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Speaker Recommendation Help Please.

Hello,

I  am hoping to get some advice.

First, I'm in Canada so when I talk budgets I will use gear, not numbers, as that is probably the best way to remove the "currency" factor ($100 USD is very different than $100 CAD, but a NAD M33 is the same item on both sides of the border). 

Second, I actually have pretty minimal experience with speakers.  I was an avid headphone listener for years as I used to live in a condo so speakers, due to space and neighbours, was not an option.  I've owned most TOTL headphones - HD800, Focal Utopia, LCD4, Abyss, Code-X, SR-009/007, etc.  

Third, I'm looking at speakers for now, only.  An amp and source will come later so let's ignore it for now entirely please.  Assume whatever speaker I end up with, I will get an appropriate amp.  I am trying to keep this as focused as possible and I have to start somewhere, and I've decided the speakers are the place.  If I have a budget of $X, I am happy to spend $X on speakers and wait to buy an amp rather than spending $0.5X on speakers and $0.5X on an amp today.

Fourth, some information about my listening preferences...  People ask, "what kind of music do you like".  Well, as Justice Stewart might say, I can't define it but when I hear it, I know it.  I'm pretty varied and probably listen to much of the same stuff every audiophile does.  I don't listen to a lot of classical, chamber, techno, EDM, rap or country.  Take whatever is left, and that's probably me.  I love detail - It's what I love about the HD800 and Utopia's - there is so much nuance, air and separation.  I love that.  I also love texture, which is why I love the LCD4's.  The resonance of a guitar body, the natural tone of a voice.  And I love slam...  This is my guilty pleasure.  I used to drive my Abyss with a PassLabs INT-30A (30 watts of Class A into headphones) and you could almost feel the impact in your chest.  If you need more detail, or have specific questions about any of this, please let me know.

Fifth, my room is the biggest small room there is (well, not really).  The speakers on going on an 13 foot wall (that extends out to about 60 feet) and the room is 28 feet deep.  The speakers can only be about 12-14 inches from the back wall (I have a wife and it's our family room) and my ears are about 10 feet from the speaker wall.  Oh, and the ceilings are 12 feet high.  Here's my crummy drawing of the room.  Each square is one foot by one foot:

 

(Hopefully you can read all that).

 

The speakers are going on the left side and there is fireplace in between.  Behind the couch is the kitchen and, if you are sitting on the couch, to your left, it opens up to the font of the house.  Here's what is actually looks like and the new speaker will go where the current ones are:

 

 

(The speakers are Paradigm Active 20's for those playing at home)

To the right is the back of the home which is mostly glass.

Now, as for options.  I don't love the signature of the Paradigms.  They have a  "dark" sound and have a recessed mids.  What I call an "American sound".  I am looking for something more neutral or even slightly warm.  

Locally, there is a pair of Sophia V1's which is my current front runner.  I think they will give me everything I am after with the right amp but they are a little big.  They are also my #1 choice due to price.  I worry about placement and that being a big problem.

I am also considering Wilson SabrinaX's,.  I worry the Sabarina's may be too small sounding for the room (not that I need to fill it, and I don't listen loud), but I love the foot print of them.  Also, because they are Wilson, I again worry about placement.

Next would be Sonus Faber Guarneri Traditions.  I think I would have end up adding a sub down the road which technically makes them the biggest option (by foot print).  I LOVE the look of them.  I also would consider Serafinos if I don't need a but I feel like we are getting into next level stuff with those so everything, like the amp budget has to climb as well.  Right now, my top choice amp for all options is a Hegel H390 or H590 so you get an ideal of budget.  Tubes aren't an option.

Next would be Focal Sopra 2's.  Visually, these are the bottom the list for me personally, but I think they are a bit of a middle ground sonically between the Sabrina's and GT's...  

I am going to listen to all 4 speakers this week.  

My question is which of the 4 would work best in my room given the placement restrictions?  The Sophia's may be a no brainer here because of the price and that they are second hand so they have already depreciated so I could buy them and change to another option later.  Are their others that you would strongly suggest?  Maggies aren't an option due to looks.  Magico isn't an option either.  

Thank you for reading,

-Paul

bigfatpaulie
eugene81
270 posts
 

Wilson Tunetots + subs because of your rear wall limitation.  They are cut from the same cloth as SabrinaX, Sasha DAW, etc with X material and shared drivers.  Sounds like Wilson may be your thing since you like air, details, texture, neutrality without brightness.  SF tends to lean more romantic, some may say colored.

smaarch1
95 posts
 
Rethinking furniture and speaker placement can solve a lot of the issues already mentioned. My space is 14' x 29', half dining and half living room The easy solution was to place the speakers in the living area and fire across the short dimension. It didn't take long to realize this was wreaking havoc on the sound quality. . Rearranged everything - speakers fire down the long axis, across the listening position and then across a long dining room table. They sound great most anywhere. This also allowed me to place them 3' off the front wall. I'm using Totem Hawk speakers made in Canada. They have a range of speakers which may interest you including stand speakers and wall mount. There are plenty of reviews of Totem online
retiredfarmer's avatar
retiredfarmer
342 posts
 

Where in Canada? I have a friend in Canada Alberta to be exact who is selling a pair of sonus faber quinary speakers. Lol SP.  Any how Ithey were there too of the line stand mounts.  Apparently the most lovely midrange and highly musical. Let me know if you are interested and I can give you his contact info. 

 

Regards

 

 

 

rbstehno
1,411 posts
 

Your room and listening location are your limitations. You state you have a large room but in your picture, your seating location is very close to the speakers. Also, your speakers are going to be setup close to the wall so you will need to adjust which speaker works close to walls. 
Since you live in Canada I’m sure you heard of Totem. I would look at the new models that are small floor standing or some used Windows, Forest, Hawk, or model one with a sub (I’ve owned many totems in the past).

The Wilson duette’s are also very nice sounding and made for close wall setup.

For the last 15 years, all my speakers have been Usher and Revel. The ushers are front ported so they can be placed closer to the back wall. I owned the usher mini dancer II’s with the top of the line Hegel integrated at the time and it was a very good sounding system and 1 of the best looking speaker since yours will be in a family room with the WAF. I use the large Ushers in my dedicated listening room now.

Another option would be the smaller Revel floorstanding speakers. They are back ported but since they have multiple 6” or 8” drivers, the back wall will give you a bigger sound. I use the smaller model with multiple 6” woofers 1’ from the back wall in my living room and they sound very good, way above their price point.

clearthinker's avatar
clearthinker
1,582 posts
 

The key issue is speaker placement required only 1 foot from the front wall.

Many speakers can't produce good sound in such location however you tweak the room.

So look for speakers specifically designed to work well so close.  Few if any of these will be huge full-range towers.  That will restrict the bass response you obtain but will please wifey as the boxes will be small.  You can replace the bass using one or more sub-woofers.

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