Looking for Monitor Ideas

kevhed72
kevhed72 Posts: 4,949
edited February 2018 in Speakers
Im kicking around Dynaudio, Usher, Harbeth, etc. Budget is 1500 ish, 2000 max. The room itself is 10 wide by 16 deep. Im really looking for more soundstage width and imaging than my previous speakers. On a side note....I have Boston Acoustics A70s set up upstairs in a much wider room which I am really digging. Any ideas...used is OK w me.
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Comments

  • kevhed72
    kevhed72 Posts: 4,949
    BTW....here is the room:
    ewrspu2w0jca.jpeg
  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,902
    I'll take the Clint Eastwood pic there for 5 bucks. :)

    What were your previous speakers ? Will you be using a subwoofer also ? Just for 2 channel ?
    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
  • kevhed72
    kevhed72 Posts: 4,949
    Just 2 channel.....previous were 703s. Trying to avoid a sub but not completly out of question.
  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,557
    edited February 2018
    Bryston Mini T?

    bymit_ng-LARGE.jpg
  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,902
    edited February 2018
    Harbeths would be a good choice....but, first tell me what you didn't like about the 703's . Also the type of music you mostly listen to.
    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
  • kevhed72
    kevhed72 Posts: 4,949
    tonyb wrote: »
    Harbeths would be a good choice....but, first tell me what you didn't like about the 703's . Also the type of music you mostly listen to.
    I listen to real jazz, new college type of sound bands, classical, ambient, a bit of what used to be call alternative.
    Honestly, I thought the 703s were lacking in depth, soundstage, imaging and on some types of music vocal were not as clear or clean sounding. I know alot of this has to do with the room....

  • kevhed72
    kevhed72 Posts: 4,949
    Clipdat wrote: »
    Bryston Mini T?

    bymit_ng-LARGE.jpg
    Why so....or why do you like them....just picking your brain

  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,902
    kevhed72 wrote: »
    tonyb wrote: »
    Harbeths would be a good choice....but, first tell me what you didn't like about the 703's . Also the type of music you mostly listen to.
    I listen to real jazz, new college type of sound bands, classical, ambient, a bit of what used to be call alternative.
    Honestly, I thought the 703s were lacking in depth, soundstage, imaging and on some types of music vocal were not as clear or clean sounding. I know alot of this has to do with the room....

    The Harbeths would probably excel in those areas, they have a bit of a laid back sound though, "the English sound" we like to call it referring to classic English monitors. Hard do to better though for those upper registers.

    Dynaudio is more upfront and dynamic, can be a bit bright with the wrong gear attached to them.

    Ushers, are very revealing also, need decent electronics to perform their best imho.

    I think you'll find with better quality bookies, your upstream electronics are going to play a bigger role in what you hear.

    One of the guys in Rockford has his Odyssey Lorreli's up in the FM. They are floorstanders, but smallish ones. I personally had a chance to hear these and they are extremely suited for your preferences.

    Other than that, there is a host of bookies that could fit your needs and we'd be all over the map throwing up suggestions. Maybe paint us a picture of what the systems electronics will look like as some suggestions will be dependent on that.
    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
  • Jaybeez
    Jaybeez Posts: 737
    May want to consider Ascend Sierra 2s. They have RAAL tweeters and the detail is incredible. I Bought mine after spending time listening to Revel Gems and felt they were comparable if not better. Tons of reviews on the net. I really love mine on jazz.
  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,557
    I don't personally have experience with them, I just thought they would meet your requirement of being able to go low, and get along w/o a sub, because they have a beefy looking 8" woofer.
    kevhed72 wrote: »
    Why so....or why do you like them....just picking your brain

  • kevhed72
    kevhed72 Posts: 4,949
    Clipdat wrote: »
    I don't personally have experience with them, I just thought they would meet your requirement of being able to go low, and get along w/o a sub, because they have a beefy looking 8" woofer.
    kevhed72 wrote: »
    Why so....or why do you like them....just picking your brain

    I have never seen those before so I will check them out...thanks!
  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,557
    Specs look interesting. They're 4ohm!

    Specifications:

    Frequency Response: 33Hz to 20Khz (+/- 3dB)
    Impedance: 4 Ohms (nominal)
    Sensitivity: 86 dB SPL @ 1 meter with 1 watt (anechoic)
    Maximum SPL: 112 dB SPL @ 1 meter
    Recommended Power: 10 watts to 250 watts RMS
    Tweeter: Single 1.0"
    Midrange: Single 5.25"
    Mid-Woofer: Single 8.0"
    Crossover: 160 Hz & 2.3kHz
    kevhed72 wrote: »
    I have never seen those before so I will check them out...thanks!

