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Speaker advice for listening to Blues music

Hi, new to the forum, and hoping I can get some help finding the right speakers... I'm a Blues guitar player and have a dedicated music room for my guitars/amps. I usually spend time playing my guitars and recently decided to setup a decent system for listening to my Blues music. I first started with a Marantz integrated (PM8005) and some Kef R300, source is a Marantz ND8006 and I mostly play FLAC files from a NAS, but also started streaming from Spotify and now trying Tidal. This setup was great at first, very revealing, but found the R300 were not the right speakers for the kind of music I listen to, but they were great for some Jazz and did well with good recordings, which most of my Blues recordings weren't, specially live albums. I also found them to be a little boomy in that small room (12' X 12'), so I moved them to the living room instead and added a matching center, they're perfect there.

Next came the LS50, read so much about them I had to get a pair to try. Wow! I still can't believe what these small speakers can do, the details I hear, soundstage, imaging, it's all there. But, just like the R300, since they're so revealing they're horrible with my favorite Blues recordings. It's great to listen to excellent recordings and enjoy the music these speakers are making but I want to enjoy MY music, the Blues greats I've been listening to for over 30 years. If it sounds great in the car then I should be able to find the right gear to duplicate at home, right? On some good Blues recordings it sounds excellent, but most of my favorites aren't good recordings.

Since I only play my guitars through old Fender amps I figured I should replace the Marantz integrated with a tube amp, so next came the PrimaLuna integrated. I wanted to get a "warmer" sound and hope it'll fix the issues I was having with most crappy recordings... I want to hear BB's beautiful guitar tone and crank it up, without hurting my ears. Both Kefs were too fatiguing to listen to. And on most live recordings guitars sound way too thin and bright, not what I'm used to hearing. A good example is Albert King's Wednesday Night in San Francisco, that Flying V can be painful to listen to after a couple of minutes! Not so in the car or even just using headphones and my laptop. I understand that it's because the system is more revealing, but is it possible to have both, revealing and musical so that one can enjoy the music they love? The PrimaLuna did help and it's staying, I like what I'm hearing so far, and I get to play with tubes, something I enjoy doing already :)

Right now I'm breaking in some Wharfedale Denton 80th, I wanted to try something with a soft dome tweeter, something less fatiguing than the LS50. I'm at 70+ hours so far and they're sounding much better, not as fatiguing, but something is missing... I prefer the LS50's soundstage and details, but they're both not that great for electric guitar. The Dentons are more forgiving but I don't find them musical and they don't disappear like the LS50s do.

So what are my choices? Do I stick with bookshelf, try some floor standing? What about single driver speakers (Omega, Zu...)? Are those the answer to what I'm looking for? I need something more forgiving, musical, efficient so I can crank it up when I feel like playing along some times... I want the guitar to sound full and not thin and bright. It's a small room and not a lot of space due to my guitar gear. My budget is also limited, would like to keep it under $2k, I already have a hobby and don't want this to get out of control :)

Forgot to mention, I also have a Rel sub, so not too worried about the low end. Sorry for the long post and thanks for any help!
cedarblues

Showing 4 responses by helomech

helomech
1,782 posts
 
Having owned LS50s and driven them with a similar tube amp, I suggest you try Spendor A2s or A4s. Better speakers all-around - superior detail/imaging/bass/musicality...not as bright.

I also own Heresy-IIIs. They're good but not as good as Spendors.

I became a blues fanatic after I bought Spendors.
helomech
1,782 posts
 
You could save a lot of dough by getting a refurbed or mint pair of large Advents - ones with the bull-nose cabinet and "fried egg" tweeter. I have five other pairs of speakers - all far more expensive than the Advents and none are better in absolute terms.

I have upgraded/modified Heresy IIIs in my 2nd system and I’m more than a little annoyed that these 40+ year old Advents (all original except for cone surrounds) I picked up for $200/pair are the better speakers. And that’s even with the H-IIIs hooked up to the superior amplifier. And as a bonus, the Advents have a tweeter attenuation switch that allows +/flat/- 3db adjustment.

I found a blurb in an old Stereophile review where they claimed that, with the exception of scale, the Advents were/are as good as the likes of Altec A7s. That didn’t surprise me considering they outperform some $3 - 4K speakers I’ve auditioned/owned.

...and they’re great with blues.

helomech
1,782 posts
 
I would like to point out, that when the Advent was introduced, it was a game changer that allowed so many young folks, in college, or in life, to realize excellent hifi on a budget. Yes, they were a steal back then. I still appreciate them, but, they are not as good as many $1000. speakers of today, which is likely the inflationary cost today. So again Helomech, enjoy ! MrD.
All I know is they’re better than many so claimed value leaders I’ve owned, that would include my Heresy IIIs and Tannoy XT6Fs. I’ve also owned KEF LS50s, Magnepan 1.7is, and Vandy 1Cis. On balance, to my ears, in my system, the Advents are the better speakers overall. Treble and bass are superior to the Tannoys. The imaging is as good as the KEFs. Midrange, sweet spot size, and bass depth is better than the H-IIIs (in comparison, the H-III midrange is super colored by horn and cabinet resonance, and that's even with constrained layer damping). The decay is very near as good as the Vandys while producing a larger soundstage. Detail is as good as any of them.

I never heard the Advents in their heyday - that was before my time, however I doubt many college kids paired them with the caliber of gear I’m running in the rest of my system.
helomech
1,782 posts
 
So what’s like the Klipsch but without the horns? :) Or a bigger sounding/more efficient LS50?
Stirling Broadcast SB-88s. They have smoother highs than any Klipsch (or any metal dome tweeters for that matter, sans Beryllium units, IME) Soundstaging and detail is at least on par with LS50s. They’re not quite as dynamic as Klipsch Heresys, but more sensitive than the LS50s, and bigger sounding. Musicality is off the charts - better than any speaker I’ve owned/heard, bar none. In that regard, they're even a little better than what I remember of the Stirling LS3/6. They’re a little more expensive than others mentioned, however, I know where to get some for a great price. PM if interested.
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