I seriously auditioned (twice, with my favorite music) Triton 7s and Magneplanar 1.7s (also twice). I bought the Maggies, which held together and sorted out more inner detail than the Tritons when tracking the opening movement of Mendelssohn's "Elijah," a full-bore orchestral/choral cantata with 8 vocal part harmonies. Also, in an audition room larger than your listening room, it was apparent to me that the Triton Sevens' bass was overloading the room. At that price range you may want to consider the Magneplanar MMG Super if you have the space to give them "breathing room."
I *do* like the general sound of GoldenEars, but they put out a lot of bass, and frankly, you may get exactly what you need from their standmount Aon 2s or Aon 3s. I heard the Aon 3s demoed in a room about the size of your future listening room, and the tonal balance was excellent. People kept looking for the subwoofer. The bass was quick and assertive, but didn't dominate the room. |
I have to agree with Johnnyb53. I own the 7s and I love them! Definitely high-end driven by Cronus Magnum with KT120s. Like Johnny said, they produce lots of bass and it may overload your small room. My listening room is 20x15, 9 high and they sound superb!
Amazing for the likes of a Dire Straits, Alan Parsons, Supertramp, Fleetwood Mac, etc. Not so great for classical/orchestra/choral.
1.7 need lots of room and power, IMHO at least 15x12 and 175 wpc.
The Aon 2s or 3s may be a better option for your 12 by 12. I personally love the unassuming Minuet Supreme Pluses on my second 12x10 listening room.
Best speakers I've ever heard under $2,000, Totem Model 1s. You may find a used pair for around $800.00. Nothing will beat that!
Good luck and happy listening. |
The Triton 7s aren't that much smaller than your Adagios, so you aren't really gaining (or giving up?) that much in relation to size.
I think you are better off with monitors in a room that small. the deCapos are a good choice, as well as offerings from Green Mountain Audio. Both are excellent designs offering stellar performance in small packages.
Shakey |
To the three members who responded so far: Thank you for the solid and useful advice. I have considered the Golden Ear Aon2 or 3 monitors. I don't see much difference in bass specifications. The Aon 3 did get TAS Editor's award with a nod to Aon 2 as possibly having even more precise imaging due to its smaller size.
Unfortunately I don't have the room or the power for Maggies 1.7 or sub 3 system. I have a Rogue Sphinx integrated (100RMS) which is very good, and choose it over Rogue's CM because of money restraints
For the record, I play a lot of the same music as Kiko 65, plus other classic rock of 60's. like The Dead, Stones, Traffic, Yes, etc.
As well reviewed as the Aon 3 and 2, I don't want to give up a lot of detail. transparency, and especially musicality. So I may be drawn to the Totem Sig Is which I believe is more expensive used than $800; I have seem them at as high as $1500 on AG. However I read similar comments as KiKo many times on Audiogon. I never thought Totem's monitors had much bass. Plus, Reference DeCapo's Si are out there which seem to garner lots of praise
Another possibility is the new Dynaudio Excite 14, or much more expensive Dynaaudio 160....The latter looks very cool in white and white stands.... Anybody who has listened or or owns either one of the Dynaudios, please let me know your impressions of their sound quality.........Thanks again, Jim |
Maggie 1.7s are more amp-friendly than you might think. I power mine with a 100wpc early '80s Perreaux PMF 1150B, which is rated 100wpc into 8 ohms, and probably makes close to 200 into the 1.7's 4-ohm load. The Sphinx isn't too far behind that at 100/155 into 8/4 ohms.
BUT, instead of occupying a 12.5x12.4 room, mine are in a 16x22 living room with 15' vaulted ceiling, and the back half of the room is open to the rest of the open architecture living space. Granted, I have a couple of *tiny* 8" subs, but they only fill in about 36-45 Hz and aren't turned up very far.
Anyway, 100wpc into 1.7s should be plenty for a 12.5x12.4 room.
Silverline Prelude Pluses should also be a good fit, and present one of the tiniest footprints. |
I have the Triton 7s, and my apartment listening room is only a few square feet larger than yours. Unfortunately, the Triton 7s are gathering dust in a bedroom because they simply have too much bass for the room. Not only did they sound slightly boomy, but the energy/vibrations they released negatively affected my gear. The highs became smeared, and the whole soundstage sounded confused. At very, very low levels they were fantastic, but they were just too big (sound-wise) for my room. It's too bad, because they are very fine speakers. They just need much more space.
Scott |
What are your top priorities in terms of sound reproduction? You stated what you don't want to give up, but that's not really the whole picture and would be very helpful to know more about your preferences.
One thing to consider is you have a nearly square room, which can be a nightmare in terms of bass reinforcement and boom. I'd stick to smaller speakers and augment with a sub if you need more bass so you can better control and manage bass issues.
Of the options mentioned the DeCapos and Minuets could be very good candidates to explore. There's also a pair of Joseph Audio RX7XLs for sale here that may be a great option if imaging and soundstaging along with musicality are priorities. Best of luck. |
Scott's experience matches my own when I was auditioning them. Even with the double-doors to the vendor's listening room room open, the bass of the Triton Sevens eventually overpowered the rest of the musical presentation, especially of orchestral numbers. And I know by now that when your speakers have noticeable strengths and weaknesses, over time you stop listening to the music it doesn't do so well. And I wanted speakers that would encourage me to delve into my largely unplayed classical collection. So I got a pair of Magneplanar 1.7s. Fortunately they don't just sound good on classical; they are also superb for anything from solo acoustic guitar or voice on up. Great on classic rock; I got several of the new all-analog Beatles mono LPs and they are superb. Here's another thought about maggies in a smaller room: the dipole pattern helps cancel deep bass and prevent it from dominating a small room. Until I got my maggies, I never imagined that dipoles would actually clean up the bass and pretty much eliminate the need for bass traps, but there you are. Granted, the Maggies want about 30"-45" of space behind them, but they're largely self-canceling to the sides. The MMGs are pretty small and should be plenty for a 12.5" square room. If you need the space when you're not listening, they are light weight and easily moved up against the walls. At $1199, the 3-piece Super MMG system should give you what you are looking for, and you will definitely be getting "high end sound." Best of all, you get that magic midrange with an easily manageable bass, no 100Hz bass hump, and no cabinet resonances to smear the sound. |
Having owned Definitive Technology speakers in the 90s, and reading comments on the Goldenear speakers on the internet, it's clear that Sandy Gross puts a high amount of emphasis on bass quantity in his designs.
Shakey |
The totem model one speakers actually make great bass, and I think they would complement Phils bass playing quite well! They do need power though! |
I'll second the Joseph audio RM7XL recommendation. Front port should make them easy to place in a smaller room. Very musical speakers. |
Trust me on this one, specially with your music selection, Totem Model 1s and save lots of money. Another speaker that may work extremely well in your small footprint room based on your listening taste, Dali Zensor 3s. Outstanding reviews on the European market. I extensively auditioned the Zensor 7s and they are simply amazing for rock music! Your room is too small for the Triton 7s....and Zensor 7s. In my big room, the Triton 7s are simply the best! |
For your music I would just get Golden Ear monitors.
I played my Totem One Sigs vs a friends GE's at his house.
On rock the GE was just as good, Totems were better on Jazz. |
A pair of model 1s is selling right now in Agon for $880.00 from Santa Monica, Cal. |
