I have a pair of Sonus Faber Sonetto II's paired with a McIntosh in my family room. This is a second system paired with B&W surrounds in the walls. First of all, if you are looking for wide soundstage these will fit that requirement. They also have great bass and I'm not using a sub plus the midrange and high end all match flawlessly. I bought these due to space requirements sight unseen but recommended by my dealer and have been very impressed. Oh, by the way, I got white to match my bookshelves and play without the grills and my wife doesn't complain (that much).
Good Luck and let us know how you make out.
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Take a look at the mofi source point 10s. Very easy to drive at 93 db(I believe).I have mine spaced about 20’ apart and the ss is very good, clear, defined. They have been on sale as of late. I considered the kef metas and habeth the but these were more in my price range. I took a chance and am really happy. Driven by a pair of ps audio m700
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If you want a really nice sounding speaker that's a bargain on the used market you might want to consider a pair of KEF Reference Series Model 101's. They can usually be purchased in nice condition for around $500. I've had Rogers LS3/5A's (both 15 ohm and 11 ohm) as well as Harbeth HLP3ES, and I prefer the KEF's.
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The Borresen x1 monitors with matching stands ,a fantastic loudspeaker
and compete with anything at 2x it’s price.retail $6600 but shop around you can
get a pair for less .
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Amphion Argon 3s, Buchardt S400, (or A500 actives), Studio Electric M4.
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The Philharmonic BMR Monitor is really nice but you'd have to pre-order the June/July 2024 batch to get them.
Others not mentioned to consider MoFi PointSource 8, KLH Model 5, and Wharfedale Linton.
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I have owned S400 buchardts
Totem model ones not the signature but regular
And Diapason Micro
I think of the 3 i liked the buchardt s400's
Had a much better lower end
But Diapasons cant be beat for mids and highs
Never tried any Joseph audio but they would definetly be on my short list
Cheers and happy listening
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Two pairs of Pulsars on Audiogon for sale right now. They are over your budget though. I have Fritz Rev 7 SEs and they are excellent in my small listening room. I don’t think you’d be giving up much, if anything, having the Carreras vice the Pulsars.
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What about Falcon Acoustics LS3/5a?
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I owned a pair of Quad S-5 that I ran head to head with my Focal 926s. The thing that impressed me the most was about the S-5 was the imaging. But I ultimately kept the Focals and sold the S-5. After some time my listening became more refined and I realized I kept the wrong speaker. I emailed the buyer and offered to buy the S-5 back. "HAHA , No" he said and I knew why. Last year I was able to purchase a pair of Quad Z-4s and am currently enjoying imaging and staging, "The King"
Check out this review , At about the 5:10 mark he starts to talk about the imaging/soundstage.
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You guys are making think I need to figure out how to get a set of Pulsars. Which is probably what I needed to hear. Otherwise I may just end up wondering what if. There is a couple pairs available but the asking price is more than I could spend. I’ve seen them around 3500 and that’s probably the most I could pay. If anybody’s looking to sell though definitely message me.
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I was also going to suggest the Joseph Audio Pulsars - wonderfully musical, and they go down to about 40 Hz so they reproduce acoustic bass well.
I bought some used ones a few years ago at about 35% of list price (so 65% off).
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Personally I’d wait for a nice used pair of the original Pulsars, and you’re obviously aware of why. That said, I can’t see going wrong with the Fritz, Totem, or Ref 3a speakers given what you’re looking for and would add the Usher Dancer Mini X as another option well worth a look. The Boxers might be a little on the warm side and the KEFs and Thiels would probably be a tough load for your amp. Merlin and Thiel are obviously (and very sadly) out of business, and as the owner of speakers from a defunct manufacturer I can tell you it’s a precarious existence. Living in constant fear of blowing a driver or some other mishap is not something I’d recommend especially when there are excellent alternatives like those above from companies that are still in business. Hope this helps, and best of luck.
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I’d have a look at Totem. They have several bookshelf speakers. I have a pair of Mites and a matching mini sub. They are wonderfully punchy and natural… beautifully crafted. Mine are cherry they are simply stunning and do great off center. Perfect for a spall bedroom.
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lots of choices here >>> speakerchoices.com
My list in the price range, including used would be Revel, Revival, Mofi and Sonner
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I used to have the KEF LS50 Meta + KEF KC62 sub in my small office, 12x11x9 (+ 4 extra feet in closet). That was very good. My Benchmark AHB2 was more than enough to drive them. I used a lot of other amps, and they all were good.
A year ago, I picked up the Magnepan LRS+ to try. They cost $1000 but need a lot of power. I have tried amps from the used $1000 PeachTree GAN400 (good) to the $16k CODA #16 (great).
The LRS+ are 3 feet from the from wall and I am 8 feet away. The sound is huge, a wall of sound. There is depth to the sound because the panel radiates the sound in both directions.
I needed spend $300 to improve the sound with Magna Risers (feet). My minor complaint about the LRS+ is the details could be improved. There is a $300 cross over upgrade that is supposed to improve the minor issue I have with them. I am waiting on feedback from someone who got the cross over. I may get it if it is easy to install, otherwise, it is not a deal breaker. The LRS+ do too many good things.
I also feel it is easy to place the LRS+ in my room, the KEF LS50 Meta was also easy to place.
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There’s a pair of reference 3a reflectors on “the other audio site”. I’ve heard this guys pair and they are real real good and they are built like bomb shelters. I would snatch them up if I didn’t just buy speakers. Price is good as well.
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Thanks for the suggestions so far. I’ve actually owned the baby Harbeths before and they are great. I’m tempted to try them again now that the room is treated and I just might. Although, my gut says to get something that can play louder. Reference 3a is a big one that is on my radar but forgot to mention. Wish I liked their look a bit better but still would gladly try a pair if a pair comes up at a good price. Fritz is probably where i have been leaning and so far that seems like a good direction, but curious if anyone knows the differences between the original be tweets and the current ones he’s using? Is one preferable to the other?
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You have done your homework well.
You mention a smaller room. Is that 8 x 10 or?
You may want to consider Buchardts.. I have owned the Fritz BEs twice now and want them again.
I like the Metas but not as much as the Fritz.
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The Kef Meta line tends to be extremely hard to drive. If you are looking for a speaker that will mate well with most amp, go with Fritz. If you want something very demanding, go with the Kefs.
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I've had the Fritz Carrerra BE's for several years and they are superb speakers for the money, and Fritz is a great guy to talk to. I ended up selling them when I moved up to Marten Parker Duo's last year which were a whole lot more expensive....
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