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Changing it Up! Part Deux

Art, is the budget still in the basic 2K or better less than? Those TF Arts are very nice, but a bit out of that budget by a good margin, unless you are fortunate to find a used/demo pair, and then I would definately say it is worth a shot!

I have nothing much to add to the list that you already have or know, but those Visaton paper drivered WLM's still might be worth a shot. Maybe I should give Vinnie at RWA a call myself and see what is going on with the Stella Monitors. Tim
 
How about that Audience One? I am trying not to be on the speaker merry-go-round for a while but that and the little KEF's really appeal to me.
 
I love the Penaudio Rebel 3's with my Sonneteer Campion. :)

There's one store in my area that is also a Sonneteer & Penaudio dealer.
In fact, it was the first one and for a while even the only dealer in Holland, and the owners son was the distributor for some time, years ago.
It was there (appr. 10-12 years ago) when I got introduced to these 2 brands and loved it from the first note.
I'm confident to say that this particular store survived only by presenting these 2 brands!

The way I described the little Penaudio's in your previous 'Changing it up' topic, might have scared you a bit Art, and starting to know your taste/preference in music reproduction (imho there's no absolute truth there, more a matter of preference/taste), I can imagine why.

The little Penaudio's (either the Rebel or the Charisma) are fast, lively, very open and detailed speakers.
At first, when I still had my Naim Nait XS I thought it sounded exciting, but it didn't take long before listening fatique came in. :(

The Sonneteer amps however, offer a fine balance, as they share the transparencey, PRaT and detail of most Naim amps, but they have that nice warm 'glow' that makes me want to listen to music more often and for longer moments. (the Campion's treble kinda reminded me of the classic Musical Fidelity A1 of the early 90's)

Ofcourse, the Sonneteer + Penaudio match might still not be your cup o' tea.
They do lack a bit of bottom end and sound best when they have a fair bit of space around them, but if you have the possibility to audition, I can wholeheartedly recommend 'em. :yes:

Nevertheless, I'm sure there are many more options.

I must confess I haven't heard them yet, but the little new Guru Junior's still seem like a good option, as:

1. they're affordable
2. easy to place (near walls)
3. easy to drive
4. no curved cabinets. (in fact they look a bit retro to me, especially the walnut version)
5. I've only read raving reviews and customer experiences so far!

Junior.jpg


Enjoy the ride :)

Cheers,
Alco
 
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davidro said:
interesting. i'm more interested in how/if exotic drivers/techs can achieve more lifelike sound than traditional stuff does. to each his own i guess.
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I would be if they did, my experience thus far is that they do the opposite.
 
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botrytis said:
Art, if I may make a suggestion - what about an older speaker (if a pair can be found). Like the Rogers LS2's - they are not exotic but they do things very nicely.
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New speakers only. Still wouldn't mind getting a pair of those to rotate in now and again. Especially after your write up.
 
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Baldo said:
I love the Penaudio Rebel 3's with my Sonneteer Campion. :)

There's one store in my area that is also a Sonneteer & Penaudio dealer.
In fact, it was the first one and for a while even the only dealer in Holland, and the owners son was the distributor for some time, years ago.
It was there (appr. 10-12 years ago) when I got introduced to these 2 brands and loved it from the first note.
I'm confident to say that this particular store survived only by presenting these 2 brands!

The way I described the little Penaudio's in your previous 'Changing it up' topic, might have scared you a bit Art, and starting to know your taste/preference in music reproduction (imho there's no absolute truth there, more a matter of preference/taste), I can imagine why.

