Larsen 8.2 & check out the smaller Pure Audio Project speakers..
Help Deciding On New Speakers For Small Room, $10k budget
Hello everyone! A brief background. For the first time in my life, I have a dedicated room for listening! š Iām very excited about it. However, itās not very big. Something is better than nothing though. Previously I always lived in apartments and had to primarily listen on headphones. The room size is 10 feet by 11 feet with 10 foot ceilings, almost a perfect square. It has already been professionally sound treated with many panels from Gik Acoustics. So despite its tricky sizing, it should be all set up for a proper experience! And I already have a nice chain, a McIntosh MC52 Preamp and Primare Power Amp and CD Player with a Holo Audio May KTE. Oh, I also have a Rel A7X subwoofer.
I unfortunately have a disability that makes it very difficult for me to travel. I cannot easily just go to a hifi store and try things. I also live kinda in the middle of nowhere. But Iām a former professional musician and music is my life, and I want to feel connected to my music as much as I can, so Iām willing to invest into it. I have a budget of about $10k give or take $1k or so. I donāt mind looking at used options in like new condition.
A little about my hearing preferences: I am very sensitive to high frequencies, specifically around 7k-10k. For reference, every hifi headphone Iāve ever used made me wince because the high frequencies are too pronounced. I just put up with it because I didnāt have a choice, but Iāve noticed that with speakers Iām usually not so sensitive to them so Iām excited to go down this journey and enjoy my music listening more. I like powerful, punchy bass, and generally prefer a warmer sound signature, however, even though my ears are sensitive to higher frequencies, I love a nice crisp and realistic cymbal sound. In general, as a musician, I think Iād love something that sounds ātrue to lifeā because I have obviously a lot of experience hearing instruments live. I mostly listen to jazz (because Iām a jazz musician) but I also love music of all genres like rock, electronic, pop, soul, alternative, and occasionally K-Pop too, Iām pretty open minded. So something that is a good all-rounder might also be nice. Writing this all out, I now think I might be asking for the moon though, so letās just say jazz and realistic instruments is my main priority š
So with all that said, I would greatly appreciate your suggestions. Iāve been looking at Focalās line of Kanta and Sopra but Iāve heard they are bright. Iāve heard B&W but I donāt think their house sound is for me, again too bright. Ā Also debating between bookshelves and small floor standers for a smallish room. Iāve been looking also at Canton, Dali, Tannoy and Wharfdale, but Iām not as familiar with the speaker world as I am the headphone or IEM world, so Iām quite open to ideas. Thank you so much and best wishes on the evening of this crazy time Iām in the U.S.!
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- 42 posts total
@cookiecurls - I recommend checking out the Buchardt line of speakers. They are Danish and sell direct to the consumer. I own the Buchardt S400 Mkii and use them in my office which is pretty small. They recommend at least 50 watts to drive them. The sound of the speakers leans towards the being warm. And the bass on the speakers is incredible given their size. I highly recommend them. They just came out with a new E50 speaker which is a more premium version, but Iāve not heard them. R There are plenty of reviews online to check out. By the way, they are easily in your budget!Ā |
PureAudioProject open baffle speakers are an interesting recommendation made above. Ā The smaller models, like the Trio 15 with something like the horn midrange/tweeter module might work. Ā I have not heard these speakers in as small a room ss you have, which is why I said āmightā work. Ā Open baffle speakers need at least two feet of space behind then, and ideally, more than that. Ā The Trio is a fantastically good speaker well within your budget. Charney Audio makes some extremely good sounding speakers that work well in small rooms. Ā Iāve only heard several versions of their Companion model, which is beyond your budget, so I donāt know how well their lower-price models work, But I am hopeful. My best bet would be Audio Note speakers. Ā Their big speakers, the AN-E are actually quite compact and fit in the corner of the room, but they are probably too big in terms of bass response, so look at the smaller AN-J or AN-K models. Ā Within each model type, there are many options that can take one well past your budget, but, there will be something within budget. Ā There is nothing harsh or bright Ā about any of their speakers. Ā These speakers are normally used with low and medium-powered tube gear, but they sound good with almost anything. |
- 42 posts total