Speakers to pair with Quicksilver mid mono
Preface: I know virtually nothing about high end audio. My step dad passed away a couple years ago and he had counterpoint preamp, amp and Klipsch corner horn speakers. After he passed, the amp broke and my local audio store (Fred’s Sound of Music in Portland) recommended a pair of quicksilver mid monos to replace the counterpoint. So I purchased those for my mom to continue using the system. She no longer can use the system, so it’s now mine
I’m now selling the corner horns because I don’t have the space for speakers that large.
I’m looking for good speakers to pair with the counterpoint pre amp and the QS mid monos.
I understand that the tubes inform what speakers pair best. The tubes on these are Tesla E 34 L 513 and the small ones E88cc
from reading other posts, here are some answers:
It will be setup in a large great room with the speakers up higher, about 7’ off the ground with 14’ ceilings.
I mostly listen to 60s/70s and mostly Grateful Dead.
I really liked the sound of the corner horns. My parents listened to mostly jazz.
Max budget is $2,000 for a pair but I’d prefer to spend significantly less. I have no preference on new or used.
forgive my ignorance. I’m trying to learn as much as I can.
thank you!
@allenf1963 - I do have space to store them. And I do love them. You’ve convinced me to hang on to them :) didn’t take much We watch the TV in this room a lot. If it were mounted above the sign (which has since been removed!) it would be too high for viewing. i do have space to the right of the TV for the Heresy’s would 12’ apart be too far for them?
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Well I have the mid Mono Amps and use the New KLH 5 speakers to more than sufficient volume but my room is not as large as yours. The KLH speakers are rated at 90db efficiency so I would recommend you look at the efficiency rating of speakers and try to get something 90db or higher. You can find a used pair of them for under $2000 and are really good bang for the buck and would fit in your space I suspect. Consider that the space you plan to put those speakers dictate a rectangular speaker to fit on the shelf. That eliminates "tower shaped" floor standing speakers. Try to get speakers that have at least 10 inch woofers. If you place those speakers up where you have indicated, you will not have as much bass as if you had the speakers on the floor and closer to the corners of the room. Recommendations for JBL and Klipsch are worthwhile as they are generally efficient. Something to consider is the Mid Mono amps put out 40 watts with the EL34 tubes. However, you can also use 6550 or KT88 tubes in the amps and with those tubes you will get 10 more watts of output and those tubes will have better bass than the El 34s but with less pleasing midrange.
A poster suggested AR2x speakers and had posted a picture. I had those speakers back in the day. They are not that efficient and would not be the ideal match for your amps IMHO. Finally consider that most tweeters in speakers are fairly directional and it is generally best if your ears are at the same level as the tweeters. Since your speakers will be up high, and you will probably be sitting in a chair with your head much lower, you will need to find something to prop under the back of the speakers to angle them downwards to get the treble to sound decent. If you consider mounting the TV to the wall above the fireplace, you could have speakers on the floor and that would open up many more speaker choices and better speaker placement and Jerry, Bob, and the rest of the Band would play on much better. BTW, the Grateful Dead’s wall of sound, designed by Owsley, was all tube amps and JBL speakers. |
@zalick -- Glad I twisted your arm 😆. Those KHorns will come into use for you in the future, I'm sure!
To answer your question -- I don't think that would be too far apart. Other members can chime in. It isn't ideal, but you have to work with the hand dealt you. You can experiment with speaker angling and toe-in.
Regarding the TV, will tell you, in my den, I have a 55" Samsung The Frame mounted above my fireplace mantle (gas logs, not used) and the viewing is not an issue. The two leather theater chairs are about 8 to 9 feet in front of the fireplace. I wanted a 65" which would have easily fit, but my wife won the argument (she pointed out I have a Man Cave in the lowest level with an 8 speaker surround sound and an 85" Diamond Vision TV). So don't count out moving the TV. To get a feeling of how it would look, I made a cardboard cutout in the dimensions of my TV and taped it to the fireplace above the mantle. Then we sat in our chairs to see if we had to strain our necks to watch TV. We didn't. Had The Frame installed, freed up an entire built-in bookshelf on the right side of the room, and I now have my Dennis Had tube amp, preamp, CD Transport, DAC, Bluesound Streamer, Turntable, and Phono Preamp utilizing the space instead of a TV.
Good luck! |
