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! šŸ™Œ Iā€™m very excited about it. However, itā€™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 Iā€™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 Iā€™m willing to invest into it. I have a budget of about $10k give or take $1k or so. I donā€™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 Iā€™ve ever used made me wince because the high frequencies are too pronounced. I just put up with it because I didnā€™t have a choice, but Iā€™ve noticed that with speakers Iā€™m usually not so sensitive to them so Iā€™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 Iā€™d love something that sounds ā€œtrue to lifeā€ because I have obviously a lot of experience hearing instruments live. I mostly listen to jazz (because Iā€™m a jazz musician) but I also love music of all genres like rock, electronic, pop, soul, alternative, and occasionally K-Pop too, Iā€™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 letā€™s just say jazz and realistic instruments is my main priority šŸ˜‡


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

cookiecurls

-Reference 3A De Capo Be II

-ProAc Response 2D

With your gear, either will be fabulous. Iā€™ve owned both, they are killer monitors in the up to $5K arena.

Totem, PS Audio, and especially if you want outstanding base in a small room withĀ  and elegant small form factor speaker, PMC with their transmission line design. Just make sure you have top notchĀ  smooth electronics ahead of them. You won't need a subwoofer!. Oh, and Fyne as well.

The Boenicke speakers were mentioned.Ā  I heard the W8 at the last Rocky Mountain show and for a small form floor standing speaker I was shocked at their musicality in a hotel room with super bass.Ā  It's probably at the top of your price range but I fell in love with them.Ā  Another stand mount may be the Alta Audio Alyssa.Ā  I heard their bigger brothers and were very good.

The Borresen X1s are head and shoulders above many of the aforementioned recommendations, especially from the typical catalogue brands. And donā€™t be deterred by the 5.5ā€ woofer. The woofer has a strong motor and good excursion, and can easily put out as much bass as many standmount models equipped with 7ā€ woofers.Ā 

Joseph Audio also makes high end, low-distortion standmounts capable of exceptional clarity and low fatigue.Ā 

If you want to save some coin, Tyler Acoustics can build you some end-game speakers that incorporate the same drivers used by Joseph Audio, along with top shelf crossover parts, and cabinets that are so stout and inert that they outweigh many small floorstanders.Ā 

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