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Speaker Recommendation Help Please.

Hello,

I  am hoping to get some advice.

First, I'm in Canada so when I talk budgets I will use gear, not numbers, as that is probably the best way to remove the "currency" factor ($100 USD is very different than $100 CAD, but a NAD M33 is the same item on both sides of the border). 

Second, I actually have pretty minimal experience with speakers.  I was an avid headphone listener for years as I used to live in a condo so speakers, due to space and neighbours, was not an option.  I've owned most TOTL headphones - HD800, Focal Utopia, LCD4, Abyss, Code-X, SR-009/007, etc.  

Third, I'm looking at speakers for now, only.  An amp and source will come later so let's ignore it for now entirely please.  Assume whatever speaker I end up with, I will get an appropriate amp.  I am trying to keep this as focused as possible and I have to start somewhere, and I've decided the speakers are the place.  If I have a budget of $X, I am happy to spend $X on speakers and wait to buy an amp rather than spending $0.5X on speakers and $0.5X on an amp today.

Fourth, some information about my listening preferences...  People ask, "what kind of music do you like".  Well, as Justice Stewart might say, I can't define it but when I hear it, I know it.  I'm pretty varied and probably listen to much of the same stuff every audiophile does.  I don't listen to a lot of classical, chamber, techno, EDM, rap or country.  Take whatever is left, and that's probably me.  I love detail - It's what I love about the HD800 and Utopia's - there is so much nuance, air and separation.  I love that.  I also love texture, which is why I love the LCD4's.  The resonance of a guitar body, the natural tone of a voice.  And I love slam...  This is my guilty pleasure.  I used to drive my Abyss with a PassLabs INT-30A (30 watts of Class A into headphones) and you could almost feel the impact in your chest.  If you need more detail, or have specific questions about any of this, please let me know.

Fifth, my room is the biggest small room there is (well, not really).  The speakers on going on an 13 foot wall (that extends out to about 60 feet) and the room is 28 feet deep.  The speakers can only be about 12-14 inches from the back wall (I have a wife and it's our family room) and my ears are about 10 feet from the speaker wall.  Oh, and the ceilings are 12 feet high.  Here's my crummy drawing of the room.  Each square is one foot by one foot:

 

(Hopefully you can read all that).

 

The speakers are going on the left side and there is fireplace in between.  Behind the couch is the kitchen and, if you are sitting on the couch, to your left, it opens up to the font of the house.  Here's what is actually looks like and the new speaker will go where the current ones are:

 

 

(The speakers are Paradigm Active 20's for those playing at home)

To the right is the back of the home which is mostly glass.

Now, as for options.  I don't love the signature of the Paradigms.  They have a  "dark" sound and have a recessed mids.  What I call an "American sound".  I am looking for something more neutral or even slightly warm.  

Locally, there is a pair of Sophia V1's which is my current front runner.  I think they will give me everything I am after with the right amp but they are a little big.  They are also my #1 choice due to price.  I worry about placement and that being a big problem.

I am also considering Wilson SabrinaX's,.  I worry the Sabarina's may be too small sounding for the room (not that I need to fill it, and I don't listen loud), but I love the foot print of them.  Also, because they are Wilson, I again worry about placement.

Next would be Sonus Faber Guarneri Traditions.  I think I would have end up adding a sub down the road which technically makes them the biggest option (by foot print).  I LOVE the look of them.  I also would consider Serafinos if I don't need a but I feel like we are getting into next level stuff with those so everything, like the amp budget has to climb as well.  Right now, my top choice amp for all options is a Hegel H390 or H590 so you get an ideal of budget.  Tubes aren't an option.

Next would be Focal Sopra 2's.  Visually, these are the bottom the list for me personally, but I think they are a bit of a middle ground sonically between the Sabrina's and GT's...  

I am going to listen to all 4 speakers this week.  

My question is which of the 4 would work best in my room given the placement restrictions?  The Sophia's may be a no brainer here because of the price and that they are second hand so they have already depreciated so I could buy them and change to another option later.  Are their others that you would strongly suggest?  Maggies aren't an option due to looks.  Magico isn't an option either.  

Thank you for reading,

-Paul

bigfatpaulie
willgolf
939 posts
 

Op - your dilemma was mine also.  I have had two brand new modern houses in the last three years.  Both houses were a combination Kitchen / Great Room.  My wife could not understand why I could not just get in-wall speakers.  I also had to place the speakers against the wall.  My room size was 25'W x 45'L with 20-foot ceilings. 

I started with Wilson Duette 2's and I have to say they were wonderful and they are noted for being able to play against the wall.  But I got the itch so I purchased Sonus Faber Amati Tradition Homage speakers.  They also maybe were 6" from the back wall.  When I moved into my new house I went to Viking Acoustic Grande Voix dual horn speakers and they were the best of the three that I have owned recently.  And, my wife loves the look which is a major selling point. LOL!!!!

Sometimes, I think people make too big a deal about having speakers so close to the back wall.  Currently, my Grande Voix's are 13" from the back wall.  I simply placed a bass trap right behind the speaker and there is no bass smearing and the music is outstanding.  I also have a corner bass trap.

I think any of the speakers you have selected for the demo will work and I have heard them all.  When I went to SF, I direct compared to Wilson.  The SF won out in sound in a side-by-side comparison.  

Good Luck in your journey and you are right by selecting the speakers first.  It is easy to match amps to a particular speaker.  It is not easy to match a speaker to a particular amp.  

 

 

 

 

 

leadcrew's avatar
leadcrew
45 posts
 

Why can't I stop thinking how good Piega's Coax 511's would look in the space you have available?

rick2000
464 posts
 

The more I listen to my friends Lii Audio Crystal 10 Reference Single Driver Loudspeakers the more I love them. These could be my End-Game speakers. 

rick2000
464 posts
 

Lii Audio has come out with a new model now called Silver-10 Reference that uses speaker cabinets made out of Marine Wood that sounds even better. The older Crystal-10 Reference model used common plywood for their speaker cabinets.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVez8PTTeAI&t

moto_man
376 posts
 

As a Wilson Sabrina X owner, first I congratulate you on your choice.  Second, I have to respectfully disagree with those who say that the Sabrina X's are bright speakers or that they are "hard to drive."  That has definitely not been my experience.  I find them to be wonderfully voiced and definitely not bright or fatiguing at all.  I also have no desire for more bass, although they are near corners so maybe that brings out more bass.  As for being hard to drive, I use a Pass Labs 250.8, which into 4 ohms is obviously a bruiser anyway, but is a fantastic match.  On the other hand, I can easily drive them with my PrimaLuna Dialogue Premier HP tube amp as well, so I think that those who believe that they are hard to drive are just relying on the impedance curve from Stereophile rather than actually trying them in the real world.  Congratulations on your purchase.  Oh, and just a word about placement.  The same Stereophile review states that a Wilson dealer moved the speakers .25 inches and got more noticeably more bass and focus.  I call total BS on that.  Unless the reviewer's head was in a vice, in the real world, we sit in our listening chair, move around, bend our heads to read, sit slightly differently in the chair, etc., all of which move your head more than .25 inches to one side or the other or forward or back.  So the idea that changing the placement of the speakers by 1/4 inch does anything significant in the real world is just illogical, unless, as I said, you like to sit and listen to music with your head in a vice so that you can't move.  Enjoy them.  they are beautifully made, look great (IMHO) and sound great!

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