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Wouldyou have another brand speaker next to mains

Have you ever wanted to purchase on a "whim" another set of well reviewed speakers to alternate with your main speaker system??? What reason?????? Just to alternate or rotate the type of sound and musical presentation

IThe second set of speakers does not have to be comparable in price or performance, but have very good reviews and testamonials to the quality of sound. I have a friend who has a pair of Sumiko Vienna speakers, but bought a used pair of De Capo Reference 3's and loves them, even though they are not equal to the Sumiko

Another friend has had a pair of the Acoustic Zen Adagios for 3 years, loves them, but liked the Martin Logan sound and design concepts He has read about the new ML Electromotion ESL since CES 2010, and we finally got to hear them last weekend at a Magnolia Referecne store and he likes them alot. ( I also liked them more than I expected) We both agreed that ML's throw a larger and deeper soundstage than the AZ Adagios, but are not as dynamic, and not quite as neutral. Compared to past ML speakers, this new hybrid has got some serious, clean bass.

Of course with any ML speaker, placement and set-up are a pain in the ass. Stat panels must be plugged into wall AC, or better one power line conditioners per speaker which adds expense to the purchase So my friend is waiting 6 months to see if any "used" ML EM-ESL's come up on AG. They retail new for $2195... Personally I think he is nuts, but then again, I once bought a pair of large Orginal Advents while trying to decide on a new speaker

Would like to get input from other members on this question... and issue?? Some members have revealed they do have an alternate set of speakers despite the outlay of money, room space, and.... complainig wives or GF's Should make for a fruitful discussion!!!!!!!
sunnyjim
mapman's avatar
mapman
21,838 posts
 
I run Dynaudios along with OHMs in different rooms concurrently of my main rig.

i have a pair of Triangles in my second rig that I have swapped in to my main rig on occasion also.

There are many others I would like to try also if I had the time and a real need. Zu, Klipsch, Audiokinesis, Merlin, PSB, Quad, Focal, Tidal, Daedalus, Audio Note, Adam Audio, Avantgarde, Cain and Cain, and Magnepan are just a few names that come to mind.
extravaganza
373 posts
 
I have dynaudio c1 and Harbeth shl5 side by side in the same room.I run them with diffrent amps and like both of them .Just depends on mood and hearing which speaker and music I want to listen,still keep cerwin wega,sometimes turn them on,just for a shaking bass for fun:) And in the future would like to try spendor sp100r2 speakers.
ckoffend
684 posts
 
I have 8 pairs of speakers in my house with another pair being delivered tomorrow. This is too many speakers, but I am in an interim period trying to figure out what I want to narrow down to. Ultimately 2 primary pair of speakers in one system - lots of narrowing down still to do.

It is nice to have two different sounding pair of speakers, but is nice when they can both match well with one or two (at the most) amps.

I am in the process of designing some outriggers that will accomodate owning multiple pairs of speakers and to relieve the pain of moving them in and out. I want to build outriggers that are compatible with a range of speakers and also have both spikes (retractable) and casters (retractable) so that changing speakers becomes much easier. With something like this, having more than one pair becomes much more manageable and less likely to damage the speakers during regular move-ins/outs.
onemug
784 posts
 
"Have you ever wanted to purchase on a "whim" another set of well reviewed speakers to alternate with your main speaker system??? What reason??????"

I have a set of Magnepan 3.6's and a pair of custom made studio monitors in the same room (driven by 2 independent ways). Reason: They each bring something to the table the other doesn't.

For 15 yrs I have enjoyed Apogees and Maggies. I love the boxless/line source/dipole/wall of sound they produce. They were pretty much it for me UNTIL.....

this pair of Monitors. The beauty of them is that they are very SET friendly and twice as dynamic as the Maggies. They are the least colored of any box speaker I have ever heard. It's hard to describe in words what goes on with SETs and the "correct" speaker and it may not be for everyone but it is for me BIG time.

Tough to say which system would be the choice in a "desert island/you can only take one" scenario. Don't have to and have a wonderful wife that lets me enjoy them both in the same room.

sunnyjim OP
927 posts
 
I want to thank everyone who responded to this thread, and admit that they also listen to "alterantive" speakers for reasons I outlined

NOTE, I am sorry for the delay of the thank yous, but I must embarrasingly confess that I fell out of bed one morning and was knocked out cold. When I finally came to in the emergency room of a local hospital, I felt more embarassed than scared, and was discharged after a series of X-rays. I decided in the interim to lay off the computer and did something old fashion, like read a few book and not worry about audio. I thought maybe my mishap changed my priorities, but thankfully it did not,but did rekindle some old interests which I am thankful

I also was reminded that even though this website is an audio mart and discussion forum, the membership never fails to extend a helping hand to others in the form of useful advice, recommendation, and comments. To that I am grateful,and glad to be back amongst friends and colleagues. Jim
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