The little Penaudio's (either the Rebel or the Charisma) are fast, lively, very open and detailed speakers.
At first, when I still had my Naim Nait XS I thought it sounded exciting, but it didn't take long before listening fatique came in. :(

The Sonneteer amps however, offer a fine balance, as they share the transparencey, PRaT and detail of most Naim amps, but they have that nice warm 'glow' that makes me want to listen to music more often and for longer moments. (the Campion's treble kinda reminded me of the classic Musical Fidelity A1 of the early 90's)

Ofcourse, the Sonneteer + Penaudio match might still not be your cup o' tea.
They do lack a bit of bottom end and sound best when they have a fair bit of space around them, but if you have the possibility to audition, I can wholeheartedly recommend 'em. :yes:

Nevertheless, I'm sure there are many more options.

I must confess I haven't heard them yet, but the little new Guru Junior's still seem like a good option, as:

1. they're affordable
2. easy to place (near walls)
3. easy to drive
4. no curved cabinets. (in fact they look a bit retro to me, especially the walnut version)
5. I've only read raving reviews and customer experiences so far!

Junior.jpg


Enjoy the ride :)

Cheers,
Alco
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Thank you for the contribution, Alco.

The Guru Jr's are an interesting speaker to me. Wonder if we have any around here...:scratch2:
 
Hey Bryron,

The Focus 160 is a consideration. I was talking to the dealer about them yesterday. I'm afraid the bass may overwhelm the room.

My little cube of a room is a definite limiting factor.
 
TimF said:
Art, is the budget still in the basic 2K or better less than? Those TF Arts are very nice, but a bit out of that budget by a good margin, unless you are fortunate to find a used/demo pair, and then I would definately say it is worth a shot!

I have nothing much to add to the list that you already have or know, but those Visaton paper drivered WLM's still might be worth a shot. Maybe I should give Vinnie at RWA a call myself and see what is going on with the Stella Monitors. Tim
Click to expand...

Yeah that's why in the initial post here I posed the question of whether I should save for a more upmarket product.

The WLM Stella's sure look good...wonder where I could hear those.
 
Art, possibly the biggest hurdle in the deal as you well know is getting a chance to listen to some of these. Without getting involved in having to send a pair back after listening, it can be a tough one. I do know Vinnie at RWA does offer a 30-day money back on what he sells, including the WLM's. But again, paying to send them back if they don't work can indeed be a pain. I guess where there is a will, there is a way! I have no doubt regardless that you will find something that will suit your needs. Thanks for letting us come along for the ride! Tim
 
Art K. said:
Have you listened to those? I have. They are (were) available in two different locations in Portland. They are actually pretty damn good. I hate the looks but they sound remarkably good.
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I have but in a showroom with a crowd of people so basically... no. They went pretty loud in that crowded mess and fairly large showroom.

I owned Tannoy dual-concentric speakers in a small room and I found them very special. I think they are worth a more serious listen if such occasion arises.

They seem ugly in true regal British Hi-Fi tradition. But when you see them in person they are so damn cute. Baby speakers.
 
Art, a good friend of mine is a T&F dealer. If you decide to go that way, I can hook you up. He loves everything that company makes. Guy has great ears too.
 
TimF said:
Art, possibly the biggest hurdle in the deal as you well know is getting a chance to listen to some of these. Without getting involved in having to send a pair back after listening, it can be a tough one. I do know Vinnie at RWA does offer a 30-day money back on what he sells, including the WLM's. But again, paying to send them back if they don't work can indeed be a pain. I guess where there is a will, there is a way! I have no doubt regardless that you will find something that will suit your needs. Thanks for letting us come along for the ride! Tim
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You are sooo right. Thank you for participating.

Pandovski said:
They seem ugly in true regal British Hi-Fi tradition. But when you see them in person they are so damn cute. Baby speakers.
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LOL...I dunno!

rcspkramp said:
Art, a good friend of mine is a T&F dealer. If you decide to go that way, I can hook you up. He loves everything that company makes. Guy has great ears too.
Click to expand...

Thank you.
 
There are some 3XL's that just popped up on A-gon at a nice price.

Anyway, I'm interested in where this journey takes you.
 
