speaker shopping

cwright950,

     I think if you're looking for speakers to match your amp, you're going about things backwards and it's not the best method for assembling a system you really enjoy.

     Instead, I suggest you take the following steps or choices in sequence:

1.  Determine how you want to position your system.  
Your options are to have a rather narrow  and deep room (if you decide to place your speakers along one of the narrow  12' walls) or have a wide and shallow room (if you decide to place your speakers along one of the wide 22' walls).  
This is a critical decision since the room acoustics will be very different depending on which configuration you choose.  Speakers also have various radiation patterns and positioning requirements that will be more or less suitable to specific room sizes and configurations.  I suggest you may want to become more knowledgeable on these matters either through your local dealer or through your own research.  There's a wealth of relevant information available on this as well as other internet sites.

2.  Search for speakers you really like the sound of that would also work well in your room.

3.  Only decide on amplification once your speakers are known.  
You're much better served by matching the best amp for a given set of speakers than matching the best speakers for a given amp.

     It seems like you're very satisfied with your current Classe 15 amp.  My opinion is that it's a very good amp that would work well on a wide variety of speakers, perhaps even on the speakers you like the sound of best.
     My main point is that you're going about this backwards if your goal is achieving the best sound in your given room.  Speakers are the primary determinant of a system's sound and therefore should be chosen before you decide on which amp to use.  Choose speakers you really enjoy and then choose amplification that will optimize their performance.

Thanks,
   Tim    

cwright590,

   You stated: "Well i don't have the funds to purchase speakers and a new amp as well. I  have listened to the b&w 803s and dynaudio contours.  Still something in the mids missing. I also have a coda 10 in another system."  You also said your budget is about $3,000, $4,000 at most, for new speakers.

     Given this further info, I now think the first response you received on your post from paraneer is likely the best advice: " Ok, so get the speakers that your Classe amp will properly drive, are within your budget and sound the best to you.  And you'll be in business."

       I understand you're basically just searching for a good pair of speakers and posted in an attempt to narrow your search based on your existing amp.  When I gave my initial advice, I was under the impression you were looking for more comprehensive advice on how to improve your overall system performance in your given room.

     I still stand by my advice that you're going about this backwards and should decide on room configuration 1st, followed by speakers and then amp.  However, the reality is that your Classe 15 amp is capable of properly powering just about any pair of speakers you would possibly choose so some of my points become moot.  Your amp is rated at 175 watts into 8 ohms and 375 watts into 4 ohms which is sufficient to power almost any speakers I'm aware of.

    You're going to get responses recommending various speakers but, to find speakers that really sound good to you, the truth is there's no substitute or short cut for doing your homework.  This means lots of research and lots of listening at dealer showrooms.  You're going to hear some you like and some you don't before finding the speakers you're willing to buy.
    
    Power is one consideration in matching speakers with a good amp while tonal character is another; the resulting tonal character produced by the amp and speakers combination needs to meet your preferences, too. I recommend you request an in-home audition of the speakers you eventually choose prior to purchase just to make sure they sound good to you with your amp in your room.

Tim