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Speaker upgrade for classical music

Hi, I need recommendations for a speaker upgrade. I’m a classical violinist and listen almost exclusively to classical, opera and jazz. No movies, Atmos, etc.  I have a 17x14 listening room (doubles as practice room) with acoustical treatments (phase coherent diffusers at main reflection points and regular ones elsewhere).
Half my listening is in stereo and half in multi-channel (4.0 and 5.1).   All my recordings are either CDs or high-res—DSD and FLAC—audio files. I don’t have a turntable. 

My current system: Marantz SR 8012 amp, Yamaha S1000 CD transport, Exasound e38 DAC and Sigma streamer (connected to the Marantz with analog 5.0 inputs). Speakers: Polk Rti A7 stereo, CSi A6 center, Rti A3 surround, and dual REL T/7i subs. 
What I want: speakers with improved musical detail and clarity that really reproduces the expansiveness of the symphony hall or church. I like a warmer sound than a drier one.  What’s most important to me is to hear what the recording engineer heard. Budget: say 8k or less.

Recommendations?  One other thing: Can I try them out?  And how?  I’m in Santa Fe, not a huge metropolis with lots of audiophile shops. 
Thanks very much. 
ssmaudio
elliottbnewcombjr
5,899 posts
 
General, not specific recommendation.

1, Make high efficiency, sensitivity 90 db or above a strong factor, will keep the power needs/cost down for any future amp.

2. Efficient speakers then keep you in the more affordable power range of 25-30-35 wpc tube amps, less money, less heat, less weight, less location restrictions.

3. Consider two systems, tube amp for 2 channel listening; 5.1 amp for surround listening.

I used to compare/demo 3 systems for myself and friends: mono tubes; tube receiver; SS.

I put a permanent 4 foot run from my speakers to female banana that I can lift and reach standing up, then drop down behind the speakers. Select from 3 color coded speaker wires.

Nice WBT connectors.

http://www.wbtusa.com/pages/products.html

Of course purists don’t like extra anything in a signal path, but I don’t believe in being limited by imperatives when I cannot hear differences.


wolf_garcia
6,787 posts
 
"Music Style Specific" speakers should be avoided, or at least the idea of such should be ignored as ANY good speaker will reproduce whatever you put into it regardless of music genre. Great for classical will be great for Death Metal, Jazz, or Mumblecore (although I'm not sure what that is). The key things are range, coherency, and efficiency. I've heard some amazingly dynamic sound come out of a pair of LS3/5a little speakers, and some delicate stuff from gigantic horns...
middlemass
945 posts
 
Sanders Model 10e.
edcyn
1,876 posts
 
I'll get heat for this, I know, but this fellow fiddler gets a kick out of the tone gotten from his Nola Boxers.  They certainly don't deliver true under-the-ear intensity, but that's actually a blessing.  It's more of a three-to ten feet away sensibility.
schubert
7,386 posts
 
I have thousands of records and CD ’s of Classical Music and have
been to over 2,000 live concerts mostly of the great German Orchestras in Berlin and Leipzig, home of Bach . The rest mostly the Minnesota Or.and the St Paul CO . both world class or very close to it .
It is not true that a good speaker will play anything . MANY are voiced for rock as that is by far the greatest market.
A pro Classical string artist needs above all TONE . Followed by dynamics .

The most reliable brands for that I have owned and heard are Totem out of Montreal , and Spendor out of England , which makes it cost more.I would call Totem , they will talk to and tell you what they have is best for
you with you room etc and they are honest with good service . The two Totems I  own are far better that the2 Polk’s I have owned and ditto for maggies. If you get what they sell at over 20K .........


P.S . Effiicenty and Tone seldom go together .

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