Last I looked there are 2 pairs of Spica TC-60's for sale on Audiogon. I've got a pair that I absolutely love. They're a great bargain and would be a great fir for the type of music you listen to. |
very simple Get a pair of B&W N805s they will blow your mind. $2,000 new maybe $1,300 used. Also a pair of martin logan Aerius i would work very very well in that small room and you can buy them used for around 1,100 great midrange but not alot of bass. But in your room the bass should be ok. Good Luck |
I recommand a pair of B&W NAUTILUS 805. It should be perfect for your room. You should be able to pick up a used pair for around $1000. |
Any good speaker (probably stand mounted) that does not have bass lower than about 40 HZ should be fine. The B&W 805s would be great as Lev335 recommends. I have a pair of PSB Stratus Minis in a second system that I can also highly recommend-- not as refined as the B&Ws probably, but also less expensive.
Some years ago, I put Vand. 2Ces in a 12 X 14 room, and it was mostly a mistake. These fairly large speakers only sounded decent at low volume levels. Cheers. Craig |
I, too, agree that you can't go wrong with the B&W805N, but I doubt that you will ever find them used for near $1000. I would stay away from planar speakers as they need a large room to really open up. Remember they fire front AND back.
I am a big lover of B&W speakers for many reasons. I own big B&W's but if I had your room, there is no question, I would own the 805N.
Buy them and you will be happy!
Richard |
Something you might find used in your price range, Spendor SP 1/2, should be on your short list also. These "BBC" monitors have been used with great success by many, (down the road you can add a subwoofer for the sub 50Hz magic.) Good luck! |
Check out the Joseph 7's.A monitor with decent bass that won't set you back as much as 805's. |
I agree with most of the other suggestions here. Stick with something that is "reasonable" in size i.e. no large multiple arrays with drivers spaced far apart. I would also avoid something that is very strong on low end. As such, the B & W's that were recommended should work fine. The "oldy" Spica's ( 50's & 60's ) are VERY well suited for this type of music also and won't set you back much cash either. Any type of "monitor" type speaker like the Spendor's, Roger's, etc... would also be a prime candidate. Good luck and let us know what you end up with. Sean
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Dynaudio makes some excellent sounding small speakers. |
Sean had great ideas. The Spicas are very good and you can easily and cheaply modify the crossover with polys/mylars and improve the imaging and detail tremendously. You can also stuff them with strip caulking to reduce cabinet resonance for about $12.
The BBC near field monitors are tremendous for this application. I just listened to the ATC speaker for $1100/pr. new and it was very fine. Purchase very good stands such as the Sound Organization and fill them with shot/sand to tighten up everything. Use the sticky blue stuff from Office Depot to tack them down and you are off.
Good luck. |
Look at Merlin TSMs too. Used, they often go for a little less than the popular 805s. I agree, though, that you can not go wrong with the 805s. I find them to be easy on the ears at closer distances. |
There are some speakers in my mind that you can build your system arround them:
Totem Arro (used $600),
Vandersteen 1ce (used $450),
Thiel 1.5 (used $750)
shop arround here, audioshopper or audioweb. |
Coincident has revised its Triumph Signature monitor, price still $1199, and it may be extremely good. With claimed sensitivity of 94 dB, it is very friendly to low-watt amps. New tweeter and woofer (Vifa?), other improvements, nicely finished, coincidentspeaker.com. I'm curious about the EFE monitor, which was designed to compete with the B&W N805, has a nice looking semi-trapezoid profile. It's made by a small shop in California, Ed Frias, who seems to have a great reputation. $890. Contact him at EFESPKRS@aol.com. Check reviews on audioreview.com. |
Thanks to all who responded. I've gotten some valuable info that really helps.
Bin |
Greetings Bin,
You bring up a classic dilemma - namely, how to get natural sound in a small room at an affordable price. I take it you're willing to position the speakers as needed to get good sound.
One of the major hurdles in a small room is getting natural bass response. Most systems simply don't have good bass pitch definition in a small room because of the room's resonant modes, which blur the decay of bass notes while causing peaks and valleys in the response. There is little that can be done to remedy this as long as the speaker radiates bass omnidirectionally, which most speakers do.
There is one type of bass system that inherently minimizes room-induced bass coloration. That is the dipole. Because of its figure-8 radiation pattern, a dipole will put 5 dB less bass energy into the room's resonant modes for a given bass SPL than will a conventional (omnidirectional) bass system. The result is better pitch definition because, with less room-induced overhang, the notes decay more naturally.
Most dipole speaker are full range planars, such as Maggies, Quads, Martin-Logan CLS's, and Sound Labs. Some use dynamic woofers in a dipole configuration, such as Audio Artistry's line and the Gradient Revolutions.
Generalizing here, a dipole usually won't play as loud or as deep as a similarly priced conventional speaker, and will be more demanding in terms of amplification. But a dipole has certain inherent advantages in its lack of coloration. A good dipole will introduce fewer distracting colorations than a similarly-priced conventional speaker.
Now, in a reasonably priced full range dipole, Maggies are pretty much the only game in town. If you are willing to position them three or four feet out into your room, probably along the short wall, they will give you an extremely natural-sounding presentation. I don't sell Maggies, but I have a great deal of respect for them. I sell a couple of higher-priced dipoles.
Since auditioning isn't real practical for you, if you would like to read some reviews of dipole speakers let me know and I'll post a few links for you. Also, I'd be glad to take a shot at any specific questions you may have.
Best wishes,
Duke |
