Are my ears just fooling me?

Elizabeth-- what do you think of Klipsch Cornwalls. Do they fall in that category? I have a opportunity to buy some locally for 700.

Like I said I am coming from Merlin VSM's and I am worried about getting a speaker that is going to sound like the trash can compared to them!

List of gear that I have owned in my listening room. (I have recently moved, and the sound in the new room is a little better, but both rooms I feel are fairly decent that thats not the problem.)

Yet again I think its my taste, in the sense I want body to be the strong point in the system. I have gotten great sound using most of these components. The MV-52 is probably one of my favorites so far.

Old room: 15x13 feet New room: 13x20 feet

Plinius 9100
Plinius SA100
Conrad Johnson CAV-50
Conrad Johnson MV-52
Classe CAP 151
Conrad Johnson PV-5
audio research ph3
Bel canto dac 3
music hall dac
VPI scout with benz ace
otari mx5050

Totem model ones
totem forests
merlin vsm-m with bam

So does anyone think that its just smaller speakers are not to my liking? Would a bigger speaker add the body that I am after?

Thanks

Try the Sheffield Labs drum track recording - close your eyes and listen. If that sounds like somebody playing on a drum set with you in the room then stop worrying.

The biggest difference between live music and live instruments is dynamics and high SPL. If you don't have big enough speakers and enough power then NOTHING you do will ever come close to sounding like a real instrument. It will simply sound either thin and lacking body or, alternatively, overly distorted when you try to crank it. Loud, dynamic and above all CLEAN sound is what real instruments do so very very well.

How picky are you? First what is your idea of a sax... Yamahas sound way different than old Selmers..for that matter new Selmers sound way different than old Selmers. Silver instruments sound different than brass.... different mouthpieces make each of these instruments sound different again. Have you only heard reproduced sax sound ...knowing that even at live events, saxes are sound reinforced... All this being said, what is your opinion of what a sax sounds lik?

Macd,

Well, you might want to look into a pair of....."gulp"
(I can't believe I'm gonna say it but) a pair of
Cerwin Vega XLS 215's. I have a pair coming to try for the
hell of it, but think they may be something special. And, it's one of those "big block motor" things that may get you
where you need to go!?!?