Picking speakers 3000-5000 budget


Hello,

I'am new to the site and enjoying it very much so far.

I posted in the amplifier section looking to upgrade my modest 25 year old system.

I now have a  Auralic Vega g1 into a MacIntosh mx110 tuner/preamp into a Adcom gfa545 (100 per chnl) power amp,then out to a pair of Polk monitor 10 speakers.I also have a Rega p6 on the way for my turntable needs.I think it has a exact cartridge.

I 'am trying to decide which speakers and amplifier I want to get to finish this portion of my upgrade.

To start my room is 20x13 and currently have my system on the right 20ft wall ,and move the speakers out from the wall when listening.

I can put them at the end of the long wall facing me if I want,and do sometimes.

I have a 6,000-10,000 budget for the amp and speakers,but would like to spend less if possible.

I do not have any personal experience with most of the brands of speakers I hear talked about here,but I have bought many guitar amplifiers by listening to YouTube videos and I will probably do the same for my home speakers.

The speakers I have in person experience with that I like are Klipsch chorus 2,JBl Jubal's and L100'sand Thiel's(not sure what model).and some old DCM Time Windows.

The one's that I really like from watching YouTube are Sonus Faber,Wharfedale,Tannoy,some of the B&W's.

I listen to about 40%classic rock,and about 40% pop,soul,blues,with the last 20% jazz classical and misc.

I really need my speakers to be able to rock at a pretty good volume,I know the Klipsch's would probably do that,but also would like them to sound great for pop,soul,and acoustic stuff.I really like bluegrass and Celtic acoustic music.

I need some help to narrow down my choices in the 3-5000 range for those genres.

I'am not opposed to speakers on stands or tower speakers,or needing a subwoofer to achieve the goal.

It seems to me a lot of the high end speakers have a over accentuated treble,but this just could be my background of blues rock music.I just want cymbals to sound like cymbals not a sizzle sound.

I think if I can find a amplifier I like for less I could spend more on the speakers.

Any guidance would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

 

 

twangy57

Showing 5 responses by devinplombier

Maggies - and planars in general - are kind of a love / hate thing, so I would strongly recommend an in-person audition before you commit. 

@unclewilbur mentioned the weak bass. Subs are a must, and so is DSP because planars are so fast that you need to delay them to give the woofers a chance to catch up. 

What wasn’t mentioned is the, uh, directionality of planar speakers (it’s bad form to say beaminess). Here you have to examine your use case. If you’re the kind of guy who sits at length in a one-person chair, you’re golden. If you like to move around the room, or enjoy having people join you on a large couch, planars are probably not going to be ideal for you. 

I love the transparency and airiness of planar speakers, but I can’t live with the mediocre bass response and mandatory head-in-a-vise listening position. It’s a matter of your personal and musical tastes though. Most planars have plenty enough bass for quiet singer-songwriters playing an acoustic instrument or light chamber music.

My concern is versatility,can they do rock ,pop,and acoustic singer songwriter stuff.

@twangy57 

The man I bought my current speakers from was helping me load them when he asserted, a propos of nothing, "these are not heavy metal speakers".

I thought it was an odd thing to say (or believe, for that matter), but sure. He seemed to be a bona fide audiophile with a penchant for jazz being played at polite volumes, so I could see where he came from.

I was thinking about that the other night while blasting Sumac’s excellent album The Healer at a solid 105 dB, which my speakers performed admirably, apparently at ease and enjoying themselves. 

The point of this, which has been made before in this thread, is that great speakers will play everything well.

There are exceptions, usually "uncommon" or single-purpose designs. Planars, single-drivers, ultra-high-efficiency coaxials, all have their idiosyncrasies yet excel in certain areas they make them the perfect choice for some folks, although to be fair most of these folks would probably rather undergo an appendectomy without anesthesia than listen to a Sumac album.

If you’ve auditioned the Elac and Dynaudio in person - that is, you being physically present in the same room while the speakers are playing - and you loved them, go for it! 

 

ProAc definitely make some great-sounding speakers, but keep your fingers crossed that nothing ever goes wrong with them.