Good luck, but as you have found, no audiophile speaker will give you what you are looking for. I'd bet that Uno would have stayed if it had a big, bass horn to play with. ;-) |
Hello,
I have been fortunate to own and listen to some great horn systems (6moons road tour exit 1). Also I have owned many other type of single driver speakers as well. A couple of weeks ago I demo'ed a pair of Shelby + Kroll Nano Monitors with their bass unit. I immediatly called Tim Kroll and ordered a set of the Nano Monitors with 2 Bass units for my largish room. 30 day MBG! You will never own a horn system again! They are replacing my Medalliom 2's with Lowther DX4's and Decware WO32 Sub system. |
With regard to SS amps that work well with Soundlabs at a reasonable cost I suggest the following used amps.
Sunfire Signature 600x2
Parasound JC1's
Cary MB500 monos
Some say the Innersound ESL amp.
I am sure there are many others I have not heard. |
Inna,
You are somewhat right. Used Soundlabs can be had for $7000 - $12,000. My amp cost me $1500! |
You explained it yourself why Soundlabs don't get much attention. They need 600 SS or ,I assume, about the same tube watts to sound their best. That's what? $30k or so? Or more? Few want and can afford this set up. |
for a little something different, take a look at some speakers from Danley Sound Labs that are now being used in the home. Very efficient and dynamic as well. |
Try Eggelston Rosa. Great midrange detail and full range bass in a small package. |
Soundlab A1's and up can be quite dynamic with a little effort.
First and most important is they need lots and lots of good power to really come to life.I have 600 watts of SS power per side that delivers 2400 watts into 2 ohms.This alone has my M1's really singing.
Second is I modified the backplates with far better parts and bypassed the brillance control. Huge improvement in dynamics. These M1's now have it all .
Soundlab's don't seem to get much attention these days and I am not sure why. To my ears they play natural sounding music that is effortless and almost magical. They can play at concert level volumes and offer unrestrained bass down to 20 htz without a hint of coloration or overhang etc...At least in my room:-)
Top to bottom cohesiveness is stunning and makes for a wall of sound that is often breath-taking.
If at all interested I highly suggest an amp capable of putting out what I mentioned above.
I tried OTL amps on my M1's and while they worked and sounded quite nice, these speakers need gobs of power from an amp that can handle impedence swings from 2 to 40 ohms to sound dynamic and best.
Have fun on your search! |
There is only one solution to your problem...Trios |
That's a really tough one as it's difficult to match the speed and dynamic prowess of horns. I struggled with it after having to go to a smaller listening space and knew I'd be limited to more traditional dynamic speakers because of the space limitation (you may not be faced with that). From one horn lovers perspective here are a few of my likes: Ultimately I was very happy with with Coincident speakers (I had SuperEclipse III's for a few years, but his current models are certainly worth hearing as well and have similar qualities). I'm now using AudioMachina and could not be happier, but they'd be beyond the budget you stated. I'd also second the AudioKinesis recommendation - his stuff is brilliant... definitely fast and dynamic, with seamless integration of the lows with his SWARM sub system. Of the planar stuff I've heard I've really liked Roger Sanders speakers on two different occasions hearing them. Daedalus speakers are also brilliant, especially the larger DA-RMa and Ulysses. |
The best speakers I ever owned for piano, in particular, were my Apogee Full Range Planars. They have the added benefit of providing a true 25Hz to 25kHz response. But they are big (over 6' tall) and require a small power generating station as a source - well, about 200W x 4 of good old-fashioned SS power at a minimum. A used pair of Duettas or Scintillas would be within your budget, are a little smaller and area little (very little) easier on the power requirements as well. Note - these speakers have about the lowest WAF rating of any speaker ever made, exceeding even the Avantegarde in this respect.
The used pair of Magnepan 20.1s will get you in the same ballpark as the Apogees, less the bass response of course. But I don't know if you can do it for $8K. Maybe a pair of 3.7s and a sub? |
As an owner of Tannoy and Soundlab, htey are very different beasts. Both have the seemless single driver point source sort of sound that I adore. They both also have weaknesses.
Tannoy- PRaT and dynamics! Smaller imaging and less resolution (unless perchance you can go way up the chain).
Soundlab:Resoultion and imaging are first class, but I am always fighting for more macro dynamics and swing.
I am very curious about the Audiokinesis line as Duke was a Soundlab distributer. |
Large active ATC's or PMC's used will do the trick of integrating bass and sounding dynamic and articulate like horns. |
If you could go up a bit in budget the Audiokinesis Dream Makers would be worth looking into. If you prefer something more conventional then the Jazz Modules might work for you. |
Watch for a pair of Duo's or Duo Omega's.
The Duo's main horn goes deeper than the Uno's.
I almost gave up on the Duo Omegas that I purchased.
My room has a terrible hole in the 142Hz - 160Hz region.
Right were the horns and subs integrate.
I just could not get the bass right.
I tried reversing polarity on the Sub225's but it did not help.
Tried endless positions.
Then I bought a used Behringer DSP1124P parametric EQ for $80.00.
Ran a second pair of outs from my pre to the EQ then to the XLR inputs on the Sub225's.
I have a Behringer DEQ2496 that I use solely for RTA use.
A total of 3 left and 4 right parametric filters took me from listening hell to listening heaven!
If horns are off of your short list, I second the Sound Labs.
But keep in mind, that it may be the bass response of your room, not the speaker. |
Soundlab ESL speakers are what you may be looking for. They are a point source speaker with perfect top to bottom integration.
This will most likely require an amp change also however. |
Tannoy Prestige: you get the life and dynamics of horns with seamless integration between the high and low frequencies. Actually I find it hard now to listen to multiple drivers speakers after been accustomed to dual-concentric.
You should listen to the models with alnico magnets and pepperhorn: Kensington, Yorkminster, Canterbury or Westminster. |
If I were you I would look for something like Blumenhofer or classic Tannoy speakers from the Prestige series. |
JBL K2 or Everest, blows away the K-horn. |
If you liked the sound of the Unos. It's going to be hard to find something that is better. Maybe a Klipschorn if you have the right room. The dynamics of a horn is hard to duplicate in a non-horn system. |
Consider DIY thats what I did after owning Duo 2.2 built my own horns I admit it was easy for me since its what I do. There are many DIY forums and cabinet plans etc. Find a local cabinet maker if you can not build yourself. Could look about for others projects. For me full horn loading is far better than using ported or sealed bass cabinets but its not cheap or small. |
I had Lowther Medallion II's with set amps and a sunfire sub. I never thought this system could be betteredbut my Magnepan 3.6r's are much better. Ithink going from horns to a great planar speaker like Martin Logans, Soundlabs or Maggies will do it for you |
Mentioning the amp your using wouldn't hurt. If it's a low powered one, your options will be more limited. |
Soundlab electrostatic speakers. |
In my memory of hearing Avantgarde Duos and Trios at my local dealer they were extremely articulate in the detail and natural timbre of the recording. I was always really impressed with their particular vocal reproductions. I swear first time I heard them I was spooked that Frank Sinatra's ghost was in the room. My point? I think those are going to be a tough act to follow. How about the next model up? Or are you looking to save space? If you just want something different altogether but like those dynamics I would look at electrostats or maybe a multi dynamic driver. That is just my opinion it has been years since I heard the Avantgardes but I remember the way I loved the sound. |
