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Help me narrow down some speaker choices

Had the opportunity to listen to a bunch of well-known brands with my XA30.5 and DirectStream dac/pre and at the end of the day, left even more confused of what direction I wanted to go. I tried:

Totem Sky - Great air and high extension, fun, slightly forward from neutral, but too boomy and midrange wasn't working for me.
Focal Sopra 1 - The BE tweeter was making my ears bleed.
Opera Seconda - Great impact, dug deep, beautiful construction but on the opposite end of the focal, way too warm and congested (relatively speaking). It was definitely a fun speaker that wouldn't offend anyone but left me looking for more clarity and air.
Reference 3A MM deCapo - Really enjoyed these overall in the 2 hours I listened at someone's home but the BE tweeter again was wearing on me in the long run. Acoustic guitar and Gregory Porter's voice sounded absolutely stunning though.
ATC SCM40 - Great extension on either end, very accurate, guitar and voices sounded very real, in the room type of feel, not hifi. Lacked impact and wish it was a little more forward, otherwise very enjoyable and one of my top choices. I think my amp might be part of the limiting factor here.
Verity Audio Finn - Didn't sound coherent at all, top end was very overpowering. Each component was working fine but seemed like I was hearing each individual one rather than a blend, was very unusual.
Harbeth SHL5+ - Wrapped me in music, nice and cozy. Laid back speaker, female vocals sounded great but male voices didn't have the grunt I was hoping for. They left me a little snoozy and wooley sounding (but not signficantly so).

Looking back, I'd like the high-end extension and instrumental texture of a deCapo BE but a notch-back of the sizzle, with a more forward sounding SCM40 that can generate some impact. 

I'm looking at all sorts of options at this point and wondering where to go. Looking at internet direct options as well from PranaFidelity Bhava, Tyler Acoustics Linbrook Sig Floorstander, Salk Sound Song3, Tekton (would have to be the Lore References, I can't stand the sight of the tweeter bug-eye array no matter how they sound. Wife wouldn't let them in the door either).
msommers
bondmanp
1,816 posts
 
msommers - No, I have been enjoying my much less expensive Ohm Walsh 2000s (each with their own Vandersteen 2Wq subwoofer) since late 2009.  But I have heard the GP HRS-130, and the GP are my dream speaker.  They take the Walsh omni concept and realize it more fully than any speaker I am aware of.  And they sound exquisite. 
david_ten
5,480 posts
 
@bondmanp   Nice to see a mention in favor of German Pysiks. 
roseofsa's avatar
roseofsa
51 posts
 
Reference 3a...all the way.
msommers OP
51 posts
 
@ rsgottlieb I have a Monitor Audio dealer here and I think they have some PL series stuff in-store so I should check them out! Aerial looks pretty interesting as well, I'll have to check if a demo is at all possible.

@reubent @grinnell Good option! The older 3A don't come up often so that is a difficulty but maybe 3A has some old ones kicking around as well...They just did vocals and acoustic guitar SO well, I was really floored a few times and made a serious impression on me.

@audiotroy Thanks Dave! I'll try to track down a Legacy dealer and see what I can do as that certainly seems up my alley!

@mofojo Congrats on the new speakers! The RAAL is really interesting but also very hard to audition. Glad you're liking them!

@soix I think I'd at minimum want something like the Pulsar or Perspective from JA which are unfortunately beyond my means.

@bondmanp I have never listened to a speaker with this design! Very interesting. How would you design their sonic signature in comparison to other speakers you've listened to?
bondmanp
1,816 posts
 
msommers:  The German Physiks, to my ears (YMMV) do just about everything right.  They place sound in the room, with a wide, tall and deep soundstage.  Yet, the music seems properly scaled, pianos sound like normal-sized pianos, not miniature pianos or 30 foot long pianos.  The speakers completely dissappear as a sound source.  To me, transients are just right, not in your face, but present enough to make the music sound real and palpable.  They offer plenty of detail, but in a way that does not induce fatigue.  The highs are detailed but smooth, and, perhaps, shelved down just a bit from the midrange.  I like that, others may not.  But in no way does listening to these speakers make me feel like I am missing out on any musical information.  The texture of vocals and instruments strikes me as extremely realistic.  The bass is very good, but I would still want subwoofers with the HRS-130, as I would with almost any speaker, full range or not.  But what you don't get with these omnis is a sense of listening to a bunch of drivers in a pair of boxes.  The music just floats beautifully in the room, from wall to wall and from floor to ceiling.  I think the two main reasons for this, other than the bending wave technology used by the DDD driver, are the lack of a baffle, and the lack of any crossover in the midrange or treble.
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