2. speakers
  3. 1044894584

Speakers that leave room to upgrade front-end

I'm looking for speakers for a small apartment-- listening area is about 10' x 10' and whole room is 13' wide x 27' long x 9.2' high and i listen across the width of the room. Very varied musical tastes-- I keep my music alphebetized, and a typical range from the "Ps": Charlie Parker, Maceo Parker, Gram Parsons, Pearl Jam, Michael Penn, Portishead, Pretenders, Prince...... What are your suggestions in the $1.5K range?

Please keep in mind that I don't want to get too far ahead of my front-end equipment-- I'm running a Rotel rsp-960ax preamp into a Parasound HCA-806 (6 X 80 wpc if I recall correctly). I anticipate upgrading the amp set-up to bi-amp the mains with a nice ss 2-channel amp like a little Bryston. Down the road, I definitely anticipate bi-amping the mains using the small solid state for the lows and a tube amp for the highs--nothing too esoteric though.

In short, I need speakers that will work nicely with my current mid-fi set-up but that will be good enough to take me through a couple substantive upgrades over the next several years. I've looked at the SF Concerto and the small Energy Veritas-- I'm very open to alternative suggestions.

Thanks,

D
dkidknow
steelhead
318 posts
 
Try to audition electrostatics. In your range you should be able to score used Martin Logan's or Innersounds. Stat's are extremely clean, detailed, and image great depending on room setup . The lean sound that is sometimes pointed out as a problem with stats is tempered by tubes. I use Logans and tubes in a dedicated room just a little bigger than your dimensions and love the combination. With a dedicated room of your size you should at least try to hear it setup with ML Aerius.

Have fun.
emster
75 posts
 
I agree with Danlevy. You would be well served with Hawks, or Forests from Totem used. They can live with your amplification and will really improve with a better amp like a bryston. Also, they work well close in and against walls and are an excellent small room speaker. You could also go with one of the stand mounted totem's but the floorstanders are easier to fit in. good luck.
jsteigert
14 posts
 
Cones vs Planars, now there is a REAL fork in the road.
rbstehno
1,455 posts
 
I currently use a pair of Totem model 1's in my audio room (matched with a REL sub) and a pair of Totem Arro's in my den. The Arro's are made for small rooms and can be placed close to the back wall. Check out the reviews. For a small speaker, you get a pretty big sound. You will still need good source equipment to get the best sound.
enjoy!
cpdunn99's avatar
cpdunn99
639 posts
 
Totems would be very nice (good suggestion, Dan). Having some options to consider, though, is ideal, even if you ultimately go with the Totems. So, you might look into some of the Axiom line or the smaller stand-mounted ATCs.
More to discover