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12' x 14' room; $10k budget for speakers; help

Associated equipment:
ARC amp & preamp; VPI table W/Soundsmith; Cary SACD; Magnum Dynalab tuner; Nordost cables; Silverline Sonatina II speakers

Performance preferences:
Non fatiguing; able to handle the dynamics of classical orchestra; articulate (it would be great to understand what Ricky Lee Jones is singing); bass to 40Hz

Listening preferences:
I grew up in New Orleans in the 50's; went to college in the 60's; worked for the opera in the 70's; & have worked in a modern jazz club since the 80's
I listen to old R&B; psychedelic rock; modern jazz; some classical & Broadway.

The system is setup in a smallish room (12w x 14l x 10h) dedicated to 2 channel stereo. The speaker need to be on the 12' wall.
There are only two local high end dealers so there are few speakers to audition. I travel some & am willing to audition away from home.

Your input is greatly appreciated.
maxh
clio09
3,360 posts
 
Duke's post is well worth noting and his speakers are well worth considering.

BTW - I use his speakers and have used them in various sized rooms, one slightly bigger than yours.

I remember him coming by once and he was amazed at how I had his speakers set up. They were on the room diagonal (something you should consider for a small room) and my chair was positioned as such that I was no more than 4' from the speakers. From my listening position you had the sense that you could reach out and touch the speakers. You would think that this would be a recipe for sonic disaster but funny thing was after listening for some time neither of us found fault with the sound.
w3ux
19 posts
 
I second Duke and Clio09. I'm a very happy owner of Audiokinesis Prizmas. My room is 15' x 13' I sit 8' from the front plane of the speakers(on the long wall), the right angle toe-in built into the cabinets makes for very controlled dispersion and the adjustable bass porting makes for a very room friendly speaker that loves tubes. I live in south central Pa. if anyone wants to listen.
sturgus
68 posts
 
Since I am a fan of Merlin VSM's I will have to say give them a shot. These with a pair of subs will work nice in your room. I would also look at the Vapor Cirrus. Very good speaker.
mkletecka
1 posts
 
I've owned Merlin TSM's, Mag's, Sonus Faber Guarnari's, Spendors (to name a few, which are all great speakers in there own right). Anyway, I turned the page in my life and got off the (expensive high end band wagon) and are now using and enjoying PSB Image B5's (which will eventually go to a family memeber). Anyway, I must say that I'm very, very impressed with PSB, so much so that I planning on getting their Imagine B's and an April Music, Arcam or Naim "all in unit" and call it a day and just enjoy with wonderful music.
213cobra
885 posts
 
Save a little cash -- a couple thousand. Zu Druid V meets all your requirements, including real, articulate bass down to 35Hz. Perfect for your size room and the relatively near field listening layout. I migrated to Zu from Silverline eight years ago. You'll have a smooth transition, at once in-the-realm and clearly an advancement over the conventional crossover-intensive speaker. Druid V is all you need and leaves some money for more music.

Phil
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