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Help Choosing Speakers

I am looking to find a nice pair of speakers that will work well in a relatively small dedicated listening room. My setup is 100% analog, tube amp, turntable, phono pre. I am trying to keep a minimalist approach.

Turntable: Thorens TD-150
Phono Pre: AudioResearch PH3
Amp: Decware MiniTorii
Speakers: DIY MarkAudio A12P in SuperPensil

Room Dimensions: 11' W x 12' 4" L x 10' H

So far I have been looking around at a lot of options and while I don't want to limit myself to 94 dB+ efficient speakers. I would like to be able to keep my Decware MiniTorii in place if possible.

LegacyAudio Signature SE is top on my list, little bit more than I wanted to spend, but this is a lifetime purchase. I have also looked at SalkSound Veracity ST but I am concerned about the Decware amps being able to push those. I have also looked at the Decware HR-1s which look impressive.

Of course its difficult to buy speakers without hearing them, any other recommendations/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Also if anyone has heard the Legacy Audio Signatures with a Decware amplifier and has any details, that would be spectacular.

Thanks,

Ron

hifiron
gdnrbob
4,417 posts
 
Ron,If you want tubes, have you considered Atma-Sphere?
A quick Google shows the Decware speakers priced at $2,500, the Vandy's are half that price. If the Vandy's win then they really are 'Dragon slayers'. Like the Spatial's, the design of the Decware's is interesting. Let us know what you hear. Thanks for the info on the Spatial's.

hifiron OP
102 posts
 
Yeah, in this price range, for a large space, the Spatial M4 is hard to beat. The Vandy 1Ci is much more suited for the smaller room in terms of enjoyable non-fatiguing highs.

A radial design might be the perfect sweet spot because of its crossover-less design for maximum transparency.

Vandy's will be the most forgiving for sure.

Doing some major thinking tonight, still have 2 more weeks for the minimum trial on the Spatials. Running for about 200 hours now.
figulager
6 posts
 
Hi, any updates on which speaker you're leaning toward? Thanks.
kalali's avatar
kalali
1,977 posts
 

I’m also in the (slow) process of upgrading components in my second system and after listening to a bunch of different makes, models, and designs of speakers I have formed my own opinion. I am convinced that all other things being equal, the choice of speakers is highly dependent on the type of music played through them. Almost all open baffle and horn loaded speakers sounded awesome for small bands played in small venues - jazz, vocals, chamber classical music, etc. They image perfectly - little forward, with excellent soundstage. For rock, large orchestra classical music, I found them fatiguing. So you either need two systems or ultimately need to make a compromise when buying speakers if listen to wide range of music.

YMMV.


Edited - Speaking of open baffles, does anyone have experience with the Teckton OB Sigma open baffle model? Its reasonably priced and looks intriguing.

hifiron OP
102 posts
 
@kalali you're 10000% correct. Which is exactly on-point to what I found.

@figulager So far the Spatials don't fit my listening style or room. In my larger living room they sounded much less fatiguing but still had the same "front row" listening experience. If that is what you want these are amazing for the price.

On the Spatials - Saxophone Colossus was jaw dropping, as well as basically anything acoustic. As soon as you started throwing more complexity I couldn't enjoy more than one or two songs.

Ultimately that is why I have decided to keep looking...

The Vandersteens were the most forgiving to many types of music. If you're looking for a pair of speakers for a small room, that sound great with a wide range of amps and will allow you to listen to pretty much anything. Stop there. They're great!

If you want some more resolution, less complex crossovers, and ultimately a more transparent speaker, then I will let you know when I found what I am looking for. I might end up going back to the Vandersteen 1Ci's if this proves to be impossible at this price point.

So what am I leaning towards? Nothing yet. Spatials will be going back after the 45 day minimum trial is up. I am still entertaining getting the Decware ERRx or Vandersteens.

Most importantly have fun making these selections. They can be tiring but the payoff is huge in the end.

Ciao,
Ron
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