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Need help on speaker decisions

I have a budget of $8000 for a pair of speakers and components. So $4000 on speakers, $3000 on components and $1000 on cables. I listen to mainly vocal, rock, movie scores, jazz and R&B. I have a medium size vaulted ceiling room open to other rooms. I would appreciate for your inputs.

Recently I heard the KEF R500, LS50, Goldenear Triton 7 and 2, Monitor Audio RX6 & 8, B&W CM10, Fritz Carbon 7 SE. The best sound of those to my ears was the KEF R500 with Primaluna DiaLogue One Integrated Amp. It was clean, warm, and rich in voice. However when the R500 was paired with a Denon AV receiver, the "magic" was gone. The LS50 was also very good but I prefer a floorstand since I have kids. For the components, I really like the warmth and richness of the Primaluna tubes, not sure if I can found a solid-state with the same warmth and richness, but SS amp would be easier for future HT expension.

The following speakers are on my short-list that I have not yet audition.

1. PSB Synchrony One - heard great things about it but most likely the tube amp won't have enough juice to drive it. What would be the best SS amp to pair with PSB for musical, warm and rich sound?

2. Von Schweikert VR-33 - heard that this speaker is perfect for tubes. I checked with Albert, I will need to wait for 2-3 weeks for audition as they sold out even the demo unit recently. Also I found very few feedbacks about this speaker. How does it compare to KEF R-series, Focal or Salk? Those seem to have many people rave about it.

3. Sierra Tower with RAAL - A cheaper option that allows me to put more $$ on the components. But I may need to get a pair of subs for the bottom end and may lost the coherent in music.

4. Salk Veracity ST - No online review but on AVS people were rave about anything Salk made.

5. Tekton Seas Pendragon - People seem to love it but it may take a long time to wait for it.

6. R500 - it was great with the Primaluna tube. But I would still need to add a pair of subs for the bottom ends. The overall price would be greater than other options.

For components I am debating either tube or SS:

Tube: I love the musical presentation. The warmth and richness. But to integrate into a HT system with AV receiver can be tricky. I may buy a speaker switch between the receiver and tube integrated amp, but I could one day accidentally damage the equipment if I forgot to turn off the power before switching.

SS: More juice for the above especially the PSB and Salk both rated 4ohm. Easier for future HT expansion if I add an AV receiver for HT. However I will miss the tube sound I heard from Primaluna.

Any suggestion?

Thank you!
ucc118
czarivey
5,750 posts
 
$3,000 Event Opal active studio monitors powered by over 500W of total power per speaker with room EQ electronics.
Get them on solid stands and hook up them to the good preamp with balanced outputs. In the near-field they will sound similar to headphone experience.
These active speakers haven't been 'Stereophiled' or 'TASed' or reviewed by Michael Fremmer, but they have ability to prove their statement onto the audiophile market to blow away 5x or higher priced ones indeed.
Main strengths: maximum clarity, minimum of unwanted resonance in massive aluminium chassis with room correction that allowes to use these monitors not only for near-field. They can throw HUGE and spacious soundstage and provide fantastic imaging in medium and large sized rooms.
beewax
173 posts
 
My suggestion is very simple.
If you like the music of yesterday. buy tube amp and vintage speakers, if you enjoy HT and the sound of today. you must buy SS amp and newest speaker on the market.
I just bought a pair of MC601 to compare with my MC275 Mono block. SS brings energy and Tube put me asleep. The choice is yours. However I am keeping both.
robsker
132 posts
 
Some thoughts.... I went with tube amp and tube preamp a half dozen years ago because of the warmth and palpable presence that inexpensive tube amp/preamp combos have (ie. about 4K) over similarly priced SS electronics. After that 5-6 year period, I went back to SS (at least in part). here is why --- and it is a consideration for you as well --- reliability. Tube equipment is on the fritz all the time. You blow through tube after tube (at least I did). At times the blown tubes damage the circuitry as well. So... because I hate 20% down time and the fact that tubes, even when they do not blow, do degrade, I went SS. Now, preamp tubes are far more reliable than are power tubes. So...

In your price range of 3K I strongly recommend you look at Audio by Van Alstine SS amp with the AVA tube preamp. Reliable, rich sounding, extremely competitive in terms of cost vs. performance, and in your price range.

So... consider a SS amp and a tube preamp combo.
mapman's avatar
mapman
21,901 posts
 
"If you like the music of yesterday. buy tube amp and vintage speakers, if you enjoy HT and the sound of today. you must buy SS amp and newest speaker on the market."

I think that's a pretty accurate assessment.

Not to say old music can't sound equally good on newer equipment, or vice versa, but harder to accomplish and probably just not the happiest path.
johnnyb53
3,510 posts
 
There's a wide gulf between an all tube integrated such as a PrimaLuna and an SS Denon receiver. There are very good SS amps that aren't terribly expensive that would do the KEFs justice. Examples are the Odyssey Khartago or Stratos, a pre-owned Bryston, or new Parasound, whether from the Classic or Halo product lines.

Given that you really like the KEF R500s, I think you should get them. You could get a multi-channel AV surround preamp/processor (NOT a receiver) and a Parasound 2-channel amp for the KEFs. The pre/pro would also have a subwoofer output and you could get a powered sub to flesh out the bottom octave of bass. You'll want that for home theater anyway.

Then when you're ready to go multi-channel, just buy the amplifier(s) you need for center and surrounds and you're good to go.

You could also shop for an integrated that has the inputs/outputs to provide home theater bypass. This enables you to use the premium amp for two channel listening and integrate it into the multi-channel setup (under control of the multichannel pre/pro) for 5.1 or 7.1 home theater.
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