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I'm in Speaker Hell!! I can't decide which one. I can get a pair of 2.5's mint for 2500.00 or a pair of Beethoven's mint 2200.00 and lastly the relatively Unknown Silverline -Corona II's for 2000.00 .All three list for 4500.00.I have the Audionote CD2 CD Player, Sonic Frontiers SFL-1 pre-amp and a CJ MF-2300A amp.Cables are MIT 330 II's and speaker cables are the MIT Terminator 2's. My listening room is 15"Lx12W x10' h.I love a smooth Tube like sound. I love Bass too. and detail. I hate Bright speakers. I've heard all but the Coronas. I can't find them.I've never heard Silverline's.I guess, out of the 2.5's and the Beethovens. I'd go w/ the Beethovens.I think. Alittle more Bass and Slightly smoother on top. And I can get them for 300.00 less. Please help me out hear! I need suggestions on these 3 speakers only. I'm confused enough. Anybody heard the Coronas? If they are so good. Why aren't they as popular as the Sonatas or Sonatinas? Thanks in advance!
Follow Ups:
I'd go for the Proac's but then I like the smooth/detailed British speaker sound. They also have decent resale;-)
My experience with the ProAc 2.5's is that they are a very nice speaker, but very picky about amplification. Can sound great with the right equipment. I bought VA Beethoven's. Like you I hate bright speakers - the Beethoven's seem just right to me. Love them, and they work well with both SS and Tubes (I prefer Tubes).
Although I haven't heard any of the Silverline models, I did communicate with a reviewer who liked them - he said they tend to be on the bright side of neutral, although he liked them very much (Sonatina's).
I'll follow your instructions and recommend the Beethovens, having heard only them and the ProAcs. The Silverlines could be the greatest bargain in the history of audio, but I wouldn't know having not listened to them.I like the 2.5s, but prefer them with tube amps. I haven't heard the Beethoven's with the CJ, but I heard the amp with Hales and AudioPhysic Tempos not too long ago. I think it would be better for the Beethoven's. My only concern would the the Beethoven's overloading a 15x12 room with bass, especially if you can't keep them away from the rear wall. The Beethoven's will definitely give you a bit more bass (more easily), better voicing on strings, and more dynamics than the Proacs. On everything else I'd call it a draw, except the Proacs can really do the human voice right with the right electronics.
Now the standard disclaimers: YMMV and I'm a VA Mozart owner.
--Len
You sound like you are in a hurry. This is not a good thing if your looking for speakers.I have a idea that will save you money. If you don't have a pair of speakers and are in hurry to listen to music, then I reccomend a pair of GR Research Paradox 1's. They will only cost you around $500. They are wonderful.
Then you can continue your search for a more expensive pair of Speakers at your leisure. If you are familar with the Silverline SR-17
I can tell you that the Paradox 1's are in the league of these Silverlines. If you finally find a pair of speakers that you like much better than the Paradox 1's, you can buy them. Then you can use the Paradox 1's in another room. In the meantime, you enjoy Worldclass music while you audition other speakers. BTW - The Paradox 1's will not be easy to beat.
Cut-Throat
I am currently torn between the Proac 2.5's too! I used to own a pair and miss a lot of their attributes, I just seem to remember a top end that got a little hot and restrained dyanmics, probably due to the 86db efficiency. You might take a listen to the new JM lab Electra 926, 92db efficient, 8ohm, and very smooth. A bit more than the used Proacs though, at $4000/pair. Too new to find used yet either.
I auditioned the JM Lab 926 on Saturday and can't say I was too pleased with them. Tonally, they are quite nice, but they were lacking in the bottom end, as compared to the Beethoven's. The ProAc 2.5 is indeed very nice and they are image kings, but I feel they would be inadequate in large orchestral pieces. The Beethoven's, I thought, were very neutral and the bottom end was very, very nice. I am also in the hunt for a new pair of speakers, and these were all I was considering. I am now down to the Revel F30 or Audio Physic Virgo's. I liked the Revel's a lot, was very surprised how lovely the bass extension was and its tonal character. If you can get past the looks of the speaker, then I would encourage you to audition them.Happy listening!
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