Speaker recommendations :-)

I will just say that what I would choose, is what I have heard.  Others might say, they are old dinosaurs and there is so much better out there.  The best "jazz" speakers I've ever heard are JBL L150a's.  To me the L150a, you feel like you are sitting in a jazz club and the only thing missing is the smell of cigarette smoke in the air.  I thought I knew the music of Miles Davis, Charles Mingus and Dave Brubeck or Holly Cole's Temptation .  I felt like I was in the room they were performing.  This was with a AR VSI-55 for amplification.  Whatever you end up with, I have felt that the big box speakers do things the wee little ones just can't get there.  Happy hunting.  Can't wait to see what others suggest. 

IMO

1. only consider efficient/high sensitivity speakers, so that you can more easily try tubes later

2. full range, no passive radiators, no ports, if port, front facing only.

3. IF sub, make it a stereo pair of self powered subs, located adjacent to the FL/FR. Low bass may start mono, however the overtones become directional.

I’m gonna shoot out some well-respected speakers in the 20-30k range.

Kef Blade Meta

Magnepan 20.7

PS audio FR30

There's also the new, gorgeous looking Sonus Faber too.

Joseph Audio Pearl, Usher TD20, Rockport Avior, Vandersteen Kento, Boenicke W13, Nola KO S3.

I love the Vienna acoustics beethovens. The Beethovens circa 2004 had limited spl, but managed to be some of the most involving speakers I've had and if available for a demo, worth it.

https://www.musicdirect.com/equipment/speakers/atc-scm50-pslt-passive-tower-speakers-pair/

Any dealer will do, just like the speaker.  Life changing.

JBL 4367, no really they are amazing I have been playing with a pair for a few days. I am a fan of the Sophia 3 but feel the 4367 betters it in every way. The bass is very textured and detailed from the 15” driver. They have the best highs I have ever heard. Not just shimmers but actually delineation of every high hat ride. 

Two current favorites-

Joseph Audio

Franco Serblin

Ever looked into hORNS from Poland? High quality, sensitive horn speakers.

For jazz and all things acoustic it is very difficult to beat Harbeth 40.2 / 40.3 XD or SHL5 XD or Plus. Listen to some on Youtube and you will understand. Their rich sound is apparent even on your computer speakers or earpods.

Of course the ATCs mentioned are great - 50s to 150s

The Ocean Way Eureka’s are phenomenal.

The ATC’s and Ocean Way’s are highly regarded by audio engineers and performers because of their accuracy, dynamics and clarity.

And the Harbeth’s are similar, but with a bit more warm, rich sound - which jazz and acoustic music requires.

All of these are a bit expensive, except for the Harbeth SHL5’s - and the ATC’s and Ocean Way’s are hard to find on the pre-owned market.

After those - and a bit easier to find on the pre-owned market would be some of the JBL’s noted, and the Klipsch Forte’s, Cornwall’s and La Scalla’s.

Again - listen to these playing jazz pieces on YouTube and you will quickly understand - compared to almost anything else - except for the Quad ESL 57’s, which are the benchmark / reference for jazz and acoustic sounds (which are a bit impractical - unless rebuilt by one of the Quad specialists).

 

 

 

 

I would go with the Wilson Sasha DAWs. I don’t love the older Wilsons. The tweeter had gone through a half dozen revisions since the Sophias. The Darryl Wilson designs are pure magic, as far as bringing a pianist into the room. The DAWs are the first with undistorted low bass I’ve heard - also important in rendering piano!

Audiovector R6 is worth a listen in this price range.

+2 Rockport Avior ii! 

I have the ATC SCM 19s - I find them excellent for Jazz and classical . Especially piano - piano notes are rich, tight and solid.

 

I use them with a Dynaudio 18s sub.

Another vote for Klipsch Cornwalls, these horn front ported speakers are so good and you will not experience any listening fatigue. I listen to jazz and acoustic music  hours every day. 

If you a “live”, you are there sound, check out Volti Audio Rivals. They’re very sensitive, Horn loaded midrange & tweeters mated try o a a 15” ported woofer in a not crazy big, well made & well finished cabinet.

They’re very dynamic at any volume level, detailed, image well w/ nice body & tone w/ a good source which it seems like you certainly have. Voltis are considerably better quality than any Klipsch products in build & sound quality.

