I was once in your shoes, moving to NYC and wondering how this is going to affect my system. I have moved around quite a bit, but NYC is home now, so I've been able to stabilize my system and I think it is 'there'. In the past I have always been happy with 2 way monitor type speakers because they were easy to pack/ship and easy to integrate into any type of room. Do not feel bad about your 'listening room neurosis', you just understand what your priorities are, and your real estate agent should be made aware of it. Any good agent adapts to their customer's requirements, and believe me, here in NYC, they're grown ups and can handle most requirements of any kind (they see them all). If your current agent cannot handle your requirements, then get a new one?
But to get back to speaker recommendations, you are in the sweet spot because you have so much to choose from. I have settled in with the Wilson Duette speakers. I like these because of their resolution and frequency range. Their lower end is very very nicely rolled off just at the point where you would get yourself into trouble with your neighbors if they went any lower. They come 2 sets of jumper cables/resistors based upon how you want to set them up. Basically one set of wire is for an open room configuration where you have lots of space and your speakers are in the ideal configuration out from walls. The other set of wire is for non optimal setup, where your speakers are closer to boundaries - this is how I have mine setup. Basically the difference is sound is the 'close boundary' setup brings the presentation closer into the monitor, as if the entire stage has been pulled in closer to the speaker. Which really suits me because I am setup in the 'nearfield' listening mode due to a small listening room.
The Wilson Duette does demand a lot of your upstream gear however, so you have to be very cautious of equipment matching. The speaker will reveal any shortfalls in your wire, components, and setup.
The speaker is really quite flexible too, it has an outboard crossover so if you wanted to go with an active 2 way system, that is an option.
Properly setup, this speaker is very very good with small spaces. I think after living with the speaker for a while now, I have them optimally setup, and I'm very happy with the results.
But to get back to speaker recommendations, you are in the sweet spot because you have so much to choose from. I have settled in with the Wilson Duette speakers. I like these because of their resolution and frequency range. Their lower end is very very nicely rolled off just at the point where you would get yourself into trouble with your neighbors if they went any lower. They come 2 sets of jumper cables/resistors based upon how you want to set them up. Basically one set of wire is for an open room configuration where you have lots of space and your speakers are in the ideal configuration out from walls. The other set of wire is for non optimal setup, where your speakers are closer to boundaries - this is how I have mine setup. Basically the difference is sound is the 'close boundary' setup brings the presentation closer into the monitor, as if the entire stage has been pulled in closer to the speaker. Which really suits me because I am setup in the 'nearfield' listening mode due to a small listening room.
The Wilson Duette does demand a lot of your upstream gear however, so you have to be very cautious of equipment matching. The speaker will reveal any shortfalls in your wire, components, and setup.
The speaker is really quite flexible too, it has an outboard crossover so if you wanted to go with an active 2 way system, that is an option.
Properly setup, this speaker is very very good with small spaces. I think after living with the speaker for a while now, I have them optimally setup, and I'm very happy with the results.