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$600 +/- Bookshelfs w/ Holographic Soundstage

Hello all,

Thank you all for your time & dedication to Audio :-)
This site has been a wonderful find for me (and a constant source of amusement for my wife watching me! LOL!)

I have been reading a bunch of the articles - trying not to clog up the forum with yet another speaker advice column - but have learned that it is the specifics of each individual situation that makes this such an exciting topic. So ...

I am looking to upgrade my bookshelf speakers - and would love input on my situation:

Right now I have a pair of B&W DM.601 s1 - that I am enjoying, but I feel their holographic soundstage is a bit limited.

This is my #1 priority - I love 'seeing' the music. My pinnacle moment came when listening to Rimsky-Korsakov, Sherezade on Primare driven ProAc Response D28s - when, with my eyes closed, I could tell you exactly where each member of the orchestra was sitting! That was when all of this began!!

Budget is self set at $600 +/-
Used / New all-ok
I'm partial to bookshelfs due to the size of my room (12'x10') in an NYC Apartment.

My current system:
Rotel RX-1052 Receiver (my upgrade dream right now is the Primare I30)
Rotel RCD-1072 CD
Technics SL-1200MK2 (w/ Shure M97xE)
B&W DM.601 S1 on Stands
Decent Wiring (Monster M850 Interconnects, Kimber Kwik 12 Speaker, I'm working on power cabling next)

What I've listened to in the last 48 Hours:
Art Farmer - Modern Art - CD
David Byrne - Grown Backwards - CD
Pink Floyd (bootlegs circa 1968-1974) - FLAC burned to CD
Thin Lizzy - In Sunshine or Shadow - LP
Radiohead - OK Computer - Audiophile LP
Miucha & Antonio Carlos Jobim - LP
Jorge Ben - BEN - LP Digitized to CD
Amadou & Mariam - Dimache & Bamako - CD
Pepe & Cheich - CD
Franz Liszt - A Faust Symphony - CD
Schuman - Frauenliebe und Leben - CD
Bach - Sonatas & Partitas - CD

Ok - I think this is probably more then enough info!

Thank you all so much & Happy Holidays
Ethan
128x128septemous
septemous's avatar
septemous OP
26 posts
 
I like the metaphoric extension Siox :-)

It really seems to be a chicken and egg situation - and that is what leads to the personal audio arms race - it started with a CD player and moved on from there.

I'll move forward and am very grateful for all the wonderful feedback and advice.
septemous's avatar
septemous OP
26 posts
 
Or could the clarity of the windows be thought of as the cabling?
bjesien
1,277 posts
 
Stick to your budget and stop visiting this site. Don't worry be happy...
johnnyb53
3,510 posts
 
I'd give serious thought to these or these. Note that the NHT speakers on Amazon are sold singly, so they're really $650/pair. They typically sold for over $900/pair and were widely considered the best speaker out there under $1K. NHTs are pretty fast, which is pretty essential for good imaging. They also are in small inert enclosures with a small, contoured front baffle, which also bring out the imaging.
tobias
1,534 posts
 
If that's a real brick wall, not a metaphor, in your listening room, you are lucky, especially if it's behind your speakers. The rough, jointed surface ought to diffuse the highs very well. You can try other treatments on it, why not, but my guess is that other things, like side reflection points, would need more attention.

Jim Smith's book Get Better Sound is an excellent reference for matching your system to a room. His techniques really work, they have made my system sound fantastically better.

http://www.getbettersound.com/
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