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Seeking speakers under $3K for 10x12 ft room and driven by 20wpc tube amp

I currently have a pair of Apogee Acoustics Centaur Minors driven by a new Black Ice integrated tube amp. The small but dedicated listening room means I’m doing near-field listening with me and the speakers forming a 6’ triangle. As you might expect, these speakers have terrific midrange but at 85dB sensitivity they are a bit difficult to drive and feel limited in dynamics. The room is acoustically treated.


I almost exclusively listen to small combo acoustic jazz and vocals and I’m seeking recommendations for something easier to drive and more dynamic that provides a more “palpable presence” of the musicians when played at louder levels. Prefer small floorstanders for aesthetics but not essential and preferably a brand where I might have a chance to audition them (I’m in SoCal). Also open to used (e.g. something like Wilson Cubs). TIA!

p.s. thanks for the Sonus faber suggestion.

ristretto
redhouse6
8 posts
 

I have a similar size room. I bought a pair of KEF LS50 Meta speakers and a Marantz model 30 amplifier. Both are Stereophile "A" listed. At the time, Barry Ober, the Soundoctor, was very pleased with the sound in my room. He had the most  educated ears of anyone I know.  

My hearing has gotten worse, so I can no longer enjoy them as I should, so for $3,000 I will pass both of them on to you. They have barely been used, as I have been busy with business and family health issues. Like new condition. All original boxes and documentation. Also included is a Parasound T-DQ-1600 Broadcast Reference Tuner with remote.

coltrane1's avatar
coltrane1
790 posts
 

Man, you needed a pair of Cain&Cain Abby’s!

ristretto OP
5 posts
 

OP again, posting a followup. I looked into a lot of recs mentioned in this thread and soon realized that I wanted to focus first on speakers that I could immediately audition with my own amp. I also realized, for better or worse (and partly due to aesthetics) that I wanted smallish floorstanders. So I demoed several speakers at my local hifi shop and somewhat unexpectedly ended up getting something that did not get a lot of press - the now-discontinued Quad S5s. The bass, dynamics and sensitivity far surpassed my vintage Apogees while retaining the midrange magic of ribbon tweeters. And I got a great deal on them.

Obviously I will never know how the wide range of speakers given in this thread will measure up in my room and I’m sure some of them will outperform the Quads. But hey, I’m pleased with what I got (for now!)

If anything, this thread will provide plenty of great recs to anyone else in a similar situation. Cheers!

freediver
1,211 posts
 

Congratulations on a fine choice!
 The combination of Kevlar mid bass drivers & ribbon tweeter,along with Quads experience with voicing a highly musical tone,should keep you happy for many many years...When you start considering an upgrade to your amplification I HIGHLY recommend a KT88 driven tube amp or Pure Class A Solid State to take them to their absolute pinnacle...

tbomb2522
3 posts
 

The Mofi Sourcepoint 8....I ran them with a single ended EL34 amp..they rocked with this setup, they barely drop under 6 ohms...even in the bass..

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