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I am on a quest now to see if I can get better sound from switching up loudspeakers. Budget is from $2K->$4K and I am looking for a decent pair of bookshelf's that can blow away the the speakers I currently use (Audes Excellence 1's). It's going to be hard to do as the Audes perform excellent @ their $2K price point, but I believe there are a lot more speakers out there that can give me more detail, and sense of space (ie. Live recordings, sound of the room). I listen to all types of music, with a stress on the atmospheric music as well as newly recorded Jazz, piano and lots of what might be called Heavy Metal/Ambient Noise/Extreme. I am looking for holographic soundstage as well as excellent midrange and high frequency performance which doesn't make the tweeter visible. The speakers should be invisible so to speak.
Any suggestions?
Follow Ups:
3500$
On the link bellow you can find a review.
Whats your current setup like ?
without it you will just end up with recommendations of what others like :)
You may be able to find a used pair of Dynaudio C1s in your price range.
We have Paradigm Signature S2 speakers, first version, and are very pleased with them. They are as free from diffraction effects as any are are invisible. They can play loudly for small speakers and the NRC measurements for Soundstage show this. The bass is pretty good for a monitor down to 40 Hz or so but we use a subwoofer for the deep bass. I haven't heard the second version Signature speakers, but they should be good, so would suggest auditioning them. For heavy metal I would think the S4 or larger models would be better.
The PSB Platinum M2 is also very good. They also have the new Synchrony line, too, which seems to share the top of line status--something I don't quite understand. Anyway, the Platinum Series is very good and they too will play pretty loudly for a monitor speaker--also indicated in the NRC measurements.
Someone below suggests something in the Dynaco line and they would be worth auditioning, too. I was pretty well impressed with the Dynaco Contour 1.3 Mk II, though they seemed to have a slight peak at the extreme highs. The Dynacos are less sensitive but will also go fairly deep in the bass.
There are lots of speakers I haven't heard that should be worth auditioning and it is always a good idea to listen to a number of different speakers.
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"It pertains to all men to know themselves and to be temperate."
---Heraclitus of Ephesus (trans. Wheelwright)
"Someone below suggests something in the Dynaco line and they would be worth auditioning, too. I was pretty well impressed with the Dynaco Contour 1.3 Mk II, though they seemed to have a slight peak at the extreme highs. The Dynacos are less sensitive but will also go fairly deep in the bass."
I managed to find a new pair of the Contour 1.3 MK II's on the internet. This is a fantastic speaker and they are just breaking in. I settled on the older Dynaudio Contour line after looking at the newer models and seeing that they were strange looking and didn't fit my idea about how speakers should look (I could be too old school it seems). I decided to keep my current Audes stands and send them 1's and 0's over the net and purchase a pair of the Contour MK II. The newer model was too futuristic to me, but no doubt excellent sounding indeed. I managed to get a good price on a new (never opened) Contour MK II model which seemed too good to be true, but indeed it was true. I have a nice finish on them and they blend in really well with my current setup. I use a Dussun Amp which has way more than enough power to make the speakers live.
Right away I noticed more detail than the Audes Excellence 1's and I have decided to keep these puppies. I will write a review in a couple of months or so once they get good use and are fully broken in.
Thanks to all of the people here for their recommendations. This is my first Dynaudio experience and man it is excellent! Looks like I'll be listening to these for many years to come! This is only the beginning for my "newbie" system which no doubt took me at least 7 years to get it to this point. I look forward to many years of re-discovering my music collection.
Methinks you have your Dynacos confused with Dynaudio.......
Oz
Audio Note AN J/SPE are quite large standmounts but would be my choice in this price range - and gee that is my price range and I have them. They will play anything exceptionally well as it should be. AN E upper speaker with the same drivers and bigger cabinet. It would run $1k over your budget though.
but what is Heavy Metal/Ambient Noise/Extreme?
I will look at ProACs, thanks for the tip.
However to answer your other question, it's the reason why I require high end (link to one major Ambient Noise/Extreme distro below)
I own a pair of ProAc Tablette 50 Sigs ~ which were in my primary system until about a year ago. I hope to never have to sell these, and want to setup in a secondary system. Would only sell if finances forced the issue, or the secondary system never came to fruition.
Hello,
I have owned too may monitors to mention. I recently picked up a pair of the Ars Aures F1 monitors and couldn't be happier. Driven by a Sophia Electric KT 88 in a 18x21 room they create a buble of real sounding music. Similar to the green mountain they are a 1st order crossover and time alligned.All I can say is that I can't stop listning.
Good Luck,
Art
NT
The Green Mountain Audio Callisto delivers exactly what you describe with the caveats that it does not play deep bass nor will it play happily at head banging levels. They are at the low end of your price range.
...that you should grab yourself a pair of Callistos while you still can. If you want a bit more low end, get a pair of REL Q108e subs or Martin Logan Dynamo subs. A pair of Callistos and a pair of subs will give you *amazing* sound and keep you close to your budget (and far under your budget if you don't need the subs).
I agree with the Callisto reccomendation. And they will play louder than one might think. Sure, they will compress at some point, but that level is pretty darn high.
Oz
They'll play louder than I'd care to listen as will my 1.5is but every once in awhile you run into to someone that likes, at least occasionally, averaged levels of over 100dB. I'm not comfortable with any direct radiator, first order crossover, speaker for that audience. That 's why god made horns.
The new Paradigm Reference Signature S1, their first Series 2 model. $2,000 include the dedicated, bolt-on stands. The speaker is tiny but has a big voice and is more coherent than my ACI Sapphire XLs. Review below.
I haven't heard any of the version 2 models. We are very pleased with the Signature S2, first version, which play beautifully.
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"It pertains to all men to know themselves and to be temperate."
---Heraclitus of Ephesus (trans. Wheelwright)
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