new speaker itch

i'm still thinking about some new speakers

i could go to max 5k and think the best way would be second hand. 3.5 sounds the most sensible amount. this should all happen FQ next year.

my room is petty small though - 4.2 by 3.5 m. speakers fire lenght ways from the corners. i currently have jmlab electra 920's and although they're quite large they work quite well.

i fancy something on the largish side again.
as i intend to go s/h auditioning will be an issue although given i didn't audition any of my other kit this isn't a huge issue.

the speakers i've been thinking about are

b and w 802
jm lab utopia's varoius
i even saw some s/h wilson audio's that i like the look of.

any ideas comments?

my kit

lp12/ittok/at09/slee era gold mk 5/elevator xp/lingo 2

cd72/sugden stemfoort pda 10 dac

Bel canto evo 4/audio research ls2

yamaha tuner with spider ariel draped across fire place.

trichord 500va power block

interconnects mostly MF nuvista

senhieser hd600/rega ear

jmlab 920 electras (nac5)





i've also thought about swapping the lp12 for an sme 20 or maybe a new cdp or pre amp. i might well ask big tony to give my evo 4 a nudge.

 

john,
obvious answer is a pair of meadow larks as they do seem to be synergetic with bc amps. i'd go for some diy - ipl's and get tony to do a number on the crossovers / internal wiring for your budget you could go active with some bheringer x-overs and room correction too.
cheers


julian

 

julian

diy is ,aside from from the fact i find wiring a plug a challenge, too time consuming. i'm wary of room correction too because i'd forget about the music and spend all my time buggering about with it.

all i know about the meadow larks is that tony's got some - where can i find out more?

i had a sequence of events like this in mind: see some thing, buy it, get it delivered, install it, flog electra's and finally lie to mrsjohnh about the cash involved.

John

 

John,

if you would like to hear large louspeakers (in your price range) fed by a SME20 and a "switching amp", in a room of similar size, do feel free to PM me.

I think the results are quite good.

 

Julian, are you still using the standard x-over on your S5?

 

Harbeth M40s

 

SM - Do you have an sme20? Curious.

JH - what type of music do you like? What are you preferences for tonal balance etc? I dont see how any body can recommend speakers without asking these things

 

Dude, Joel has come up with The Right Answer. Perfect for nearfield listening despite the size, would fit nicely in your room.

-- Ian

 

yep still using the standard x-overs.
another choice might be the audionote an-j's iirc notworthy do them in various stages of fettlement

 

I'd have a look around for Audiophysic Virgo mkIIIs or Avanti mkIIIs such as mine - Virgos are £4k new, so think around £2.5k s/h, and Avantis are £8k or so new, so s/h ones will be within budget. Truly great speakers (especially the Avantis!)

 

The ap's and the b&w are worlds apart - which speakers have you actually heard and liked so far? If you currently have jmlab I would put money on the Aps being more your cup of tea than the B&W.

 

indeed, and my mate at the hifi collective does them in kits if you want to save a few quid (he gets the parts straight from audionote uk)

www.hificollective.com


he's just a mate btw, no commercial interest on my part before anyone asks :S

 

Hmm depends what sort of sound you like. My last JM Labs 915.1's were very bright although the berilium range weren't. For flat earth, Electra 1027 Be sounded extreemly good (driven by Naim). Although frankly the imaging size was rubbish compared to my Mirage speakers, the rest of it sounded pretty good, bass lines were particuarly superb.

The recommendations I got on here were for Apogee if you like a transparent fast and BIG soundstage.

I own some Audio Physics too (some little ones) and they're great but v. different from the JM Labs, sound softer to me with a warmer more analog feel. The Medowlarks from WM we great for attack and bass lines, accuracy etc. but I found them a little bright (hey I'm fussy) and the imaging was too small for my liking as well.

Wilson System 6 were awesome, but the players were at my waist level. Those were driven by Pass Labs X1000's and I had an extensive demo. Extreemly clean and precise sound where a pin drop could be heard. Stunning resolution.

Hmm what else. I like the really big Magnaplanars if you can find them. Superb with a quality analog front end.

Now please bear in mind my tastes are very different to WM's so if you like the sound of his stuff go with the Medowlarks

Hope this is of some help! Tim.

 

Timmy, prehaps you should revist, you may be in for a small suprise

 

Oooo have you fixed it! I'll be up that way over Christmas so may give you a shout!

Tim

 

Ian,

Doesn't Alan Shaw complain about not being able to get Monitor 40's to work in smallish rooms without EQ?

 

john, you're not serious about spending £5,000 on a pair of standmounts are you mate?

It seems a beast of an amount of money for something small.

If it were my money.. Id try to sort the CDP, TT and speakers for that amount!!

you know the sort of thing, a second hand wadia or similar for 2k, upgrade or flog the LP12 for another TT, and a pair of speakers too.

I'd probably get those little merlins. Theyre a great choice for small rooms. You ask Robbo or Merlin on pink fish.

The american manufacturer is a bit of a nightmare by everything I've heard, but I still think its hard to touch them for the money if you like what they do.

People I respect also speak of the little Revel M20's too.

How about these - for your budget?

the nouvelle platine with morch arm thats been in Walrus for donks - £2k
Wadia 850 from audiogon - like this one (sold unfortunately) http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?dgtlplay&1137939949 £2k
Revel M20 - £800 http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrmoni&1138290631


£4,800 - plus best part of £2k for all your existing gear on e-bay!

shopping is fun

 

Oh I think I may have put a patch or 2 on it Tim

 

How about Merlin VSMs - I bought a 2nd hand pair from Tony and am really impressed, while not as good all rounders the meadowlarks I heard in his system they are pretty complete speakers - don't go as low as Wilson Watt / puppys I've heard but I'm happy in a smallish 4 x ~5m room.

 

Have you had a chance to listen to the Thiel Audio CS2.4? They are floorstanders though, but reasonably stylish.

http://thielaudio.com/THIEL_Site05/Pages/models/Current_Models/cs2_4/cs2_4nws.html

You won't find them easily on the s/h market, but they sell new for £3195. Since you are in London, I think Cornflake audio can demo them.