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New Speakers $10K -$20K

Hi everyone. A few bullet points and thank you all for your advice! Sorry for the length just trying to help you to help me.

* A Florida family room untreated and large. 30’ x 30’ with 12’ cathedral ceiling.
* I sit basically on left half of the room, the right side of the room is billiards and wet bar.
* I just turned 65, so these are my forever speakers!
* I am 70% HT and watching TV, and 30% 2Ch, but with a little room improvement 2ch listening will go up. I want better sounding 2 ch but I’m in a very live room.
* The front wall “half width” of my room is a stacked-stone marble wall.
* to my rear is a 16’ opening to a large kitchen.
* to my immediate left is a window 40” and 12’ of sliders looking into pool.
* just sold Paradigm Persona 7F towers, (2) Persona subs and Persona center ch. Amazing speakers in a poor large room. But I do think the Be. mid-range became a bit fatiguing.
* I need a company that also makes a great center ch for HT., Legacy Audio does.

Based on WAF etc. some treatments will be done but not greatly. More pillows, a defuser or two, maybe a bit more.

My needs: warmth, no harshness at the top, not massive speakers, WAF!
I still love movies with the grandkids, big subwoofers won’t be approved. “Eye Candy” is what she likes beautiful cabinetry, Sonus Fabre, and custom finishes available from Bill D. at Legacy.

Current candidates are:
1. Sonus Fabre Amati Tradition in the red stained finish - “gorgeous”, her favorite!
2. Legacy Calibres in a custom veneer with 2+ subs that are not too big. I really love the Aeris with Wavelet processor but they are too tall for her! Remember this is a family room.m we use for everything.
3. Sonus Fabre Serafino Tradition in the same beautiful red stain wood veneer.
4. Spendor, not terribly familiar but they do make a center ch, and are respected and are considered warm. Really wish Harbeth made a center ch.

Now I am looking forward to your suggestions!
Related equipment:
Classe’ CAV 180 - 5 x 180W
Marantz 8805 Pre-pro
Oppo 203
Innuous streamer/DVD ripper
Kaleidescape movie server 
Sonance DSP 8-130 MK2 for surrounds
Paradigm in ceiling (3pr) for surrounds 

Thank you all!
Dave





dave1980

Showing 12 responses by dave1980

dave1980 OP
70 posts
 
I should I am not opposed to buying used or demos. And yes I might consider adding a quality integrated for 2 ch.. i might raise my budget a bit to say $25k total. The Legacy Focus XD with Wavelet processor is being considered. With a active bottom section and no need to buy subs the budget and WAF seem acceptable. However those speakers (any speakers) will need to be close 6-12” from the stone wall and they are rear ported, any thoughts? Would a Lyngdorf MP60 be a big upgrade over the Marantz 8805  - it’s room correction technology is now being used by Mac.

Last, any thoughts on a used warm integrated? I am leaning a bit towards Sonus Fabre but more research to be done. Thank you all again!

Dave
dave1980 OP
70 posts
 
Thanks again to everyone!
I know of the Larsens, very intriguing speakers. And yes they are purposely placed against the back wall. They sell a surround/center that is not a dedicated center ch. $15K for the 9’s about $2k for the dual purpose speaker. Not being able to audition in Fl. Is a problem.

The new Perlistens should be showing up at B&M stores soon. Not inexpensive but very interesting articles and YouTube’s. Those towers and center hit the top of my budget.
dave1980 OP
70 posts
 
Wow! That Dutch and Dutch 8C looks interesting but no center ch is available. 2 dealers in Miami so about a 5 hr drive to go hear them.
dave1980 OP
70 posts
 
Everyone here is very astute. Sopra 3’s on the shortlist. Wish here in Fl. I could demo the Larsens which require a back wall.

while the room is big, about 30’ x 30’ we sit on the left side, actually 17’. Behind the stone covered wall we sit in front of is a small hallway leading to a pool bathroom. So where we sit is about 9-10’ from main speakers flanking our 85” Sony TV. Directly behind us is maybe 4-5’ of flooring then bar stools to a kitchen counter. Hence why speakers need to be near the wall we sit in front of, with the bathroom on the other side of the that stone wall. The right half of the room is truly 30’ deep with a bar at one end and a 9’ billiard table.
dave1980 OP
70 posts
 
Will be reading up on all suggestions later today, thank you all!

Question: would the $14k Lyngdorf Pre-pro with their Room Correction, now being used by McIntosh, compensate for speakers being too close to the wall? If that technology works I have many choices. If it won’t help I need to consider sealed or front ported speakers. As of now the Revel 228be and the Focal Kanta 3 are contenders.
dave1980 OP
70 posts
 
Hubbman are Sopra #2’s front ported?
dave1980 OP
70 posts
 
Thank you all. I’ve decided on Focal Kanta 3’s which are in budget and front ported. Money left over to consider room treatments, possible 2ch integrated and 1-2 subs.
dave1980 OP
70 posts
 
nseymour, I think k your telling me for dynamics, movies etc. the Focals are great. However for softer music the SF’s are better. While we do watch movies, our music choice would be female vocalists like Diana Krall, acoustic rock like The Eagles, Poco, Little River Band, with some 70’s R&B thrown in. Do any SF offer front porting?

nitrobob, we have the same problem with very 
Similar AV gear. Please let me know how that Lyngdorf MP40 works out in your live room.
Thanks again to everyone!
Dave
dave1980 OP
70 posts
 
I thank everyone again. The cabinetmakers son in me still loves those Sonus Fabre Tradition cabinets in the red stain finish.

Most of you know have forgotten more than I know on 2ch. I appreciate 2 ch, but my room is a task. So, the need for incredible sound is not there, great sound with the budget allowing some room acoustics yes, I want to rediscover 2 ch to an extinct! Fun nights with young grandkids watching Godzilla vs. King Kong is a plus.

So given for now a handicapped room, a need for good HT, improved 2Ch. We are narrowing the list. Thank you to all for speaker companies I have never heard of, if I had to sell these speakers it needs to be a popular brand that resells quickly and retains good value.

On a exciting note, Matthew Poe of YouTube and expertise in room acoustics will soon be in the room. Don Dunn that films on Audioholics with Gene is an old friend and came to see me last week.

More to come, thank you all!
Dave




dave1980 OP
70 posts
 
rhg88, thank you! I wish I could hear Salk but as this know I cannot as they are sold direct, but I could return!

I find it very interesting you combined the two companies. I gave thought if doing that but many here call that speaker blasphemy!

my mains need to be close to a stone wall, covered here already, so I’m looking at front ported or sealed speakers. I have Matthew Poe (sometimes on Audioholics) here next Friday to measure my room. Thank you for everyones I put, more to come.

short list:
legacy with Wavelet processor 
Focal, particularly Kanta 3 with front port
Sonus Fabre, love the cabinetry and sound 
open to others that also sell a center ch.
open to new Pre-pro with great room correction like lyngdorf or new McIntosh using Lyngdorf room correction

Thank you all!
Dave 



dave1980 OP
70 posts
 
Forgot to mention, Matthew is a Perlisten dealer, but they are not cheap. He will have a demo pair very soon.
dave1980 OP
70 posts
 
djones51. Thank you. Don Dunn on Audioholics is an old friend I have recently reunited with. My new speaker team is both Don and Matthew who will be in my Hm next Friday.

Turns out Gene DellaSalla only lives about an hour away. I may be seeing Gebe’s new home soon. I hear from Don that Matt is amazing in his field. A very nice young man I am looking forward to meeting next week, thank you!
Dave
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