Am I missing something? You said that you really enjoyed the sound of Vandy 2ce Signatures in the store. Those are definitely available in your price range, used here on the 'Gon. And your 150 watt NAD power amp should be enough to drive them nicely, although something that delivers more current might be better in the long run. But you heard these speakers with more expensive gear and liked them, so that would also tell you that they could be the foundation for a long-term upgrade path. I think the 2ce's are one of audio's great values, and you would do yourself well to latch onto a pair. And, no, I don't have them...
$1700 floorstanders
Hello all. I am looking for some new speakers. I have upgraded everything else in the system first, following the "front-end" first school of thought. I feel like I have made some well thought-out decisions. Here is my story.
I started out with a 5.1 home theater set up: JBL Northridge speakers, an Onkyo AVR, and a Sony blu-ray. That was it for music too. I wanted more out of my system for two-channel music, so I decided to upgrade the AVR to the Marantz SR7001 mainly for its pre-outs (I knew I needed the ability to have a separate power amp), but also for its improved DACs. Then I discovered that listening to music in the "pure direct" mode was extremely satisfying, and solved all of the problems I had had trying to integrate the subwoofer for music.
Then I picked up the Sony sacd player, and this was another step in the right direction. Then came the Cambridge DacMagic, and finally, only a few days ago, a decent power amp: NAD C272.
Which brings us to the speaker question. What music do I listen to? Mostly symphonic classical, as I am a professional orchestral musician. I listen at pretty loud volumes, but not as loud as some of my colleagues. Sometimes I listen to jazz or big band. I want something full-range, floorstanding. Not interested in monitors. I am actually fairly pleased with how my JBL E80s have kept up with the electronics upgrades, but I still find them to be unrefined at the high end, and a little lacking (but not totally lacking) in the bottom end.
Budget is $1700 for speakers and interconnects and cables. I am open to used, but am interested in new mainly because I would like to audition. I have heard some high-end setups already. Magnepan (20.1s maybe(?) powered appropriately with 500-watt mono blocks), Dynaudio C2s, Vandersteen models 2ce sig II and 3a sig. I have to say I enjoyed the Vandersteens 2ce sig II the most, which I heard at a dealer being driven by $5k of electronics. At my price level in stores I have heard PSB Image T6 and Paradigm Studio 60s. I am excited about the PSBs on paper, but I heard them in a shop that ran them with crappy electronics (cheapo AVR). They sold washing machines too!
One question is how much of that $1700 should be reserved for cables. Right now I am using cheap Monoprice stuff. I would need three pairs of interconnects, two optical cables as I have an Airport Express too, and speaker cables.
I am interested in hearing Monitor Audio RX6 and RX8, Revel Concerta F12, PSB Image T6 (with good electronics), Paradigm Monitor 9 and 11. I would like to hear the new Mag 1.7, although that would stretch the budget and I would have nothing left for cables. What else should be on my list? Maybe a used Mag 1.6? I know used Vandersteens fall into my price range. Should I get over my hesitation for used speakers?
By the way, I started this journey with a $3000 budget. I have gotten all of the above equipment for $1300, which is why there is $1700 left.
I started out with a 5.1 home theater set up: JBL Northridge speakers, an Onkyo AVR, and a Sony blu-ray. That was it for music too. I wanted more out of my system for two-channel music, so I decided to upgrade the AVR to the Marantz SR7001 mainly for its pre-outs (I knew I needed the ability to have a separate power amp), but also for its improved DACs. Then I discovered that listening to music in the "pure direct" mode was extremely satisfying, and solved all of the problems I had had trying to integrate the subwoofer for music.
Then I picked up the Sony sacd player, and this was another step in the right direction. Then came the Cambridge DacMagic, and finally, only a few days ago, a decent power amp: NAD C272.
Which brings us to the speaker question. What music do I listen to? Mostly symphonic classical, as I am a professional orchestral musician. I listen at pretty loud volumes, but not as loud as some of my colleagues. Sometimes I listen to jazz or big band. I want something full-range, floorstanding. Not interested in monitors. I am actually fairly pleased with how my JBL E80s have kept up with the electronics upgrades, but I still find them to be unrefined at the high end, and a little lacking (but not totally lacking) in the bottom end.
Budget is $1700 for speakers and interconnects and cables. I am open to used, but am interested in new mainly because I would like to audition. I have heard some high-end setups already. Magnepan (20.1s maybe(?) powered appropriately with 500-watt mono blocks), Dynaudio C2s, Vandersteen models 2ce sig II and 3a sig. I have to say I enjoyed the Vandersteens 2ce sig II the most, which I heard at a dealer being driven by $5k of electronics. At my price level in stores I have heard PSB Image T6 and Paradigm Studio 60s. I am excited about the PSBs on paper, but I heard them in a shop that ran them with crappy electronics (cheapo AVR). They sold washing machines too!
One question is how much of that $1700 should be reserved for cables. Right now I am using cheap Monoprice stuff. I would need three pairs of interconnects, two optical cables as I have an Airport Express too, and speaker cables.
I am interested in hearing Monitor Audio RX6 and RX8, Revel Concerta F12, PSB Image T6 (with good electronics), Paradigm Monitor 9 and 11. I would like to hear the new Mag 1.7, although that would stretch the budget and I would have nothing left for cables. What else should be on my list? Maybe a used Mag 1.6? I know used Vandersteens fall into my price range. Should I get over my hesitation for used speakers?
By the way, I started this journey with a $3000 budget. I have gotten all of the above equipment for $1300, which is why there is $1700 left.