while respecting op’s stated budget, i very much agree with @soix on what he said the ref75se is roughly a 10 grand retail price unit, and still 6-7 grand used (and worth every penny of it), it deserves speakers of commensurate value... |
Wouldn't recommend OG Cremonas, I had the Auditors. Very midrange centric and can sound quite thick. Definitely not neutral, not very good bass control. For vocals and chamber music--beautiful. Based on your criteria, which are very similar to mine, I suggest looking at Totem Tribe Towers. I never had any interest in Totem, but was looking for a subwoofer for the monitors in my bedroom system, where placement flexibility is zero. I thought maybe there's a small floorstander that would work, which led me to the TTTs. They are so skinny and light they look like a joke, but my god do they play so much bigger and deeper than you'd ever think. After 4 months of living with them I still shake my head in disbelief, but at the same I forget that I'm listening to a small speaker. No desire for a subwoofer, but you can certainly augment with one or two. Quite neutral and extended, but no top end harshness whatsoever. Great soundstage depth, which is not easy, very detailed midrange. I actually find their tonal balance pretty similar to my Joseph Audio Perspectives, but without some of the top end air and overall refinement. I got mine for $3k used. A big plus is that they are easy to ship. |
Yeah, if you can find a nice used pair of Nola KOs in your price range, which do come up now and again, that’d be a HUGE recommendation (shame on me for not thinking of them before). Carl voices and mostly shows his speakers with ARC gear, so there ya go. Read the show reviews of the KOs and they’re all glowing. I think KOs of any generation with a couple good and well-integrated subs could be end-game speakers and 80% of his Baby Grands on the cheap. DeVore also a great suggestion — maybe used Silverbacks? Read reviews of the recommended speakers here — many of which are excellent — and see which speakers are fairly tube friendly and match with your sonic preferences. But if I’m you, I’m looking hard at Nola KOs and Verity Audio Parsifal along with Vandy. Best of luck. |
