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Speaker suggestions please - going to the BIG city

I've received some excellent advice from this forum in the past and I'm hoping you can help with speaker suggestions.  I've had my Martin Logan Summit X speakers for five years.  In that time, I've updated all my components and cables, but not the speakers.  When I purchased them, I lived in a small town and it wasn't practical to travel to the big city to audition others; they were a strong suggestion from an audiophile friend.  I very much like them, but I have a hankering to upgrade, or at least consider other brands that will compliment my system (see below).  I don't want to change my Primaluna HP Integrated because I like it, and I recently upgraded all the tubes at a cost of $1300. 

I listen to jazz, female and male vocals, quartets, etc.; think Jewel, Melody Gardot, Nora Jones, Neil Diamond, Alison Krauss, etc.  Never hard Rock, and never overly loud. 

My room is about 18x25 with a vaulted ceiling and open behind the listening seat by another15 feet (the kitchen). 

I have an Axiom Audio sub in the system that I've also thought about replacing.  

I'm heading to Portland and Chicago in the next few weeks and have time to audition speakers.  I'd very much appreciate your thoughts on what would sound the best considering my music choices and Primaluna amp.  I know I could just listen to everything, but I'm hoping you can help me narrow the choices.

My system:
  • Martin Logan Summit X speakers
  • Holo Audio May DAC (Kitsune edition)
  • Lumin U1 music player
  • EtherRegen.
  • AfterDark clock and power supply for the clock and EtherRegen.
  • Roon Rock using a NUC that I built
  • Acoustic Zen Hologram II speaker cables
  • Acoustic Zen MC2 and Kimber Kable D60 digital cables
  • Acoustic Zen Matrix Reference II interconnects
  • OPPO 105D player for DVD and SACD disks (modified by Ric Schultz).
Thank you!
Steve

smills59
smills59 OP
54 posts
 
Well, I haven't been able to make my trip. Too much work and Covid issues stopping me. I've been doing a lot of reading and found a pair of Harbeth Hi5 plus XD and KEF Reference 1a with good pricing. According to what I've read, both are tube friendly.

To refresh, I have a Primaluna HP Dialogue Integrated that I really like with two REL s812 subs. My room is about 18 x 25 with a sloping ceiling from the second story. My music tastes are Jazz, Nora Jones, Melody Gardot, chamber music, etc. Nothing hard, loud, or rock.

Amy thoughts on these two options? I can't go hear them because I live in a small town, and they are being sold by a dealer in another state who took them on trade. 

Thanks for your advice! 
abd1
156 posts
 

Did you ever settle on anything? How are the subs. Looking at upgrading to a pair of S/510’s. I’m in Portland. Not sure if you’re still headed here to visit dealers. There aren’t a ton but I would suggest Pearl Audio and Stereotypes. Echo Hifi is great, my favorite, but most of their inventory is second hand so just make sure they have something you want to hear. Otherwise I think they’re a Kef dealer. Sometimes they have some really great items to check out. 
 

Regarding speakers, I would check out Salk and Cube. With your budget you would have a few options with Salk. I had a pair of Song3’s and used Primaluna and it sounded fantastic. You could move up the line to SS9.5’s and be blown away. I currently have Cube Nenuphar Mini’s also being driven by a Primaluna Evo300 amp. Best sound I’ve ever had. The speakers love tubes and are so natural and detailed it’s eerie sometimes. Cool thing is the Cubes can also run with very low powered tube amps too. I have an Oliver Sayes 45 tube amp that’s like 1.5 wpc and it sounds amazing too. There’s no dealer in Portland but I think the dealer is in Chicago; Refined Audio. 

smills59 OP
54 posts
 

I was in Portland last summer, but most of the stores were still closed or only accepting appointments.  A friend of mine just bought a pair of Wilson Sasha's and is selling his Maggie 3.7i's.  I'm picking those up in CA next weekend and get to try them out for five weeks while he's in Holland.  I can't wait to hear them in my home.  I have a set of AntiCable Autoformers, which should help the PrimaLuna drive them.  I'm also adding an active crossover from Sublime to pull the lows into the subs before the PrimaLuna, which will also help it drive the Maggie's.  

I love the subs.  It took me a long time to get them dialed in--I kept tweaking them until they now sound great.  I also turned down the 25 Hz knob so they don't compete with the subs until I get the crossover. 

If you're thinking about buying REL, I suggest you contact Albert at Precision Audio and Video.  he made me a great deal on the two s/810's I purchased.

I'll update this after playing with the Maggie's for a few weeks.

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