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Speaker Choice for a larger room

Hey all.

I'm going through change in my system again. Whilst I'm in the selling mode presently, and won't be buying for a little while, I would like to start to plan out future purchases.
The main area of concern is finding a speaker that will couple effectively with my room.
The dimensions are 28' X 45' and the cathedral ceiling goes up to 28'
I'm using Maggie 3.6's presently, but plan on changing things around.
My musical tastes are Jazz, classic rock, some blues, some classical most anything that isn't country or rap.
What I want from my system is:
Scale - large open soundstage, good width and depth
Imaging - precise placement of images but with emphasis on 3 dimensional realism
Palpability - the sense of presence and quality of the midrange.
Bass extension isn't of absolute importance, as long as I get a good sense of authority and impact in the lower registers.
I prefer a warmer sound with more bloom and midrange presence over a brighter more analytical sound.

On my list are:
Aerial 20T's
Sonus Faber Cremona
Avantgarde Duo's
Wilson Sophia's
Kharma 1.0's
Soundlab A1's

From the above, I've only heard Kharma's so I may be off target with my wish list of sonic attributes, though I have owned Sonus Fabers, a smaller model, and they seemed to do much of what I like best.
I'm flexible on amplification at this point, but would lean toward tubes, something around 200 watts, perhaps the Antique Sound Lab Hurricanes.
Source is and will remain digital.

What can you suggest that would take full advantage of the larger listening space, and would also be effective in a smaller space (I may move house in 6 months or so).

Would appreciate any insights. Budget wise, the 20T's are as high as I would go (used $12000 ish)

Thanks

Rooze
128x128rooze
cytocycle
1,043 posts
 
I use to own Magnepan IIIa's with the true ribbon tweeter and there are very few speakers that can produce the quickness and imaging as the Magnepans and so my speaker hunt was filled with disappointment.
The SoundLabs will produce more of what you were experiencing. They were too large for me in my small room.

But my quest stopped with the Wilson's because then I had that pinpoint imaging BUT with Dyamics and Volumn which I hadn't been able to get otherwise. The Sophia's would be an excellent match with tubes, as I heard them on a stereo VTL150 amp and my friend powers them with an ARC VS55i (which is not enough power for bass control but still amazingly transparent). I ended up blowing my budget and buying WP7's (now I drive a cheap Honda as a sacrifice for my stereo).

Wilson require time to setup and careful component matching to get that ultimate synergy (Going with tubes will help your quest)

Enjoy the hunt.
rooze's avatar
rooze OP
627 posts
 
Thanks Cytocycle, I took a peak at your system there....nice job! The Wilsons look really classy in the Yellow finish. How did you finish up with speaker placement, did that position with them well into the room work out?

Cheers

Rooze
peepoy2
23 posts
 
Hey Rooze,

Well, I thought I will stick with my Legacy Whispers for life. I have always been curious about the Avantgardes and when a local dealer had a preowed Duos for sale, I rushed to audition it. After the first few notes on Chuck Mangione's Feels So Good cut, I knew right away that I had to sell my Whispers. I sold the pair immediately and then a very nice pair of preowed Trios became available here and, after a prolonged negotiation with my wife (to divert some of the money due for my kid's college funds into these monstrous speakers), I was able to pick the pair up in New York and I know I am set for life with these fantastic loudspeakers. The Duos will make you feel a sense of connection with the music. Forget being over analytical and just really enjoy the music being played. You will be immersed with sheer musical pleasure with the performers having the "Breath of Life" right there in your presence!
Also, I just marvel at the fact that a mere 1 watt can power the Duos to room-filling levels. I am used to owning monstrous high-current, high-wattage amps and it took a while for me to accept that a few miniscule watts can produce such a magical experience that envelopes your whole body and caresses your soul. Again, just a suggestion for your consumption! All the best!
dsiggia
54 posts
 
Rooze,
If you like what you heard from the Legacy's, I believe you'll really like the Tyler line. Ty's speakers are more refined, accurate, and nuetral than the Legacy's. I went from the 20/20's to the full Linbrook system & it was quite a big step up in performance. The millenium tweeter Ty uses is very open, airy, and detailed. The Linbrooks also provide a big soundstage. I went from the Linbrooks to the Woodmere's. The Woodmere's use the same tweeter but have a different design than the Linbrooks. The 10 inch woofer on top and bottom of the cabinet provide a more full sound with an endless soundstage.
Good luck with your decision.
cytocycle
1,043 posts
 
Rooze,

I'm still playing with speaker placement right now so nothing is final, the imaging and depth with the system reversed like what is show in the last pictures is amazing but i'm sacrificing a bit of the bass response, but then again I still moving them to avoid the bass mode suckout in the room. This weekend I'll move them 1 foot closer.

No offense to the Legacy guy's but one of my friends did an in home demo of the $8000 legacy's (not the Whispers so this might not be relevant) but they were amazingly dynamic speakers but that forwardness and dynamic presentation began to wear you out and the driver integration wasn't quite like some of the other manufactures. Great home theater speakers though. The speakers were being powered by Manely 250 monoblocks.
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