Please recommend speakers
I’m just starting my audiophile journey and want to make sure I pair the right equipment before going too far down the rabbit hole. I am coming into this as a complete newbie. I listen pretty much to everything but mostly pop, classical and jazz in a fairly large-ish lower level living room (maybe 20 x 20 feet square) and speakers sitting on bookshelves. I know they should be on stands or floor-mounted, but that doesn’t really work for me right now space-wise. So far I have Jamo 803 bookshelf speakers with newly purchased SMSL DA-9 amp and matching SMSL SU-9 DAC (previously was using an old NAD D 3020 V1 integrated amp with direct connection from iPad to internal DAC). Now I stream directly from an old iPhone/iPad via a USB camera adapter to the DAC which has balanced connections to the DA-9 amp. I pretty much stream music exclusively (currently on free trials with Tidal and Amazon HD). No other sources. No library to speak of. No headphones. The Jamos sound great to me, but I feel like I need something better to pair with the mid-fi DAC and AMP. So I’m looking for upgrade the Jamo 803s which were purchased on sale for $130. Looking to spend up to maybe $800 for a pair. Recommendations? Thanks in advance!
Edit: Here's what I'm considering so far. KEF350, Polk R200s, Audio Monitor Bronze. Thoughts on pros and cons? Anything else?
Everything I’ve read about the Dentons and the Diamond 225 is that they require space from the wall to perform as reviewed. FWIW, I had a pair of Diamond 220s in my kitchen, up against a wall, and they sounded fine but kinda dull and grainy. Rega RS1s are another good choice against a wall. And Kef Q100s (older front ported design) |
OP here. Thanks again for all of the sage advice! I am definitely out of my league here in terms of budget and experience, but it’s good to get advice from those who know a lot more than me. I need to go through all of this information in detail once I have a couple of hours free. Just some general comments: 1) The bookshelf on which the speakers are placed is an open Etagere style bookshelf with an open back, so there is approximately 10" of space between the back of the speaker and the wall. Still not ideal, but maybe not as bad as an enclosed bookshelf with the speaker pushed up against the back panel. 2) The Jamo 803s which I currently have on the bookshelf are front ported, and perhaps that is why I feel that the Jamos sound great for what I paid for them (around $130 for the pair). But if I narrow down my choices to front or side-ported speakers that would fit within the bookshelf space (less than 14-1/2" height) I have much smaller category of choices. Elacs are often front-ported, but most won’t meet the height requirement. Perhaps the Golden Ear BRX would be a good choice? I haven’t seen that mentioned by anyone. The LS50s would fit in that space, but are rear-ported. I think I would likely get stands if I ended up getting the LS50s, however. Many of the speakers on my shortlist are too tall. The Klipsch 600Ms are too tall. And the Monitor Audio Silver 100s are 1/4" too tall. The Polk R200s would fit but are rear-ported. 3) I do have a subwoofer (Polk PSW111). |
@expresstrain That’s good info. When folks talk about space from the wall they measure from the front of the speaker. So if you pull them out a smidge or so you should have 20”-24” if I’m understanding you correctly. Will the shelf you use have the tweeter line up with your ears in your sitting position? This is crucial Rega RS1s will fit - check out some reviews and threads. If you’re interested DM me - I have a pair I’m not using. |
Hello expresstrain You can check out Sound Artist LS3/5A that sound similar to Harbeth. They are small, have great tonality and go very well in bookshelves attached to the wall, if needed you can add a Sub. You can check Youtube for many reviews. I am very happy with them. |
How about Emotiva T1+ floor standers for $799 a pair or B1+ bookshelves for $299 ? I have original T1 in my dedicated stereo room paired with turntable and it sounds pretty good. I also have T2 and C2 in my home theater room that’s put out some good amount of detailed and forceful sound, but requires some EQ with minidsp due to room dimensions.
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