best 5-20K speakers for high-end tube amp?
Audiokinesis, I'm not sure I can describe what I'm looking for exactly, but my reasons for going for a tube amp over SS is that I prefer sweet, warm vocals and midrange over the ultimate in clarity/transparency. Having said that, I wish my current system had better soundstaging and overall detail (it sounds muddy now). The general tonal balance is there, but not nearly as refined as what I heard in the store (which sounded perfect enough to me that any desire for a particular sonic quality was just icing on the cake, as oppposed to a necessity as I feel now). Right now I feel not enough of the sweet sound is coming through. I have a set of Feet of Silence, which improves the sound clarity remarkably under both my Levinson CD player and preamp. I only have one set, but plan to get an isolation rack. I didn't get one before, since I'm new to audio and wasn't convinced in isolation until I experimented with the Feet of Silence. I may even be convinced that isolating all my equipment would solve my problem.. As for the English, I'm Canadian-Chinese :-) I'm going to Hong Kong next week, where many speaker brands are sold, that's why I'm hoping to get a list of candidates. I'll definitely check out the AvantGardes, Coincidents, and Acapella. I'll also listen to the Maggies, since I hear a lot about them on this site, even though they may not be right for my present situation. Speaker size, appearance, and weight is somewhat important to me. I like the Coincident Total Victories for their slim size, and some of the Acapellas look stylish. The AvantGarde Duos' appearance may be an issue, however, especially the bottom half and the side pillars. I guess if they were only marginally better sounding than a great looking and space-economical speaker, I may choose the better looking ones. Any further recommendations would be greatly welcome. |
I agree with the comments made about Magnepans. I own 1.6QR's which I had been using with a Mark Levinson 27.5 amp (200 W/Chan @ 4 ohms). The 27.5 is an outstanding solid state amp, but sounded constricted at higher volumes. It didn't have enough juice to drive the Magnepans. I sold it and got a Levinson 335 (500 W/Chan @ 4 ohms) and the speakers opened up. I love Magenpan speakers, but they do require a quality high-powered amp to sound their best. |
No_slouch, I you have an opportunity to be in New York, I suggest you try to listen to the DeVore Fidelity Silverback References ($14k). I have a pair on order and will be upgrading from a pair of Vandersteen Model Fives. These speakers are very transparent, dynamic and even across the entire frequency spectrum. As far as size is concerned, they are 47.5 inches tall, 8-11 inches wide and 17 inches deep. 91 db efficient,and a very stable 8 ohm load. In other words very tube friendly. You can find more info at http://www.devorefidelity.com Good luck in your search! |
