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Speaker upgrade help needed: 4500$ used

Like you all I have the upgrade itch and have decided that the speakers are what I want to change out next.

1. My goal is the most holographic soundstage and best imaging I can afford at this price range
2. I have no preference between bookshelf and tower speakers
3. I have no bass requirements as I currently live in an apartment and wouldn't want the bass to annoy the neighbors anyway!
4. Resale value and demand is very important, so rare/old models or companies that come out with new versions/revisions each year are out of the question.
5. My next speaker upgrade probably wont be for 2-5 years
6. Appearence isn't important, although I'd like to keep a reasonable footprint for the speakers
7. This is for a 2 channel only system

My current system:
Tyler Reference Monitors
Plinius 8200 mkII integrated
Muse model 9 Sig version 4 (cdp)
Ridge Street MSE gII interconnect
Harmonic Tech ProAC-11 powercord
Signal Audio biwire shotgun speaker cable

Current room is 14x18, but I do consulting work and move every year or two (so not shopping for room specific speakers!)

The cd's I've been playing a lot of lately:
Cyndi Lauper - At Last
Patricia Barber - Cafe Blue
Cowboy Junkies - Trinity Sessions
Paul Simon - Graceland
Peter, Paul & Mary - 1st LP
Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
Steely Dan - 2 Against Nature
Laureena McKennit - The Visit
Fleetwood Mac - Fleetwood Mac and Rumors

I have enjoyed the Tylers. They are my first step into home audio unless you count NHT SuperTwos. The Tylers were an ENORMOUS step-up from them in terms of clarity, seperation, imaging and soundstage. However, they dont get me to the toe tapping, emersed in the music state that I am looking for eventually.

My ear and audio vocabulary isn't at a point where I could say what I would like to improve upon or what in particular I'm looking for.

Speakers I'm considering:
B&W N 803
SF Electa Amator II
Merlin VSM-M
Aerial 10T
Von Schweikert VR4 JR
Martin Logan Request

any of these stand out above the rest?
any to remove? other recommendations?

Thanks for any help!
Geoff
geoffgarcia

Showing 5 responses by geoffgarcia

geoffgarcia OP
92 posts
 
Thanks for the recommendations!

I've only heard planar speakers a few times and have not been fond of the sound. I suppose I should take myself to a few stores and give them another chance though since between the Maggies and ML's there has been some chatter on them!

Prior to the Plinius I was using a tubed Rogue 66/88 combo (amp/pre) and while I did like it, I would rather stick with a SS front because I use my 2ch audio system to provide sound for my projector television and would feel guilty burning through the tubes that much faster.

I'm debating upgrading my int to the Rowland Concentra as my next front end upgrade, or at the very least giving it a demo in my house.

That said, I'm going to be hitting some local stores in the Philly area tomorrow and I'll add some notes here to share how it goes.
Geoff
geoffgarcia OP
92 posts
 
Yeah, I have wanted to hear those Dunlavy speakers for a while but dont know where I could go to get a listen! (I'm in the philly area)

Anyway, I just got back from a dealer and heard the Maggie 3.6s and they did sound very nice. Much better than I thought they would, but then I went to the room next door and heard the Revel F50's.
There really wasn't any comparison, with very similar gear the F50's were better in just about every regard. And they are the exact same price (actually Revels are about 300$ less! (new))

I'll go and hear another set of 3.6's before everyone chimes in that the room, dealer, my ears or gear must have sucked (I can hear the voices already saying that!)
Geoff
geoffgarcia OP
92 posts
 
Hey all, I've been out of the loop for a little while as my living arrangements have been in flux!

Finally found a place to live and will be back on the hunt for a set of speakers. My budget has increased by 1500$ up to the 6000$ range (used) so if there are any other speakers I should take a listen to please let me know! I'm going to go back for another listen on those Maggies for sure:)
geoffgarcia OP
92 posts
 
Jeff I heard the 804 Sigs and thought the Maggies beat them pretty well.

Barrel, the fact that Blue Heron is out of business is a turnoff, sorry!

Still hunting!
geoffgarcia OP
92 posts
 
Actually I did make a decision!
I took a new job in Sept which has kept me working very hard and my mind just hasn't been into audio enough to go on audition after audition and keep that process organized and progressing.

SO! based on reading reviews and my room needs I decided to go with a set of Audio Physic Virgo II's (which I hadn't heard before!).

My room is roughly 15x13 and has almost no furniture except a couch for listening. I use a project television so there is nothing else on the speaker side of the room.

Since the Virgos are not a bi-wire set I also had to get rid of my signal cable bi-wire and upgrade to Analysis Plus Oval 9 cables.

I set the speakers up according to the Audio Physics guidelines (50% into the room, 25% away from side walls). The speakers sound great and are an obvious improvement (to myself and my friends) over the Tyler Ref Monitors.

If Virgos were to get a perfect 100 score then I would rank the Tylers at a 65 and my previous system (NHT Model 2's + receiver) a 5.
The sound of the Maggies was different no doubt. Some songs that sounded great on them don't sound very good on the Virgos, and vice versa. However I don't want to give the maggies a score as I'm not familiar enough with them to do that.

Given my room situation and desire for a less ominous speaker I think I made the right choice. Whether the Virgo's really are a better speaker than the Maggies is hard for me to say since I only had a short listening experience with the Maggies and that was so long ago. As I upgrade my ear has been getting more refined, so perhaps the next time I hear the Maggies I'll be able to see what areas they are better/worse than the Virgos. But compared to the Tylers I can say the the Virgo II's beat them in every way shape and form and if I had known what a huge improvement this was going to have been then I would have upgraded much sooner.
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