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smaller speaker suggestions

As many of you know one of the keys to a happy marriage is having the ability to say "yes dear".
I've been "asked" to downsize the size of speakers from the current Spendor SP1/2's (24t x 12w x 12d) to ?
The room is 13 feet wide by 16 feet.
Amp: Musical Fidelity A308cr with a Audio Research LS15 pre.
Musical taste - very eclectic (no head banging/rap/opera)
Speaker attribute - along the lines of the Spendor which I feel is best described as "musical".
Limited to a spacing of no more than two feet off the wall.
Speakers will reside on the narrow wall.
Now I realize it will be my ears that are the deciding factor as to what is purchased however I'd like some suggestions from those out in cyberspace that have already gone through the trials and tribulations of choosing a smaller speaker.
3k a pair is the upper spending limit.
Thanks in advance for any and all insightful responses.
128x128hbarrel
tobias
1,534 posts
 
She sounds great. Speaker swapping is fun. Thanks for letting us in on it. Here are my ideas:

1) Totems. The Arro mini-tower sounds very musical to me, is small and can go right next to a wall. Very nice-looking wood veneer, amazing sound for a small driver.

Totem floorstanders

2)Aurum Cantus. These guys made the Red Rose monitor that sold for three grand. The Leisure 2 SE model has a ribbon tweeter, a Kevlar-carbon fiber mid-woofer and 14 coats of lacquer over real wood. It looks gorgeous, sounds pretty decent in the bass and mids and is magical in the highs.

Canadian Aurum Cantus distributor's page
(Sorry I don't know the US source for these.)
zkzpb8
212 posts
 
I still thing the Ohm MicroWalsh talls are the most WAF, while still sounding great. I think they're 36x6x6. The finishes aren't furniture grade, but atleast they're small. These are definitely "music-listening" speakers, not "hi-fi-listen-to-my-rig" speakers.
dfhaleycko
178 posts
 
I just built a pair of Eska floor standing monitors which I think are a bit special, at least with my home-built Alan Kimmel-designed EL34 amp. I like the way that George "voices" his speakers, and he is "the man" when it comes to passive crossover design. Also, I think his North Creek Spirits got favorably reviewed recently in one of the mags. Check out

http://northacoustics.com/

Hope this helps!

Doug
listener57
730 posts
 
The Platinum Audio Solo's currently for sale have excellent WAF since they are not tall, but rather a little deeper front to back than other stand-mounted speakers. The sound quality is surprisingly wonderful for the price, with a musicality, and bass capability, qualifying it as a used best buy.
Not affiliated with the seller, just a fan who remembers them in one of my past system setups.
bbro
191 posts
 
Have you listened to the Spendor SP 3/1P's. They are smaller than the Sp 1/2 and the Sp 2/3 but larger than the S 3/5. It uses the same tweeter and midrange as the SP 100. If you like the Spendor sound but the SP100 or even the Sp 1/2 are too large then SP 3/1 could be ideal; kind of like having your cake and eating it too. I have owned both the Sp 1/2's and the SP 3/1P's and much preferred the SP 3/1P's.
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