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Lost in the loudspeaker wilderness...

Greetings all. I've been slowly but surely upgrading the various components of my system. The old Mac 1900 was replaced by a Mac 6900 integrated. CD is a Raysonic CD 128, turntable is a Music Hall MM-5 with a Dynavector 10x5 cartridge. Speakers are Focal/ JM Lab Chorus 706 (bought in 2000 or so). I've decided the next logical upgrade is the speakers. They're decent little speakers but it seems clear to me it's their turn to go. So here's my dilemma: my living room is a oddly configured. Ceilings are 9', and the room itself is 14' long and 20' wide. The way the room is set up dictates that system is on the 20' length of wall--the speakers can be only be placed a foot or so from the rear wall. Presumably the smallish room makes bookshelf speakers on stands the logical choice, but in terms of space consumed there is not much difference (and there's no wife or girlfriend to object) between them and towers. I just sort of assume a small room obviates the need/utility of floorstanders. Additionally my taste in music is rather, uh, esoteric & eclectic. People like Iannis Xenakis, Gyorgi Ligeti, Nurse With Wound, Kraftwerk, Cecil Taylor, Captain Beefheart, etc. Punk, post-punk, free jazz, psych, no-wave, minimalism, the occasional techno or metal group, post-industrial drone, music concrete, etc. If you know the magazine The Wire that's kind of where I'm at. I like the classics too--Neil Young, Led Zep, Sabbath and other classic rock staples; classical, especially chamber music; and some straight ahead small group jazz (mostly bop from the 1940's on). So all this is to say I give my speakers a bit of a workout. Long story short (too late!) I need speakers suitable to a smallish room, and suitable (to a reasonable extent, obviously there are compromises that will have to be made) to my taste in music. Budget is between $1000-$2000. New or used doesn't make much difference to me. So far I've had a chance to (albeit briefly) check out Dynaudio Focus 140's (very nice) and B&W 805 (also nice) and spent a bit more time with Aerial Acoustic model 5B which I thought really shined on acoustic instruments but tended to lose the thread on the low end at times. Any thoughts? I've been reading reviews and forums incessantly for the past month and am now I think I'm more unsure than when I started.
aquabahn
guidocorona
4,298 posts
 
Aquabahn, I am familiar with Xenakis and even more with Georgy Ligeti. . . . and in fact met Ligeti at the Teatro Alla Scala way back then. I also listen to large scale works as well as chamber music. . . when I was shopping for speakers I was seeking for something that would yield a full frequency range, harmonic complexity, authority combined with musical subtlety, image density, and excellent staging. I remained unsatisfied in my wonderings/auditionings until I landed on Vienna Acoustics speakers and purchased a pair of Mahlers, which going down to 22Hz should even handle Ligeti's Requiem and Atmospheres without problems, not to talk about Xenakis's Bohors. And for chamber music they are simply divine. Your room being 14x20 I may suggest their slightly smaller Strauss brothers, which are seen on Agon on occasion under $3K may work even better. The only thing to watch with Vienna speakers is that they need to be driven by amps with relatively high damping factors. . . and I am not familiar with your MCIntosh 6900. Guido
mikeyc8
174 posts
 
aquabahn, I admire your taste in music, very eclectic and similar to mine! :) I had a similar dilemma when I was shopping for speakers and after many years of wandering in the wilderness I found a great solution - the Gershman Avant Garde. They have a small footprint (12") are very waf freindly and go down to 24hz so they can really pump out those Kraftwerk beats. I originally had bookshelves with a sub, but by comparison these integrate the highs and lows much better. These benefit from a strong amp with lots of current so your Mac should be fine.

In the interest of full disclosure, I recently went with a low powered tube set up so I'm thinking of selling them to get more efficient speakers, but if you have the power, these speakers are simply wonderful and a steal at used prices.
aquabahn OP
8 posts
 
Mikeyc8, thanks! Very pleased to see their are others out there on Audiogon who share my tastes (you should see the looks I get from acquaintances when they drop by and I happen to have music playing). I'm not that familiar with some of the brands mentioned upthread but knowing there are options suitable to both Kraftwerk and Xenakis is encouraging. Guido very interesting to hear you mention you met Ligeti. I was saddened to hear of his recent passing. I'll look into the Vienna Acoustics though going much above $2000 may not be feasible.
guidocorona
4,298 posts
 
Hi Aquabahn, if the Strausses did not meet your budget, a pair of Vienna Beethoven Grands might squeek through. On Ligeti, I met him at a lecture he offered at the Alla Piccola Scala theatre in 1976. I kept asking him about his composition techniques. . . but he wanted to talk about what his music meant instead. Guido
learsfool
1,215 posts
 
I heartily endorse the Klipsch recommendation. I purchased some Cornwall II's here on audiogon last December and have been very happy with them - you can buy something smaller if you think they are too big, though, for instance the Heresey's.
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