Are you open to buying used? Tubes? Will you be streaming music or do you need a transport? How loud do you typically play music? What other aspects of sound reproduction are most important to you besides non-fatiguing and forgiving of lesser recordings?
As Advised, Starting With Speakers First.
After licking my wounds and on the mend financially, I’m getting poised to rebuild. My wife and I are going to be doing a little touring around WA & OR last week of December and wondered what any of you Pacific Northwester’s thoughts were (yes you too Chuck being a local, but not thinking Tektons just yet) are on some of the local dealers around the area? There’s Tune Hi Fi, Hawthorne Stereo, Definitive Audio, Kitsap Audio and Gig Harbor Audio that all offer some interesting products. Also Reference Media in Bellingham. Any others, pros & cons, general advice, are all welcomed!
These establishments will not even graze all the speaker options out there, so if you have any other speaker recommendations, please let ’em fly. I know, there’s are a ton of threads on speakers, and I am trying to go and hear what I can with my own ears, but I would like to hear of peoples experiences where they order factory direct, which is fairly common these days, sight unseen/unheard and if they are getting/hearing what they want when purchasing blind. Or are you all spending a lot on return shipping?
The listening room at the new digs (ya, even sold the house too) measures 24’ x 15’ with a slightly vaulted ceiling and an L shaped opening to a small kitchen about halfway down. The two end walls that are 15’ wide both have doorways in them so speakers would be in the way. Probably best to have them on one of the long walls. One wall is solid for the first 2 feet then widows 5’ up from there the total length of the wall. The other side is solid, but my back would be to the view whilst listening. All hard surfaces.
Listen to just about every genre of music except Country & opera. Floor standers would be nice bypassing subs, but I’m open (maybe not the wife though, it’s a small house!) Had Martin Logan Spires in the past. Fun to listen to in the sweet spot but got fatiguing during long listening sessions and very unforgiving to poorer recordings. You get what you play.
Budget, well, I sold my previous entire $20K system for about half that so maybe in around $10-12K to replace amp, Dac, source and speakers inclusive.
Thanks
These establishments will not even graze all the speaker options out there, so if you have any other speaker recommendations, please let ’em fly. I know, there’s are a ton of threads on speakers, and I am trying to go and hear what I can with my own ears, but I would like to hear of peoples experiences where they order factory direct, which is fairly common these days, sight unseen/unheard and if they are getting/hearing what they want when purchasing blind. Or are you all spending a lot on return shipping?
The listening room at the new digs (ya, even sold the house too) measures 24’ x 15’ with a slightly vaulted ceiling and an L shaped opening to a small kitchen about halfway down. The two end walls that are 15’ wide both have doorways in them so speakers would be in the way. Probably best to have them on one of the long walls. One wall is solid for the first 2 feet then widows 5’ up from there the total length of the wall. The other side is solid, but my back would be to the view whilst listening. All hard surfaces.
Listen to just about every genre of music except Country & opera. Floor standers would be nice bypassing subs, but I’m open (maybe not the wife though, it’s a small house!) Had Martin Logan Spires in the past. Fun to listen to in the sweet spot but got fatiguing during long listening sessions and very unforgiving to poorer recordings. You get what you play.
Budget, well, I sold my previous entire $20K system for about half that so maybe in around $10-12K to replace amp, Dac, source and speakers inclusive.
Thanks
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Is this post from now? 2020? I’m kind of amazed with the comfort folks are expressing here about visiting shops or people’s homes. Given the rates of Covid here in Colorado, I would not spend any time in a store or stranger's closed room during cold weather. Aerosols hang in the air for a long time, so even if you’re in the room alone... In my estimation of risk, a quick dash to the supermarket for food or a pharmacy for meds, but for audio equipment? Not on the same level for me. |
being on a budget you do need to get it right so why not seriously consider dsp active speakers. You won’t have to worry about component matching, the dac should be part of the system, and the amps are already paired and did I mention the bass will walk all over most passive systems. I have 2nd hand meridian, but there’s more options that sound every bit as good and cost much less. |
soix - lightly used works. Tubes? Linear Tube Audio peaks my interest. As far as aspects of sound rep, I would like to fill the room more, less head in the vice, pin-point listening. Although this new place is kinda small, (narrow and long) as I think I have decided to place the speakers on the short, 15’ wide (keep the door open?) jjss49 - Excellent info, thank you. Nice to know from someone who actually owns Spatials’. In my trip south it seems like I can cover most bases you mentioned like Harbeths’ and Tritons’ but not Butchardts’. patrickdowns - it’s funny you mention Advanced. I was looking through my old emails and I was going to see Bob around the same time last year but my wife feel ill and we had to cancel. When I Google searched audio shops in the area yesterday only Definitive Audio showed up, so I’m thinking Definitive bought Advanced out? I have sent an email to Bob about setting up another appointment but haven’t heard back yet. Thanks again for rattling my cage on this one! hilde45 - Music is my meds, so it’s just a quick dash out to the store or 2. Not going for ribs or fish steaks. Hence my question about ordering unheard equipment, which I once had a terrible experience with! Wash your hands, cover your face keep your distance, sanitize surfaces. I’ll be as careful as I can...Thanks Someone mentioned source, yes digital only for now. When I was younger, I had thousands of records and a very sweet TT set-up. Lots of fun and sounded great, but like muscle cars, very expensive and time consuming so I sorta got that out of my system (no pun intended) Hawthorne Stereo seems to have a good selection of Spendors’ and Larsons’ which were talked a lot about in another, recent thread here. For that "Up again the wall" cure (maybe screw the door shut!) Active speakers have piqued my interest lately with some having on-board room correction, possibly taking the room out of the equation. Seems active speakers are a little harder to source out to demo though. |
- 59 posts total