Best stand mounted monitors


I need your help please as I'm replacing my floor standing KEF Ref. Series 104/2 speakers with stand mounted monitors and probably a subwoofer due to the wife-acceptance-factor. I'm looking for comments from people who have listened to and hopefully compared the following monitor speakers that I'm considering:
(1) REFERENCE 3A - MM Decapo i
(2) PROAC - Response One SC or Tablette Ref. 8 Signature
(3) VON SCHWEIKERT - VR-1
(4) REVEL - M20 or the new M22 due out Q1 '04
(5) ATC - SCM 10-2 or SCM 20-2 either active or passive.

Other things you need to consider before offering your advice:
--> I will be replacing a very old Sherwood receiver with a new tube preamp and either tube or SS amp. I'll get the speakers first and then match the amp to it.
--> my room is about 4,800 cubic ft (40*15*8) and is average "aliveness" so having a higher sensitive speaker (e.g. >89dB) is desirable as it'll will mean less power required. I listen mostly to jazz with some R&B and classical.
--> budget is around US$2K-$3K (new retail price)
--> Id like to buy a REL subwoofer to match (e.g. Stadium II or III)

Many thanks.
kevinzoe

Showing 2 responses by s23chang

The SCM-20 would work quite well and you won't need a sub ( unless you prefer huge amount of bass.) The Proac SC and Tablet will not do the job in your space. Even the SCM-10 is too small for the room. The B&W 805s is also too small for the space.
Everything you listed and suggested by folks here requires a sub to go along with it. I personally don't enjoy music with sub because it is very hard to get them in-sync. I'm very picky about. It will sound un-nautral and muddy on the low end. Without the sub, they'll sound too thin in your space.
However, there is a catch with ATC SCM-20. You need a good amp to go with it. I personally think the passive sounds better with tube amp when compared to solid state amp or the active version. A good matching amp under $1000 would be a Harmon Kardon Citaiton II or a Lafayette KT-550. For over $1000, you can get a pair of McIntosh MC60, Heathkit W-6M, or the McIntosh MC-275 $$$, Fisher SA-300... For Solid State, $$$$ ... anyway, just my 2 cents.
I bought my speakers first because of its size (always the wife factor) I then got the amp to match the speakers. Sometimes it is easier to find an amp than a pair of speakers you like ( due to size, appearance, or type.)