What's the best small bookshelfs for vocals?

organ

This is for the future. Probably within 2-3 years I'll be looking for some very pretty and small bookshelfs that will give me crazy soundstaging and super real sounding vocals (<$1000). They will be used with my NAD pre/amp.

It's just that once in a while I like to pull out the LSi9, place them beside my RF-35 and connect them to my NAD amp and enjoy something different. The LSi are really nice speakers but their mid-range hump and sometimes 'bloated bass' can get really annoying especially when I'm listening to a recording that excites the 'weakness' in my LSi. I just find that the LSi9 can sound to thick for my taste. I know it's not the room because several other LSi9 owners reported the same thing in the past.

So which bookshelfs should I be looking at? I don't care if they don't dig low. So far I'm thinking B&W and Monitor Audio. What about those Maggies? I know they don't have bookshelfs but do they have a model under $1K? I hear they're very good on vocals.

Maurice

steveinaz

How's about these for $300 bones (Epos ELS3):

steveinaz

These, Energy C-3 ($500):

shack

The best bookshelf I have heard for voices even though bass is limited... Sonus Faber Concertino:

hoosier21

Magnepan MMG 550.00 delivered. enough said.

RuSsMaN

Atta' boy.

F1nut

For vocals, I gotta go with the Sonus Faber's Shack suggested.

organ

Steve,
Thanks for the help. Those speakers sure look sexy. I should be able to get those Energy speakers for a great price here in Canada:). I'll look around for a dealer so I can demo them.

Hoosier,
A hardcore audiophile guy I know from school told me to got for the Maggies if I want the most realistic vocals. I checked out the site and the MMG looks awesome. They also have the MMG W's which sell for $299/pr but I had to pick, I'd rather go with the larger MMG. The MMG W's will only go down to 100Hz. I don't really care about bass extension but I don't think 100Hz will cut it for me.

Tell me more about the MMG. Since they're pretty much bi-polar, I'm guessing the room will play a big role on their overall sound? The way I see it is that, because of their design, I should be able to place them directly in front of my RF-35 but I'm worried about the enegy coming from the rear of the MMG. What kind of sound can I expect from planar speakers? If I get them, they'll be used for super soft stuff like Sarah Brightman, Charlotte Church, classical and some opera.

Here's a pic of my room. Do you think the MMG will work well in here? What you don't see on the pic is the large opening on the front wall just past the right speaker. It's an L shaped room.

organ

Shack and F1,
Not trying to generate some heat here but I remember Mantis saying that the Sonus sounds a lot like the LSi. Is this true? I like the vocals produced by the LSi but I feel the LSi is a jack of all trades, master of none. How much can those Concertino be had for?

Maurice

hoosier21

http://clubpolk.polkaudio.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=13803&highlight=mmg

You will have to "deal" with the backwave, but it is not a really big problem, heck they have 100% money back, you can't lose if you no like.

steveinaz

The MMG's have always sparked my interest. I almost bought a tore-up pair off of ebay (they were in good electrical condition) just so I could get a cheap in-home audition.

dorokusai

Originally posted by organ
Shack and F1,
Not trying to generate some heat here but I remember Mantis saying that the Sonus sounds a lot like the LSi. Is this true? I like the vocals produced by the LSi but I feel the LSi is a jack of all trades, master of none. How much can those Concertino be had for?

Maurice

No, they sound nothing like LSi's IMO....not even the same class and they cost about 1K. Go used.

Don't limit yourself to the suggestions here, check out Audiogon.

shack

Originally posted by dorokusai
No, they sound nothing like LSi's IMO....not even the same class and they cost about 1K. Go used.

Mark, it's hard to tell from your response...do you like them?

I found them to be a very good speaker in the midrange and highs. Acurate and very detailed but not harsh. I never had the opportunity to compare them directly with the LSi9s or 7s, but it did seem the LSis are better "all around" and the Sonus better on vocals, strings etc...

dorokusai

It's an excellent speaker that I've demo'd many times at the local Tweeter. I haven't heard a single SF that wasn't outstanding.

F1nut

Gotta agree with my broham, excellent speaker that sounds nothing like the LSi's.

organ

Hoosier,
Thanks for the link to your review. Sounds like the speakers I'm looking for. And at $550 delivered, I can get them much sooner than 2-3 years. I think they would be great placed right beside the Klipsch on the outside. The 'airy' sound you kept talking about is something that really turns me on especially on female vocals. Just noticed something after looking at the pic on their site. Those things are pretty big. But they're very thin. So putting them away in the corner of the room when not being used shouldn't be a problem with the parents. Maybe we should add something new for those who still live with their parents. How about PAF? lol My NAD should power them just fine. It's stable down to 2 ohms from what I remember.

The new speakers I'm planning to get will not be used 100% of the time. I love the Klipsch and they're staying. Just want something for those late night sessions when I want to get very intimate with some special female vocalists:D. So they'll be used several times a week for maybe 4 hrs each session.

