The Pacific Audio Fest is coming on September 6th. If you can wait that long it would be an excellent opportunity to get a better idea of your options.
Non-fatiguing speakers in $10K range?
Some years ago I downsized to headphones only. Now I have access to a dedicated room again, so getting my absorption panels and ASC Tube traps back from storage... :-) The amp is going to be Accuphase E-800. I like class A, and I owned fair share of Pass gear but Pass integrated (and lower preamps) no longer have tape loop. I also like my gear to look the way I enjoy and Pass went too industrial for me.
Anyway, long story short. Speakers. I prefer relaxed, non-fatiguing sound. My headphones are Meze Elites and I love them. I also own Focal Utopia, but rarely listen to them, too forward for me.
Now, music-wise I do not listen to jazz or classical or vocals, sorry. Classic rock, hard rock, 80s new wave, punk, pop (classic and modern) and African blues like Tinariwen. People tend to insta-suggest forward sounding speakers - you like metal, right???. But I don't like piercing sound and I rarely go to concerts exactly because of this. I listen to AC/DC but NOT at 'realistic' revels. I like rhythm, melody, but I don't care about 120 Db.
The budget is about $10K, give or take, most probably second hand, but I can buy new, if I really like it. Unfortunately, there are not that many high end shops around Seattle with gear I like. Some went selling vintage and some went up selling only $100K+ systems. So most probably will be getting something blind.
It seems I should be looking for ribbon tweeters, I spent hours at youtube - it is definitely not listening in person, but some recordings are pretty decent and many show differences between speaker models.
I also compare frequency response measurements - I can easily tell that I won't like the speaker by looking at the chart. Ex, bump around 2-6K is a no-no since this is what "bright" is. Dip is actually good since this is what makes sound less "in your face/ear".
So far I more-or-less narrowed my search down to Legacy (Signature or Focus), Dali 8, ProAc (D48 or K) and - maybe - Magico A3? Legacy is huge, I am not sure I really need 20Hz extension. Magico has beryllium tweeters which may be bright....
I purchased Tannoy D700 many years ago, still own them, they are part of my TV set up. They sound good, but not as good as I would like it. My desktop speakers are ribbons too - AirPulse, I like them quite a bit.
Anything else I am missing?
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Try the monitor audio gold 200 G3 that AMT Tweeter is very non-fatiguing and very three-dimensional and opened has a very enveloping sound stage makes you feel like you're right in the middle of the performance.They're in your price range, and for a little bit more money the platinum 200 G3 is even better. |
+1 @jfrmusic Surprised that you’re the only one to suggest Harbeths. Every speaker in the line is voiced beautifully. I have little tolerance for high-end anomalies and the Harbeth "ruler-flat" response curve does the trick for me. No matter what electronics I've thrown at them over the years, they’re always smooth as fine cognac. And despite middling sensitivity, they’re an easy load to drive & relatively tolerant to room placement, and their post-BBC thin-wall design makes them fairly compact & lightweight. Lots of selling points. @alvinnir2 mentioned that he liked his Harbeth CS7ES3s, but bemoaned their lack of bass (bottoming out in the 40-45Hz range). I think he’s right on the money there, esp. given the OP’s emphasis on rock/metal. But keep in mind that the CS7 is one of Harbeth’s bookshelf models, currently selling in the $4-5K range. My own pair, mated with a good sub & amp, shake the floor & produce painful sound levels in my 14x17 room. The many Harbeth reviews in Stereophile & TAS suggest that most Harbeth models have similar voicing, differing mainly in dynamics & low-end. The larger models, especially those in the OP’s price range, might do the job for the OP in an average-sized room, even without a sub. |
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