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Warm and accurate bookshelves that can handle volume

Hi and thanks for your help. I have been collecting and trying vintage speakers and ended up with B &.W 803 matrix series II, and also Celestion ls700 Se. The latter  are bookshelves and I use them with an NHT SW2 subwoofer. I like them both but prefer the 700s because they more accurately bring out the timbre of orchestral instruments and can be less fatiguing. Troubke is I have a pretty big room and I can’t play full orchestra at realistic volumes on the Celestions without distorting the sound. Are there bookshelves that will be warm, musical and accurate like the Celestions, but can handle volume?  Rest of the system is Qutest DAC, RA LS25 II pre, Adcom GSA555 II speakers. Thanks for feedback on which speakers to try. My reading etc suggests Harbeth Spendor Sonus Faber. Locally have tried kef and paradigm, but can’t get to much else. Will travel to try your recommendations. Seems that satellite and sub will be more flexible and cost effective than tower. 

arhgef
sameyers1
138 posts
 

Audition a pair of Aerial Acoustics 5T speakers. They will respond well to the power of your Adcom amp. They are neutral to slightly on the warmer side of neutral. They are a 4 ohm speaker that drops as low as 3 ohms. Read some reviews if you can’t audition them. There are occasionally some on the used market. They will play loud without blinking and are good for virtually any kind of music, including large, complex symphonic works.

https://aerialacoustics.com/5t/

johnread57's avatar
johnread57
227 posts
 

IN my experience the Monitor Audio G100 and earlier G50's are warm yet take plenty of current/power and deliver in spades. Many like the Silver models, but I have always preferred the Gold models. Warm for me means plenty of bass but not excessive to dominate, plenty of mid-range and nice clear highs, that give a sense of spaciousness. Not rolled off and never sharp. I sold the Gold 100's (too many speakers) but still keep my Gold 50's...

alucard19
362 posts
 

See if you can find an older pair of Acoustic Research AR308 HO speakers, I currently have 3 pairs of them and they will keep up with any of the newer more expensive speakers, or if you want a floor standing speaker try the AR312 HO speakers, they are all 8ohm speakers with 93db and 94db of sensitivity.

If you are ever in the Chicago area, I live 50 miles west in Elgin I would love to let you listen to them in one of my 4 systems.

grislybutter
2,984 posts
 

I had warm amps or sources. Good speakers don't color the sound.

deadhead1000's avatar
deadhead1000
714 posts
 

I own the Harbeth 30.2's and I can get them quite loud without any break up, provided the amp can output clean wattage. No fatigue at all, warm does not necessarily mean colored. I find B&W's a bit bright (only my opinion), but they are clean sounding. The Harbeth are a bit warm, but still clean sounding. A piano sounds like a piano, vocals sound like a live human voice. I do not listen to much classical, but I can crank Beethoven's 6th and 9th and it sounds wonderful.

I've own Adcom amps in the past and would say it's a good match for the Harbeth. I would suggest traveling to hear Harbeth and their other models. Their bookshelves with a sub sound amazing, the three ways also sound very good, but definitely sound different.

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