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Full circle and thinking about speakers

This all started a couple of months ago by buying a pair of old B&W DM305 speakers and i'm completely new to all of this..
Then a  Rogue Cronus, Nottingham TT w/ a Lyra Cart. Waiting for an EAR phono stage to arrive Monday.
On the digital side - a Pro-ject streamer and Schitt DAC (place holder but it all sounds very decent).
So now I'm back to the speakers, cables and interconnects. I would like something at a level with the other gear - not that the B&W's are bad, they just aren't great.
What I like about the B&W's: clear detailed and focused.
What I don't like: At times the highs are glaringly high and when I expect there to be gobs of bass, there just isn't any to speak of. Jazz trios and quartets sound pretty awesome.  Rock not as good.
Condo life, which means my listening level is on the low side. Wall moving bass is probably not what I am looking for.
Listening space: The room is 14' x 25' and I haven't settled on which direction to arrange speakers. Currently they are projecting across the 14' width. That may very well change.
Any recommendations of where to start the search are highly welcomed. Speaker types, specs etc...as I know very little.
Let's say under 2K and used is fine if it gets me to a higher level.
Thanks  all
smaarch1
inna
7,296 posts
 
ProAc Response 2.5 will probably be a little over $2k but should not be much over.
inna
7,296 posts
 
I would like to hear how you like your EAR phono stage. I also play Nottingham but with Goldring 1042 MM and Acoustech SS phono stage.
I think about upgrading to some tube phono. Lyra Delos is an excellent match with Nottingham, I heard.
mikeydred
40 posts
 
"Especially in your price range where Eric Alexander (of Tekton) has that market nailed down. "......... now that is some funny stuff......and not even for the statement’s absurdity but rather how transparent and, almost, strident the Tekton "shilling" is....and then the Miller guy gets angry and hurls insults when someone tries to keep it real and offer some genuine speaker advice for the questioner......sheesh....
mwinkc
368 posts
 
You would definitely want a subwoofer with any remotely affordable Magnepan. The LRS, LRS, being the smallest is no exception.
Maggies are great speakers. I’m on my 3rd set. In any price range thet are stand-outs.
But... you’ll need a good high-current amp and lots of space. They want to be 3-5 feet from the wall and they can be very tricky to get positioned correctly.
If you have the room, the watts & amps and the patience, they’ll reward you.
They are very "fast", accurate and musical so don’t pair them with some slow, boomy subwoofer. Get a fast, accurate sub, like a REL.
The LRS comes with the cheapest, worst stands. If you look at all Magnepans above the LRS, you’ll notice that they all stand upright...not tilted back 15° like the LRS. There’s a reason for that. There are a few companies that make excellent after-market stands that will hold the LRS closer to vertical. "MyStands" is one such manufacturer.
I downsized and have a room that is technically too small for my Magnepan 1.7’s. With some room treatments they still sound incredible and are making it very difficult to get smaller speakers. I’ve tested some Keff and B&Ws. They sounded very nice, until I went back to the Maggies and heard everything that was missing from the others.
Enjoy your journey!
mwinkc
368 posts
 
I just re-read your original post.
Maggies are great at medium to higher volumes, but at low levels they can be pretty disappointing.  Those panels need a little juice to rise and shine.
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