Speakers which always sound good

....as long as I include the Maggies' into the shared system, I'm halfway There...*L*

The only story I find amusing of late is of the cursing parrots....;)

Really kind of surprised no one has brought up JBL studio monitors with the butt-cheek tweets, or line arrays. 

Oh...yeah, there's the Final Question, asked in the last line of Eriks' 'original statements and queries'....:

"What do we, the audiophile community recommend to them to actually be helpful in getting them as many positive music listening experiences as possible?"

Given that the majority of 'us' have suffered through coping with odd spaces in the 'public' rooms of various 'n sundry houses, unless lucky enough to have a room that could be adapted for use as a 'listening room....   

All we could offer is a list of what to avoid; sloped ceilings, spaces that offer only 2 walls, and those at a right angle to each other if only the 2, most 'open-plan' spaces in general,...a list of 'don'ts' that would glaze the eyes of most before one even began a list of 'do's'.

Many scarcely completely read the manuals of the equipment they buy, and if done it's for how to operate the stuff successfully.
Most are buying 2, 2.1, 5.1, or 7.1 systems to augment (or as part of) a flat screen purchase or to add to an existing one.
Most are so damned thrilled at the basic improvement in the audio, flawed as it may be or sound like to our ears. Any concerns that we (as audiophiles) would consider to be horribly flawed but simple to fix would likely fall onto 'deaf ears'....

There will be, as before, those who hear 'flaws' and seek to address that begin The Journey to varied degrees.

This is Why most people consider us crazy. *L*  To them, we are literally hearing 'things' they can't.  Or may never notice.

Of all the 'home renovation' or 'people seeking a home' shows I've seen, I think I can count the number of 'audio speakers' noted on one hand.  Generally, all that appears is a flat screen, sans additions.

Only one appeared to be of 'audiophile intent', but it was modest..

Only one reno made an issue of the owners' love of music.
At the end, he was gifted with a new TT; manual, basic.
They built a wall consol to contain same and his record collection.
And built the speakers 'enclosures' to fit into at the ends of said consol...complete with grills...*sigh*
(Never saw a receiver or an amp of any sort, or said speakers, btw)

Happy Hunting and Good Luck, Erik.👍
Let me know when you've 'landed'.  If necessary, I'll buy the beer and comiserate and listen to The Plan.
I will be polite, nod when appropo, comment only when absolutely necessary and attempt to be succinct about it.
I may be available to help move things about, hold the idiot end of tape measures, but only within a 1~2 low ABV% brew consumption level (basically an inexpensive 'drunk';  most of the beer will be for You. *L*).

Cheers, J

Anything by Kenjit. Electronics by Guitar Sam.

Erik:
            I solved the open floorplan issue by installing a room dividing curtain, so now my Living Room has 4 walls when I close the curtain. If you try this, be sure to use the heaviest fabric that you can find. I used suede; and, it looks like a movie theater curtain. Good luck in your house hunting! 

Canton Reference 9K 

Spendor D7.2 
 
QLN Prestige 3
 
Kef ls-50 Meta 

Zu Audio Soul Supreme   

@erik_squires 

Where in South Carolina are you looking Erik?

Dutch & Dutch 8c?  Ohm?

is building an audioroom
in the backyard an option?  Something like a well built, well insulated 15x25 foot room?

Someone mentioned Larsen 9 and I just read the review in TAS. They do seem to work in many rooms.

Kii Three is also less affected by the room than many others. Probably Magnepan also.

Harbeth C7E3

asvjerry...This is off-topic, but have you ever read James Joyce's "Ulysses"?

My opinion go to speakers. B&W 804 d and Vandersteen 2ce.
Used as reference points for setting up rooms and auditioning electronics.

I just moved and my Ohm 1000s went from a smallish 13X14X10' room to a larger open-plan room that is 18' long with vaulted ceilings and open to a dining room at one side. They still sound great. That said, as with the original room, I had to experiment with their placement -- small positioning changes made dramatic differences, but once that was done I have been very pleased with the results.

Oops - changed a few minor things, like speaker position by an inch or two - lost half an octave. Ah well - there's Sunday.

No one if your talking full-range or close to. But if I really had to I would probably go for my JBL 4425’s :-)

@erik_squires Whatever you decide on, make sure you set the room up with 4 subwoofers, 1 in each corner. I think this might be just the sound you’ve been looking for.