Doro,
I'm still going to keep Sonus on my list. I need to hunt down some dealers. I found a dealer carrying Martin Logan. I think I will give them a listen as well. But I'm only going check out the lower lines.

Anybody know the main difference between ML and Magnepan? I'll be able to demo ML but not the MMG since they're only available from their website.

Maurice

George Grand

My neighbor Dean traded in his Concertino's for the MMG's. TWO PAIR of MMG's to be precise.

They are both outstanding loudspeakers, the MMG's requiring a house with no kids or pets.

George Grand (of the Jersey Grands)

organ

Very cool. I saw Dean's post on Hoosier's review. He seems to like them a lot.

No kids, just a small Maltese dog that won't come close to any of my speakers. So far so good.

Maurice

George Grand

Dean is a damn good man. I have **** duty this coming Saturday morn. I'm going to help Dean move. 6 month trial separation from his wife of 30 FREAKIN' YEARS.

Some of his stuff is going to get teardrops on it. I'm really bummed about losing him. We were really just starting to get close.

Sad George

organ

****. Sorry to hear about that, George. Hopefully he's not moving too far away so you guys can still get together and enjoy fine audio. Hope he feels better soon. 30yrs is a long time.

Maurice

organ

Sean,
The room is large but I can only use the long wall. So I have to sit right against the back wall. I'm planning to treat the back wall. Right now I just have a thin blanket covering it. Not much but it sure helped with the high frequencies.

I plan to run them with my NAD gear. I have enough gear for 2 seperate 2ch systems. So the Klipsch will be powered by a Golden Tube Audio pre and the Dynaco. The MMG will be powered by the NAD C160 pre and C270 amp. The C270 should be enough power for them. It's the same amp as the one used in your C370 intgrated.

There's a dealer 2 mins away from my work place that carries Totem. One day I'll go in there with some cd's and demo them. They're all connected to MF stuff.

So far I'm set on the MMG because I know that if I don't like them, I can get full refund within 60 days. So if I'm not satisfied with them, I'll send them back and demo the other speakers mentioned in this thread. I don't think I'll ever upgrade to the larger Magnepan because I'll be using my Klipsch most of the time. So far horns/high sensitivity are my favorite design and plan to stay horny for as long as I enjoy audio because it's the best way to enjoy tubes. Just looking for a pair of speakers that can focus purely on vocals and very soft material that I can use several times a week.

Here's the funny thing. I just told mommy about getting new speakers. Remember, a few weeks ago I was getting in **** for spending too much. She's actually cool with the Maggies. When I told her about getting new speakers, she got a little pissed. Then I told her the price, showed her a pic from the site and she's ok with it. She thought it was going to be another pair of big, expensive, fugly black boxes but she was amazed when she saw the MMG especially the side view (less than 2" thick). Told her I plan to try them out within 6 months:D.

Maurice

organ

Very true. I also plan to treat the front wall. Don't want anything that will stand out. I'll probably bee looking for some long pieces of wood used for framing artwork on canvas. Get some fabric that is the same color as the front wall and stuff the inside of the frame with cotton. Shouldn't be a problem because those canvas frames are only about half an inch thick.

Yeah, it's hard to say no to the MMG. Like Hooser said, "they have 100% money back, you can't lose if you no like." I'll post my impressions of them as soon as I get them.

Never heard the ST-35 but from what I know, they're rare and it's the little brother of the ST-70. The Dynaco line have the best output transformers even compared to the high class tube gear of today. Only problem with them is the aging resistors, caps, tube sockets, etc. The trannies should be good forever. But after a restoration, they should be able to compete with some high end tube amps.

You're right. I guess the parents know they can't stop us from trying new gear:). As much as my mom hates this audio thing. She actually loves to hear music on my system.

So which do you prefer. The Staff or Tabu? Getting lost in the music is a VERY good thing. So I guess she couldn't give you an answer as to which one is better. So now it's your turn to see which pair can get you lost in the music better. What kind of music do you feel sound best on them?

Maurice

Danny Tse

Originally posted by steveinaz
These, Energy C-3 ($500):

I will second the Energy C-3. I got mine at my local authorized dealer for $300.00/pair new in box about 3 months ago. I just heard they are now at $250.00/pair.

Tour2ma

Maurice,

Even though you cannot audition the MMG's, surely you have a Maggie dealer in your vincinity. While the 1.6's will out perform the MMG's, the 1.6's will give you a sense of the imaging the littlest Maggies will also deliver.

Know that with any Maggies you are looking at coming out 2 to 2.5 feet from the back wall. Small price to pay in space for the results you wil get...

You don't own any cats do you?

steveinaz

+1 on Zero's recommendation of the Ascend. Totally forgot about that one. These speakers have an incredibly flat freq plot, and their sound supports these measurements.

scottnbnj

Originally posted by Zero
I am planning on investing some serious coin into mobile room treatment (ala, something that can be hung or propped up on the wall - no adhesive stuff).

sounds like coat racks and laundry baskets,.. er,all except the serious coin part.

)