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....
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
@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. |
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 |
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). |
@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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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. |
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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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. |
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. |
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.) |
(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. |
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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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. |
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. |
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! |
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. |
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! |
@bassdude +1 Those Lamm amps will make those Harbeths sing! |
