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! 🙌 I’m very excited about it. However, it’s 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 I’m a former professional musician and music is my life, and I want to feel connected to my music as much as I can, so I’m willing to invest into it. I have a budget of about $10k give or take $1k or so. I don’t 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 I’ve ever used made me wince because the high frequencies are too pronounced. I just put up with it because I didn’t have a choice, but I’ve noticed that with speakers I’m usually not so sensitive to them so I’m 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 I’d love something that sounds “true to life” because I have obviously a lot of experience hearing instruments live. I mostly listen to jazz (because I’m a jazz musician) but I also love music of all genres like rock, electronic, pop, soul, alternative, and occasionally K-Pop too, I’m 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 let’s just say jazz and realistic instruments is my main priority 😇


So with all that said, I would greatly appreciate your suggestions. I’ve been looking at Focal’s line of Kanta and Sopra but I’ve heard they are bright. I’ve heard B&W but I don’t think their house sound is for me, again too bright.  Also debating between bookshelves and small floor standers for a smallish room. I’ve been looking also at Canton, Dali, Tannoy and Wharfdale, but I’m not as familiar with the speaker world as I am the headphone or IEM world, so I’m quite open to ideas. Thank you so much and best wishes on the evening of this crazy time I’m in the U.S.!

cookiecurls

Look at ATC. They are very accurate and ATC are used by many recording engineers for monitoring. Imaging is amazing. 

 

I agree with a previous recommendation. Consider auditing Joseph Audio Pulsars. At $10K, I would definitely try to demo your top 1-3 picks on your system or something very similar at your local dealer. Keep in mind, the demo room, cables, etc, make a difference. Unfortunately, demoing speakers may require a few road trips. Your local shop may not sell any of your top picks. I’m currently using B&W 805D3 paired with a Conrad Johnson amp and preamp. The Pulsars are at the top of my list when I get the upgrade itch. Take your time and have fun. 

Any speakers from the BBC family would fit nicely, I have the Graham Audio LS 5/9, can listen to them all day without fatigue, I am very sensitive to upper middle and treble, another brand is QLN, great speakers. 

You should definitely look at the monitor audio platinum 100 G3 or G2 if you can find them still very three-dimensional airy and spacious and excellent bass.