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New Speakers $10K -$20K

Hi everyone. A few bullet points and thank you all for your advice! Sorry for the length just trying to help you to help me.

* A Florida family room untreated and large. 30’ x 30’ with 12’ cathedral ceiling.
* I sit basically on left half of the room, the right side of the room is billiards and wet bar.
* I just turned 65, so these are my forever speakers!
* I am 70% HT and watching TV, and 30% 2Ch, but with a little room improvement 2ch listening will go up. I want better sounding 2 ch but I’m in a very live room.
* The front wall “half width” of my room is a stacked-stone marble wall.
* to my rear is a 16’ opening to a large kitchen.
* to my immediate left is a window 40” and 12’ of sliders looking into pool.
* just sold Paradigm Persona 7F towers, (2) Persona subs and Persona center ch. Amazing speakers in a poor large room. But I do think the Be. mid-range became a bit fatiguing.
* I need a company that also makes a great center ch for HT., Legacy Audio does.

Based on WAF etc. some treatments will be done but not greatly. More pillows, a defuser or two, maybe a bit more.

My needs: warmth, no harshness at the top, not massive speakers, WAF!
I still love movies with the grandkids, big subwoofers won’t be approved. “Eye Candy” is what she likes beautiful cabinetry, Sonus Fabre, and custom finishes available from Bill D. at Legacy.

Current candidates are:
1. Sonus Fabre Amati Tradition in the red stained finish - “gorgeous”, her favorite!
2. Legacy Calibres in a custom veneer with 2+ subs that are not too big. I really love the Aeris with Wavelet processor but they are too tall for her! Remember this is a family room.m we use for everything.
3. Sonus Fabre Serafino Tradition in the same beautiful red stain wood veneer.
4. Spendor, not terribly familiar but they do make a center ch, and are respected and are considered warm. Really wish Harbeth made a center ch.

Now I am looking forward to your suggestions!
Related equipment:
Classe’ CAV 180 - 5 x 180W
Marantz 8805 Pre-pro
Oppo 203
Innuous streamer/DVD ripper
Kaleidescape movie server 
Sonance DSP 8-130 MK2 for surrounds
Paradigm in ceiling (3pr) for surrounds 

Thank you all!
Dave





dave1980
dave1980 OP
70 posts
 
rhg88, thank you! I wish I could hear Salk but as this know I cannot as they are sold direct, but I could return!

I find it very interesting you combined the two companies. I gave thought if doing that but many here call that speaker blasphemy!

my mains need to be close to a stone wall, covered here already, so I’m looking at front ported or sealed speakers. I have Matthew Poe (sometimes on Audioholics) here next Friday to measure my room. Thank you for everyones I put, more to come.

short list:
legacy with Wavelet processor 
Focal, particularly Kanta 3 with front port
Sonus Fabre, love the cabinetry and sound 
open to others that also sell a center ch.
open to new Pre-pro with great room correction like lyngdorf or new McIntosh using Lyngdorf room correction

Thank you all!
Dave 



djones51
4,947 posts
 
You'll get good advice from Matthew Poe, you might ask him about Perlisten speakers or Revel. 
dave1980 OP
70 posts
 
djones51. Thank you. Don Dunn on Audioholics is an old friend I have recently reunited with. My new speaker team is both Don and Matthew who will be in my Hm next Friday.

Turns out Gene DellaSalla only lives about an hour away. I may be seeing Gebe’s new home soon. I hear from Don that Matt is amazing in his field. A very nice young man I am looking forward to meeting next week, thank you!
Dave
dave1980 OP
70 posts
 
Forgot to mention, Matthew is a Perlisten dealer, but they are not cheap. He will have a demo pair very soon.
danager's avatar
danager
958 posts
 
You have both the budget and the room for corner horns.  If you remember going to the movies when you were a kid and the way movies sounded,  the whole theater was filled,  that's what they do not just a wall of sound but the whole room just sounds great.
Tiny drivers moving very fast with the horn facilitating the diaphragm air interaction provide a completely different sound than conventional speakers. The other advantage is though they look big they don't take up actual living space except for the plant that keeps dropping leaves in corner.

I have a big room and a 2 watt SET amp easily pushes the sound level to over 90db with amazing bass.  I will need a sub for that bottom octave but  they are going to be with me until they cart me of to the old folks home... (hopefully not soon)
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