A litlle help for choice of speakers up to €5500 (used or new)


Hi folks. 

In advance I need to say that I am truly gratfull to be among you and learn with you all about this most passionate area of audio/hi fi. 

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Now, what brings me here today is a request for your help in an area so important to me. The purchase of loudspeakers. Perhaps the most important element of a system. And at this point I feel a little lost before the many choices and options available (nationally and internationally, new or used).

Having this budget available, I would like your precious help in choosing speakers within those values above.

The ideal objective would be to reconcile two worlds to which I very much identify myself in audio ...

I love a good mid range but also feel intrinsically need to have good bass that make me feel like "completely filling the room" (correctly, of course) with a full bodied sound.

I'm not referring to the bass of "impress your friends", but deep bass, dark, correct on the timbre and tonally that permits you to connect fully with the music.

The listening room is of an average apartment, by European standards. It has 35m2 and with good acoustics.

Previously (giving a bit of my experience to better situate the intended objective) I had some portuguese handmade speakers, skillfully built with many units and sealed box, that gave me years of pleasure with very good high and low frequencies. But I needed a little more presence in the mid-range and so I decided to change radically... 

I ended up buying from a friend the Harbeth Super HL5 loudspeaker, which I knew well as a regular at his home. From all my audio experience were the loudspeakers that sounded better at this level of the midrange. I've never heard voices so naturally and realistically. But not only. The whole mid range is fabulous.  

But nevertheless, ... I missed the bass I had previously with its predecessors. They were tonally correct basses that made me thrill more about music (I'm lucky that the setup room does not accuse the bass very much. So I can choose speakers with a significant bass). Both things are quite important to me. 

Now, the goal would be to get and reconcile both things, of course. Among all the other normal features we all look for in very good loudspeakers.

An important detail is also the need to choose a model / brand / topology that allows me to have the freedom to play loud but also to play a low levels of sound. Not all speakers allow minimum quality at low / medium volumes.

As a result, I sold the current Harbeth Super HL5 and am a buyer of something I'm not sure what ... so many models, brands and topologies.

I can buy new or used and even internationally if necessary (in Portugal post-crisis, many of the good audio stores have fallen and some others do not give the necessary support).

As amplification, I have an integrated tube amplifier. It's a JJ828 from JJ Electronics. A Push Pull with 75wt channel-separated current transformers with 8 KT88 Genelec Gold Lion tubes.

I had previously a Lavardin IT that many hours (years) of pleasure gave me, but after knowing and testing this model of JJ, I was taken with its quality and conquered me to the point of having replaced Lavardin IT.

Not relevant I think, but as sources, I have a Primare CD31 CD player, a Portuguese hand-held turntable manufactured by artisan Rui Borges (Rui Borges UNO MKII) and a M2Tech Young DAC for hi res files.

The phono units are more than one, depending on the type of music I want to hear.

Sorry for the long text, just wanted to leave you everything you need for a better help.

Once more and in advance, thankyou for all.

Miguel



lcarpediem
Try to demo some ProAcs.  They have also have a great midrange, but portray a little more excitement top and bottom than Harbeths.  They're good at various listening levels and known to pair well with tubes.  It looks like they do have a dealer/distributor in Porto and Lisboa.

https://www.imacustica.pt/pt/marcas/proac/
Thankyou all once more.

David - It is true. You are quite right and I understand what you mean. But believe me it was a decision made in conscience and not a rush of change just to change. And as you say, it was not an easy thing to do, but after weighing everything that connects me to music and its reproduction in the best way (better way for me, of course), concludes that I had to launch myself in this project with a view to a change - within that budget - that brings me the musical components that I need to put together in a loudspeaker.

Of all that will not be easy and I know that, each one of you will have an own self opinion and different from each of the others of you, but believe me, all your opinions are for me relevant and of great value. To which I thank you deeply.

Despite a certain normal anxiety in these things (I already recognize this feeling when I am to complete / acquire any important element of audio setup - especially when it comes to something difficult to choose, as is the case, such as the importance of the loudspeakers), I always try to take all this with some pleasure, trying to enjoy the journey and not just the end itself. Otherwise we end up accusing this anxiety too much and affect our choices at the end of the day.


Marktomaras -  Wilson Audio Sophia series 2 would be great I think (I dont know their specs/caracteristics, as sensitivity etc., but certainly would be something above my best expectations), but I dont think I can get some in that target price. It would be great, I have heard very well about them and read very good things (some time ago), they would certainly be dream speakers for me.

But I think it wouldnt be something easy, especially in Portugal, where prices may be more expensive than abroad. But I will follow your advise and contact that store and asks if they have something like that (I repeat, still dont know their specs, hope they have a minimal sensitivity 89/90 or above, dispite my integrated tube amp has 70wt). If you get to know some of them on sail in Europe tell me please. I saw the link you put on, and they are beautiful speakers, but they are from far away from me and would had to pay aditional taxes I supose. But as I said, if you or someone sees one of them in europe, please tell me. 

Knownothing - thankyou 

Gnostalgik - I've heard of ProAc for a long time, in its reputation for getting along with tube amps. But I've only known a few entry-level models. I could not form an opinion on them accurately.

With this my available budget, the ideal would be to find something of superior price, but being second-hand that fit the budget. Or buy new but more modest level.
Do you have any / some models that you recommend?

Greetings to all and thankyou for your help


As a side note I feel I need to warn that the websites you mentioned plus many other European marketplaces are full of scammers who put up stolen pictures of someones equipment, list these and fish for easy money.
I`ve seen my own listing pictures there many times. Some examples from my quick search for "killer deals" :))

http://www.annunci.net/brescia/audio-tv-video/focal-jm-lab-diablo-utopia-iii-reference-loudspeakers-...

https://www.quoka.de/hifi-audio-tv-video-foto/boxen-lautsprecher-kopfhoerer/c7265a192342137/focal-so...

https://www.kalaydo.de/kleinanzeigen/stereoboxen/paradigm+persona+3f/a/a01a4f8b/

Many are with right prices also so I suggest to be extremely cautious if you don`t live near by!
Plutos, wow, that would be horrible of course!  

The one link that advertised the Sophia 2's on a site in the UK for 5,500 GBP (6200 EUR) looks potentially very good.  The seller is in France, which is a reasonable road trip from Portugal if the deal will set you up with your dream speakers.  When I bought my Sophia 2's used, I drove pretty far to get them as well, and it was a very exciting trip.  Great to be able to see the product in person before actually paying and taking ownership.

https://www.adpost.com/uk/audio_video_electronics/18683/