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If you listen to anything other than Classic Jazz, don't read this.

:)  I'm a Jazz only intermediate audiophile looking to improve my system. i ONLY listen to jazz, and i think that matters. If you are of the opinion that great speakers make all music sound good then move on to the next post, because the premise here is that speakers for Acoustic Jazz ( Big Band to Post Bop) have different requirements. My jazz audiophile buddies and i hav A/B'd lots of different speaker/amp/turntable/cartridge combinations as a fun hobby for the last 3 years. i've gone through at least 3 whole systems to get where i am now:
All Rega System - Rega Exex-R, Rega P3, with upgrades, Rega MC Phono Pre,  Rega Apheta 2 Cartridge, Rega RX5 Speakers. 

It sounds really great, but want to get to amazing if possible, and have recently done some speaker comparisons with some Paradigms and Harbeths that show the RX5's could have a tighter, deeper bass and bit more high frequency... 

The challenge is threefold -
1 )information out there is hard to come by, often confusing and  i haven't found much information specifically on what speakers jazz heads prefer.
2) I want to be able to put them up against my current system in my room, which seems a difficult task
3) They have to look good. Aesthetics matter to me. Tektons and Magnapans are cool But Ugly AF, and not going to work for me.

i want someone to tell me this is the best my system is going to get and just enjoy it (which i do 82.5% of the time), or recommend a few things to try, hopefully with recommendation for speakers to try, but i'm open to other suggestions.

I look forward to your comments :)

sincerely,
Eric the Jazz Snob
128x128ericmbass
m-db's avatar
m-db
972 posts
 
I can't help but think we're listening for the same goal so you've provoked my first forum speaker suggestion.
  
My working fiddle is a  3/4 German Benedikt Lang Mittenwald-ish shop Bass circa later 30's. Damaged in 2018, stunningly improved by Gael Mckeon.

All I can say is, after all the time and money I wasted on this hobby these took me right off the merry-go-round. My Wife and Son realized their musicality within the first few minutes of listening. Probably the most copied cabinets in the industry.    

I searched for quite a while to find an affordable standard pair of them used. Today I'm taking a wild guess at under $8K with the worthwhile Diamonds fetching a few $K more? There simply isn't a photo that does the workmanship justice. Beware of purchasing them without their crates and the space to store them. 

https://audiofederation.com/blog/2017/09/18/avalon-eidolon-loudspeakers-sale-mint-trade

All the best with your search. 
M
ericmbass's avatar
ericmbass OP
7 posts
 
thanks m-db.. will check it out.. appreciate the response.. Gael is the best, so sad he left town.
ericmbass's avatar
ericmbass OP
7 posts
 
thank you mr. decibel.  great advice.. i've tried switching the RX5's a few times. i had them facing inward for a while and just switched to outward a few days ago and really liking it more and more.... i also heard some crazy idea of removing some of the filler from inside, but too scared to do that unless you know of a website or video describing how to.. 

thanks again for your thoughtful response. i would love to hear those klipsch some day... 

all the best. 
e

heaudio123
689 posts
 
Your choice of music should not impact speaker choice beyond bass capability.


You didn't mention room acoustics. Changing speakers without addressing acoustics gets you not very far.
whoopycat
168 posts
 
You might want to consider adding tone controls such as a Schiit Loki, to see what your current system is capable of when given some extra go juice on the low end.

You mentioned being able to A/B against your current system.  There are companies like Music Direct, Crutchfield and Zu that give you 60 days in your home.
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