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12' x 14' room; $10k budget for speakers; help

Associated equipment:
ARC amp & preamp; VPI table W/Soundsmith; Cary SACD; Magnum Dynalab tuner; Nordost cables; Silverline Sonatina II speakers

Performance preferences:
Non fatiguing; able to handle the dynamics of classical orchestra; articulate (it would be great to understand what Ricky Lee Jones is singing); bass to 40Hz

Listening preferences:
I grew up in New Orleans in the 50's; went to college in the 60's; worked for the opera in the 70's; & have worked in a modern jazz club since the 80's
I listen to old R&B; psychedelic rock; modern jazz; some classical & Broadway.

The system is setup in a smallish room (12w x 14l x 10h) dedicated to 2 channel stereo. The speaker need to be on the 12' wall.
There are only two local high end dealers so there are few speakers to audition. I travel some & am willing to audition away from home.

Your input is greatly appreciated.
maxh
martykl
3,578 posts
 
For a difficult, small room with limited passive treatments, you might want look at any (or all) of:

1) Tunable bass, either Vandersteen Quattro/5/7 style or via separate subwoofers.

2) Controlled dispersion (horns or similar)

3) Digital room correction (Audyssey type for full range or Meridien/ARC/Velodyne for bass only)

IME, all of the above will allow you to minimize the damage inflicted by a small, modestly treated room.

Marty
dodgealum's avatar
dodgealum
1,406 posts
 
I think you should take a very close look at the Daedalus Athena. It meets all your performance parameters and can be placed fairly close to the rear wall due to an aperiodic venting system. These are hand made speakers built from solid hardwood--they look and sound amazing. I ran my DA-1.1's with ARC electronics and this was a good match. The Athena's are very efficient though so you could always go with some interesting low power tube options for that size room if you want to explore that direction. Best of luck!
roscoeiii's avatar
roscoeiii
1,155 posts
 
I agree that Digital Room Correction would be good idea in such a small space. The DSPeaker Dual Core 2.0 I just installed did wonders to the bass in my 13x15 room.

As for speaker options, maybe check out the Von Schwekert VR-22, VR-33, or VR-35. The first 2 are manufacturer direct with a trial period. All three are designed to be placed near walls.
fjn04
1,561 posts
 
DeVore 0/96's.
rodge827's avatar
rodge827
621 posts
 
Roscoe has it right about the Dspeaker Dual Core 2.0. I never thought my system could sound so good. Look into Shelby + Kroll Nano Monitors and A Woofer Monitor. The whole package, Dual Core and speakers, will run you about 4k including stands. You won't believe your ears! :-)

Good Luck

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