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"Best" mini-monitor?

I have a relatively small listening room (12x10) and have always owned mini-monitors.  Currently I have proac tablette anniversaries, but have had the original 15 ohm rogers ls3/5a, proac response 1, KEF, and reference 3a through out the years.  As you can see, these are all moderate priced speakers, having never spent more than 3k on any pair.  I am now in a position to spend a bit more money, certainly 5k, and maybe up to 10k.  So what out there should I be listening to?  I am in the Chicago area, so I would love something that I can listen to at a local (Midwest) dealer, but I do travel a lot and have auditioned/purchased things across the country from time to time.  New or used, does not matter to me.

as you can probably guess, I really don't care much about deep base, but live for soundstage and warm midrange, listening to a lot of female vocalists, acoustic rock/jazz/blues, and light (non full orchestra) classical.  

With my musical tastes, I have always loved el34 tube amps.  I currently have the prima Luna hp premium, which has 4 el34 per channel, giving me in the 70 wpc range, more than enough for a small room.  I am running naim digital source material (no bad remarks from the analog folks... I know I have have traded off).

so, what should I spend time auditioning?  I have used "best" in quotes because of the 10k price limit, but I suspect there are many more candidates below 10k than above it.

thanks.

Bill


meiatflask
soix
8,651 posts
 
Thanks for responding.  After reading your experience I'd reiterate a strong recommendation to try a pair of Joseph Audio Pulsars if at all possible.  Best of luck. 

jopi88
27 posts
 
any raidho c1 , c1.1, wonderful sound.
loftarasa
171 posts
 
$10K is a lot (to me!) to spend on bookshelves when I’d have thought one could also get a compact floorstander that takes up no more room overall than minis on stands?

Having said that, I’d add the ATC SCM11 or SCM12 Pro (effectively the same) to your shortlist. If I was going to spend your whole budget, I’d try to hear the Diapason Astera!


ejr1953
895 posts
 
For several years I enjoyed a pair of Totem Fire Monitors.  Since they've been on the market for a long time, you can probably snag a great pair of used on Audiogon for a reasonable price.
hamburger
132 posts
 
Hi Bill,
Where are you located?
If in the USA, then the Audience 1+1 V2 is the choice.

I love my Audience for it's purity of sound because there is no crossover, no time and phase alignment problems of tweeter and the bigger driver. If you want more oomph in the bottom end, just get a small sub for your room will do. These speakers need high quality partnering cables and equipment.

Have fun shopping.
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