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Speakers for a large room for around $1000

I am moving soon into a new house where the main room is about 12x14ft with a vaulted ceiling up to the second floor (maybe about 15-20 ft high).

I am looking for 2-channel stereo speakers exclusively for music. I don't really play my music that loud, but I do like the music to really fill up the room. I'm not a huge audiophile (meaning I'm not going to spend a lot of time analyzing or obsessing over my speakers)--- all I'm looking for are some good solid speakers that have a good frequency response (and might sound good with a tube amplifier).

My budget is about $1000. I could stretch that up to maybe $1300, but I'd have to be convinced the extra is really worth it. I'd also really prefer to have new speakers, mostly for the warranty. Though again, I could be convinced otherwise if it's worth it.

I've considered speakers from a whole bunch of manufacturers, i.e, Paradigm to B&W, Axiom, DefTech, Klipsch, Polk, etc, but due to my geographical location I'm really not able to demo many, so I'm stuck trying to make this decision based on online reviews. It's tough for me to separate audio speakers from home-theater speakers just by reading reviews.

Any and all help is really appreciated!
blnd2spll
johnnyb53
3,510 posts
 
04-26-10: Blnd2spll
I am drawn to the Vandys because from what I can tell they have a reputation for being very musical speakers and have a very full and rich sound (even if that means a slight loss of detail). Are there any speakers that fit a similar description, but are a bit more wife-friendly?
The Mirage OMD-15s are very attractive and non-intrusive; they have a footprint of about 8x12" and are about 43" tall. They are available in elegantly understated high gloss piano black or more extroverted rosewood. Despite their modest size, with a good high current amp they have strong bass down to the low 30's, and are smooth and transparent with a nice rich sound. This does not mean they're boomy, tubby, or indistinct. They are very listenable on a wide range of material. Out of the box they sound OK, but they take awhile (100 + hours) to break in. As they break in, you find that they have superb resolution of low level detail, but never exaggerate it.

Johnnyb53 - I'm intrigued by the Mirages, but I can't find a lot of other reviews or discussions about them.
Home Theater mag review
Soundstage!
Home Theater Sound (an editor's choice)
OnSpeakers.com (pay no attention to their fear that they wouldn't be able to fill a large space; they can with ease)
Amazon user review
Crutchfield customer review
Buzzillions user review
rrog
1,958 posts
 

I would also consider your room average size. I recommend ProAc speakers. They are easy to drive and sound good with tube amplifiers.
knownothing
1,708 posts
 
OK, I was anticipating the WAF issue - why I hesitated with the Vandy recommendation up front, and why in part I suggested the 1c over the 2ce, which is just more of the Vandy thing visually. But the 2ce is closer to full range than any of the other speakers you or I have mentioned here.

High WAF with decent sound narrows the field some. I suggest focusing on Focal, Vienna, Monitor, Quad, anything used from Totem, and maybe the Aperions and the PSB G-Designs. One speaker I didn't mention earlier is the Paradigm SE. These are very nice looking and sounding speakers, a little more costly than the Paradigm Monitors.

Here is what I recommend, buy the best sounding and looking small floorstanders you can find new or used and be prepared to have to try several pairs in your space. Do the same with amplification - don't restrict yourself to tubes at this time and price point. I would plan on eventually supplementing your system with one or two subwoofers, since most small floorstanders are essentially stand mount speakers with an extra (small) woofer and a built-in stand.
unsound
7,362 posts
 
Blnd2spll, The Vandys are a brilliant value oriented recommendation, and can match beautifully with another super audio value; the McCormack power amps. While they have a different overall balance, the Thiels share many design parameters, and a similar sonic presentation as the Vandersteens, with IME a much higher WAF. The downside of the Thiels is that they can be pretty demanding of high quality amplification.
rrog
1,958 posts
 

I was going to recommend Vandersteen speakers, but I did not because they are a risky purchase when buying used. Vandersteen has an ongoing problem with heat build up in the crossover which can damage crossover parts and degrade the sound. This occurs when the speakers are played at high sound levels for extended periods of time.
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