i am going to sell my sophias due to moving to a new house and smaller room the room is 12 by 20 by 8 , my girlfriend does not want the speakers as the main focus point in the room. so I am looking for a pair of monitors that can be placed about a foot from the back wall and a foot from the side wall.my budget is around $5000.00. Iam looking for something that is close to the wilsons mids .I really like the sound of the sophias. I have a BAT 300 and a Cary 303-300 cd player with vd master cables, any suggestions ??? two speakers that I am thinking about are the Dynaudio c1 and the Merlins any others ?
Yes, the Bella Twins are not on the High Emotion Audio site but they do make it. I would contact them. Once you've heard a set it will be hard to go back to the Wilsons...
I owned the Sophia 2's and the Duette's. They are both excellent speakers. The Duettes put out a very impressive low end. One thing to bear in mind is that the Duettes are rear ported and prefer positioning a few feet out into the room. Also note that the Duettes are still fairly large and heavy and with their custom stands use up almost the same space as the Sophia's but are not quite as visually dominant.
It doesn't seem unreasonable for partners to compromise on the decor in a shared living space, if both parties are contributing to decoration and upkeep of that space. "Suggestions" about changing conspicuous gear might be a red flag, but needn't be, depending on what other compromises are being made. (My GF is admirably tolerant about gear; not inappropriately, since I do the bulk of domestic labor.) Rhapsd's business, what he can live with; always mysterious, from the outside.
I recently auditioned the Dyn C1's. Getting a lot of thump out a tiny box seems to be a central design emphasis; the result may or may not engage you. Goes without saying there's a lot of options at that price point. (Also auditioned the Saphires, which sound nice, and are easy on the eye, but again, lots of options for the price [16k].)
Don't know the Duette's, but Theo's suggestion of sticking with the Wilson sound makes sense. Don't know if they can be had for 5k (pair now listed here at 7100), but maybe that's a point *she* can compromise on!
Northcreek (Lee Taylor cabinets) makes very attractive speakers that are designed for near wall in smaller spaces. I have their Eskas (see my system page); the new Big Kat looks like a lot of speaker for less than 5k (with professionally built boxes with custom veneer). Very high GFAF, I'd say.
Ralph, i live in Nashville and am going to check out the High Emotion speakers next week. I have to say the waf is pretty low. Maybe form follows function.
Hey Atmasphere, I don't see any twins on their website...only bella 5 and 7 and pyra bella too...they are saying to go down to about 45 which is not enough for my listening, but 36 would be better. What Twins do you have in mind?
Different girl friend or don't blame her and just say you want to go to monitors. Its one thing to act on what you know is best vs. just doing it to appease her and in the end nurturing resentment that grows and divides in the end.
If you want something really transparent, the High Emotion Audio Bella Twins will do the job. They need to be about 1 to 1.5 feet from the rear wall and are very honest to 36 Hz.
But they are more detailed than the Wilsons, faster, yet very relaxed at the same time. The cabinets are extremely dead so this is one of the most uncolored speakers that money can buy, short of the low frequency cutoff. I hate to say it, but most of the speakers mentioned on this thread don't challenge it- the new patented tweeter technology these guys have really is a breakthrough!
If I were you would purchase the biggest Wilson speakers I could afford to test your girlfriend's patience. All aside I was able to listen to the new B&W 805Ds @ $5,000 Retail. and they were great. Another great choice if money is no oject and I really liked them were the Magico Mini IIs(Another Girlfriend test). The Wilson Duetts have always sounded great every time I listened to them at the RMAF, which will sound even better in your home once you put time into set up.
thanks Tvad and Tpreaves it did cross my mind but I do want to keep harmony in the house sonically and with my girlfriend, has anyone listen to the KEF's 201/2s?
Dynaudio monitors are crap for the money. If the Caravelles up for sale aren't sold yet buy them. They are the best monitor I have ever heard and I enjoyed the for years before I went back to my MAXX 2's only because I wanted more low end heft for classical. I listened to the Dynaudio at a local store when I owned my Caravelles and laughed all the way home! Very over priced for the sound they put out.
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