Hey Art, even if I do not have any experience with Fritz speakers, I do remember we had a nice thread about a year ago. For me, they look to fit mostly what you are looking for:

*Glossy finishes...not a hard and fast rule but in general: Check

*No exotic driver materials. Check

*No curved cabinets...yup I like boxes. Check

There is a lot of model who could fit your needs. I just want to add an option, or not :thmbsp:
 
komoyuki said:
Hey Art, even if I do not have any experience with Fritz speakers, I do remember we had a nice thread about a year ago. For me, they look to fit mostly what you are looking for:

*Glossy finishes...not a hard and fast rule but in general: Check

*No exotic driver materials. Check

*No curved cabinets...yup I like boxes. Check

There is a lot of model who could fit your needs. I just want to add an option, or not :thmbsp:
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Fritz has been on the top of my stand mount list for a long while. If and when I go that route they will get my first listen.

cubdog
 
This is not a case of some guy just recommending what he owns -- I've been here three years or so and never recommended my speakers once (that I remember anyway). But given where you are and where you're trying to go, a used pair of Dynaudio BM-6 passives might makes sense. I know you said nothing used, sorry if you're dead set. But *new* these went for $800 or so. I chose mine as near field monitors for music production, and spent a solid weekend auditioning tones of monitors in my own space. Adam, Tannoy, all kinds of stuff, some much more expensive (yet within my budget), and these Dyns are what I chose. They've made the transition to recreational listening system very gracefully, and I've logged many hours hearing them with both tube and solid-state amplification. Very detailed without being overly analytical, and not at all fatiguing. I used to sit in front of them 10 hours a day and never grew weary of their sound.

Good luck what ever you end up with. It's always interesting to live vicariously. :D
 
I appreciate the recommendation. I sure do like Dynaudio speakers. What is the difference between the speakers you are recommending and the Dynaudio's I presently own?
 
Pandovski said:
I have but in a showroom with a crowd of people so basically... no. They went pretty loud in that crowded mess and fairly large showroom.

I owned Tannoy dual-concentric speakers in a small room and I found them very special. I think they are worth a more serious listen if such occasion arises.

They seem ugly in true regal British Hi-Fi tradition. But when you see them in person they are so damn cute. Baby speakers.
Click to expand...

I was going to post about Tannoy dual concentric speakers.

One thing Art mentioned in his earlier thread (taken down before I could reply) that grabbed me was how he described live music as (paraphrasing here) having highs that are extended but not at all bright to the point of fatigue, and having bass that is full and plump but still tuneful. It grabbed me because I have found the same thing when I listen to live, unamplified music. And I have found speakers that do the highs nicely, but the bass is a little tougher to get right.

There is no replacement for displacement, as they say. One of the issues with getting speakers that have relatively large drivers is that the woofer and tweeter are further apart, making integration impossible if you cannot sit sufficiently far back of the drivers so that the sound can blend properly. A dual concentric design eliminates this issue.

My next experiment will be a pair of Tannoy 609 speakers. They are inexpensive and feature an 8" dual concentric driver, in a standmount design. A big standmount, but a standmount nevertheless. I do worry about bass overloading the room but that will remain to be seen (or heard).

So I dunno if a speaker like that might give Art something to consider. I know you typically gravitate to the smaller bookshelf designs, Art. Your room probably being a concern in that respect. Mine is small too, thus my worry about bass overload, but mine is a little larger and a little less square. Still, I thought I'd throw out the idea. An 8" driver will move more air more effortlessly, and I hope that translates into a speaker that has some nice fat but clean bass, a greater depth of tone, and more dynamic ease, and is also easy enough to drive for most amps.

I have only limited experience with a setup similar to this...a dealer who at one point ran his store out of his home. We listened to a pair of Tannoy Prestige speakers with a big fat dual concentric (12" perhaps), in a quite confined space and the sound was superb. I think there might be something to getting the biggest well made speaker that your room can handle, and I wouldn't consider anything but a coaxial/dual concentric speaker if the room is on the small side.

Just an idea!
 
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