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Need advise on speaker upgrade

Hey guys,

I, once again, find myself in need of some brains to pick. My setup right now consists of a NAD C162 Pre, Emotiva XDA-1 DAC, Squeezebox Touch, Aragon 2004 amp and System Audio SA505 speakers.

One of the reasons that I picked these speakers was because they put out a pretty big sound for their size and they are small. Due to room/furniture constraints, my speakers must sit on shelves and can be no taller than 12.5".

Although most of my listening consists blues and jazz, I also listen to rock. Stuff like AC/DC, Zeppelin and such. My problem is that at louder volumes I've been able to bottom out the little SA505s, so what I'm looking for is a pair of musical speakers that can play loud.

In any case, the two that I am considering are the Era (Peachtree) D5 and the Silverline Minuet Supremes.

I'm looking to buy used and really can't do an audition on either, so I'm looking for advise on how the two compare. I've read just about every post and review that I can find on both and they all say the same thing.

That they are both musical and produce sound that is all out of proportion to their size, but most reviewers are saying this about almost every small speaker being reviewed these day, so I'm asking for info from those with experience.
tonyangel

Showing 1 response by johnnyb53

johnnyb53
3,510 posts
 

04-06-12: Islandmandan
You might consider something in the Dynaudio line. Their small speakers are noted for their great sounding bass output, which belies their size, and their power-handling abilities.
The Dynaudio Excite X12 is only 11.2" tall and has been garnering rave reviews from anyone who reviews them. They are ported to the rear, so I don't know if that works for your speaker placement. The reviews universally praise this speaker's bass extension and dynamic range relative to size.

Reviews:
Stereophile
Goodsound

If rear porting is a problem, Mordaunt-Short makes a front-ported small speaker. It's 12.6" high though.

Then there's the PSB Image B5 that comes in right at 12.5" high with a sensitivity of 87dB and power handling of 150w. These are extraordinarily linear and are known for a lifelike transparent midrange, especially for $449/pair.
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