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"Warmer" Speaker - $600-1000 Range

I'd like some suggestions for a slightly warmer, fuller, sounding monitor speaker in the $600-1000 range. I currently have a pair of Wharfedale Pacific Evo 8 bookshelf speakers. I like the sound of these speakers, great mids, but the bass is weak and the sound at lower volumes is rather "thin."

Rest of my system - Exposure Super XV integrated amp; Arcam CD73 cdplayer; Music Hall MMF 2.2 turntable.

My listening room is rather small. Approximately 10 ft wide by 20 ft long. My speakers unfortunately are on the short side, so they are only about a foot from the wall and about 5 feet from my listening chair.

Would prefer biwireable speakers. Mostly listen to classic jazz and vocal jazz, along with some classical.

Regards,
David
dmloring

Showing 2 responses by bondmanp

bondmanp
1,792 posts
 
I thought the Silverline Audio Minuet (list is $600/pr) sounded very full for their small size. IMO, they were not bright, even when run off of budget electronics. With these, you'll have some money left over for stands, cables and software.
bondmanp
1,792 posts
 
Dmloring: Your amp is indeed powerful enough, provided your room is of modest dimensions. The demo I heard was with a receiver that output around 30 watts/channel.

As for the "fullness" of the minuet's sound, that, IMO, is one of the most surprising aspect of the Minuet. You expect a mini-monitor to have a big soundstage, and the Minuet does, but it also gives off the impression of having a lot of bass output. I doubt it actually extends very deep, probably not much below 60Hz, but I was surprised at how much it sounded like it did indeed go deeper.

I agree it's a leap of faith to buy speakers unheard with no return policy (which is why I had to drop Silverline Audio's Adagio - since discontinued - from my potential upgrade list). That said, most used pairs sold here on the 'gon seem to sell for around $350 or so. So keep that in mind as a way out if you're not happy. Lower priced gear tends to sell fairly quickly if it's in good shape and a current production model.
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