The founder 120 is easier to work with than the 3f for sure and for most of us would sound better. When you shop on ag for used speakers what are you looking for? I saw a pair of legacy Aeris for $12k in a hi gloss wood finish I would have jumped on if I needed speakers. Kant a 3 bass drops like a rock from 80hz so subs gotta be factored. Dali makes some great sounding speakers and their latest line that uses a single tweeter may be the best bang for the buck right now.
Speaker Upgrade ... Please Help Me
1st post on Audiogon so be gentle :)
I want to upgrade from my Paradigm 85F speakers. My headend is the Gold Note DS-10 Plus Streamer\Dac\Preamp (with PSU-10 power supply) feeding into a Coda 8 amplifier. I listen mostly to Tidal but have a Marantz ND8006 if I want to listen to CD's. My room isn't great, "L" shaped with the speakers at the corner. It's 9.5" x 24" with 8.5" ceiling (open room beside). One speaker has no wall beside it and the other a window which I put a thick blackout curtain to reduce reflections. There are large rugs in all 3 sections. I have 3" x 3" burlap bags filled with Rockwool Soundproofing insulation in the corners behind the speakers. I listen to lots of male and female vocals (Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Jason Isbell etc.), Pink Floyd, Rage against the Machine, Tool, Chick Corea, etc. a wide variety for sure.
My budget is $10,000 to $15,000 Canadian which is $8,000 to $13,000 US$. I think the 85F's are a decent speaker and I want to make sure that the upgrade is easily noticeable. Do I need to save more to make a significance jump? What I want is a better speaker in all areas, tighter bass and more prominent mid range. I don't find the trebles harsh on the 85F's but then again my hearing is about 13K max. I have access to a medium amount of speaker selection but in-home demos aren't allowed.
First I listened to Opera Callis Divas, I loved the air between the instruments but I thought the low end was weak. The next was Aurum Cantus Genesis which was way over my budget (head-end was $$$$$ too) but the salesman wanted to give me a point of reference. It sounded amazing but at the same time it didn't draw me in musically, almost too analytical. Tried the Martin Logan ESL-11A and I don't think electrostatics are for me. Paradigm Persona 3F were nice but I guess I expected more. Really liked the Focus Kanta 3 but thought they were a little expensive and really didn't like the looks. The Paradigm 120H I liked too but I have a hard time buying speakers with built-in amps, It just seems like a point of failure and that I wouldn't be using my amp to the fullest. Not sure why the 120H stood out, it seemed I didn't care about the details and just got lost in the music, I also like the idea of ARC to help with the room. Next on the list is Legacy Signature SE's and maybe B&W. All the above were with different rooms and electronics except the Personas and Kanta 3.
So my questions are
1. Having a long narrow room would speakers like the Kanta 3 and Legacy Signature be too large and overpower the room2. Are the speakers I'm looking at be a major upgrade to he 85F's or I should save more $$$3. Speaker suggestions that would work with my front end are welcome but I really would like to listen to them first and lots of brands aren't available here in Edmonton.
Thanks Audiogoners
I want to upgrade from my Paradigm 85F speakers. My headend is the Gold Note DS-10 Plus Streamer\Dac\Preamp (with PSU-10 power supply) feeding into a Coda 8 amplifier. I listen mostly to Tidal but have a Marantz ND8006 if I want to listen to CD's. My room isn't great, "L" shaped with the speakers at the corner. It's 9.5" x 24" with 8.5" ceiling (open room beside). One speaker has no wall beside it and the other a window which I put a thick blackout curtain to reduce reflections. There are large rugs in all 3 sections. I have 3" x 3" burlap bags filled with Rockwool Soundproofing insulation in the corners behind the speakers. I listen to lots of male and female vocals (Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Jason Isbell etc.), Pink Floyd, Rage against the Machine, Tool, Chick Corea, etc. a wide variety for sure.
My budget is $10,000 to $15,000 Canadian which is $8,000 to $13,000 US$. I think the 85F's are a decent speaker and I want to make sure that the upgrade is easily noticeable. Do I need to save more to make a significance jump? What I want is a better speaker in all areas, tighter bass and more prominent mid range. I don't find the trebles harsh on the 85F's but then again my hearing is about 13K max. I have access to a medium amount of speaker selection but in-home demos aren't allowed.
First I listened to Opera Callis Divas, I loved the air between the instruments but I thought the low end was weak. The next was Aurum Cantus Genesis which was way over my budget (head-end was $$$$$ too) but the salesman wanted to give me a point of reference. It sounded amazing but at the same time it didn't draw me in musically, almost too analytical. Tried the Martin Logan ESL-11A and I don't think electrostatics are for me. Paradigm Persona 3F were nice but I guess I expected more. Really liked the Focus Kanta 3 but thought they were a little expensive and really didn't like the looks. The Paradigm 120H I liked too but I have a hard time buying speakers with built-in amps, It just seems like a point of failure and that I wouldn't be using my amp to the fullest. Not sure why the 120H stood out, it seemed I didn't care about the details and just got lost in the music, I also like the idea of ARC to help with the room. Next on the list is Legacy Signature SE's and maybe B&W. All the above were with different rooms and electronics except the Personas and Kanta 3.
So my questions are
1. Having a long narrow room would speakers like the Kanta 3 and Legacy Signature be too large and overpower the room2. Are the speakers I'm looking at be a major upgrade to he 85F's or I should save more $$$3. Speaker suggestions that would work with my front end are welcome but I really would like to listen to them first and lots of brands aren't available here in Edmonton.
Thanks Audiogoners
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- 23 posts total
- 23 posts total