Speaker Recommendations for Soundstage and Imaging

Have to agree with Fsonicsmith, in many cases adding a sub doesn't improve the performance of the system - though it may give you more bottom end sound.

It is very difficult to successfully combine/integrate a sub with many speakers, there is a lot more to it than just adding a completely seperated octave or 3.

There are a lot of bad subs on the market for true high performance two channel listening, though there are a ton for HT performance (that suck in 2-channel).

Integrating a sub to a pair of speakers is extremely difficult and the comment that just putting a sub in a pre-determined "dead" space conveys the lack of understanding of what it takes to properly implement subs.

I say this from experience owning several different subs and brands (REL, B&W, Velo, Wilson, Totem, etc. . .) and many different speakers (Wilson 3 models, VonS, Totem 3 models, Thiel, MLogan 2 models, B&W 3 models . . .).

While I am not saying subs are a bad idea, I am saying that they are not and should not be an automatic. When they are used, expect to pay easily the price the OP has listed for his pair of speakers and plan to spend many hard listening days, lots of moving the sub, lots of adjustment to gets things to be as good as possible/right.

mbl done right may be the best. OHM can challenge perhaps for much lower cost.

Mapman is right on...mbl has the absolute best imaging and soundstage I've ever heard. I run the Mirage OMD-28, which has amazing soundstage, but does not have the lazer focus you desire.

For your needs, check out the Gallo Reference Stradas. They are in your range, offer tremendous soundstage and imaging, no crossover so phase coherent, and sound best when within a foot of the wall. Might be a good fit, and 6moons has a good review of them. I'm listening to my Adivas in the office at the moment, and they are amazing speakers. I'm going with the Stradas for my winter system.

They definitely need a sub. :-)
Mot

MBL and other omnidirectional speakers can present huge sound stages. I have spent a fair amount of time with the mbl and would agree completely with mapman's comments as to the overall stage size.

It should be noted though that this is definately a different type of sound stage than most are accustomed to. With this huge and encompassing stage, my experience is that the focus is handled in a much different sense.

So it is an issue of do you want a huge encompassing stage (very appealing) at the expense of focus (ie. seeing/hearing a hard physical location of a specific performer clearly delineated in space). This of course is a personal preference. I love the sound of mbls, but miss the focus of other "good imaging" speakers that present a possibly less enveloping stage but give better (more precise) focus of the individual elements. I am not familiar with the Ohms!

Some would say and I partially agree that when properly set up, the Logans give you a good combination of stage and focus (I have owned logans and agree to some point with this).

I find Wilsons give you a pretty good total overall stage envelopment and very good focus. I know a lot of people claim to not like Wilsons and this is not a straight out plug for them, just a general comment on soundstaging, imaging, focus, etc. . .

The focus of the mbl 111s I heard was exceptional I thought within a wide and deep soundstage. The deep soundstage was at least partly due to the room these were set up in which had a good 12-15 feet of space behind them. With the large ensemble classical pieces I heard (especially sourced from RTR master tape), the individual players were for the most part clearly located within the 3D soundstage much as if they were compressed into that space in front of me.

I've also heard the same mbl 111s set up at a show in a good sized room but with only 5 feet or so of space behind them. The results were still good but more back with the pack in comparison to other very good imaging speakers I have heard.

So, if you have the right room at least, the mbls are absolute top notch imagers in my opinion. Then again, other speakers may also do very well when set up in a manner where they have similarly plentiful room to breathe.