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Tube Friendly High End "Big" speakers

I've been upgrading my system from good to great. I addressed the analog front end first and now have something respectable (Brinkmann Oasis w/ Graham Phantom II Supreme, Lyra Delos, SimAudio Moon 310LP, and Acrolink 8N Reference Phono Cable.

The system is being driven by a PrimaLuna Premium Dialogue Integrated and the speakers are Opera Seconda's in a smallish dedicated listening room. I'm moving into a much larger house, but will no longer have a dedicated listening room.

The room is 21.5' x 14.5' with lots of big windows and a high v-shaped vaulted ceiling which I'll treat with GIK acoustic panels. Not looking on advice on the room. It is what it is. Just giving a bit of info since I suspect it will be on the lively side. Here's a video. The room starts around the 2:10 mark: http://youtu.be/wrDpTsBDD_M

I'm looking to upgrade the Opera's. I really want a "big" speaker, something that will move some air and pressurize a room like this. My preference is for something tube friendly and I'll likely need to use my PrimaLuna for at least a few months. Not really interested in horns though.

I'm looking for a very 3D soundstage that's velvety smooth. Detail is great, but definitely nothing fatiguing as I tend to listen at higher volumes for extended periods. While I do listen to a lot of Classic Rock and Jazz, I also listen to a lot of more modern music. I want something that isn't going to make this stuff sound terrible.

I'm planning to buy used, so anything that retails up to $55-60K might be doable. TAD and Focal are on my radar right now, but it's difficult to read between the lines from reviewers to understand what will work.

Which speakers should I be considering?
128x128bgupton

Showing 5 responses by bgupton

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bgupton OP
15 posts
 
Yes, whatever I end up getting, I will get amps big enough to drive them. :)
bgupton's avatar
bgupton OP
15 posts
 
I like a beefy looking speaker like the TAD R-1 (which is out of my price range) or the Focal Maestro's (which isn't). Both of these (I've read here) are efficient enough to work with the right tube amps. So I'm looking for efficient "big" speakers, but not necessarily the MOST efficient speakers.

The other really efficient speaker I've already auditioned was the DeVore 0/96's. I liked the sound on it a lot on certain material. It sounded fantastic on jazz and even some rock (Jimi Hendrix was amazing). But the sound kinda fell apart when I put on more "complex" music. When I say complex, I guess I mean music with a lot going on. My go to test track for this is the opening track of The Cure's "Disintegration".

I've found that a lot of high end speakers are voiced to handle less "complex" music like Jazz or a vocalist REALLY well, but can't really handle an explosion of sound like this Cure track. I listen to a lot of shoegazey stuff that has a thick sound with a lot going on. I want a speaker that doesn't turn it to mud. I found that the 0/96's (at least with the amplification I've heard it with) wasn't able to handle "thick" sounds as well as my Operas. I'm hoping to identify some big speakers that can, but really like how tube amplification can take the bite off of some of the more modern recordings I spend a lot of time with.

Does all of that make sense?

p.s. Try not to get caught up in the "complex" description. It's sometimes hard to describe sound as I'm sure most here know.
bgupton's avatar
bgupton OP
15 posts
 
@Atmasphere - The Classic Audio T 1.4 Reference looks like a good possibility. I go back and forth between wanting an old school SET system and something much more modern like TAD or Focal.

Not sure if Classic Audio has a dealer in the Bay Area or not. Don't see a dealer locator on their site. Never heard their speakers before, so not sure about their sound. I'll dig around. Thanks for the suggestion.
bgupton's avatar
bgupton OP
15 posts
 
@Atmasphere - Just watched a video review of the Classic Audio's. Holy cow those are big. They might be too big for my room. I think they'd totally dominate it and they appear tall enough that they'd severely limit the view, which is kinda the best part of the house.

My big concern, based solely on my experience with the DeVore O/96's mind you, is that they sound great on less complex music, but not very good on more modern stuff as I noted above.

It seems that the guys who are really into SET speakers tend to also be really into jazz and vocalists, so it makes their reviews harder for me to know if this speaker will be good for my other tastes. Hmmm...
bgupton's avatar
bgupton OP
15 posts
 
@Gsm18439 - The Dominance looks interesting. I found a review on 6moons, but these speakers aren't listed on Zu's site.

That said, at $40K they're gonna be out of my budget new. I'm not sure if this is a popular enough speaker that I'd find one for sale used even if I'm patient for 3 or 4 months.

I do dig Zu's approach though.
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