Eton 8.1's or Apogee Slant 6

Apogees are not known to do well with subs. It is a mismatch between the fast ribbon and the slower box. Having owned Apogees before, you probably know that.

The Slant 6 is Apogees smallest floor speaker. I have heard it in much smaller enclosures, and with a precious tube amp, the realism is breathtaking.

For your size room, I would look for the Slant 8. or a Centaur. They will fill the room better. You must be very careful the speaker is in good working condition.

Like this one

http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrfull&1267540743&/Apogee-Centaur-Major-ribbon-sp

As for the Eto, it's a nice box.

I agree w/ Muralman1, mostly. The Slant 6 is great, I think that the later but more rare Cepheus 6 is better because it has provides more and better bass and arguably has a better crossover network. I have owned both and I prefer the sound of the Cepheus to the Slant.

Apogee hybrid ribbons are exceptional speakers but they do require a couple of things be just right:
1- They need room to breathe. A 14x13 room might work if the room is not too bright, but it is definately on the smaller side of preferred. I think that a Slant 8 is way too much speaker for your room size.
2- They are very inefficient and need need plenty of power. You will need a pretty beefy tube amp get decent bass, and that will be both expensive and challenging in a smaller room. The classic pairing w/ APogee hybrids is a "warmer" SS amp like the McCormack DNA 1or 2; the CJ 2250 or the similar Sonographe SA-250 or better yet the SA-400. I have also used a Krell KAV-250 w/ good results but the sound is a little on the dry and brittle side.

Finally, these things are almost impossible to ship easily so plan on a local deal or making a road trip to pick them up.

I heard the slant 6's once in a store demo. Voices were definitely in your face. I tried to move back but ran out of room. Just my 2 cents. Dan

So, far you all share some of the same thoughts I have. I'm looking for a pair of floorstanders that the bass will not overwhelm my room. I really wanted the Centaur Majors or the Centaur but they never come available locally or nearby. I have pretty much just given up. The one thing I truly love about the Apogees is the midrange. I don't have loud listening habits. I try and extract as much information that I can in my small space with the best dynamics that I can get. I considered horns but I don't think I;m ready for in my face in this little room just yet. I haven't gotten a single response on the Eton 8.1's. They are a better match for my room than the Slant 6's but I don't know about the midrange. Will or does it rival the Apogee Centaur line or other? I would also consider Electrostatic speakers (Not old Quads, didn't like them). I have had Magnepans and I had them singing in my room (MG12's). But they had to come out too far in my room. I ended up with a pair of Spica TC60's and they have served me very well. I want to replace the subs and TC60's with a full range speaker and so far no luck.

Thanks