2. speakers
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Looking for speaker recommendations under $5K



Greetings. After 51 years on Earth, I'm new to the world of high end home audio. Always knew you guys were out there, but was never did anything about it. Suffice it to say I thought my Pioneer L80t3's sounded great paired with a Denon AVR 1803 receiver. I had no idea what I was missing.

Well, I bumped into an old friend (who I later determined is a fellow Audiogoner) at the Phil Lesh concerts at the Nokia Theater in NYC last Fall, and next thing you know I've got a pair of Energy 2.2i's (purchased new on what I now know was a closeout from Audio Advisor) connected to a Pioneer VSX 59TXi receiver and a Pioneer DV 79AVi DVD player (both Pioneer units purchased here on Audiogon). Also have a Hsu VTF3 MK3 sub (also purchased on Audiogon). Not the greatest setup, but night and day compared to what I had. I'm using some hand twisted/sanded magnet wire (ala Anti-Cables) for speaker cables. I have the speakers bi-amped - although I'm not quite sure why. DVD player is connected via Firewire and via MIT Terminator2 interconnects. Sub is connected via Blue Jeans LC-1 subwoofer cable.

My listening room is 20x25. Thin carpet over concrete floor. Plywood walls all around. Believe it or not, room acoustics are good. (Or so I think LOL) I listen to lots of Grateful Dead, but more importantly to any high quality recording I can get my hands on. Everything from Dire Straights to Eric Clapton to 10,000 Maniacs to Alice in Chains to Frank Sinatra to Miles Davis. Definitely into acoustic music. I buy all the remasters of the 70's music I can get my hands on, as well SACD or DVD Audio discs within reason (which rules out Neil Young's Harvest - which is going for $100, as is Frank Sinatra's Live at the Sands).

So, now that I have a taste of your world, I'm wondering what I might be missing. I would be willing to spend $5,000 on a new (or used) pair of speakers - if doing so will make a noticeable improvement. And I'll buy a new preamp and/or amplifier if it will make a noticeable difference.

One of the reasons for the timing of this inquiry is the fact it seems Energy will be unable to provide warranty support for my speakers. I don't know exactly what the problem is, but I noticed what I can only describe as "distortion" when I was playing the Alice in Chains MTV Unplugged DVD the other day. Don't know if its the speakers or some other problem. I have noticed some very minor "anomalies" in the past, but never could put my finger on any specific problem. I have been writing it off as "diginoise" (I don't know if there even is such a thing) or to my ever-declining sense of hearing. Or perhaps to the auditory hallucinations brought on by having attended over 300 Grateful Dead concerts. Fortunately, 99.8% of the time the speakers sound fantastic.

However, well prior to hearing this "distortion," I have been scouring this site and every other site I can find to try to get some idea of what "upgrades" I should be considering. For some inexplicable reason, I have a desire to acquire a pair of floor standing speakers. (That desire has nothing to do with the size - or lack thereof - of any part of my anatomy. LOL) I gave the Anthony Gallo 3.1 a listen recently. Sounded real nice, but didn't have a reference disc with me to make a meaningful comparison. Plus, the exposed nature of the drivers in those speakers probably wouldn't be the best idea considering I have a 12 year old and a 13 year old who, along with their friends, like to play on their Xbox in my listening room.

So, I would really like to hear some suggestions/comments/criticisms.

Thanks for listening.
deringer
daverz
487 posts
 
But Mikey Fremer liked the Pioneer VSX 59TXi. It's been blessed by one of the high priests of the faith.
emorrisiv
313 posts
 
First let me say I am very biased toward dipole planer speakers.I own both box(Snell E) and planers(Acoustat 2) and I love them both, but if I had to give one up it would be the boxs. That said,buy yourself a nice set of Acoustats. You can get them here on Audiogon or Ebay for less than $1000.00! Then spend the rest on a Antique Sound labs Hurricane tube amp(used).These speakers are special. I have had mine for 29 years without any problem except for cats climbing them (I am on my third set of socks). Once you have experienced these speakers, it is hard to go back to boxes.Detail,imaging,presence are all words my audiophile friends use when they hear them.
Also indestructible.I have had these with kids,cats,dogs,moved across the country twice and survived it all.
I suggest the spectral models if you can find them (2200,3300,4400).If not those then get the 1+1,2,2+2,3,3+3. Preferably with medallian transformers, but you can always have the transformers modified.(big improvement!)
The bigger the model,the more efficient it will be.
Do not get the ones with the sub woofers. ESLs and subs never,NEVER work! The subs are too slow for the super fast panel and timing suffers.Martin Logins sound disjointed and not homogeneous because of this.
Just sit back and enjoy some Joni,Solti,Kings,Monk or whatever you like and enjoy.
jdodmead
257 posts
 
You might want to take a look at the Odyssey Lorelei's. You wouldn't need a sub with these and Klaus has a 30 day home trial.

good luck in your search

Jeff
unsound
7,329 posts
 
"But Mikey Fremer liked the Pioneer VSX 59TXi. It's been blessed by one of the high priests of the faith."
With appoloiges to the late great Frank Zappa: "...And remember kids, there's a difference between kneeling down and bending over."
griffinconst
61 posts
 
Not trying to hijack this thread but I have a question for Unsound. Wouldn't you agree that having $20,000,000 does indeed make a heavenly bank account? :)
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