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!
The need for two Velodyne subs is comment enough in my book 😂 @audiotroy was critical of Dunlavy's lack of deep bass too, but it's unclear which model they were referring to.
|
@ditusa Thanks for the tip on the JBLs. Similarly, member @chimpkin advertises a pair of older Legacy Focus right here on Audiogon; unfortunately, both listings are local pickup only and over 2000 miles from where I live in the Pacific Northwest. That said, I totally understand folks' reluctance to pack, crate and ship large, heavy, and very fragile objects. Guess businesses like TMR saw that gap in the used audio market and are addressing it by shipping nationwide at relatively reasonable rates. Never used them though, so I can't speak to how expertly they pack stuff.
|
I hate to pile on, but Vandersteen is a speaker I would recommend, especially the newer models-If budget allows. I heard the original 2’s in the ’80’s’ and never forgot how musical they sounded, I, too, had a long gap between listening and being able to buy a high end system, due to starting a business. I always remembered how much I like the Vandy’s and was pleasantly surprised they were still being made. Not wanting to spend too much, I got the 3a sigs and, eventually, some Vandy subs. It all sounded great, but upgraditis struck and a pair of Treo’s were near me, used, I got them and was amazed by how much better they sounded over the 3a sigs. One thing you might not be aware of is that upgrading a Vandersteen speaker can be done in stages. I kept my Vandersteen 2 subs and upgraded to 2wq subs, then to the latest iteration, the Sub 3’s. Everything just kept getting ’dialed in’ with each move. I don’t know of any other speaker company that allows you to make incremental upgrades. Of course, it all comes down to what you hear and like to hear. So, take all these words with a grain of salt. B PS- I just reread your post and wanted to comment your opinion on subwoofers- Vandersteen uses a first order crossover that connects to the amp directly which eliminates a lot of the 'guesswork' in dialing in subs. In my experience, when the crossover is set up properly( matching amp impedance), things sound right, right away. The new Sub 3 has an equalizer to compensate for room discrepancies. |