  • rooftop59
    rooftop59 Posts: 7,952
    I love my dynaudios. Best soundstage and top to bottom musicality I have ever had, and these are their entry level models. They crush my old 703s in every way honestly, save perhaps bass slam (but they are in a much bigger room so it’s not really a fair comparison).
    Living Room 2.2: Usher BE-718 "tiny dancers"; Dual DIY Dayton audio RSS210HF-4 Subs with Dayton SPA-250 amps; Arcam SA30; Musical Fidelity A308; Sony UBP-x1000es; Squeezebox Touch with Bolder Power Supply
    Game Room 5.1.4:
    Denon AVR-X4200w; Sony UBP-x700; Definitive Technology Power Monitor 900 mains, CLR-3000 center, StudioMonitor 350 surrounds, ProMonitor 800 atmos x4; Sub - Monoprice Monolith 15in THX Ultra

    Bedroom 2.1
    Cambridge Azur 551r; Polk RT25i; ACI Titan Subwoofer
  • Conradicles
    Conradicles Posts: 6,010
    I personally would add Focal and Totem to your list. Happy shopping!
  • ZLTFUL
    ZLTFUL Posts: 5,640
    edited February 2018
    "Some people find it easier to be conceited rather than correct."

    "Unwad those panties and have a good time man. We're all here to help each other, no matter how it might appear." DSkip
  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,902
    Salks Focal Dynaudio Totem Rel....all good suggestions.
    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,557
    How much for the Boba Fett Pez dispenser?
  • kevhed72
    kevhed72 Posts: 4,949
    Clipdat wrote: »
    How much for the Boba Fett Pez dispenser?
    Dude....part of my prized robot collection. The kids arent allow to even look at those!

  • kevhed72
    kevhed72 Posts: 4,949
    Thanks for the suggestions....here is what is in my rig now which will be staying cor awhile:
    Marantz 8004 SACD player (I will ugrade to a separate DAC again before I buy a new player)
    Cary SLP 03 tubed pre
    Auralic Aries Mini
    MIT Shotgun cables throughout

    My current amp and PC will get swapped out in the future - Parasound HCA1000 and I forget which PC.
  • I'm guessing you want monitors that can be bi-wired since you use bi-wire MIT Shotgun speaker cables.
    "Make a man a fire and he'll be warm for a day. Light
    a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life."


  • kevhed72
    kevhed72 Posts: 4,949
    edited February 2018
    TNTsTunes wrote: »
    I'm guessing you want monitors that can be bi-wired since you use bi-wire MIT Shotgun speaker cables.
    Leaning that direction...which would limit any Harbeths unless I could find them single wired....which seems improbable
  • mpitogo
    mpitogo Posts: 475
    edited February 2018
    Tekton Design Impact Monitors look to be in your range. http://www.tektondesign.com/impact-monitor.html

    I’m trying to justify in my head why I need Double Impacts, I have 5 setups in 4 rooms. Check out Zero Fidelity’s review.
    • Living Room Music-2.0 Polk Legend L800 | McIntosh C70 | McIntosh MA5200 (Treble) | McIntosh MC452 (Bass) | Sublimeacoustic K231 Active xover | Denon DP-2500A | Denafrips Ares II | Belkin Soundform Connect | iPad Air USB to DAC
    • Media Room Ht-7.2.6/13.1 (Atmos/Auro-3D) Polk LSiM707, LSiM706c, LSiM702 F/X [x4], height LSiM703 [x6], HSU VTF-15H MK2 Dual | Marantz AV8805A | Rotel RB-1590 (L/R) | Appollon NC500 11ch | Sony UBP-X800 | AppleTV 4K | JVC RS2100
    • Game Room-5.1 Polk LSi25, LSiC, LSiF/X | Marantz SR7009 | AppleTV 4K | Xbox One S | Sony PS2, PS3 | Nintendo Wii | Gaming PC | Sony 75" LCD
    • Master Bedroom Music-2.0 Totem Hawk | Marantz PM-10 | Marantz SA-10 | SONY PS-HX500
    • Office-2.0 Ascend Acoustics Sierra LX, DSW microPRO3000 | Rotel RA-1570 | Marantz HD-CD1
    • Daughter's Bedroom 1-2.0 TBD Martin Logan Forte
    • Guest Room 2-2.0 Klipsch RP-600M | Martin Logan Forte
    • Guest Room 3-3.0 Martin Logan Motion 40, 50XT | Onkyo TX-SR705 | Apple TV | Samsung 55" TV
    • Guest Room 4-2.0 QAcoustics 3030i | Sansui AU-6900 | Topping DX7s | Sansui FR-1080 | TV
    • Maintenance: Pro-Ject VC-S Record Cleaning Machine
  • erniejade
    erniejade Posts: 6,288
    On the Chicago craigslist. They had Dynaudio c3 for around 3k but they have been on there for a bit so you might have a bit of wiggle room.

    Got a KEF dealer around you?

