speakers that are a little laid back in the mids


I'm just curious what full range speaker people have found where the mids, voices etc are not so up front. I have had my share of speakers and some I considered to be very good but over time seem to be on top of you. Not necessarily harsh however. My room is 13 x 16 and I have used tubes and ss.

dpm2340

If you list what you have had in the past it would give some kind of reference. 

Looking at your system I’d highly suspect your Mac preamp as they are known to be midrange forward and lush sounding, and that’s been my experience with their gear as well.  Do a demo of the new Spatial Audio Raven or Aric Audio Motherload preamp and your world will likely be completely changed.  I know the Aerial 7B doesn’t sound like what you’re saying, which leads me strongly to your preamp being the culprit here. 

I would look to your room or components first. I also have heard great things about the Aric Audio preamp, but have yet to hear. You could try old stock tubes in your preamp but this is can be an expensive experiment and usually more of a nudge than a push. 

guys, my equipment has change dramatically. I am now using audionet stereo amp with a audionet g2 pre. Speakers I have tried. Totem Wind, the better one, Magico A3, Verity Otello, and countless others. Over the time I have used Bat tube amp and pre and also Cary tube pre and ss amp. I have tried three different Aerial speakers. So you can see I shuffle in and out frequently. I would like to get off this wheel.

You’ve had some excellent speakers, and I’ve heard models from all of them and none sounded like the vocals were too upfront or on top of me. If they all don’t sound right to you I suspect there’s something going on with your room/setup. What you’re describing sounds like it could be that your speakers are too close to the back wall and pulling them out further could achieve a more desirable balance and a deeper soundstage. What speakers do you have now, and how far are they from the back/side walls? Also, are you currently using any room treatments?