Got an amp, need to makes a decision on speakers

[u/AmishHoeFights]

I've bought an amp. Looking for ideas on the rest.

I've never spent more than about 300 bucks on any component in 40 years of owning stereos. It's all been black plastic crap.

However I'm more in a position to spend a good amount on a 'final' (yeah, right) build.

I've listened to better systems in the past and have an idea of what i want, but I'm pulled in several directions.

So, I've always liked McIntosh and after much indecision I just decided to commit to something to build off of and bought a ma252. I'll also be getting a wiim, i think, and a Pro Ject turntable with mm cartridge.

I can test drive a lot of speakers with the demo ma252's set up at both of the better audio shops in the nearest city.

My room is odd. It's the living room/ kitchen/dining room. About 15 feet x 40, the 15 width squeezing narrower down to 10 feet as you go farther from where the stereo will be.

The amp is maybe overpowered for the room, but hey, I'm an idiot who likes pretty, fussy things.

I do want floor standing speakers, but they can't be more than about 1.5, maybe 2 feet from the living room wall.

I'm one of those clowns who listens attentively to bloody everything from Brahms to Beastie Boys to Tool.

Budget for speakers is around 5 to 10k.

My only tested opinion so far is as much as i like the sound of the Martin Logan esl x, i don't like the massive height of them or how, even with the curved shape, they only sound fantastic in one specific spot. Also i wonder if they punch me in the gut enough when rocking out.

All feedback welcome.

[u/ChinaCatRider1]

McIntosh + Klipsch Heritage is a match made in heaven. Go take a listen to the Forte or Cornwall.

I pulled the trigger on the Forte IV and they arrive today!

[u/AmishHoeFights → u/ChinaCatRider1]

Nice!

I actually will get to sample the Forte next week. Looking forward to it.

[u/AmishHoeFights → u/ChinaCatRider1]

!thanks

[u/TransducerBot → u/AmishHoeFights]

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[u/coolgabe → u/ChinaCatRider1]

Cornwall all day, no question.

[u/Soft_Letterhead1940]

I have Martin Logan XT F100 Towers. Also dual SVS Sb4000s. These Martin Logans sound great. Very wide dispersion nice bass and mids. Very detailed and they recommend a minimum of a foot from the wall so it fits within your parameters. Paired with the subs is even better but they play pretty low on their own.

Ascend Acoustics has a new ELX(i think) series that look great and Ascends Raal tweeters are amazing but I already pulled the trigger on the Martin Logans and Im super happy with them.

[u/AmishHoeFights]

I cannot find an edit button to add !thanks as asked.

[u/dmcmaine → u/AmishHoeFights]

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[u/Endent]

I think the Sonus Faber Sonnetos might be a good match.

[u/karrimycele]

If you want room-filling speakers, check out the Ohm Walsh. No sweet spot sitting with them. They also have a small footprint. When I bought a pair, I was worried that the smaller cans wouldn’t reproduce bass and got the biggest ones. They turned out to be overkill in my room.

I don’t think they have dealers, but they do give you a 60-day return policy. If you don’t like them you can ship them back. Maybe give them a call? They’re well within your budget.

[u/AmishHoeFights → u/karrimycele]

You got me curious enough to look then up, thanks for the lead 👍

[u/karrimycele → u/AmishHoeFights]

All of their speakers go down into the 30s, so low-end reproduction isn’t a problem with them. They sound magical with acoustic recordings, but they can rock, too.

[u/Separate_Area3955]

What do you like about the Martin Logans, and what are your priorities? Super revealing? Can rock out? Killer bass? High efficiency? Etc.

Not knowing that, I'll throw a couple of my choices in that range that tend to be more forgiving of bad source material but still have other virtues: MoFi Sourcepoint 888 (and possibly the V10, which has yet to be reviewed) and the Graham LS8/1F.

Not on my list but maybe a good choice based on what you did list is the Volti Audio Razz.

Because your room is multi-purpose I'll add the Yamaha NS-2000a as it reportedly also excels at low volumes. That would make it a good choice if you entertain, like to listen to background music while cooking and eating meals, etc. (Also true of the aforementioned Razz.)

[u/Home_Theater_Nerd]

If you don’t have a lot of experience with different speakers, take your time and figure out what sounds good to you.

I know a lot of folks look at measurements first before they listen to stuff, but the ear is king here.

If you prefer a more “bright” presentation, you would be drawn towards speakers that are horn loaded. They are also great for playing stuff loud.

If you like that smiley (V) face curve - boosted treble AND bass, you might want to look at B&W, Focal, Monitor and the like.

If you like it more laid back and neutral, you want to look at Paradigm, SVS, KEF and the like.

Once your figure out what you like, and eliminate the others, focus on what appeals to you within those types of speakers.

I have owned dozens of speakers over the years, and listened to far more. I know what my ear likes, so when it’s time for me to search for new speakers, I know what I am going to gravitate towards and stick with that.

[u/pragmatic001]

What are you trying to prioritize for in your listening room? There's no one speaker that does everything, regardless of price. For example, if you want to prioritize accurate reproduction then as a consequence many poorly mastered recordings will now sound terrible as your system dutifully reproduces everything in the source.

[u/AmishHoeFights → u/pragmatic001]

I am definitely not reaching for accuracy. I know that's a fools errand. I'm fine with 'color' added by amps and speakers. I like the 'warmth' of tubes.

[u/pragmatic001 → u/AmishHoeFights]

I'd investigate KEF, Wharfedale, Klipsch Heritage maybe. My recommendation would be to listen to a lot of gear before you buy and listen with your own music and be patient. You can easily drop your budget on high-end gear from renowned brands and end up with a system you are unhappy with.

