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!
As stated above Budget would be nice to know. My own super biased opinion. https://pbnaudio.com/studio-reference-series/ If you want to try something totally different - have a set of these listed elsewhere. https://pbnaudio.com/sb-acoustics-xmax/ Happy Listening Peter
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Except for our taste in music your journey sounds very similar to mine that I (re)started over a decade ago. I’ve learned SOO much with trial and error. In the Pacific Northwest there is a lot of really good stereo churn and just about anything seems to show up thru Craigslist What I learned rather focusing on brands or models of speakers my first challenge was to determine the type of speaker I was looking for. Each type Monitor, Sealed or ported Tower, Open Baffle, Planer, Line Array, Horn has a significant sound signature different from the other independent of frequency response. What I thought I wanted a sealed tower was shattered when I heard my first pair of Dahlquist speakers in my listening space. Even though I had to return them due to a blown tweeter the Genie had been let out of the bottle (box) and I couldn’t go back. I can now only hear the box. Even with over 300 Watts I couldn’t couldn’t make my ADS 1290II towers produce that open airy presentation. I finally settled on corner horns and they do things that other systems even way more expensive can’t do. (There are aspects that these more expensive systems do but to me they aren’t the priority) I enjoyed the hunt so it took me a long time to get where I am today and I’m not done. If you don’t want to spend a decade tinkering I would recommend visiting as many high end shops as you can and focus on the sound not the equipment. You’ll know it when you hear it. Take that knowledge to craigslist and you can try some pretty esoteric stuff for not a lot of money. Cheers and enjoy
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+ for @audiotroy on your list. Your focus appears to be fast transient response, detail, coherence, transparency, dynamics, extended/controlled bass, and natural timbre (no coloration). IMHO your focus is best served by modern pistonic driver designs rather than planar designs. I was also a fan of planar designs until I auditioned modern pistonic driver designs. I find modern pistonic designs also produced better staging and imaging. Look at Vandersteen Model 5 or 7 and Vivid Giya G2 or 3. I find the Vandersteens great but a little slower than the Vivids, my preference. They excell in all areas you list. But you need to audition and choose for yourself because each sounds different. You may choose otherwise. I drive my Vivid Giya G3s with a Burmester 032, a solid state integrated that is fast and clear with the staging, imaging, ambiance retrieval, timbre and liquidity of tubes. Highly musical. Vivids are a better deal used if you consider the definition of a deal as the % new. Also, some companies you list are no longer viable. When buying used choose a product from a company that is still viable.
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Looks like I have some new avenues to explore: - Legacy (would love to audition, unfortunately the closest dealer is a 3.5 hr drive) - PBN Audio - Mastering speakers (ATC, Tyler Acoustics, which I'm surprised no one commented on, Legacy and PBN again, JBL possibly) - Vandersteen Speaking of mastering speakers, I'm surprised no one commented on Tyler Acoustics? There's tons of great feedback on them out there.
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