Replacements for Dynaudio Floorstanders

Yeah. Looking to keep the Krell integrated and the DAC. I don't like the tube sound...period. Listened to a bunch of them and just don't find it appealing. Warmer speakers is what I'm looking for. I'd even be willing to sacrifice a little bit of the Dyns resolution for a full range box, hence the 802s or Mirages.

Since I've heard the Nautilus line, I'm basically looking for other suggestions, or if anyone can give me a clue on whether OMD-28s would be a downgrade in terms of resolution and soundstage. Thanks for the suggestions!

"I don't like the tube sound...period. Listened to a bunch of them and just don't find it appealing. "

Wondering which ones?

I am with you. Tube sound does not appeal to me. However, the sp16 ARC I use does not sound "tubey". More like what you say you seek with the Dynaudios. I think pretty neutral.

There are probably similar sounding SS pre-amps out there as well if tubes are a total no no.

My Dynaudios also have a nice warmth with excellent detail even off the vintage 20 wat/ch Yamaha receiver in my second system (used with a sub to offload the low end).

The Yamaha is not a warm sounding unit by nature. I attribute the proper warmth aspect mostly to the Dyns.

When I use my Triangle monitors there in place of the Dyns the sound is similar except with no real noticeable warmth. Very neutral, detailed, and pleasing still. just not warm sounding.

You haven't given any information about your room setup. Warmth can be strongly influenced by speaker/listener distance to walls, speaker toe-in and the amount of "soft" furnishings in the room. Also, don't know about your cables or electric filtering.

If playing with the above does not make it better, then my advice before changing any equipment is to experiment with your playback software. Not sure what computer platform you're using, but get playback software that has a reasonable quality equalizer plug-in and experiment with different settings of tonal sculpting. This will allow you to really ascertain exactly what areas need to be tamed or enhanced.

BTW, of the components you've listed it's the Benchmark that has consistently been labeled as not having warmth.

Well, to be honest, I pretty much agree with the others that you should consider swapping out the Krell for something a little less, well, Krellish. (Krell is very resolving, and sounds very much like solid state. Very well done solid state, but solid state nonetheless.) If you really don't want tubes, and really want to stick with solid state, I recommend trying the Ayre integrated amp. Ayre's house sound while not tubey, is less solid state sounding than the Krell is. (However, to get Ayre to sound its best, you'll need to run balanced cables.)

And if you insist on merely upgrading your speakers, I recommend the Sonus Faber Cremona. It is pretty much full range, and definitely is very musical, although it does give up a bit of resolution when compared to the Dynaudio line of speakers. You'll need to stretch your budget a bit, but not much more. (I found a pair here on Audiogon that is close to your budget, and maybe you can bargain them down a bit.)

Sonus Faber Cremonas for sale here on Audiogon

Good Luck in your search.

Swap out the Krell with a Rowland integrated (Concerto 2), then sit back and enjoy!