New speakers for a new start?
Hi all, this is my first thread on this forum. I am returning to audio after a 20-year hiatus, and I am planning a new-to-me, music-only, 2-channel system. I'm pretty excited!
Other than my Thorens TD-320 series I, I am (re-)starting from scratch. I plan to focus on speakers, then build the rest of my system around them.
I look forward to hearing folks' feedback and advice during this process.
How I listen: I have a pretty big room, 9' ceilings. I can set speakers in a 10' triangle with about 16' clear behind them and 3' to 6' to the sides. I normally listen around 75 - 85db at 10', but sometimes I like to crank things way up. Also, I can't sit still for extended periods of time so I tend to move around quite a bit.
What I listen to: 30 - 40% blues, 30 - 40% industrial, punk, post-punk, noise, and hip-hop, 10-15% ambient, 10 - 15% various pop styles, 5 to 10% jazz and classical. Nearly all are studio recordings. Source-wise, 75-80% digital streaming, 20% vinyl and (very occasionally) CDs.
Things I like in speakers: A generous amount of fast, tight, well-controlled bass with great extension. Little to no coloration - it can always be added in later through component selection. Fast transient response. Detail. Coherence. Transparency. Great dynamics. I'm OK with "analytical" or "dry" within reason.
Things I don't like: Boominess. Flabiness. Ear-piercing mids.
Here are a few speakers I'm interested to learn more about (in no particular order):
- Thiel CS5
- Dunlavy SC-4, SC-5
- Tyler Acoustics D1x, D10
- Nearfield Pipedreams 21
- Infinity IRS (probably not the Reference behemoths though... realistically)
- I am also intrigued by open baffle designs (Spatial, Jamo R909)
I prefer full-range speakers because I don't love subs with music listening. They're a must in a home theater though.
I love planar speakers for their speed and transparency, but the fact that I can't sit still in their minuscule sweet spot for very long, coupled with their general lack of bass probably makes them a less than ideal choice for me.
I will buy used gear unless something I want happens to be available new at a huge discount. I am more interested in value than in staying within a specific dollar limit and be able to resell at par or at a modest loss if, as time goes by, I find I'm no longer as enamored with them as I once was.
I am interested in your experiences, especially with the speakers I mentioned above, but any and all feedback is appreciated. Thanks in advance!
@livinon2wheels Vintage, yes, to an extent. 90s and aughts? Definitely. 80s? Maybe, depends. 70s and older? Probably not, although there are exceptional older speakers out there, but they tend to be best paired with music and listening styles they were designed for. So, Infinity IRS? Would love a set. Big Apogees? Big Thiels? Absolutely.
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@devinplombier I have the Dutch & Dutch 8c's in a rather difficult room for bass, asymmetric and uneven. I place them 30cm from the front wall, use their built-in adjustments, and the bass is the best I've every had in this room, flat to 20hz. Perhaps a swarm would be better, which I've had in another home, but not by much. I also use Theoretica Applied Physics Bacch and Optimal Room Correction (ORC), so their response/target curve is very easily tuned ideally for my taste. I now have some fantastic gear sitting in my rack with the power off since these do everything you need. I can't recommend the 8c's highly enough, awesome speakers. |
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I’d go for Ohm Walsh 5000s or similar:
if you can find a pair or afford new ones and drive them with a high power newer Class D amplification, 100 watts minimum or as high as you can go. I’d recommend Hypex or Purifi based like those from Vtv, Orchard, or Deer Creek or maybe one of the newer GaN based Class D amps. Peachtree Corina GaN would be an easy choice. PASCAL based like D Sonic for example or Benchmark amplification using their AHB2 amp is another option if a more clinical pro audio type sound is what you like. Once settled look at options for streaming and applying DSP to best enable fine tuning system to room and listening preferences. |
