Will throw out one more possibility— Tetra, the choice of Herbie Hancock.
Speaker recommendations :-)
Hi there good people
In short, wanted to hear your ideas. I am into jazz and acoustic music and this is my equipment list, maybe it will help. Listening room is around 50m2 of area. At this moment i dont have speakers, sold last one already. ( Wilson Sophia 3 ).
Lamm M1.2Ref. monos,
Lamm LL1.1. preamp ,
Lamm LP1 Phono.
dCS Apex Vivaldi Dac + Cd+ Clock + Upsampler
Turntable: Chronos Pro
I am not looking for the “best speakers in the Universe”, just wanted to hear some ideas , maybe they will lead to new interesting synergy of my system.
Thank you for your time :-)
82 responses Add your response
Speaker preferences are highly subjective so it’s always best to audition yourself.
Your audio gear seems to be at a much higher level than most on this forum. As such, many suggestions on this forum are their direct experience made within their more limiting budget which seems not to apply to you - you can afford more. Also, stating what you liked and disliked about your past Wilson speaker and what you are looking for would be very helpful. Also, there have been many new Wilson models after the Sophia, likely sonic improvements For speaker ideas, try starting with recommended components/buyers guide at TAS (The Absolute Sound) and Stereophile (available online). WBF (What’s Best Forum) many users also have upper tier systems so may be a good source for info and suggestions. Asking Lamm electronics owners what speakers they use may also help.
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(191) E121: The Børresen X3 Loudspeakers in play... - YouTube ...Hear what 4.5 in woofers done correctly can sound like...ground braking stuff and only 11K per pair. Incredible. |
Magnepan has a marketing plan of offering a trial of their signature sound for under $1K in the LRS. I love them for the spaciousness and nuance in the midrange, which is dreamy for jazz (and frankly I am liking all music on them). If you haven’t used them, there’s a cheap idea for expanding synergy. (And I would ignore most fear mongering about power with them. They sound lovely with my vintage 35 wpm tubes or my Schiit Aegir, though in a smaller space than yours.) |
Of course, everyone has their own personal preferences in speakers. A few years ago, when I was in the market for a new pair of true full range speakers, I took my time and listened to multiple speakers, at dealers and at shows, before choosing the Revel Salon 2 speakers. The Salon 2 speakers are absolutely incredible and are "Pure Performance" speakers if there ever was one. For me, the Salon 2 speakers are my end-game speakers. I just can't speak highly enough about the Salon 2 speakers because they perform at such a high level of proficiency that, I don't have to want for anything else. |
I've been through several of the $20-30k speakers the last 7 years and its fair to say I didn't devote money to components for each pair I tried, they eithe worked or didn't work with my hegel h360 or later h590. That out of the way there's some speakers that go by the textbook and others that follow what the designer decided is the most important aspect of reproduction and some speakers, say Paradigm Persona 7f that are so amp sensitive their personality can be tailored. I still love Vienna Acoustics for Jazz, but admit to needing a dedicated system for more varied music listening. |
Vladimir Shushirin of Lamm always used to demo his amps with Kharma speakers and Purist Audio Design cables. So that's what I would try first. Lansche suggestion is interesting. In any case, choice of speakers is a very personal one. https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/650016161-kharma-exqusite-extended-reference-1a-speakers/
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Given the level of your other equipment I'm guessing you have a healthy budget. Personally I'd go with two speaker systems because variety is the spice of life. Does the preamp have A/B switching? Some La Sala AL5s, a tube power amp (maybe SET?) and a sub for system 1, and then Dynaudio Confidence 50 with your Monos for system 2. Man that would be fun going back and forth song by song. One will sound live and the other will sound accurate. |
@lammjunkie So many choices and so personal a decision, you really need to listen to some of those you're considering. FYI, I used to own those Lamm monos, and switched from Nola Viper Ref 3 speakers to Sound Lab A3 electrostatics, which are a very difficult load with low impedance in the bass. The Lamms were a poor match. So I would be very cautious with any speakers (e.g. suggested Magnepans) that go low in impedance at lower frequencies. Spencer
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There's a discussion elsewhere on AudiogoN that discusses the perfect speaker. An interesting exercise, and confusing when the adjectives start flying with no description of the meaning of the words. First, a speaker should do no harm. In other words, it shouldn't change the sound (especially instruments), in any way, that was captured on the recording. 1) A flat frequency response is the first requirement (and easier said than done for most speaker designers). 2) Near zero relative phase response (how the drivers relate to one another in terms of phase). This will permit a proper leading-edge dynamic. It will allow a speaker to disappear as a source of the sound. 3) With those two goals intact, the speaker must be able to faithfully track the dynamics of the recording – both micro and macro dynamics (don't underestimate the importance of faithfully resolving micro dynamics). 4) Details: the elimination of anything that veils the sound on the recording. And the ability to represent all of the ambience (reverb) the recording has on offer. If all done well, the speaker will enlist your attention and draw you into the music's beauty and intent. At the present time the speakers I find doing this the best are from Vivid Audio. Both the Kaya series (4 models) and Giya series (4 models). The best example of this is certainly the Giya series (G4s2, G3s2, G2s2, G1 Spirit). |
All speakers in the world behave like a left speaker in below video. Test your speakers saying "hello". Piano - (Natural vs. Un-natural sound) The purpose of hi-end audio is being able to faithfully reproduce the original music. Wavetouch V2 speaker sounds the closest the original music. Hear below the original music video and WT video. Also, only WT speaker is a natural sound speaker in the world. Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 3 - Hilary Hahn /Gustavo Dudamel WT speaker Live recording-- Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 3 - Hilary Hahn Alex/Wavetouch |
@lammjunkie Since you are in Croatia why not try the RAAL SR1a + TI-1b adapter box + Lamm gear. It will be a pleasant diversion from 2-channel speakers. Chances are you will keep them even when you get your next speakers. |
For a jazz loving guy in Europe with almost 540 sq ft of listening space, the larger Wharfedale Elysian 4 floorstander might be a good fit. At an affordable ~10k a pair, it goes up really well against many of the Wilsons and the Magicos without being a picky pest w.r.t placement, setup, electronics, etc. Easy setup, hours of easy listening from an honest European brand and it won’t rip your ears off like a Magico, Focal, etc gone wrong one day.... |
