looking for bookshelves - Another usual boring speaker discussion


i am looking for bookshelf speakers to pair with hegel H400 in my condo. i have Wilson watt puppies in my house and absolutely love the sound of the WPs 50th anniversary.. WPs are paired with d'agostino momentum C2 and progression s350.

i will be placing them on a granite shelf near a wall. sort of a klitchen counter.

i listened to SF Amators and BW 805d4, both somewhat laid back, SF Amators i did not like at all. too warm, bass lower mids were overpowering the treble. Also listened to wilson tune tot- lows are an issue. with the 5.75in woofer.

i am now seriously considering the focal sopra 1. i have not auditioned them yet but will do in next week or 2. i know one can't get a full picture from youtube but i have been listening with headphones to several youtube pistes where they do A-B or even A-B-C.

i find the focals and wilsons sound similar. Wilson's have a bit more clarity in the upper mids but overall similar, so i think i will like them. 

Would appreciate suggestions and any more recommendations form the experienced audiophiles herewith vast knowledge base.

thank you

Amar

dhali777

I have a pair of the Usher Mini-X’s that @soix mentioned and can vouch for them.

They’re a 3rd pair of speakers for me. My other two are Martin Logan, Summit and I have a pair of limite edition (500 run) Ohm 5’s from back in the day that have been updated and are completely amazing.

I drive my speakers with a Lyngdorf, which tends to be sort of an unknown brand around here, but it presents a very clean and pure signal. For those that understand the concept, it’s basically a wire with gain, as far as the signal path is concerned. And it has some muscle behind it.

My Cambridge Audio streamer is my weakest link, but I don’t feell the need too upgrade it because it sounds great and a pretty big bang for the buck. Oh, and I use Nordost Freya cabling.

Both of my big speakers are known for their imaging and both of them have the low frequencies covered real well. The Ohm’s are a different presentation kind of all the way around, they’re a very unique and innovative speaker (design) but the’re on a par with my Summits as far as performance is concerned, and have got to be one of the funnest speakers in the world. I guess that last part is kind of an Ohm thing, something I guess Jeep owners would understand even though I don’t drive one.

Not kidding when I say that the Usher Mini-X’s perform on a level with both of them from a performance standpoint. That may be hard to believe, but if it is, I encourage you to access 2 or 3 reviews and see what they say. One of them called it one of the best speakers regardless of size because of the design execution.

I did, before I bought them and I remember how most of them spoke about not only the level but the quality of bass that they could produce. I never even paired them with a subwoofer because my electronics are capable of making them sound so amazing that I actually enjoy them the way they are. All it would give me is that last little bit and I have two other pair that can, so. The point is that the bass is that amazing.

Another thing they mention is, as the other member already pointed out, the woofer is their top of the line design that they put in their most revered other floor stander.

And last but certainly not least ...

the thing that probably makes these speakers the most! special, imo, is the Beryllium tweeter. I don’t think you’ll be able to demo these speakers, so I guess you’d have to bite the bullet and buy them to get to hear it, but the way it presents the high frequencies is on a par with my electrostatics.

And It’s not just that it’s a super special tweeter, what makes this speaker so amazing is the way it’s married so beautifully to the other things I’ve mentioned.

So, yeah, I agree with Soix it would be a great fit for you.

And an extra bonus, in your particular case, is that their front ported so you can place them closer to the wall if you have to. Mine have enough room to breathe where I have them placed, and I think that’s one of the reasons they’re able to present bass the way they do, but ... I suspect that all the other features that I mentioned are really what you’re looking for.

Almost all the reviews said they sound great, but if they have good solid electronics driving them and some serious power that they were amazing.

 

Oops! It looks like I have an older version called the Tiny Dancer.

Very similar bookshelf speaker, primary difference aside from a slightly different cabilet shape being the Be versus diamond tweeter.

The model is Be-718. May be worth some consideration. 

I picked mine up used from a guy who had only had them for about 6 months, which wasn't even long enough to break them in. That may ybe the reason he had them listed for $1200, but I considered it my advantage.        : )

I just looked for you and unfortunately there aren't any used pairs currently listed out there for sale that I can find, but if you're into used gear you might keep an eye out.

https://www.soundstagenetwork.com/revequip/usheraudio_be718.htm

Monitor Audio Gold 100 6G. 8" 3-way, Port tuned to 38Hz, 3" midrange, ribbon tweeter. 500W power handling. All combine for greater range and dynamic range than are possible in most standmount/bookshelf. The fact that the also have great soundstaging and imaging combined with a undeniable 'PRAT' make for a compelling speaker that happens to fit the 'bookshelf' definition. I suggest you read the reviews and listen for yourself. . https://www.monitoraudio.com/en/product-ranges/gold-series-6g/gold-100-6g/