If you’re after more of a highly etched, “ hifi” sound, there are many other fine suggestions mentioned. Imo, if you want the best of both, you gotta spend a real lot of $ on both the speakers & the heroic amplification to match. I think the Voltis are a very good balance of the two for about $15K.

If you can wait a while the new Emerald Physics line is coming out. They are of open baffle design, so no cabinet resonance to contend with. I'm hoping they will be as efficient as the old line. The old ones image as good as any speaker I've heard and are very efficient. They come with an external crossover so can single-bi-or tri-amped. Very detailed and dynamic....Kind of like a dynamic sounding Magnepan. They used a coaxial tweeter/midrange arrangement. Factory direct, so pricing is extremely good. I sold my B&W 802D's to get the EP2.8's and I never looked back. Just my opinion.

My Martin Logan Classic 9’s make jazz a totally immersive experience, for larger rooms one can get the 11A, 13A or for a large room the 15A’s.   Guitar, piano and female vocals are just plain lifelike. 

what’s Chronos Pro? Kronos? It’s a 45K TT.

Go with Kharma speakers, it comes already mispelled :)

Something worth Checking Out

https://www.marten.se/products/mingus/mingus-quintet-2/

https://www.marten.se/products/parker/parker-trio/

https://devorefidelity.com/oref/

Have Fun

+1 for the Martens

+1 for Martens. I have the Parker Trio’s and I am very satisfied.

@lammjunkie 

"At this moment i don't have speakers, sold last one already."

Interesting first post.

So, what are you listening to while you have $250M worth of components and no speakers?

magnepan 20.7 

 

Take a look and listen at Fleetwoods, they are a little off the beaten path but sound fantastic.  I listen to the same type of music and absolutely love the sound of the horns coming from these speakers. They fill the room with sound similar to the way my Maggie’s did. 

@tony1954 seems pretty made up to me too, with the "Chronos"

Guys, thank you all for interesting recommendations.

Many speakers you mentioned i didnt hear, but here in Croatia, Europe, in city where i live i know some people with some of them and i think i will contact them and arrange listening. 

Ps. 
Yes, i figured out yesterday 😂…that i wrote name “Kronos” wrong. I sometimes write  “Karma” speakers wrong too, like , “Kharma, even Charma” :) :-) if i am using phone and write messages. But its ok 😊 English is not my native language so sometimes i make mistakes. 

According to some more expensive speakers combinations, I always liked Magico S7 , but here in Croatia, i think no one has them. But i understand that they are very expensive.
I was wondering, in general, adding subs would create more detailed sounds picture.

Jazz is very dynamic music, if you listen artists like

Bror Fredrik "Esbjörn" Svensson , from Esjborn Swenson trio 

or maybe Yaron Herman Trio.

So, i will see how things go. I was even considering some PMC speakers like Fenestria , because i have PMC passive monitors in studio and they sound great for mixing and mastering. ATC are great too . 

 

 

 

Any of the Usher speakers with their DMD Diamond tweeter, Revel Studio2/Salon 2, Raidho, and the later Wilson’s. I have owned many of the Ushers and still own a pair along with a pair of Revel.

All new improved JBL L100 Classic Black Edition sounded better than the Revel Ultima Salon 2 Speakers, some say are one of the best speakers on the market !

 https://www.hifipig.com/axpona-2023-show-report/

LA Scalas best buy, making the top 10 speakers of all time for the money. 

Usher speakers are an absolute must hear and a huge value, and gorgeous. 

The Speaker bargain of the year that everyone at the Florida Hi Fi Expo and Axpona are talking about ...Borresen X3 @ 11K.......I spent more time in that room than any other.....Fit, Finish and sound was right up there with the 30-50 K guys.

mbmi,

But those speakers only have 4.5" woofers. They can’t make much bass. That's probably why they are priced what they are.

ozzy

@bassdude +1

Those Lamm amps will make those Harbeths sing!

Ozzy....................35 HZ to 50 KHZ....Bass is super tight and DEEP...this is Borresen we are talking...not your Normal Dreck...You can't comment on something you haven't heard...You preach that!...Trickle down tech from a company that makes 150K speakers.....I like that.

mbmi,

You're right I have not heard them, but I will eventually. Many have stated how well they sound, so they must be on to something.

ozzy

@lammjunkie 

You have an outstanding system capable of driving a large number of speakers -- the point is to get speakers performing at the level of your electronics.

