Speaker suggestions for less than ideal accoustics


I live in a lovely timber frame home that works well for our lifestyle but presents challenges when trying to create a good audio listening environment. My great room has a wall of windows, tile floors (radiant heat), a large stone fireplace,28' ceiling peak, open to a loft area and open to the kitchen/dining area. The space is approx 1000 sq ft. I have listened in stores to some nice speakers (JM labs 816s, Def Tech 7004, Paradigm studio 100s, PSB T55,) but I know none of them will sound the same in my great room. Anyone ever faced this challenge and know if certain qualities in speaker designs lend themselves to this? I have learned a lot from this forum and wish there were more places to hear some of the equipment mentioned. BTW,this is for music listening only. Home theatre will have its own dedicated room in the basement where things can be built to suit
timberman

Showing 6 responses by timberman

thanks everyone for your input. I have been intrigued by what I am reading about Shahinian design. It seems they have been around quite a while, yet their unique approach has not caught on. Why are they not more popular?
I have spent a lot of time reading others insights and suggestions..what is disappointing is that there seems to be such limited access to all these high end products and a way to listen to all they offer. As a newcomer I appreciate all that I read but am no closer to buying what may be available from my only nearby "high end" audio store and their limited offerings.(PSB, POLK,JM Labs) How sad. Are these stores going the way of the old local hardware store?
I still look forward to any suggestions for an effective means to fill my great room with full beautiful music.I have decided not to go with the "big boys" and would like to hear some feedback on towers in the $1000-3000 range and and a well suited amplifier to match.
I live in the Hudson Valley in New York, near West Point Military Academy. You would think everything in the universe would be locally accessible, yet my searches show a limited amount of "listening and comparing" locations. It appears a lot of these high end manufacturers sell direct because they don't want or need to deal with the mass media retailers and want to keep their products affordable to their end user. I applaud them for that and I will find a way to seek out and audition their custom offerings. Its actually a bit refreshing to know that these people still exist and I will be willing to support that mentality, assuming my hunch is valid. Once again thanks for everyones comments and suggestions..the search continues..it really is more fun than disappointment and I' hope one day to post a reply raving about what I ended up acquiring...keep suggestions coming. thanks
Loud, no. Fill the room with precise and accurate sound. yes.I know there is a fine line with distinguishing the two.Thats the place I am looking for.
I am restricted to speaker placement and realistically most of my listening will be done while moving about the room, or during dinner, or while working on the computer.Those other times when doing nothing but listening and enjoying there is not a precise sweetspot, if in fact that would be equidistant center and back from where I can only assume would be the speaker placement.
I guess a picture would show this a lot better than I can describe. Bottom line is that in my search to date I have heard music like I never heard it before, and it sounds wonderful.I am not ready to invest a lot of money into the possible end state right now but I am willing to find a nice start point and go from there.
Same ears,in fact over 50 yrs now, same music genre preference,(jazz and classic rock),a bit wiser, a bit mellower, a bit more time to relax and a few more bucks. Must be the equipment.
well I have been listening to as many suggestions provided as possible and so far I would say my favorites, to date , are the Vandersteen 3a Sigs and Sonus Faber Concerto Domus (even though a bit undersized) Others,with less wow were PSB T55, JM labs 716S, KEF, Paradigm Studio 100s, and DefTech 7004. The search continues.