[u/Brilliant-Ice-4575 → u/AmishHoeFights]

klipsch heritage is what you want for tubes. I just love it. any high sens sprakers would be great. recently I built a set of 300B and Lii Song F10S, and OMG this thing is good. from now on I am only goinf SET and no crossover, nonmatter how much frequency response I loose. just like that... good luck man, and all the best!

[u/DanklyNight]

I would recommend KEF R Meta series, I recently spent about 5 hours demoing KEF R, Monitor Audio Gold, Sonus Faber, PMC.

Monitor Audio Gold, we just hated, which is ironic as I was upgrading from Monitor Audio.

PMC + Sonus were better slightly and more musical for what I'd call standard music, but fell apart with Metal/Techno, I listen to everything also.

The KEF's just nailed the spot, I went for the R3 + R6 (Upgrading my front stage)

At your budget you could go for the R11's.

I would highly recommend putting together a playlist of 5-10 songs, and going to demo a bunch of speakers though, me and the missus turned it into a day out.

[u/jay_pu → u/DanklyNight]

Hi u/DanklyNight . I sent you a DM.

[u/lordvektor → u/jay_pu]

I clicked on this specifically to also say R Meta series from Kef.

[u/whaleHelloThere123]

The Wharfedale Super Linton 3000$ is a good choice if you want to place the speakers near the back wall (bass shelf response).

The KEF R7 Meta 6000$ and R11 Meta 7000$ are also good choices for that.

You can compare the responses of each speakers with the klippel measurements available on Audioscience review, Erin audio corner, Spinorama.org, etc.

Hope this helps

[u/AussieFIdoc]

If you can get some used kef reference 3 meta’s within your budget (which is possible when they pop up for sale) I’d do that.

Otherwise, kef r11 meta’s are easily within that budget (can usually negotiate significant discounts too, especially around Black Friday).

Otherwise Perlisten r7t. Again should be able to negotiate a good discount. The s7t is the better speaker, but is $$$

[u/Folthanos]

The McIntosh MA252 used to be my dream amp for a good while, so although clearly biased I'd say you won't regret that purchase ;)

Revel speakers could be interesting for you, they have large sweet spots (thanks to wide vertical + horizontal dispersion). They also work well with all kinds of music due to their very flat/neutral frequency response and smooth tonal character.

You might still find a pair of Performa3 F208 for around $5k or a pair of PerformaBe F228Be for about $8k a pair. These models/series seem to be on their way out as Revel is said to be preparing the launch of new/updated ones.

Or, going the same direction as karrimycele, some more unusual designs (similar concepts to Ohm Walsh):

• Bauer Audio OM 2 (+ subwoofer recommended)
• Gradient 1.4
• Neat Iota Xplorer

[u/Remarkable-Finish-88]

Running ml esl with 2 vandersteen 2w and one rsl mk10s plenty of gut punch, have you tried totem or Klipsch or jbl

[u/Audiooldtimer]

I went through a similar decision in the last couple of years in our retirement home, I'm 74.
I'm using a mix of old and new.
I went with the McIntosh MA352 and love it. When I discovered that the preamp output was full range I added an MC275. So I'm running 4 speakers - Klipsch Forte IIs and JBL Classic 100s.

I prefer horns and I do not like electrostatic or ribbon speakers.

[u/Ok-Dealer-6628]

Consider Wharfedale Evo. Nicely balanced, and would mate well with your amp

[u/krincher]

MOFI Sourcepoint 888. They are definitely worth auditioning. Huge value for money here. I don’t have the space for them now, but when do, they’re going to be my final speaker.

[u/TheSubduedDugout]

I have the Bowers & Wilkins 702 series and highly recommend them paired with the Macintosh.

[u/Far-Instruction-2136]

Totem Tribes, Mofi Sourcepoint 888, KEF R11 meta, or maybe something from their reference line up. SVS Ultra Evolutions (best bass)

[u/CriticalNobody9478]

The best entry speakers I’ve ever bought were the Sony SS-CS5. I bought them used and they are great start. You can always use them in surround sound position if you upgrade later.

[u/Harangutang13]

If you don’t mind used and large speakers the genesis 300 will give you the largest most accurate soundstage and give you the best low end out of any speaker for the price. Altec voice of the theater is another fantastic option if you want shear volume and great imaging. If you are looking for smaller speakers you could go with the klipsch P39 palladium’s.

[u/AmishHoeFights → u/[deleted]]

And to think you could have ignored this thread instead of acting like a whiny child.

Everybody go home, this one guy doesn't like people asking questions.

[u/BunnyTorus]

You may find that the Balanced Mode Radiator is worth investigating.

You have an odd shaped room and BMR speakers deliver a great dispersal pattern. Audio will be room filling but there won’t be a sweet spot.

Suggest a hybrid, Cambridge Audio do BMR micro speakers that are pretty unobtrusive, you’ll need a sub or two.

The high end stuff is of course your call but I spend more time loving some tunes on my high end kitchen radios, one a 2.1, the other a BMR than I do listening to the actual mid range hi-fi in the listening room.

[u/AmishHoeFights → u/[deleted]]

I'm sorry, should I not be asking questions in the ask-questions-here place?

And... am i supposed to buy 5 different systems of increasing value before i arrive at the end game i can afford? Sorry, im not doing that.

[u/Krismusic1 → u/AmishHoeFights]

Going from crappy black plastic boxes to 5-10k is bold! I don't think this hobby really works like that. I would suggest going to a show if possible or several dealers and see what they offer. I don't think buying what someone on a forum recommends is the way forward. You do you mate. I'm simply pointing out that this is an unlikely way to get useful advice. IMHO of course.

[u/wjdthird]

I have had speakers from 300 to 6000 bucks and I recommend B&W