New speakers for a new start?
Hi all, this is my first thread on this forum. I am returning to audio after a 20-year hiatus, and I am planning a new-to-me, music-only, 2-channel system. I'm pretty excited!
Other than my Thorens TD-320 series I, I am (re-)starting from scratch. I plan to focus on speakers, then build the rest of my system around them.
I look forward to hearing folks' feedback and advice during this process.
How I listen: I have a pretty big room, 9' ceilings. I can set speakers in a 10' triangle with about 16' clear behind them and 3' to 6' to the sides. I normally listen around 75 - 85db at 10', but sometimes I like to crank things way up. Also, I can't sit still for extended periods of time so I tend to move around quite a bit.
What I listen to: 30 - 40% blues, 30 - 40% industrial, punk, post-punk, noise, and hip-hop, 10-15% ambient, 10 - 15% various pop styles, 5 to 10% jazz and classical. Nearly all are studio recordings. Source-wise, 75-80% digital streaming, 20% vinyl and (very occasionally) CDs.
Things I like in speakers: A generous amount of fast, tight, well-controlled bass with great extension. Little to no coloration - it can always be added in later through component selection. Fast transient response. Detail. Coherence. Transparency. Great dynamics. I'm OK with "analytical" or "dry" within reason.
Things I don't like: Boominess. Flabiness. Ear-piercing mids.
Here are a few speakers I'm interested to learn more about (in no particular order):
- Thiel CS5
- Dunlavy SC-4, SC-5
- Tyler Acoustics D1x, D10
- Nearfield Pipedreams 21
- Infinity IRS (probably not the Reference behemoths though... realistically)
- I am also intrigued by open baffle designs (Spatial, Jamo R909)
I prefer full-range speakers because I don't love subs with music listening. They're a must in a home theater though.
I love planar speakers for their speed and transparency, but the fact that I can't sit still in their minuscule sweet spot for very long, coupled with their general lack of bass probably makes them a less than ideal choice for me.
I will buy used gear unless something I want happens to be available new at a huge discount. I am more interested in value than in staying within a specific dollar limit and be able to resell at par or at a modest loss if, as time goes by, I find I'm no longer as enamored with them as I once was.
I am interested in your experiences, especially with the speakers I mentioned above, but any and all feedback is appreciated. Thanks in advance!
| Post removed |
I owned a pair of the Dunlavy SC IVs 25 years ago. At the time, they were an excellent speaker in most regards. I cannot comment about their deep bass because I used them in conjunction with a pair of Velodyne HGS-18 subwoofers. That said, I recommend that you do NOT purchase them because, if any component fails, true replacements are unlikely to be available. |
@jmeyers +1. Forgot to mention in my prior post that I also own speakers from a defunct company, and it’s just not a fun way to go if you don’t absolutely have to — constantly feels like walking on eggshells. In addition to parts/service being a legit concern, it’s definitely not a good selling point if you look to resell them down the road. There are just too many good used speakers from manufacturers who are still in business to mess with this issue IMHO. |
@devinplombier, see here and here! Mike |
The need for two Velodyne subs is comment enough in my book 😂 @audiotroy was critical of Dunlavy's lack of deep bass too, but it's unclear which model they were referring to.
|
