Floorstanding Speakers for Bluesy Rock 5-10k ?

I contemplated adding a sub before, but it's not for me. Aside from the fact that the Nait 5i doesn't have the requisite input, I don't particularly want additional hardware, and it would take a considerable amount of time to properly dial everything in. The room acoustics are challenging enough!

To clarify, I would use my Naim electronics during the interim to offset the high initial cost. After 3-5 years, I would then purchase a suitable amplifier to match with the speakers and TT. It wouldn't make sense to buy $5k speakers and then pair them with the Nait 5i-2; I wouldn't be realizing their full potential! I quite enjoy the Nait 5i/CD5i combo, so they will eventually be reunited with my Harbeth speakers. This means that I don't need ultimate synergy with Naim, but I do need SOME synergy - I wouldn't want to listen to a poorly matched system for 3-5 years!

So, with that in mind, can someone please provide a list of perhaps 5 of the top speaker manufacturers or models given my stated criteria? I'll be doing a whole bunch of research before I actually audition anything. This opens the door to upcoming models, too!

On a separate note, has anyone run an SET amp with high efficiency horn speakers? I've never heard a horn-based system, but I'm curious to know how the sound would differ. Which musical genres would be best suited for such a setup?

P.S. I plan to make this purchase in about 2 years, so I'm still very much in the preliminary stages. This is going to be a carefully matched and well thought out system, which is why I'm soliciting input now. Thanks again!

I should have mentioned that I'm not interested in a horn-based system, just curious. I can't imagine the bass response to be anywhere near sufficient for blues/rock. I'm very curious about the mid-range, though. In my experience, the ultimate challenge for speakers is accurately reproducing solo vocals and piano. Curious to know how horns would do...

"I can't imagine the bass response [of a horn system] to be anywhere near sufficient for blues/rock."

It depends on what type of horn system you mean. If you're talking about a single fullrange driver in a back-loaded horn, then yes the bass will be insufficient for blues/rock. If you're talking about a horn/direct radiator woofer hybrid, you'll probably have plenty of bass. If you're talking about a fullrange uber-high-efficiency multi-horn system, with a true horn-loaded woofer section, then it depends. Some will go plenty deep for rock and blues, and some will not.

"I'm very curious about the mid-range, though. In my experience, the ultimate challenge for speakers is accurately reproducing solo vocals and piano. Curious to know how horns would do..."

A good horn system will have negligible characteristic "horn" coloration, and will be extremely dynamic and articulate, to the point of doing justice to solo piano at realistic levels (which is a lot harder than it sounds). Of course not all horns are created equal, nor are all horn systems created equal - many horn systems do have that characteristic "horn" coloration, so you gotta do your homework.

The type of horn system I'm most familiar with uses a direct-radiator woofer crossed over to a constant-directivity horn at the frequency where the woofer's pattern has narrowed (due to beaming) to match the horn's pattern. The result is a "controlled directivity" speaker, and its advantage is that the reverberant energy in the room has very nearly the same spectral balance as the first-arrival sound. This is a characteristic of natural voices and unamplified instruments that relatively few loudspeakers emulate, and it's the main reason why I prefer horns (waveguide-style contant directivity horns, to be precise).

You mentioned room acoustics also... a good controlled-directivity speaker works with your room, rather than against it, in this sense: Since the reverberant energy in the room sounds like the first-arrival sound, it's beneficial instead of detrimental, and so you don't need to absorb it in order to "fix" anything. Of course you want to avoid slap-echo, but beyond that, you want a powerful, diffuse reverberant field. Indeed, the presence of a well-energized, spectrally correct, diffuse reverberant field is a primary difference between a good recital hall and the average home audio listening room. I can go into detail about some unorthodox ideas for developing that sort of reverberant field, if you'd like.

Best of luck in your multi-year quest!

Duke
dealer/manufacturer

Not a floor stander - but I have been quite pleased with my Dynaudio C1 Signatures. Does a great job on your type of music.

I never thought I would buy a sub and I never wanted one. I now have one as of 4 days ago and it's made me a believer. I guess if you want two systems then go for it. If two systems is not suitable to your needs you should really give a sub a try. I'm using a REL B2 with C7es3's with results I only dreamed of.