, a couple of suggestions 1) sexy look, and Amazing sound, but may be slightly past your budget: MBL 126 Radialstrahler, about $16.3k with stands
2) Great sound, modest looks, budget friendly: Bryston Mini T $5k this is not so small but not big. Put it on a stand and position it correctly, and enjoy!!
Happy Listening! |
I haven’t seen anyone mention these two, both in your price range. The Wharfedale Elysium stand mounts is one. They have an AMT & are phenomenal. I really love the Wharfedale sound. Both my older brother & I purchased a set without the other one knowing & we both love them! My other suggestion would be the 805 D4. Looks great, sounds great. I have mine being run with Pathos Classic amps. I like them in their walnut or white finish. A runner up would be Martin Logan speakers, they too use AMT for the top end. Good luck!!! |
Some great recommendations so far, if I was buying a pair of stand mounts, I'd consider these (new prices, obviously cheaper used); Joseph Audio Pulsar Graphene $10,000 Fyne Audio F1.8 $10,000 Rosso Fiorentino Fiesole II $9,000 (never seen them used) Revival Audio Atalante 5 $5,800 (with stands) or Atalante 3 $3,400 (with stands) Acora MRB-1 $8,000 Alta Audio Alyssa $5,000
|
I have had 2 serious audio dudes tell me that the NS5000 was the best box speaker they have ever heard. Comments today from a MBL owner on the NS5000 after listening session. ’I thought box speakers were a dead-end but I was wrong’ ’The NS5000 is a gorgeous speaker’ Yamaha NS-5000PNST 3-Way Bookshelf Speakers with Stands | Hi-Fi Heaven I use a CODA #16 with this speaker. The special sauce is that all 3 drivers are made of the same Zylon material. No other cone speaker does that. This speaker scales up with the quality of gear. |
Wow! I took the weekend off and am now overwhelmed with the number of responses and all the suggestions. There is a lot to dig into. We won’t move into the new place until mid October, so I have a bit of time to research, get a chance to listen (hopefully but doubtful for many models) decide and buy. i do have multiple follow up questions which I hope to be able to get to in the next day or two. |
