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Looking for speaker recommendations

I retired a couple of years ago and as a hobby have become a bit of an audiophile.  I need some speaker advice from those of you who know more than I. 

I listen mostly to classical and jazz. System is on most of the day for background music.  I do more critical listen from 8-10 in the evening at low volume (50-60 db.)


Been buying and selling gear and my current system is a Mac computer, Teac UD-301 DAC/preamp, Classe CT-2300 amp, Vandersteen 2CE signature speakers. My listening space is a 20 X 18 foot living room with cathedral ceilings. Due to WAF restrictions, the stereo system is in a corner of the room with the speakers 10 feet apart, directed at my listening chair that is 12 feet away.  


The Vandys sound nice but I suspect they are too directional for my listening space and style.  I am looking for a speaker that has a more fuller sound stage and will fill the room with sound. Speakers will need to have a better WAF than the Vandys. (Wife does not like the black socks on the Vandys.)


I prefer to buy used and am looking in the $2-5K range.


My current short-list for speakers is-

Legacy-Signature SE

DeVore-Gibbon X


Any advice/recommendations would be appreciated.



128x1282tuby
lemonhaze
410 posts
 
(Wife does not like the black socks on the Vandys)
Perhaps involve the wife in choosing new colour socks to replace the black ones or consider replacing the wife.
Richard Vandersteen produces one of the best value speakers and the Model 2CE is probably the value leader. Properly set up they are convincing, outperforming many more costly alternatives.
As others have mentioned, replace the front end. Your power amp is fine, try a good tube preamp and new DAC. Think Denafrips.
This combo will enthrall you IF your room will allow. By that I mean paying attention to room treatment.

Install some bass traps, perhaps the same colour as the Vandy's new socks :)  and absorbers at the first reflection points. This addition alone would transform your system and with new preamp and R2R DAC your jaw will hit the floor. Hope its carpeted.
redmosessc
13 posts
 
I had a pair of OHM Walsh 2's, i bought them beat up and dropped them off at OHM in RedHook, BK. Talked with John over the phone, within 2 weeks he refreshed and refinished them at a reasonable cost. I saw a bunch of veneer samples and ended up getting the redone in a beautiful maple finish.

I had them for about 4 years and i will say that i have havn't heard a smoother mid range in that price category. The Omni directional design makes them really enjoyable to listen from anywhere in the room, they sound very lifelike when you are hearing them from a different room then they are playing in. My only complaint with them is they lacked low Bass, they did not dip as low as modern speakers tend to do these days. That said they were still very punchy, i found them most enjoyable for Jazz programming and music up until the late 70's is where they shined.

They can be found for a couple hundred bucks, OHM now offers upgraded super drivers so you can get the Bass extension but its a bit expensive and at that price point you have many more options, i had mine redone to stock trim. You dont see many omnidirectional speakers at that price point so they are worth a try. 
betweentheframe
9 posts
 
Wharfedale dentons just came out with 85th anniversary edition with 6.5” woofer. Very musical and warm, pleasant and voiced vintge. Not fatigueing or tiring. 

Totem hawks I think are out of this world for me
jbuhl's avatar
jbuhl
902 posts
 
The one quality I have found with my Focal 926s is they fill up the room.  https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis95c90-focal-aria-926floorstanding-speakers-excellent-demo-full-...

But I agree with outhers about upgrading the DAC
tomstruck's avatar
tomstruck
350 posts
 
For 5k you can fined a used pair of Vandy Quatros per Carbon Tweeter
I recently did that my self wife really love the look
The Quatros are going better then anything else even without the CTs
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