Need input on new speakers

I personally am a fan of KEF speakers. They are very clean sounding with excellent reproduction capabilities.  The "Q' line is their lower end but blow blow away speakers 2 and 3 times their price. As they just released a new series of "Q"  speakers many of the previous line are on sale directly from KEF. Crutchfield, Amazon & Best Buy have them for the same price with free shipping. The Q 350 is a Stand speaker that consistently gets excellent reviews. Their tower speakers are the 550, 750 & 950. If you can spring for 950's go for it. I have the 550s with a KEF Kube 10" sub. You really won't need a sub with the 750s & the 950s sound like you are in a concert hall. 

I also think the higher end lines of POLK are great sounding speakers for the price, but all things being equal the KEFs are audiophile quality and a great bargain at the reduced prices.

@immatthewj I agree with you. Personally I wouldn’t use a low-powered tube amp with these speakers even though you could. The amp will be pushed fairly hard, which is never optimal for it to perform at its best. Better to use a more powerful tube amp that can work further below its limits IMHO.

Also, the OP is not using a low-powered tube amp and the Rotel he’s planning on using puts out 120Wpc into 8 Ohms and 200 Wpc into 4 Ohms, which is more than enough power for these speakers. 

Understood, @soix , just wondering about the statement the Stereophile reviewer made was all.  

What I found interesting (bearing in mind that I make no claims to have a real good handle on this stuff) is that a sensitivity of 86 does not seem like a real easy or "friendly" load for a low powered amp to drive...I assume that what makes the Joseph Audios "friendly" is that the specs state that the 8 ohm nominal impedance does not drop below 7 ohms?

@immatthewj  Joseph Audio speakers are a bit different because of their unique “infinite slope” crossover that is amp friendly from an impedance and phase angle perspective, which makes them easier to drive than sensitivity alone might suggest and why they are fairly tube friendly.  Also, the OP is not using a low-powered tube amp and the Rotel he’s planning on using puts out 120Wpc into 8 Ohms and 200 Wpc into 4 Ohms, which is more than enough power for these speakers. 

I wouldn’t try to put together a system that “rocks” in a room that small. Your best bet is to upgrade the speakers in your main system and the recommendations above about moving up the Vandersteen line sounds like solid advice if you like what you have now. 

If you only use them for Rock look for Elac speakers.

@soix , I actually found those speakers on ebay before you provided the link, and I also found the review on Stereophile.  I find this excerpt from the review interesting:

"With its 86dB sensitivity and 8 ohm impedance, the RM22si presented a consistently friendly load to the three different levels of tube power output I employed over several months."

(and the author goes on to describe the amps he used, the lowest power being from the Mesa Tigris--anywhere from 20wpc to 35wpc depending upon which triode or pendode setting he used.)

What I found interesting (bearing in mind that I make no claims to have a real good handle on this stuff) is that a sensitivity of 86 does not seem like a real easy or "friendly" load for a low powered amp to drive.  And I am basing that mainly upon the discussions I have followed on this site.  (This was what I also questioned about the Totem Arros, a similar looking two way speaker in its own integral cabinet instead of stand mounted, with a sensitivity of 87 but nominal impedance listed at 4 ohms, and 20 wpc to 80 wpc being recommended power requirements.)  

I assume that what makes the Joseph Audios "friendly" is that the specs state that the 8 ohm nominal impedance does not drop below 7 ohms?  

Just realized I didn’t provide the link for the Joseph Audio speakers I recommended above.  Duh. 
 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/176697757735

Why not trade the speakers for the Vandersteen Model 2?  It has considerably more bass and takes just a bit more space. 

@gordo1962,

You have one of the few Time and Phase aligned speakers made in the world. It is also one of the smallest speakers in the Vandy line. So, you shouldn't expect it to 'Rock'. If anything, adding a subwoofer would probably be the best thing rather than changing speakers. Seeing how you enjoy how they can 'dissapear' means you like them, but just need a little more 'oomph'.

As a Vandy owner, you are able to join the Vandersteen website(Just Google Vandersteen). There you can access lots of great information. We love to help all owners.

Bob

If you want a floorstander:

Zu DW 6

Just a thought:

Zu DWX $1,398.00

Thanks

https://speakerchoices.com/index.html?pricemin=1800&pricemax=3000

https://www.ebay.com/itm/176697757735?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=7hhYrWcORfm&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Not affiliated with the seller just posting a link. 

I have looked everywhere, can't find them.

This Joseph AudioRM22si is a fantastic-sounding speaker, and as a smallish floorstander would work well in your room. They image/soundstage like demons, are very natural sounding, and they pull off a disappearing act among the best in the industry and are a relatively easy load to drive. And they’re well within your price range including shipping from a reputable seller. They do appreciate some space from the back wall to fully reveal their considerable 3D soundstage capabilities. You’d be hard pressed to find something better at this price. Best of luck.