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Speaker advice for listening to Blues music

Hi, new to the forum, and hoping I can get some help finding the right speakers... I'm a Blues guitar player and have a dedicated music room for my guitars/amps. I usually spend time playing my guitars and recently decided to setup a decent system for listening to my Blues music. I first started with a Marantz integrated (PM8005) and some Kef R300, source is a Marantz ND8006 and I mostly play FLAC files from a NAS, but also started streaming from Spotify and now trying Tidal. This setup was great at first, very revealing, but found the R300 were not the right speakers for the kind of music I listen to, but they were great for some Jazz and did well with good recordings, which most of my Blues recordings weren't, specially live albums. I also found them to be a little boomy in that small room (12' X 12'), so I moved them to the living room instead and added a matching center, they're perfect there.

Next came the LS50, read so much about them I had to get a pair to try. Wow! I still can't believe what these small speakers can do, the details I hear, soundstage, imaging, it's all there. But, just like the R300, since they're so revealing they're horrible with my favorite Blues recordings. It's great to listen to excellent recordings and enjoy the music these speakers are making but I want to enjoy MY music, the Blues greats I've been listening to for over 30 years. If it sounds great in the car then I should be able to find the right gear to duplicate at home, right? On some good Blues recordings it sounds excellent, but most of my favorites aren't good recordings.

Since I only play my guitars through old Fender amps I figured I should replace the Marantz integrated with a tube amp, so next came the PrimaLuna integrated. I wanted to get a "warmer" sound and hope it'll fix the issues I was having with most crappy recordings... I want to hear BB's beautiful guitar tone and crank it up, without hurting my ears. Both Kefs were too fatiguing to listen to. And on most live recordings guitars sound way too thin and bright, not what I'm used to hearing. A good example is Albert King's Wednesday Night in San Francisco, that Flying V can be painful to listen to after a couple of minutes! Not so in the car or even just using headphones and my laptop. I understand that it's because the system is more revealing, but is it possible to have both, revealing and musical so that one can enjoy the music they love? The PrimaLuna did help and it's staying, I like what I'm hearing so far, and I get to play with tubes, something I enjoy doing already :)

Right now I'm breaking in some Wharfedale Denton 80th, I wanted to try something with a soft dome tweeter, something less fatiguing than the LS50. I'm at 70+ hours so far and they're sounding much better, not as fatiguing, but something is missing... I prefer the LS50's soundstage and details, but they're both not that great for electric guitar. The Dentons are more forgiving but I don't find them musical and they don't disappear like the LS50s do.

So what are my choices? Do I stick with bookshelf, try some floor standing? What about single driver speakers (Omega, Zu...)? Are those the answer to what I'm looking for? I need something more forgiving, musical, efficient so I can crank it up when I feel like playing along some times... I want the guitar to sound full and not thin and bright. It's a small room and not a lot of space due to my guitar gear. My budget is also limited, would like to keep it under $2k, I already have a hobby and don't want this to get out of control :)

Forgot to mention, I also have a Rel sub, so not too worried about the low end. Sorry for the long post and thanks for any help!
cedarblues
kahlenz's avatar
kahlenz
274 posts
 
One of the posters correctly pointed out that Maggies are not electrostatic.  They are actually planar magnetic, a different beast, but both planar magnetc and electrostatic speakers share certain characteristics such as high detail retrieval and directionality, which was the point I was trying to make.
My little Harbeths sound good no matter what is thrown at them, but if you are looking for wide open, pants flapping, visceral gasp inducing recreating of over-driven electric guitar, they may be a tad polite.  Get the horns and be done with it!
ddd1
261 posts
 
I would start with some DSP or aftermarket tone control if you want any poor recordings to sound better than they should.  That way it could be switched out as needed, instead of having the coloration built into the speakers.  
tomcarr
1,523 posts
 
The best speakers for listening to blues are the same speakers for listening to all genres of music. Vandersteen model 2s. From the late 70s to current day, they are very relaxing to listen to for hours. Holographic imaging because of 1st-order crossovers, all drivers wired in absolute polarity, time-and-phase correct from lowest notes to the highest. They are loved by so many music lovers because they do everything really well and play nicely with SS and tube gear. If you want a speaker that's the best in a niche category, look elsewhere. If you want to look forward to actually enjoying music, look no further.

Tom
cedarblues OP
32 posts
 
The Vandersteen might work, but their size is an issue in this room. There's a pair of 3a listed locally for a great price, but I'd have to move some stuff around to make it work. I would post a pic of the room but don't see how you can here.
tomcarr
1,523 posts
 
Might be worth the effort. My 2Cs sit 9" from front wall, 7' apart, and 3' from one side wall, 3.5' from other. The bass is much smoother when the rear-facing acoustic coupler "couples" with the front wall. My listening seat is 11 feet from plane of speakers. No toe-in. The 3s are a bigger version of the 2s. Call Johnny Rutan of Audioconnection in New Jersey for better guidance about placement of Vandersteens.

Tom
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