Sarcastically, 
Evan

For the money, I would look seriously at the Revel Performa3 line (not the BEs, I don't quite understand those) as a great speaker for general public.  I had a pair for years and it was only when I tried to go beyond them that I discovered how limited a lot of more premium speakers are but this is not a thread about that.  

They work in most rooms.  Have great dispersion and off axis performance.  Lots of detail but not fatiguing.  Compared to their peers they deliver a big and immersive soundstage.  They can be driven relatively easily (at lest the bookshelf speaker) and sound good driven a Denon or Marantz receiver.  

Subwoofer integration is easy with the bookshelf speakers and the floor standers have good bass response.  They are smallish and have a relatively high WAF.  True broad appeal...feels like a good option.  

You know I was actually thinking of Revel and Magico for the same reason.  One thing they share is really great off-axis listening.  They maintain a stable stereo image almost anywhere in front of them.


Best,

Erik

For a speaker that maintains a stable stereo image, there’s The GoldenEar Triton 1’s.

Aerial Speakers.

If you want a stable stereo image wherever you are listening, mbl or Ohm would be the ticket.  Don't think the former would be something for the general public, though, at their prices.  I had considered mentioning line arrays, like Sceana or the Pipedreams, as they can be listened to and sound amazing in the nearfield, but I didn't mention them because I don't think most of the public wants speakers of that size in their living rooms.

If you're looking for universal speaker that works in all room configurations, then you're going to have to settle for a compromise.

An omni-directional speaker would probably be the answer.

You can do it on the cheap with a Bose 901 or high end with the MBL 101 X-treme (~$263,000)

Not perfectly flat in measurements, I nonetheless have loved Totems both for their musicality and their ease of placement within many types of space. 
I also agree with the one or two folks who recommended Ohm Speakers if a standard dynamic isnt a requirement. Not sure why this brand, which was a hifi darling in the 80’s, is no longer reviewed regularly. Could it be because of their direct sales marketing and lack of advertising in the main publications? That is, no quid pro quo with the audio mags?

*S*  I'm happy to read this topic has brought the omni-culture out...👍

@cal91...In reality, no....reading the book, that is...
I prefer to make up my own life without the influence of epic tomes or modern versions.  Besides, we all make up our own 'daze' on the fly to some extent anyway....;)
A friend (I do have some...I do make them myself, to some degree...*L*) in Houston, quizing me as to 'why don't you 'do' Art; suddenly blurted:

"I get it!  Your Life IS Your Art!"

*PG pause*
"...well, that's as good an excuse as any I might make....Thanks! *L*"

If you've noted some simularities 'twixt me and the Joyce; refer to the statement that follows most movies....

"Any simularities to people and events in real life..."
...is Your Problem. *L* 

"Officer, I don't know Any of these people.  Life is just a huge shared hallucination anyway..."

Other than cursing parrots (which I'd like as a ringtone), best comment of the day...

'Never mistake my silence for weakness.
No one plans a murder out loud.'

That shirt I would buy.....wear to parties...or the next AXPONA.
You will know me by the clothes and the sound protection earphones I wear....;)

I like my A speakers to be my Advent 6003’s. I’ll pair these with either my New Advents, or else the Heresy Klipsch as my B speakers, depending.
For low to mid volume, I can listen to just the 6003’s all. day. long. 
-John

I just have to say, it is true, I have yet to see a house that has a good room for a stereo. It is frustrating. But then again audiophiles are probably in the 1% category. 

I am very happy with my Revel F228Be fed with a Vitus R-100 and Lumin T2.

I've always enjoyed PSBs. The sound good, are built well. and don't break the bank

I just have to say, it is true, I have yet to see a house that has a good room for a stereo. It is frustrating. But then again audiophiles are probably in the 1% category.

I can say that I'm firmly in the below 50% category.

I know that not everyone likes the omni-directional sound, but if you do, they are hard to beat for ease of placement in a room.  I've had a few different models of Mirage omni's and the original Omni-Sat's were the best.  Pair with a subwoofer in whatever location works best for the room, and you can place the omni-sats on the wall, ceiling, stands, shelf.  They just sound good.  They have more presence then the micro or nano versions, and are much easier to place then the tower version.  Don't get me wrong, they are not as good as Maggies, Focal's, or any other "audiophile" grade speaker, but they do sound very good and are very consistent with whatever room you put them in.

I had too much experience with YG's, Harbeth's and Magico's, i think noone can judge those big brands or criticizes, if they are not playing good it was our problem, but if you like to have pure , refined sound without any of box resonance you must go for Open Baffles, end of too many years i bought Diesis Audio speakers, those open baffles are very very good in every way!

