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Warm and accurate bookshelves that can handle volume

Hi and thanks for your help. I have been collecting and trying vintage speakers and ended up with B &.W 803 matrix series II, and also Celestion ls700 Se. The latter  are bookshelves and I use them with an NHT SW2 subwoofer. I like them both but prefer the 700s because they more accurately bring out the timbre of orchestral instruments and can be less fatiguing. Troubke is I have a pretty big room and I can’t play full orchestra at realistic volumes on the Celestions without distorting the sound. Are there bookshelves that will be warm, musical and accurate like the Celestions, but can handle volume?  Rest of the system is Qutest DAC, RA LS25 II pre, Adcom GSA555 II speakers. Thanks for feedback on which speakers to try. My reading etc suggests Harbeth Spendor Sonus Faber. Locally have tried kef and paradigm, but can’t get to much else. Will travel to try your recommendations. Seems that satellite and sub will be more flexible and cost effective than tower. 

arhgef

Showing 1 response by deadhead1000

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deadhead1000
714 posts
 

I own the Harbeth 30.2's and I can get them quite loud without any break up, provided the amp can output clean wattage. No fatigue at all, warm does not necessarily mean colored. I find B&W's a bit bright (only my opinion), but they are clean sounding. The Harbeth are a bit warm, but still clean sounding. A piano sounds like a piano, vocals sound like a live human voice. I do not listen to much classical, but I can crank Beethoven's 6th and 9th and it sounds wonderful.

I've own Adcom amps in the past and would say it's a good match for the Harbeth. I would suggest traveling to hear Harbeth and their other models. Their bookshelves with a sub sound amazing, the three ways also sound very good, but definitely sound different.

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