    I had the bryston mini t. Fun speaker lots of bass but i didn't care for the top end.
    Musical Fidelity Tri-Vista 300, Audioquest Thunderbird Zero Speaker Cable, Tyler Highland H2, Audioquest Thunderbird Interconnect, Innuos Zen MK3 W4S recovery, Revolution Audio Labs USB & Ethernet, Border Patrol SE-I, Audioquest Niagara 5000 & Thunder, Cullen Crossover II PC's.
  • txcoastal1
    txcoastal1 Posts: 13,124
    2-channel: Modwright KWI-200 Integrated, Dynaudio C1-II Signatures
    Desktop rig: LSi7, Polk 110sub, Dayens Ampino amp, W4S DAC/pre, Sonos, JRiver
    Gear on standby: Melody 101 tube pre, Unison Research Simply Italy Integrated
    Gone to new homes: (Matt Polk's)Threshold Stasis SA12e monoblocks, Pass XA30.5 amp, Usher MD2 speakers, Dynaudio C4 platinum speakers, Modwright LS100 (voltz), Simaudio 780D DAC

    erat interfectorem cesar et **** dictatorem dicere a
  • erniejade
    erniejade Posts: 6,288
    txcoastal1 wrote: »

    I have never heard of them but they look well built.
    Musical Fidelity Tri-Vista 300, Audioquest Thunderbird Zero Speaker Cable, Tyler Highland H2, Audioquest Thunderbird Interconnect, Innuos Zen MK3 W4S recovery, Revolution Audio Labs USB & Ethernet, Border Patrol SE-I, Audioquest Niagara 5000 & Thunder, Cullen Crossover II PC's.
  • txcoastal1
    txcoastal1 Posts: 13,124
    Looking at the room, I like the idea of the Odyssey Lorreli. Have a similar midwoofer as the Usher, but not as forward with the soft dome tweet

    Being rear ported you can use the speaker placement to either enhance the bass, or tame with panels if you can't get them out far enough
    2-channel: Modwright KWI-200 Integrated, Dynaudio C1-II Signatures
    Desktop rig: LSi7, Polk 110sub, Dayens Ampino amp, W4S DAC/pre, Sonos, JRiver
    Gear on standby: Melody 101 tube pre, Unison Research Simply Italy Integrated
    Gone to new homes: (Matt Polk's)Threshold Stasis SA12e monoblocks, Pass XA30.5 amp, Usher MD2 speakers, Dynaudio C4 platinum speakers, Modwright LS100 (voltz), Simaudio 780D DAC

    erat interfectorem cesar et **** dictatorem dicere a
  • kevhed72
    kevhed72 Posts: 4,949
    edited February 2018
    There are a pair of Totem Rainmakers on Agon which are a bit rough but the price is right. The Silverline Menuets and Prelude are also interesting, even though the Prelude is a floorstander it apears pretty unobtrusive. Havenet made it though all the suggestions yet but thanks!
  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,902
    edited February 2018
    kevhed72 wrote: »
    Thanks for the suggestions....here is what is in my rig now which will be staying cor awhile:
    Marantz 8004 SACD player (I will ugrade to a separate DAC again before I buy a new player)
    Cary SLP 03 tubed pre
    Auralic Aries Mini
    MIT Shotgun cables throughout

    My current amp and PC will get swapped out in the future - Parasound HCA1000 and I forget which PC.

    Gotcha man, I think between the Cary, MIT cables, and the Parasound, you have plenty of warmth there to go ahead with some of the more forward sounding speakers suggested.

    Tell ya what though, if your looking for a completely different sound than the 703's you had.....Dynaudio has to be at the top of your list.

    Don't put too much weight either on a speaker that you can't bi-wire because your cables are bi-wire, just double up on the posts.

    So many good bookies mentioned, hard to pick....still think the Lorreli's in the FM for a g note is a darn good deal though.....and leaves you some room to upgrade the amp with your budget.
    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
  • kevhed72
    kevhed72 Posts: 4,949
    tonyb wrote: »
    kevhed72 wrote: »
    Thanks for the suggestions....here is what is in my rig now which will be staying cor awhile:
    Marantz 8004 SACD player (I will ugrade to a separate DAC again before I buy a new player)
    Cary SLP 03 tubed pre
    Auralic Aries Mini
    MIT Shotgun cables throughout

    My current amp and PC will get swapped out in the future - Parasound HCA1000 and I forget which PC.

    Gotcha man, I think between the Cary, MIT cables, and the Parasound, you have plenty of warmth there to go ahead with some of the more forward sounding speakers suggested.

    Tell ya what though, if your looking for a completely different sound than the 703's you had.....Dynaudio has to be at the top of your list.

    Don't put too much weight either on a speaker that you can't bi-wire because your cables are bi-wire, just double up on the posts.

    So many good bookies mentioned, hard to pick....still think the Lorreli's in the FM for a g note is a darn good deal though.....and leaves you some room to upgrade the amp with your budget.
    In the FM here?

  • agfrost
    agfrost Posts: 2,421
    kevhed72 wrote: »
    In the FM here?

    http://forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/180243/odyssey-audio-loreleis#latest

    I heard those Loreleis and was very impressed. Aaron (ALL212) is a good guy too.
    Jay
    SDA 2BTL * Musical Fidelity A5cr amp * Oppo BDP-93 * Modded Adcom GDA-600 DAC * Rythmik F8 (x2)
    Micro Seiki DQ-50 * Hagerman Cornet 2 Phono * A hodgepodge of cabling * Belkin PF60
    Preamp rotation: Krell KSL (SCompRacer recapped) * Manley Shrimp * PS Audio 5.0