I heard the Mc Int when I was shopping for speakers and demoed it woth the M20. I am not a fan of the M20. Dull and lifeless even with the great Mc int. The cablign was cardasand the cd was Meridian. I woudl highly recommend Gynaudio, which is what I purchased, but it is sensitive to placement. The ideal choice for you in my eye (ear?) is the Merlin TSM-M read the reviews at www.merlinmusic.com. They can be had for a steal here at audigon, or ordered in a custom color from Bobby P. the owner of Merlin. Everyone has had positive experiences with Bobby and he is at owners beckon call and will help you make the right choice with electronics etc. Try Merlin, not to picky about placement, great tone and soundstaging!
-Vik |
Maybe not a possibility for you, but I have exactly the same size room and it took me a year to figure out the the sound was way better using smallish monitors (Sonus Faber Concerto and Spendor S3/1) on the long wall, firing across the room. You end up sitting kind off close to the monitors, but soundstage is way bigger than on the short wall.
Also if this isn't possible, check out this link for details on speaker placement on short wall:
http://www.cardas.com/insights/index.html
I know I haven't said much about specific speakers, but in my opinion placement can be just as important as type of speaker in getting a great sound. |
Both of your initial interests are highly regarded monitors...I am more familiar with the Revels since my local dealer carries them...they are a very clean,revealing,clinical type of speaker...and componet matching is very important....others have complained of brightness...but when I heard them driven by VTL tube gear they sounded pretty darn good...bass is a bit shy...but hey...these are monitors...I own the Quad 12Ls which have a similiar uncolored sound...albeit over 1/3 third less...good luck...also...Joseph Audio can be found at Soundcity.com if no dealer in your area... |
I own the Joseph RM22si sig, which is pretty much a 7si sig as a floorstander. I bought the 22's after overhearing the 7si's at a local dealer. My room is also very similar to yours dimension wise, I am using a McIntosh amp (the old MC2105), and like Peteinvicta1 I have my speakers on the long wall (I got lucky in that they sort of had to go there). I think you have the right idea getting minimonitors for your space. My 22's are floorstanding, but still imploy the small, 2 way design of the 7's, and it works very well having smaller speakers for a smaller room (especially when placing them on the long wall).
I can tell you the Joseph's are very nice speakers and that they image well and are not too picky as far as placement compared to other speakers. Some of this opinion comes from what I have read; what I can hear is limited as I am a new audiophile. I have also read that the 7si mk2 is a very significant improvement over the original. I can only imagine how good it sounds. I would definitely recommend going with the Josephs (hearing with your ears first would be ideal). |
Also..hate to post a speaker I have never heard...but Von Schweikert just came out with a monitor speaker...the VR-1...and there other speakers are highly sought after...check out their website...this is a full range monitor(40hz) as well...in a room your size...I wouldnt go with anything less...if you audition these...let us know...I am very curious as well... |
Given the set-up, my speakers will need to fire the long way. They will have to sit on a mantle fairly close to the back wall, so flexible placement is critical. I do plan to listen to everything I can, and even demo when possible. I have a feeling the more flexible the speaker, as far as placement, the better.
Please keep the suggestions coming, and thanks, |
Well..for mantle placement..go sealed design...which are harder to find...maybe some small Spendors and a sub....any rear ported designs will be less than ideal....no chance of getting stands and putting them more into the room? Not trying be a smartass...but this will improve things greatly...no sense in spending alot of cash if they are going to be flush against a wall... |
You need to find speakers that take into account the reflections and room loading characteristics of wall ( or near wall ) mounting. There are specific design criteria that can really make a big difference in such a situation. I don't know of any monitor sized speakers that are currently in production that do this though, so i can't really make any suggestions. However, the first thing that did come to mind was Allison Acoustics. Roy Allison had several different models that were specifically designed for wall mounting. Design Acoustics also had some models that would work in such a situation, but both companies are either completely gone or mere shadows of what they once were.
Some basic suggestions that i would look for:
Sealed speakers would theoretically work best here. If you must go with something that is ported, make sure that the port is front firing. I would not recommend speakers with passive radiators for such an installation.
Speakers that make use of foam or felt around the mids / tweeters would be more suited for this type of installation.
Since you did not mention the height of the mantle, you may want to look for a speaker that can be mounted tweeter on top OR tweeter on bottom. This will give you a bit of added versatility in terms being able to slightly alter on-axis frequency response to compensate for the height of the mantle and your seated listening position.
If the top of the mantle is up higher than your seated listening position ( i would assume that it is ), i would avoid any type of an MTM ( mid-tweeter-mid ) or "D'Appolito" design due to the limited vertical dispersion that such a design offers.
Hope this helps and gives you at least a bit to work with. Sean
> |
I used to own a Mac MA-6500 integrated amp. I like the Macintosh tube-like sound. I looked at both the Joseph and Revel monitor speakers and went with the Totem Model 1's with a Rel Strata III subwoofer. The totem's had more of a natural sound with no emphasis in any region. If you need a speaker designed to sit close to the rear wall, listen to the Totem Arro. I have a pair in my den and they sound very nice for being such a small speaker. |
Hi!
Sound City has not been a Joseph Audio dealer for almost 3 years. They have never received any of the Mk2 series, and I doubt that they'd have any new inventory left by now.
Your best assurance of finding the RM7si Signature mk2 is to email or call us for a dealer.
Jeff |
Sean: Thank you for your specific recommendations. You are right in assumeing that the mantle is higher than the seated listening position -- so I will have to keep tweeter placement and overall speaker adjustment into consideration. I will also focus on front ported or sealed desgins and avoid the rear ported units.
Thank you all for your feedback and I welcome other ideas....this has been very enlightening..... |
