Speakers for Classical and Rock in large space.


I am new to the audiophile world, and I am looking to purchase speakers, amplification.

I have decided to hunt down the speakers first, and then match the other components to them.

I listen to a wide range of music,from jazz to electronic, but a large part of my collection is classical, with an emphasis on big dynamic symphonic stuff.

I would like to find speakers that can handle complex high calorie crescendos with meaty,fast,controlled bass, without blending individual instruments into mush, yet that also sound sweet with small scale solo work, mainting the musical in the music.

On the otherhand, they also need to make me move when I
play rock.

My listening space is unusal- an open, roughly square area about 1400 square feet with twenty foot high ceilings.

Finally, I would prefer to buy them new, and not spend more than 3500.00 dollars.

So far I have auditioned Vandersteen, Dynaudio Audience, Snell XA, Soliloquy, BW nt, and Thiel.

Any thoughts, suggestions and advice would be much appreciated.
billw087b

Showing 1 response by rtn1

The problem of finding an accurate loudspeaker that will resolve classical music and still play electronically generated music is also quite difficult. The Thiel 2.4 will give you the accuracy for the orchestral pieces, but will basically be a poor choice for electronically generated music. I listen to similar classical music, and have listened to the speakers you mention. The Thiel's are the hands-down best for that specific application.

Also, you may want to also consider used speakers as well. Although Dunlavy is out of business, there are a number of them on the used market. I was fairly impressed with the IV, and recall it being very accurate, warm, and with impressive bass. Another used speaker in that price range would be the Avalon Avatar. This is also a very accurate speaker with a little more warmth than the Thiel's. It may not have the bass extension that you are looking for, though.

I was specifically unimpressed with Snell and Vandersteen for classical music. Although B&W is well-advertised in classical music magazines, I did not care for this one as well.

Tough choices, but I guess that is what makes this hobby so fun.

Rob