After demoing the new B&W Signature Diamond speakers, I'm convinced that small is not always bad. Their limited edition speakers are a 2-way floor standing loudspeaker with an effortless and sweat sound. Their Dimensions are: 36.6 x 9.1 x 14.8 (H x D x W) in inches. Weight: 55 lbs. Unfortnuately they are $18,000/pair.
I am looking to replace a set of 1991 JBL L7 loudspeakers with a smaller set of floor standing loudspeakers. They will be driven with a McIntosh MC402 solid state power amp (400w) and a McIntosh C2200 tube preamp.
Question for all: Are there other small-footprint speakers that sound excellent and are less than $5,000?
Wait a minute, why are you mating such expensive amps with affordable loudspeakers? But loudspeakers from wilson Benesch or Totem should fit your needs quite well. Hope this helps. Cheers Alexander
My listening percentages are very close to your own. I have Dynaudio Focus 220s which are not bookshelves but I think sound great with Jazz. I like the Dynaudio line, especially the Focus and Confidence series. The Dynaudio Confidence C1 is an awesome sounding speaker that can be found used at your price point. Although I have never heard them, what about Harbeth's as an option?
You mentioned small footprint. I am totally biased, but the Gallo Ref. 3.1s are a small-footprint speaker with ENORMOUS sound capability. And you can buy them from Audiogon for $1400-2500/pr. - well within your budget.
Greg, check out the Morrison Audio Model 7 speakers. These small-footprint point-source omni-directional speakers are unlike the conventional box design. They image like crazy: they sonically "disappear", and there is no endless searching for the "sweet spot" in the listening space. They are considerably under $5000!
KCS new SEAS exotic equiped loudspeakers. Retail $4000 incs shipping these since factory direct compare to others $12000 models. They do not require lots of power but I used on my Audio Valve challengers 180 watts with great results. The KCS exotic is point source phase and time correct.
Some may argue with the quality of the Mac sound, but most would agree the MC402 and C2200 are nice equipment. And yes, I should be pairing them with the likes of Wilson Watt/Puppies or B&W 802Ds. But frankly, I really dont want a huge set of speakers.
Is it possible to get a great sounding set of speakers that match my amp and preamp and are no more than 40 inches (101 cm) tall for under $5,000?
When set up as JBL recommends, the L7s are very fine speakers: accurate down to 30 hz, with a good detailed sound stage; they can also blow the roof off my house. Since our move to a smaller home, I'm looking for a smaller speaker.
Thanks to all of you for the fine feedback. I have a lot of stuff to audition.
Some may argue with the quality of the Mac sound, but most would agree the MC402 and C2200 are nice equipment. And yes, I should be pairing them with the likes of Wilson Watt/Puppies or B&W 802Ds. But frankly, I really dont want a huge set of speakers.
Is it possible to get a great sounding set of speakers that match my amp and preamp and are no more than 40 inches (101 cm) tall for under $5,000
Greg,
Please re-read my post. If you are patient you can buy Nautilus 802's ("N802") for your target price. They are the size that you are looking for and have the B&W sound. I had N801's and now Signature 800's (neither of which are diamonds) and have never regretted it. The Nautilus series were just before the Diamonds and not very old. These are outstanding speakers.
The Walsh style drivers provide a large surface radiating area in a very small footprint and produce a big sound in accordance that is more like much larger speaks but in a smaller package.
Midrange/vocals are fantastic as is low end. These will fill your room with sound in a very unique way and go loud with ease.
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