Need speaker recommendations.


I need recommendations for speaker brand/models that can be placed relatively close to the front wall without degradation in sound quality. Say, within 1-2 feet. My front wall is ’h’ shaped (side view). There is a 1-ft deep ledge at the height of 2-ft 4-inch from the floor (imagine right half of the letter ’h’) and the overall height of the wall is 9-ft. Front to back wall is 18-ft.

 

Budget under US$8,000. Don’t care between stand-mounted or floor-standing. If a specific partnering amp/preamp are highly desirable (for any reason) please tell me why.

 

Thanks,

Amit

amitb

I have Focal Sopra No.1 in a small office and there are close to the wall I'm certain a bigger/better room would allow them to shine even more but... they are truly amazing. I cannot live without them them anymore!

@amitb ​​@retiredfarmer - I am currently playing a set of Equation 7 and I can attest they are positively magical with tubes somewhere in one's setup. I have tubes straight through Cary, Manley, Aesthetix & Line Magnetic and they are just fabulously well rounded with eerie imaging. Tubes are the best fit for the metallic tweeters (stupidly accurate) but I will say that they have been tremendous driven with a Quad 409 amp as well. Yes, not made any more but the builder/distributor, Pascal Ravich is still around up in Montreal. He focuses on Audiomat electronics these days & Duevel speakers but he will give you hours on end about his love for Equation speakers, how the company came to be and ultimately how it ended. If you ever see a set of these for sale for $1500 or less (cabinetry is incredible) you should jump on them. Special speakers. Just my opinion.

Yes the finish is awe inspiring. Glad that you like them as well. They were a fantasy speaker of mine after I heard them on sim audio moon W3 amps. Finally got a pair of 25s set them up on mark Levinson 33h amps they were ok but never like I remembered. I had put them on a hotrodded melody h88 amp thought they were ok. Then treated myself to a new old stock set of canary ca160 monoblocks and a canary CA 801/802 preamplifier. They just come to life and sing with these amps and pre infront of them put my Krell KPS 20I player in from of them and it is just magic. Lol have to look haw I can make the big system to keep up! They do not sell for much and the fellow looking for speakers I think would do really well getting a set of them if he can find them. It makes me so happy that someone else thinks that it is a magical pairing with tunes. I looked at some line magnetic amps before I bought the canary stuff. Which one did you get? 

 

Regards Tom

I use a Line Magnetic tube/SS DAC, the 502CA; amazing. I just slipped in an Aesthetix, Calypso linestage and also use a Manly, Shrimp and each are fabulous for very different reasons but both are an excellent match with the 7s. For amps I have run the Quad, 409, Cary, CAD 808R & soon may be inserting a set of Antique Sound Labs, Monsoon monoblocks full time. The Equations split time with a set of Sonus Faber, Cremona Auditor "M" and I find the 7s & Cremonas equally engaging. If you’ve read all the hype around the Cremonas then know that’s a solid compliment. People gush over the Cremonas; I don’t really prefer one over the other, depends on what I’m going to be listening too. Neither are what you’d consider heavy speakers so easy to swap them in and out