Good Used Speakers ($8K-10K) For A Little Listening Room

If I’d listened to the "big speakers don’t work in small rooms" mantra I’d have deprived myself of a lot of great sound.

+1 @prof 

Any thoughts on pairing a Audio Research 75SE amp with the Persona 9h's?..Good potential match, or not?..Other suggestions welcome..

Used Focal Sophia #2's..
XTZ sound Divine Alpha..

Hey moto_man,

Are you learning anything from all this swashbuckling that has adorned your post?

Thanks so much for everyone's input.  So many recommendations and choices, that, other than room treatment of some sort, its difficult to really know what to do.  First, I don't really have a clue as to how to figure out what room treatment is even necessary, other than to, presumably, hang a shag rug on the rear wall to absorb sound.  I'm looking into that issue.  Second, though and more difficult, is how to parse through everyone's suggestions without actually hearing any of the interesting speaker recommendations.  I'd hate to blow 8K on speakers and find out that to my ears, I didn't like them.  How does everyone deal with that issue . . . Go to an audio show where you will likely hear as many different speakers as you want, subject to the other equipment used and the room setup there?

Moto Man,

Here is how we would recommend that you handle the project.

1: Go to visit as many audio dealers and or shows you can

2: Make a list of products that intrigue you.

3: Evaulate in your room if possible.

4: Purchase and set up

5: Then once the speaker is in your room then consider room treatment if necessary.

Ask yourself how does the system sound now.

If your room has slap echo you can deal with that by using panels, rugs, pillows, furniture, wall hangings depending on budget.

Bass boom is best hadled by electronic room correction and if necessary tube traps.

You should look for monitor speakers with bass down to the 40hz level but nothing which goes way deeper than that.

We would urge you to consider the Legacy Calibre/Wavlet combo because the speakers sound amazing, they have good but not crazy deep bass, you can get the powered bass version and with a wavelet and be able to tune out some issues with a small room, and you are getting a very good preamp, dac, and room correction processor as part of the package. 

We heard them for the first time at the New York audio show and they were amazing  also with the Wavelet you can adjust the final sound and can equilize the sound to match your ear as well by modifying even the corrected response. 

I would look at: Focal Sopra 1,  ATC SCM 40, obviously the Joseph Audio Pulsar, KEF Ref 1, Harbeth 30.1. Paradigm Person B, and see which of these compact Reference speakers will work for you,. just remember a passive speaker means  you will be more at the mercy of the room, with an active room correction system you have a start to work with the room.

Axpona is comming up maybe you should see if you can go.

If not do you ever get to the New York City area for business?

If so you can visit this part of the country and hear almost every major speaker system out there as a possiblity.

Good luck and enjoy the ride.

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