You should definitely look at the monitor audio platinum 100 G3 or G2 if you can find them still very three-dimensional airy and spacious and excellent bass.
Help Deciding On New Speakers For Small Room, $10k budget
Hello everyone! A brief background. For the first time in my life, I have a dedicated room for listening! 🙌 I’m very excited about it. However, it’s not very big. Something is better than nothing though. Previously I always lived in apartments and had to primarily listen on headphones. The room size is 10 feet by 11 feet with 10 foot ceilings, almost a perfect square. It has already been professionally sound treated with many panels from Gik Acoustics. So despite its tricky sizing, it should be all set up for a proper experience! And I already have a nice chain, a McIntosh MC52 Preamp and Primare Power Amp and CD Player with a Holo Audio May KTE. Oh, I also have a Rel A7X subwoofer.
I unfortunately have a disability that makes it very difficult for me to travel. I cannot easily just go to a hifi store and try things. I also live kinda in the middle of nowhere. But I’m a former professional musician and music is my life, and I want to feel connected to my music as much as I can, so I’m willing to invest into it. I have a budget of about $10k give or take $1k or so. I don’t mind looking at used options in like new condition.
A little about my hearing preferences: I am very sensitive to high frequencies, specifically around 7k-10k. For reference, every hifi headphone I’ve ever used made me wince because the high frequencies are too pronounced. I just put up with it because I didn’t have a choice, but I’ve noticed that with speakers I’m usually not so sensitive to them so I’m excited to go down this journey and enjoy my music listening more. I like powerful, punchy bass, and generally prefer a warmer sound signature, however, even though my ears are sensitive to higher frequencies, I love a nice crisp and realistic cymbal sound. In general, as a musician, I think I’d love something that sounds “true to life” because I have obviously a lot of experience hearing instruments live. I mostly listen to jazz (because I’m a jazz musician) but I also love music of all genres like rock, electronic, pop, soul, alternative, and occasionally K-Pop too, I’m pretty open minded. So something that is a good all-rounder might also be nice. Writing this all out, I now think I might be asking for the moon though, so let’s just say jazz and realistic instruments is my main priority 😇
So with all that said, I would greatly appreciate your suggestions. I’ve been looking at Focal’s line of Kanta and Sopra but I’ve heard they are bright. I’ve heard B&W but I don’t think their house sound is for me, again too bright. Also debating between bookshelves and small floor standers for a smallish room. I’ve been looking also at Canton, Dali, Tannoy and Wharfdale, but I’m not as familiar with the speaker world as I am the headphone or IEM world, so I’m quite open to ideas. Thank you so much and best wishes on the evening of this crazy time I’m in the U.S.!
- ...
- 42 posts total
If you prefer a more detailed, transparent, yet full-bodied, minus the fatigue, great dynamics, great bass, huge soundstage, high resolution, great value for the money sound, I would highly recommend one of the smaller Revel PerformaBe speakers. If you prefer a more lush, softer, more romantic sound, then Sonus Faber would be a great choice. Happy listening, |
I have really been enjoying the Vivid Audio Kaya S12 speakers. They are small speakers with matching stands ($9,700 with stands). I have to say they are a slice of pure heaven. They have an uncanny sense of presence and amazing imaging with "reach out and touch" focus. Their tonal balance is spot on and just when you are wondering if they have bass, it shines through with detail and articulation and the proper quantity. A very special speaker with some obviously amazing technology. |
I have a Yamaha NS5000 "bookshelf" in a decent sized room, but it is too big for a small room. To solve this for people Yamaha introduced the NS3000 which are true bookshelf speakers (use stands). The NS3000 is not sold in the USA but can be bought from Canada (I know a store in Toronto). I have heard the TAD ME-1 and the NS5000 is at a different level to the BE drivers on the TAD's. The NS3000 would be the same as the NS5000 since the Zylon drivers are essentially the same. I recently moved into a smaller office from another small office. In the larger office I had a Magnepan LRS+. It was not the utmost in detail and dynamics, but it was a great listen with the wall of sound it produces. You need a lot of power for this speaker. Now in my new smaller office I sold the LRS+ and got the Magnepan Mini. The mini is used in near-field but I think it would work in a room 12x11x9. It is a bit more detailed and smoother than the LRS+. This speaker also needs a lot of power. (I tried lower 70 watts and it was not enough). I use a Sanders Magtech which give me 500 @ 8 and 900 @ 4. The Mini can be bought used for $1000 and a used amp in the range of $5k (like mine would be perfect) Remember a small room is not a great friend to great sound.
|
- 42 posts total