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Tube Friendly High End "Big" speakers

I've been upgrading my system from good to great. I addressed the analog front end first and now have something respectable (Brinkmann Oasis w/ Graham Phantom II Supreme, Lyra Delos, SimAudio Moon 310LP, and Acrolink 8N Reference Phono Cable.

The system is being driven by a PrimaLuna Premium Dialogue Integrated and the speakers are Opera Seconda's in a smallish dedicated listening room. I'm moving into a much larger house, but will no longer have a dedicated listening room.

The room is 21.5' x 14.5' with lots of big windows and a high v-shaped vaulted ceiling which I'll treat with GIK acoustic panels. Not looking on advice on the room. It is what it is. Just giving a bit of info since I suspect it will be on the lively side. Here's a video. The room starts around the 2:10 mark: http://youtu.be/wrDpTsBDD_M

I'm looking to upgrade the Opera's. I really want a "big" speaker, something that will move some air and pressurize a room like this. My preference is for something tube friendly and I'll likely need to use my PrimaLuna for at least a few months. Not really interested in horns though.

I'm looking for a very 3D soundstage that's velvety smooth. Detail is great, but definitely nothing fatiguing as I tend to listen at higher volumes for extended periods. While I do listen to a lot of Classic Rock and Jazz, I also listen to a lot of more modern music. I want something that isn't going to make this stuff sound terrible.

I'm planning to buy used, so anything that retails up to $55-60K might be doable. TAD and Focal are on my radar right now, but it's difficult to read between the lines from reviewers to understand what will work.

Which speakers should I be considering?
128x128bgupton
rhljazz
1,255 posts
 
New, Acoustic Zen Crescendo. Used, ESP Concert Grands.

The Zens are transmission line and the ESP's are sealed which results in bass definition that is different and superior to the typical bass reflex design.

BTW I do like the Devore 0/96's but you can still hear the result of the ported design. The Leben CS300x integrated sounds great on the Devores.
dave_72
1,399 posts
 
Those look good, Rhljazz, but do they have enough bass. It's hard to beat the 15s in the Tannoys and JBLs.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,314 posts
 
With tube amps more so than otherwise, for a large room especially, to get it all, you need large speakers with either large drivers or several smaller ones. I'd tend to go with as few large drivers as necessary myself. Using a larger good quality powered sub or two or four solves the problem once set up properly, which is always a requirement for best results.
rhljazz
1,255 posts
 
I have the smaller ESP's which are Bodhran SE models. I supplement them with a pair of Gallo TR1D subs. I want "kick" in my kick drums.
I would expect the isobaric loaded 8 inch drivers in the Concert Grands would be sufficient without subs.
johnnyb53
3,510 posts
 

10-03-14: Dave_72
Those look good, Rhljazz, but do they have enough bass. It's hard to beat the 15s in the Tannoys and JBLs.
Really, read Olsher's review of the Crescendo. The transmission line proveds clean, linear bass down to around 40 Hz. An important distinction of the Crescendo is its transmission line bass loading. Olsher makes a very strong point about how these speakers dramtically showed how he got used to the lagging bass of bass reflex designs, whereas the TL-loaded designs are quicker, more articulate, and especially rhythmic, i.e., more real sounding.

Bass reflex designs tend to have wild swings in impedance, something most tube amps don't like, complicated by the bass reflex's need for an amp with high damping factor, something a tube amp can't generally deliver. The Crescendo presents a benign load and presents no out-of-phase time lag. Win-win.

If you want that last octave of extension, it's far more economical to get a clean, articulate speaker down to 40Hz and then add in the last octave with a powered sub or two. True full-range speakers that don't let the bass extension smear the upper octaves rquire Herculean damping and cabinetry, making them crazy expensive--Wilson Maxx & Alexandria, Focal's top line Utopias, the big Magicos. These are $80K-200K.

Brand new and full retail Crescendos are $18K. A pair of JL Fathom F12s adds $7K. For $25K you have a true full-range system with sub-20Hz extension. Even a pair of their E110s would do the job for about $3K/pair, coming in at $21K and still tube-friendly.
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