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Which monitors for my tube system in a large room?

Hi guys,

I was completely happy with my system---Devore Nines, Leben CS300XS---when I got blindsided by a new apartment and a new baby. Between those two life-changing factors, my space and time to listen to the system have shrunk. In this apartment the rig has to live in the living/dining room, which means the Nines are suddenly Too Big---not purely WAF, I also concede that they are looming weirdly over my shoulder when I'm eating dinner a few feet away.

Luckily, I can keep them---I will move them across town to the studio where I work, which from now on will be my serious private listening space, and where I'll build a new system around them (the fun silver lining.)

At home I don't want to give up having a serious setup, even if it will have to be used more for background-listening. My plan is to keep the Leben, which I love, and get some bookshelf speakers with stands, which won't be as imposing as the Nines. Obviously there will be a sacrifice in bass and so on, but maybe I'll have fun and discover the joys of smaller monitors!

They will need to work well with the 15w Leben, and the ability to play well from corners is a plus. They will be positioned on the short wall of an 18x21' room with 8' ceilings. I won't be listening very loud in the home setup, and at least for a few years probably won't be up late doing serious solo listening. I just want musicality and listenability.

To that end, been thinking about small models from Omega, Spendor, Coincident, Proac, Usher. I live in NYC and can demo some of these, others not.

Any advice?

Thanks so much in advance for your ruminations!
price
jdoris
972 posts
 
Gallo ref 3.5s are surprisingly small, and very good (I'd prefer them to the Nines), but they might require changing amps. I'm guessing they are pretty placement flexible, too. Exposed drivers might be issue with kids, but they'd still be unobtrusive with the "grills".

John
iasi
115 posts
 
i would try Lawrence Acoustic Mandolins....I have a pair of Violins (their bigger monitor) and I can't be happier...i can gurantee that you'd love them...and your wife would like the speakers' look...
price OP
31 posts
 
Thanks everyone for your responses so far. Lots to think about, and research, and hopefully listen to. Dover, the Tannoys would be amazing but a bit tall for what I am looking into. The Rega R5 looks interesting, and I believe I can check it out here in NYC at In Living Stereo. Same for Dynaudio. JDoris, thanks for the Gallos---considered those but my wife hates the look; I've settled on looking for fairly plain box enclosures. Still curious about Omega and about the Audio Note E line (good for corners, quite compact).
jdoris
972 posts
 
I definitely hear you about the Gallo's, Price. They look a lot better black on black, but still . . . . John
tjnindc
91 posts
 
I recently went on a hunt for speakers for my room. I started with the Leben that you have. I ended up with two very different sets (kind of a long story how that happened). I got the Audio Note AN-K's and the Quad 22L2s. I listened to the AN-Es as well (they were a little out of my price range). The AN speakers have a beautiful, very musical sound. I did miss the bass with the smaller K's--and, I never felt like they rocked. I wish I had ponied up for the J's. I think that there is a generous AN trade in program. The Quad's (I have only had them a week) might be one of the underrated gems in the audio world. They can be had for around $1000 and are amazing for the money. They do just about everything well. They are not quite as musical as the Audio Notes, but I'm not sure much out there is. I had the Zu Soul Superfly's before (like I said, long story). They match well to the Leben but are a little more finicky in their set up.
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