I think most British two way monitors are generally very musical and consistently good sounding speakers.  There’s a lot to choose from here but you can’t go wrong with ProAc, Spendor, Epos, Castle, Linn or KEF, IMHO.

KEFs

@sokogear

Have you listened to KEF's in a variety of environments??

Well, I think Monitor Audio is a good British brand, but not sure about how well it plays in the avg. vs. ideal setting.

Magico A5's    BIG ROOM  Magico M6 
 
Audionet Watt Integrated amp   BIG ROOM  Audionet Humboldt Integrated amp
 
Audio Note CD Players.. better than Vinyl !
 
Silversmith Audio FIDELIUM Cables.. Major-Breakthrough !

Revel. 

Yet another vote for Sonus faber. Easy to place. Wide choice of models and prices. Always work well with a wide variety of amps, SS or Tube. I've owned a few, and currently own Sonetto V's. Look as good as they sound.

The folks you describe don't sit down and listen to music unless it's associated with a video and are generally satisfied with a soundbar as an upgrade. As far as music the best answer I saw in this thread is Headphones. I will add they also listen to music in the car. So Focal car speakers is plan B.

" without having to think about the room acoustics or placements"

None. But I'd go with a line array as the safest because it cuts down on the focus of the vertical plane. Horns are next because they are more directional. Klipsch Cornwalls go against the wall, so no placement issues.

I have loved my Yamaha NS 1000 M’s, my Harbeth 30M’s in many apartments over the years- not terribly location dependent.
My Maggie 3.6’s, Klipsch K-horns-
too hard to move, set up- more location-dependent, never owned them until I wasn’t gonna move again- might they have been just as wonderful in other layouts?- dunno, just too damn big.

Have to agree with a couple of your responses...

The Harbeth M30.1’s or 30.2’s with the Hegel H390 integrated amp.

Or... a pair of one of these, if you have room size and location limitations - because they’re omnidirectional.

https://ohmspeaker.com/speakers/

Of speakers that I have listened to I believe that Sonus Faber and recent Tannoys fit the description 'easy to listen to'  under most environments.  I most recently purchased the Tannoy Sterlings.

Joesph Audio, and never look back..

I have really enjoyed this thread! Some pretty entertaining characters and some pretty informative answers. So many options! Some of the speaker (arrangements?) I am not even familiar with such as the planars, line arrays, Horns etc...So many brands mentioned that I have never even heard of. I really do need to take a road trip to visit some high end audio stores but for me it would almost have to be a week with so far to drive. Much much research to be done for sure. A couple standouts from the post offered were the Larsen's, the Diesis, the Ohm omni-directionals, and the Magicos.

There’s a pair of Manger P1’s listed on Agon and have been for a long time.  I’ve owned Von Schweikert, ProAc, Sonus Faber, Fritz, Aurum Cantus, Totem, Talon, Wharfedale, Quad, KLH, Jungson and have listened to Merlin, Maggie, Silverline, Focal, Merlin, Martin Logan, Vienna Acoustics, Jamo, Polk, among others. I now own the Manger P1 floorstanders and prefer them to every brand listed above.  Difficult for me to believe the Mangers have yet to sell.  Just a fabulous loudspeaker.  

The  one big complaint I have about nearly every box speaker, I have spent any time with, regardless of how expensive - no mater how diligent you are with set up, you may be able to get them to sound incredible when firmly seated in the sweet spot, but move a few inches either direction or up or down a few inches and the big stage, placement and most of the magic seems to disappear. After spending a bit of time with set up and dampening on the wall behind, my little Maggies keep the stage, imaging and timber fixed, with the illusion of being real, regardless of where you set or stand.
Since I seldom can stand to set in one very fixed spot or position for hours at a time - my choice would always be electrostatics, ribbons or open baffle, regardless of the room.....Jim

Eric, to answer your last question, room dimensions. Since you are looking, I suggest that you consider the optimal room dimensions discovered by U of Salford's School of Acoustics. They have done the simulations, which are available to the public.

They found that most rooms are bad, a quarter are OK, and a few percent are good. There are a number of 'islands' of 'good' ratios which yield first class results, at three room sizes. Adding some book shelves and record shelves gives some flexibility for adapting an existing room. Good luck!

To be clear, this is not really me shopping.  This was for discussion.

Ah.