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Seeking advice on Speakers that create an intimate 2 channel listening experience

So the past month I started a couple of threads on speaker choice on AVS forum (One asked for Powered/Active floor standing Speaker choices and another one around non-active FS speakers for a tube amp I was looking at).

But I've come to realize this was the wrong tact, got lots of flack much deserved and wanted to try to solicit the advice/opinions on this forum which I just discovered.

Short background...Hunkered down in a suburb just outside NYC now for the past 3-4 months, I started to get the itch for a dedicated 2 channel stereo Turntable setup in our living room in May. After much research and twists and turns and immediate upgraditis, as some know on here from other posts, I've finally settled in and now own a Rega Planar 10 Turntable. I also own a Sutherland phono --20/20 with LPS and that's staying. Right now the phono preamp is hooked up direct to a pair of ELAC ARF51 floorstanding speakers (all drivers powered by built in AB amps) which I like a lot BUT ITS HERE THAT I WANT MORE. Btw, I love the ELAC design of mounting the tweeter concentric in the mid driver -- makes sense to me.  I kinda wish ELAC would take the same design and make a reference speaker but thats for another day.

So to swap out the ELACs, I will obviously need an amp, but I will figure that out later and want to focus on getting the right speakers for me for what I want. So what do I want?

1. Floorstanders. Close to full range as possible. No subs.
2. Looks count since in my main living room.
3. Speakers that prioritize Imaging Imaging Imaging. That disappear in the room creating an intimate but 3D listening experience. Clean (Accurate) warm sound. No distortion. I would easily sacrifice low end for untiring highs and warm mids I don't listen to metal or hiphop anymore so I don't need loudness, more like lounge experience if that makes sense. Apologize if I got the adjectives wrong but its personal description of what I'm seeking.
4. Price Point - -$10k-25k. Room is 22x18 with 25 foot ceiling

I would like to audition/demo before I buy and since I live in the Tri-State area it should be possible. But I'm finding that obviously difficult to do right now. I listened to a pair of Salk speakers but didn't love them. And have an appt with the Audio Doctor in NJ in two weeks.

Thanks in advance.
aj523
aj523 OP
373 posts
 
@sunkenpirate.  I heard the Martin Logans are harder to drive so don't work well with Tubes for example and they also sell them at Bestbuy which gives me pause- maybe it shouldn't but it does.  
ghasley
2,492 posts
 
Make an appointment to go to In Living Stereo. Some of the recommendations you’ve received, man, I just don’t know what to make of some of these, well anyway.

Everyone hears differently and the word intimate conjures different things to different people. Some of the speakers recommended are ugly as heck but many speakers might have been purchased immediately following a divorce LOL.

My version of intimate is likely different than yours but my first thought is tube amplification and reasonably sensitive speakers. Intimate could mean a nice integrated with an in board phono stage. You might enjoy a Luxman SS integrated with a pair of Wilson Audio Sabrinas. You might also enjoy an Audio Note integrated with a pair of Audio Note e’s. At your budget you could get a Meishu Tonmeister and a mid range version of the e’s. You might also enjoy a Leben cs600x with a Leben phono stage and some Devore Orangutans. Shindo and devores are also an exceptional combo. Take a system approach and purchase your amp and speakers when demonstrated together to ensure you get the “intimate” that you are after.
bigwave1's avatar
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bigwave1
237 posts
 
While in NJ, see if you can also audition PureAudioProject at VPI Industries in Cliffwood. They love them. Open baffle could be a game changer from the boxes. 
Have fun. 
douglas_schroeder
3,281 posts
 
As the OP can see, answers will vary. 

I submit my reviews of speakers at Dagogo.com, as a plethora of speakers can sound intimate, warm, precise. Panel, dynamic, dynamic hybrid, horn hybrid, full range, quasi-line source. Yup, all of 'em. 

Select your genre of speaker well, for it will dictate the goal of satisfaction. But, don't be fooled by thinking any genre can "do it all". Enthusiasm aside, every genre of speaker has compromises, significant compromises. You choose one genre, and you have deselected other, immensely gratifying set of attributes attainable only with other genres of speakers. It's the nature of the activity.   

Finally, be prepared to spend time and money, perhaps even changing components and cables, to achieve higher satisfaction (if desired) when introducing new speakers. I do not recall  a single instance in 25 years of system building where introducing new speakers resulted in optimized sound using the initial system components/cables. 
ghasley
2,492 posts
 
I’m not calling anyone out nor trying to begin a flame war but do people really find Maggies, Soundlabs, Matin Logans, Pure Audio Projects and other visually “challenged” speakers aesthetically attractive? They also must come well into a room to sound right. Listen, I think they look cool but I don’t think they look attractive.

A Devore O96, now thats a beautiful speaker in both a modern or a traditional interior. A Wilson Sabrina, most find the form attractive in a more contemporary interior. There are plenty of speaker choices that are beautiful to both the eye and the ear on offer without looking like a traffic barrier.
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