As you are located in Croatia, I'd suggest you start with EU  products first in order to get the best value for money.

Here are some subjective recommendations:

Estelon (from Estonia) makes high resolution speakers with very good frequency response characteristics. I liked the Estelon X diamonds, but they also offer smaller models.

Apertura (France) make excellently balanced speakers with very large real ribbon tweeters, and their sense of timing, dynamics, and reproduction of ambience (live jazz, for example) are exemplary. These are high sensitivity.

Fink audio ("Borg") and Goebel Marquis (from Germany) are superbly engineered products with outstanding dynamics, the Borg is cheaper than the Marquis.

Of course the Kharma (Holland) Exquisite classique is a good all rounder that fits well in your room and looks very good (BTW, so does Estelon - if a bit unusual).

Turning to other choices, Wilson make excellently engineered products. Your room probably needs the Sasha.

Of course there are many choices out there and half the fun is in the auditioning!

+1 Goebel !

Ozzy.... I heard them....The bass is incredibly Tight and really deep...They say it's the way they design their drivers and  enclosures...Maybe this in New School......I ponied up and bought a pair...8 week wait.....Listen to them and you will "hear" what everyone is talking about. I actually thought they were more impressive than their 100K speakers.

Well, I have yet to own a pair but they're definitely on my Wishlist - JBL's Everest DD 67000 which sell brand new for $41,250.00 each.  I best start saving my duckette's, huh?  Either these or the next down JBL's pecking order, the JBL K2 S9900, which are also not cheap at $24,200.00 each?   The Everest I believe has a Dual 15" Woofer's, a 4" Midrange Compression Driver, and I believe a 1" High Frequency Compression Driver.  I believe the K2 S9900 has the same except just a single 15" Woofer!   In my mind, you can't go wrong with either!   Or both! 

I have my Silverline La Folia II speakers listed on Audiogon right now.

I don't think there is a better tube amp speaker under $10K for sure.

Only selling because I am moving out of state.  

Dan

I had the Harbeth SHL5’s and really liked them at low volume, good for jazz and acoustic music. I had the 4367’s and they were too big for my listening room. I now have the Magico A5’s with a B&W DB3D sub and could not be more pleased with the sound.

If you had a pair of Wilson, and looking at the rest of your gear, the speakers you are considering might be somewhere between 50k and 150k USD. Pretty big range, but if you consider brands like Magico, Von Schweikert, or Estelon, only a few models from each brand would fit into this category. M2 or M3 from Magicos for example, but their bass isn’t really full. I have been a Magico fan but I always wanted to hear more bass out of them. Recently I got to audition a pair of Von Schweikert at the store, and right there and then, I traded in my S5 mk2 and ordered Von Schweikert speakers. They come with optional booster amp for the bass and your tube amplifiers can drive the highs and mids more effectively while the booster amp drives the bass woofers. The sound was effortless full range dynamics and impressive details and imaging. The closest thing I’ve heard to the Iive music.

Heard most of everything suggested. Buy dynamikkis and end your search with speakers all together. Work really well with Lamm also 

Check out Fyne F1-12. I replaced my B&W 803D3 with them. 

Borreson

Raidho

Quad 57s

Graham 8/1

 

I'm a jazz guy.  Love the 50's-60's and then everything Chet did after.  Because of this, a same period system suits me well.  Marantz tube gear and JBL Hartsfields.  Horns are it~

I replaced MartinLogan Monolith II's with Philharmonic Audio BMR Towers.  Everyone who has heard both in my house are unanimous; the Towers are hands-down better.  I listen to a variety of music, mostly soft jazz, both vocal and instrumental.  No Dixieland.  Occasionally Maynard Ferguson.

If you follow the link, I suggest reading the Music Listening section above all else.

3+ for Martens 

4+ for Atc 

There is a reason why some jazz and vocalist artists already owns ATC

Happy searching!! 🎼

+4 Martens

Horns for unrivaled dynamics and live sound — e.g, Avantgarde, Classic Audio Loudspeakers, Volti, JBL

Truly enviable electronics btw!!!!