Speakers for electronic/hiphop/rnb [$4000 range]?


Hello everybody,

Let me start off by saying I don’t know much about hifi. I’m trying to educate myself by visiting forums like these and I’m learning some things but most information goes over my head. And most of you listen to classical/rock/jazz so it’s hard to find an opinion that is relevant to me without asking. I currently have a set of Kef ls50’s that I blind bought because of amazing reviews paired with an arcam a19 integrated amplifier and it’s basically the best purchase I’ve ever made. It’s made me appreciate music in a different way and now I would like to upgrade to a new setup in a designated music room with new speakers and new components. The room will be 12x17.

A store near me sells Harbeth speakers but I think I read bass is lacking in these but I may still try to audition them, I’m not really sure what else is well regarded in my price range..
torontoelectro
As a newbie, I recommend going to as many dealers and listening to as many speakers as possible. Get to know what you like and don't like.

Hifi systems are synergistic. All part play a part in recreating music, so not only are speakers important, but the components behind them.

That you find your current setup a good one is a start. If you want to get really serious about this, get some ideas of speakers you like. Floorstanders or bookshelf. What you want to spend. Etc...
Then fellow Agoner's will probably give you more information that you ever wanted.
If you like the Kefs,why not keep them and add a nice subwoofer to your system? You can ask the dealer if you can take the Harbeths home to try them out. BTW, I am a Harbeth owner but I don't know how they will sound with Hip/Hop type of music.
@dgnrbob
Thank you for your response. I will definitely be going to audio stores around the Toronto area to audition speakers, just looking for some direction on which speakers I should be auditioning.

@yogiboy 

I do love the kefs but yeah I'm not sure it's optimal for my music sometimes. The thought of adding a subwoofer has crossed my mind but I then read somewhere that you shouldn't be pairing these with a subwoofer for whatever reason. Also I would like a setup with a bigger sound for my dedicated music room, right now I am just using my kefs as my computer monitors as that's where I listen to most of my music atm and I may just keep it  that way. 
Harbeth is not a match for hip hop. Stay away. I would take either yogiboys advice or look at other kef models. I think a pair of b&ws, golden ear or dynaudios might work well for you as well.  I've never listen to an arcam with a pair Vandersteens but the Vandy 2 or 3 may sound pretty good especially for r&b.  Go listen to a few different models.... that's the fun part.  
Hi torontoelectro - Sounds like you already have a nice system considering that you bought sight unseen.

I agree with the advice above in that you should try to listen to as many speakers as you can at the dealer but I think that I would hesitate to try to integrate a sub at this point simply because it takes a lot of fiddling to get just right and often has you chasing your tail to get beyond massive bass slam and to an integrated frequency response that integrates with your speakers, placement and room.

Without giving you a specific speaker recommendation, assuming that you do get a chance to listen to several speakers at the dealers, keep in mind that they will be able to help you narrow down your choices if you come with a clear wishlist of what you want and preferable in the lingo that they're familiar with.

For the type of music that you like, you're going to want:

Full range floor standing speakers that:

Low frequency response - Preferably down to about 30hz or better
Exceptionally tight bass
Very detailed mid/high
Fast dynamics

I'm guessing this will probably be a 3-way design and will also have the ability to bi-amp at some point in the future.

Once you've narrowed it down to a few, then you should start thinking about your amplification - For the type of speakers and music you like, you're probably going to end up with speakers that will be power hungry - Lots of tight bass with great detail and dynamics almost always means lots of fast power to drive them.

All of that said - I'm curious what it is with your current setup that you feel is missing since you seem to really appreciate it.

Finally - You can expect to get dozes of varying opinions here because everyone's taste is different - at the end of the day the most important thing is that you enjoy the sound of your music in your room with your setup.  In fact, part of the fun is the journey along the way where you get to better understand yourself and the effect that different equipment will have.  Only you can be your best expert.

Greg