2. speakers
  3. 124761-80682

Great bookshelf or small towers suggestions

I'm looking to upgrade my main speakers for home theater/music setup.

Currently have Sound Dynamic 300 ti's that are about 16 years old. I have a Marantz 5009 AV receiver and some Orbs for side and back channels. I have a sound dynamic center speaker too. The room is 11x15 with a fairly low 7' ceiling. I want to replace the LR main and Center speakers.  Budget < $5K.

floorplan:  http://tinyurl.com/zd68dqf

Soundwise I am after improved brightness and up front treble and mids. I am not the biggest bass nut - a) I have downstairs neighbors and b) I've played drums for 40 years and have heard it all. I hate being bounced out of my seat every time stuff explodes and mainly want to hear dialog better for TV and clearer more sparkly acoustic pianos and spangalang of cymbals like they're in the room with me.

So far from what I've heard in stores, I liked the Magnepan .7's a lot. But they just won't fit the space. Too wide and didn't pass WAF. I listened to a few other speakers - mid level B&W's, Golden ear, martin logan, and so far little compared to the magnepans except maybe the BW 805D3's - which are way over my budget. I thought about looking for used 805d2's. I did like a pair of Focal 714's and could probably live with them. But this is the last pair of speakers I ever want to buy. So I keep coming back to thinking about the new 805's or something close.

I've been interested in a lot of the factory direct speakers like the Sierra Tower & 2's but it bothers me to buy speakers I can't hear first.

Any advice appreciated.

Thx!
wolfernyc
wolfernyc OP
41 posts
 
Thanks! I get what you’re saying. I have an NAD 516 CD player and a Rega 2 turntable with an NAD preamp.

I’ve enjoyed the 300’s for many years. They’re spiked and do sound good. They seem to be in perfect shape and I’m the only owner. And I found a center that matches them on ebay last year.

Maybe I’m just tired of them, but what I notice is listening in direct mode stereo 2 channel just isn’t as satisfying as when I turn on the surround speakers and use various music modes. And what becomes glaringly obvious is that these little spherical Orbs and Gallos that I have for sides and rears add more mids and highs and music just sounds better.  (but not great)

On top of that just using it all in media mode when watching TV, the center and fronts just don’t have much sparkle and pop and I find myself cranking the volume so we can understand the dialog. It gets super annoying.

I’ve thought about just upgrading the center, but I think the mains do leave a bit to be desired too.

I’ve toyed with every setting on the receiver and at this point no longer use audissey and have just a few tweaks for dialog and set the speaker levels by ear. I really wish there was a better EQ in the receiver - maybe for each speaker. I’ve tried using the EQ but it gets disabled when you use various other features.

I thought about replacing the marantz but I really don’t want to go crazy with expensive separate components. I’m not a huge fan of messing with equipment. I’m kind of a set and forget guy. And I just wouldn’t know where to start.

-Bill




dekay's avatar
dekay
5,716 posts
 
Replacing a $600/pr of (albeit highly regarded) speakers with a <$5K budget does not make a great deal of sense to me (especially for such a small listening room with the other components you mention).

If they are still available you might look into the Gallo 2 speakers being closed out, here @  A’gon, for gobs off the original MSRP.

You would need higher (24”, or so) stands for the speakers, but as they are being closed out for <$400/pr the additional expense is a drop in the bucket considering your stated budget.

I’m kicking myself for not picking up a pair, when they were still available in a natural wood finish (last time I looked @ the ad only Black was offered).

Not trying to be mean, just trying to offer a more realistic solution.

Have not listened to the Gllo 2, but have heard the much more expensive Gallo Stratus speaker (which they are compared to in a 6 Moons review), and I liked the original Stratus. 
gsm18439
895 posts
 
There are a pair of Celestion SL-700s for sale that are worthy of consideration. You could use the rest of your budget to upgrade electronics.
lp2cd
101 posts
 
If I was in the market for a diminutive floor-standing speaker, I would, almost without question, order a pair of PSI Audio A215-Ms. You’ve no doubt never heard of them. They are very high-end professional studio mastering monitors made in Switzerland by an offshoot of Revox, no less. They aren’t fancy (but should have a good WAF), and they may seem rather expensive @ $3150 apiece, but they’re an "active" speaker, meaning the amp is built into the speaker. Thus, not only do you not need a separate amp, the amp is designed specifically for that speaker, and each speaker simply has an XLR and an IEC power cord input.

OK, but how do they sound? I don’t directly know. BUT, I use a pair of PSI A-21s in my mastering studio, and they are stunningly open, precise, detailed and yet VERY listenable. Frequency response is essentially flat throughout their range. By almost all accounts, that is true of the entire PSI line. If it’s clarity, sparkly and "spangalang" cymbals you’re listening for, I’m certain you couldn’t do better for the money. You can find several reviews on-line, but I would pay the most attention to the comments on Gearslutz. Those folks are pros.

I can recommend this dealer; there are also rumors of one in NYC.
http://www.zenproaudio.com/psi-audio-a215-m
willgolf
941 posts
 
Check out Tekton Pendragon for half of your budget and a huge sound

More to discover