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Large room but not large budget-suggestions please

We are moving to a new house in December that will have a fairly large listening room (about 22x25)with a 2-story vaulted ceiling. I originally posted this question in the amp forum a couple months ago when I thought I would be moving to a similar sized smaller room and could upgrade amp and speakers but that is not the case now. My budget is $1000-$1500 tops.

We listen mostly to Classic Rock, Jazz, Blues as well as some vocal and classical. Most listening is moderate volume. We currently have a Cambidge Audio Azur Integrated (60wpc)and some Altec bookshelves. The speakers will not be doing HT duty. I am considering the Totem Arro's, Monitor Silver 6, Vandersteen 2Ce Signature, and Revel Concerta F12's.

I know I should probably upgrade the amp as well as speakers but the budget will only allow one for now. I want to get the most bang for my buck and I'm thinking that the speakers will make the biggest impact. What are some opinions on the speakers I'm considering, are there any better ones (used/Audigon) is fine.
ruleof72
jax2
3,031 posts
 
If you are patient and can keep an eye on the ads here on a regular basis, I bet you could upgrade both amp and speakers and have a really nice system. I'd look for Soliloquy 5.3's (because the company is no longer in business all their speakers seem to be going for a song). I've seen them for $600. Take the balance and pick up a used Portal Panache...OK, you'll need to go a few hundred more, but you'll be cooking with gas with that combination. Only downside is no remote for the amp, but if you can live with that, the combination would be a significant upgrade, IMO.

Marco
wdrazek
100 posts
 
The larger B&W 600 series models are worth looking at. They are not my cup of tea - not as smooth as the CM series - but the 604 would probably fill the room nicely. It will be less lush than the Vandersteens but depending on your tastes might work out.
timrhu
2,779 posts
 
Of the speakers on your list I've owned only the Vandersteens. They were way too large for the room I had at the time so they never got a fair evaluation. That being said, I'm going to recommend you check out the Polk Audio LSi-15. These speakers are extremely well reviewed and fit within your budget. I find them to be very revealing but never hard to listen to.
Okay, so they aren't esoteric. They are worth investigating.
arni
313 posts
 
Jalapenos has a very strong point, and I second his order of importance. However, given your altec bookshelfs and the size of the room, you will probably have to focus on speakers first. If you are sticking with the Azur for the time being, I would look for large, sensitive (90db+) but forgiving speakers. I'm surprised that nobody has recommended Klipsch La Scala (used on Ausiogon for 900-1300) or other good Klipsch models for that matter given your music preference, room size, and amplification limitations. But there is a lot of options out there....
jburidan
803 posts
 
Buy a used pair of Infinity Intermezzo 2.6 active speakers, with powered subwoofers and RABOS room equalizer onboard. These were Stereophile Class 'A' and will fill rooms twice the size of yours. NOTE: you don't want the passive version.

Later when you can afford it, look for a push-pull tube integrated amp with 40 watts, such as an SLI-80 Signature, or comparable BAT, Jolida, Canary, etc. -- you can build a great system around a pair of Intermezzo 2.6's.
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