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Is There a Speaker for Me/Impossible Requirements? (budget: $2000)

Well, I just lost a very long and detailed post. Here’s my second shot:
After years in headphone purgatory I’m finally dipping a toe into ’real’ hifi. Turns out, its not as straightforward as I expected.
My equipment: 320-lossless files into a Moon i-5 in a 9 1/2 x 11 1/2’ room with 7’4" ceilings and a large rug. No issues or concerns regarding acoustics nor any interest in treating. Listen at 60-90 db for 3-8 hours a day- music is all over the map but a strong preference for neo-classical/ambient (Olafur Arnalds, Nils Frahm, Jonsi and Alex, etc), baroque/solo piano, fingerstyle guitar, and ’indie’ (whatever that means nowadays).

After reading a whole lot I purchased the following speakers based on my headphone preferences (HD650):
Wharfedale Denton 80th Anniv: VERY forward, VERY mid-centric, and not at all for me. They seem to have the veil people associate with the Senns, though I’ve never experienced it myself.
Spendor S3/5: These are much more interesting. Imaging is amazing- they do seem to disappear completely on certain tracks. However, the sound is rather unexciting. Perhaps this is closer to neutral but I find the speakers end up falling into the background and don’t really pull me in to the music. Tonally, the 3/5 seems very coherent though the lack of visceral bass is quite evident.
Spendor SP-1: The best of the bunch to my ears. The imaging is maybe a little behind the 3/5 but the sound seems much more balanced with more bass presence. On some songs they sound a bit U-shaped (maybe a little ’thin’ vs the ’non-present’ 3/5) and not quite as unified (lack of mids?) as the other Spendor.

My hope is to find a speaker I can keep for a long time that fits my listening space and music preferences. Given my experience where would you head from here:
A) Keep the SP-1s and spend more time placing them within my space/experimenting with stands and/or upstream gear?
B) Get a sub for the S3/5 and compare against the SP-1 again?
C) Try for another speaker altogether? If so, my max budget would be $2000 with a preference for value. I do have a pair of Meadowlark Kestrels on their way to me, but I haven’t heard them yet. Harbeth, Totem, ProAc, Vandersteen, Ohm, and Revel all sound interesting to me.
Grateful for any thoughts,
NM
joincoolkidclub
akg_ca's avatar
akg_ca
2,151 posts
 
TOTEM..... if you are still married to the SIMAUDIO MOON i5 intergrated amp.... an ideal and proven synergy.

TOTEM and SIMAUDIO are both resident in Montreal and are mutually voiced to test each other’s product offerings.

SIMAUDIO and TOTEM even had a joint venture that produced the TOTEM AMBER integrated amp based on the SIMAUDIO integrated amplifier platform.
yeti42's avatar
yeti42
287 posts
 
 Not so sure about Thiels in a room that size, I tried CS1.6 in my second system in a room slightly larger and couldn’t get them to sound tolerable. The Thiels had been displaced from my main system after 6 years by Naim NBLs so I was quite familiar with them. I then tried a pair of Totem Dreamcatchers, these things are the opposite of dull and I’d have bought them except that I listen to too much piano music and they made a Steinway concert grand sound like an upright. Feed them some Wishbone ash and the’ll warm it up nicely. Then I happened on a pair of Naim allaes at a good price and these were keepers but I have solid brick walls, they don’t work with stud walls behind them and they will be a rare find across the pond but the Totems showed great promise with my Rega Maia, which is about the same power as the Moon, so probably worth thoroughly investigating.
joincoolkidclub OP
19 posts
 
@yogiboy My other concern with the smaller monitors is that they may not have as much air and openness as a cab with larger speakers- just using my current references (S3/5 vs SP1). Sounds like tonally they would be more to my liking but it feels like a bit of a risk given the asking price...@akg_ca Will keep that in mind. Some of the descriptions of the Totems sounded interesting but I was initially concerned that they were not tuned to my liking. After having a mixed experience with the BBC style monitors, I may try something from up North. Any chance you have any experience with the Meadowlarks for comparison's sake?@yeti42 Thanks for those thoughts. It sounds like the Thiel 2.3 and 2.4 is easier to place, so maybe that would facilitate things on my end? Your echoing of AKG's comments regarding the Totems is certainly pushing them towards the top of my list assuming the Kestrels don't blow my mind. I've struggled to find the Naim or Rega speakers on the used market over here- Totem seems much more common.
soix
8,651 posts
 
With your sized room, go with the Thiel CS1.6es.  They're fantastic and if you find them used they'll probably be cheaper than the Silverlines I mentioned earlier.  But a pair of Joseph Audio RM25s would be just as good and easier to drive, although neither of these speakers come up used much, and for good reason.  Thiel is out of business, which would push me toward the JA RM25s.  
michaelgreenaudio's avatar
michaelgreenaudio
1,019 posts
 

"Your room is too small. Get a larger room!"

Some of my favorite listening rooms are that size, with the right type of walls.

No room treatment, now that's a little off. I wouldn't recommend dampening the room but I would certainly tune it.

mg

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