System advice


Hello Audiophiles,

I am interested in your opinions regarding a good speaker match to my Creek 5350 SE amplifier. I have been listening to this amp with PSB Image B25 speakers for several years. These speakers have served me well, but I am ready for an upgrade.

My listening room is a 24X12 with 9 foot ceilings. My musical tastes are eclectic, spanning rock, pop, blues, and acoustic music of various sorts, but I primarily listen to jazz. I would like to get the job done for $1500 or less, but I could see going up to $2000 (give or take) for something really spectacular. I plan to audition speakers before I buy them, if possible.

Right now, my leading contender is the Epos Elan 15. (My sister just got the Epos Elan 10 to play with her less powerful Creek amp, and loves the match up.) I’m also considering Monitor Silver RX6 and PSB Imagine T towers. It's hard not to consider KEF Ls50 given the rave reviews they have received. Does anyone has experience driving any of these speakers with a Creek amp comparable to mine, or other ideas about speakers to place on my audition list? I am open to a standmount or a floorstander.

Any recommendations most appreciated!

Best,
Greta
greta
if you are not a "critical listener" and just like to enjoy your music, a pair of Klipsch Heritage series would be excellent - Forte, Chorus or Cornwall ... Crites crossovers add an extra dimension to the sound ... just plain FUN speakers!!
You can't go wrong with RX6s. I have the RS6s and love them. They are easy to drive and sound exquisite. Mind you, I prefer the Rs6 over the Rx6s.

The Creek should be a fine match to drive them in your room. I have driven mine with a 35W Marantz PM5003 with no real issue and currently their being driven by a pair of 40W tube mono blocks. So 85W at 8ohm should be more than sufficient for your needs.

The only issue you may have is a tinge of brightness, but that can easily be managed through other means if it occurs.
"The only issue you may have is a tinge of brightness, but that can easily be managed through other means if it occurs."

That shouldn't happen with the Creek. For me, what I liked best about the 5350 was that it uses a passive linestage. Going that route eliminates so many problems that occur when using low cost active preamps. Not only that, MA does a great job with their metal tweeters for speakers that are in the Silver's price range.
Think you've got some good contenders between MA, Epos, PSB, and KEF, although the LS50s might be a little challenged given the size of your room. I'd add the Silverline Preludes and maybe GoldenEar as well. Tough to make firm recommendations without knowing what aspects of sound reproduction are most important to you and what you're looking to improve upon. Best of luck.