New speakers for a new start?


Hi all, this is my first thread on this forum. I am returning to audio after a 20-year hiatus, and I am planning a new-to-me, music-only, 2-channel system. I'm pretty excited!

Other than my Thorens TD-320 series I, I am (re-)starting from scratch. I plan to focus on speakers, then build the rest of my system around them.

I look forward to hearing folks' feedback and advice during this process.

How I listen: I have a pretty big room, 9' ceilings. I can set speakers in a 10' triangle with about 16' clear behind them and 3' to 6' to the sides. I normally listen around 75 - 85db at 10', but sometimes I like to crank things way up. Also, I can't sit still for extended periods of time so I tend to move around quite a bit.

What I listen to: 30 - 40% blues, 30 - 40% industrial, punk, post-punk, noise, and hip-hop, 10-15% ambient, 10 - 15% various pop styles, 5 to 10% jazz and classical. Nearly all are studio recordings. Source-wise, 75-80% digital streaming, 20% vinyl and (very occasionally) CDs.

Things I like in speakers: A generous amount of fast, tight, well-controlled bass with great extension. Little to no coloration - it can always be added in later through component selection. Fast transient response. Detail. Coherence. Transparency. Great dynamics. I'm OK with "analytical" or "dry" within reason.

Things I don't like: Boominess. Flabiness. Ear-piercing mids.

Here are a few speakers I'm interested to learn more about (in no particular order):
- Thiel CS5
- Dunlavy SC-4, SC-5
- Tyler Acoustics D1x, D10
- Nearfield Pipedreams 21
- Infinity IRS (probably not the Reference behemoths though... realistically)
- I am also intrigued by open baffle designs (Spatial, Jamo R909)

I prefer full-range speakers because I don't love subs with music listening. They're a must in a home theater though.

I love planar speakers for their speed and transparency, but the fact that I can't sit still in their minuscule sweet spot for very long, coupled with their general lack of bass probably makes them a less than ideal choice for me.

I will buy used gear unless something I want happens to be available new at a huge discount. I am more interested in value than in staying within a specific dollar limit and be able to resell at par or at a modest loss if, as time goes by, I find I'm no longer as enamored with them as I once was.

I am interested in your experiences, especially with the speakers I mentioned above, but any and all feedback is appreciated. Thanks in advance!
 

devinplombier

Thank you to everyone for your helpful and informative comments so far!

asking a question like this on a forum like this really is quite useless and really is quite a waste of time, IMHO

Well @kennymacc my goal here is to listen to folks with more experience than I. As far as being "useless", this thread already alerted me to Legacy Audio Focus that were not on my radar and are now on my list, so, no, it is not useless - far from it.

Don't have to be wary of Thiel. There are guys up in Boston who are experts on the brand and are deep in parts for all models. Rebuilt a set of CS 3.6 for me and they came back better than new. Drove them with a big classic Perreaux amp & pre. Wonderful speakers that I'd probably still have today but I've gone 100% stand mount. Easier to move around. There's a trade off for sure but for me and my room, its the best formula. Can be had for under $2K too and are about as good as it gets in that price range. Just my opinion  

Oh and +1 @stringreen on Vandersteen. 3A Signatures are another favorite of mine. Big, heavy and out of my wheelhouse but they are amazing speakers for sure capable of lighting up the OPs space beautifully. 

If you narrow your search down to include Thiel speakers , I suggest calling Rob at Coherent Source Service or Tom Thiel on the Thiel Owners forum here on Audiogon . Rob can answer any questions about speakers or models and the availability of parts .  Tom can discuss the models strengths and weakness .

You can also ask your questions on the Thiel Owners forum to get first hand experience information .