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Seeking advice on Speakers that create an intimate 2 channel listening experience

So the past month I started a couple of threads on speaker choice on AVS forum (One asked for Powered/Active floor standing Speaker choices and another one around non-active FS speakers for a tube amp I was looking at).

But I've come to realize this was the wrong tact, got lots of flack much deserved and wanted to try to solicit the advice/opinions on this forum which I just discovered.

Short background...Hunkered down in a suburb just outside NYC now for the past 3-4 months, I started to get the itch for a dedicated 2 channel stereo Turntable setup in our living room in May. After much research and twists and turns and immediate upgraditis, as some know on here from other posts, I've finally settled in and now own a Rega Planar 10 Turntable. I also own a Sutherland phono --20/20 with LPS and that's staying. Right now the phono preamp is hooked up direct to a pair of ELAC ARF51 floorstanding speakers (all drivers powered by built in AB amps) which I like a lot BUT ITS HERE THAT I WANT MORE. Btw, I love the ELAC design of mounting the tweeter concentric in the mid driver -- makes sense to me.  I kinda wish ELAC would take the same design and make a reference speaker but thats for another day.

So to swap out the ELACs, I will obviously need an amp, but I will figure that out later and want to focus on getting the right speakers for me for what I want. So what do I want?

1. Floorstanders. Close to full range as possible. No subs.
2. Looks count since in my main living room.
3. Speakers that prioritize Imaging Imaging Imaging. That disappear in the room creating an intimate but 3D listening experience. Clean (Accurate) warm sound. No distortion. I would easily sacrifice low end for untiring highs and warm mids I don't listen to metal or hiphop anymore so I don't need loudness, more like lounge experience if that makes sense. Apologize if I got the adjectives wrong but its personal description of what I'm seeking.
4. Price Point - -$10k-25k. Room is 22x18 with 25 foot ceiling

I would like to audition/demo before I buy and since I live in the Tri-State area it should be possible. But I'm finding that obviously difficult to do right now. I listened to a pair of Salk speakers but didn't love them. And have an appt with the Audio Doctor in NJ in two weeks.

Thanks in advance.
aj523
ghasley
2,487 posts
 
Maggies and panels in general fail big time if your 2nd point in your OP is still a condition. Best wishes with your demos. Stay focused on what is important to you, otherwise you will be distracted easily by all of the sincere, well meaning but off topic recommendations.
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,788 posts
 

1- Steve Guttenberg continually refers to Maggies---including the new LRS---as ribbon speakers. He’s been in the hi-fi biz all this time, and remains so ignorant? The LRS does NOT contain ribbon drivers, period! He doesn’t differentiate between magnetic-planar drivers (Magnepan, Eminent Technology, GR Research, etc.), electrostatic (Quad, SoundLabs, Sanders, some Martin Logans, etc.), ribbons (the tweeters in some Magnepans and that in the ET LFT-8b, the old full-range ribbon Apogees), and quasi-ribbons (some of the Magnepan drivers). Paul McGowen of PS Audio does the same in his "Ask Paul" videos. In one of them, Paul even states that ESL's have conductive wires on their Mylar! Duh.

2- Duke is of course absolutely correct about sealed and ported subs not being able to be satisfactorily mated with planar loudspeakers, for the reason he cited. This has been known for many years. For that same reason, a dipole sub is THE way to add subs to any and all planar loudspeakers. The one offered by Rythmik Audio in collaboration with GR Research is State-Of-The-Art. Open baffle, dipole, with the added benefit of the Rythmik Servo-Feedback system.

audiojan's avatar
audiojan
402 posts
 
With a smaller room Audio Physic Virgo III, for larger room Audio Physic Avanti II
mozartfan
2,143 posts
 
you can ck out my SEAS Thos speakers, go to YT type in SEAS Thor,, The cheap mic does no justice to the  solid musical bass line. 
Ona  scale of 1- 100, the Thors rate zero on fatigue level, = non existent. 

douglas_schroeder
3,281 posts
 
aj523, you’re welcome. It’s fun to help earnest persons who are itching to learn. Most people here are kind and have experiences to share.

There are a LOT of variables, as many are pointing out, including the important amp/speaker pairing. Do research on which amps work best with various genres of speakers. Look for compatibility and performance, and don’t presume that because someone likes a combination that 1. they have it anywhere near optimized, and 2. that you will like it.

Generally, my take on various speakers:
1. Dynamic: powerful, more compact and focused imaging, and potential boxy coloration (in some design VERY boxy colorations). Soundstage pretty well limited to he size of speaker and drivers. Variations include putting drivers on bottom, sides, back, etc. Amplification preferences vary from lower power and tube through higher power and SS.

2. Panel: "Wall of sound"; typically more diffuse and larger imaging, typically requires more robust amp to get better macrodynamics (i.e. more bass presence). Sensed by many to be "faster", however, I disagree, and state that they are simply different. There are ardent enthusiasts of both magnetic planar and electrostatic. Hybrid dynamic/panel speakers are available. Usually recommended to use higher power/current amps. Others use tube amps with lower power to get tone and large soundstage.

3. Horn, very easy to drive, so many use small Watt tube amps. Delicate and potentially extremely revealing, however some are sensitive to the compression driver/horn sound. Often is smallish sounding source compared to larger dynamic and panels. Can have terrific imaging. Can be in cabinet or Open Baffle. Hybrid horn/dynamic is often seen as a particular genre.

4. Line source, and quasi-line source: Big sound like a panel, with better dynamics. More convoluted in imaging than horn or dynamic, but with a fullness difficult for other genres to produce. Can be in cabinet or Open Baffle, or hybrid. Amplification can vary.

5. Open Baffle: Cleaner, i.e. no cabinet coloration, with a room filling back wave similar to panel. Can have larger full range driver with supplemental bass, which allows coherence of a horn with a bit more generous midrange. Can suffer from anemic bass if utilizing only 1 smaller full range driver, but various methods have been employed to address that. Often tube amps, sometimes very low Watt, are preferred. I usually enjoy higher power regardless of speaker.

6. Omni: Extremely diffuse sound, which I call the "Mushroom Cloud" soundstage. Not good imaging, but very enveloping and highly listenable without strain. May or may not have good low end. Amplification can vary.

There are variants and hybrids of all these genres. BTW, fans of all these types of speakers insist they are the most natural, accurate, beautiful sounding, the only "proper" performers, etc. They all have something to offer.


To the community; please, I’m well aware your descriptions may differ, some significantly, and that there are speakers of each genre that depart significantly from my description. My descriptions are quite generalized and if you want to discuss your favorite, feel free, but I’m not arguing my points. I have used all these types of speakers and this is my take on them from experience.
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