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Help me with a pairing.....

HI all,

Somewhat new here. I’ve decided that it’s time to up my two channel game. I’ll be moving from Monitor Audio Silver 6’s powered by my Marantz AVR that has served me well for a long time. Initially I balked at the notion of HT bypass on an integrated but now i’m all in. I listened to a few different products but based on what I had read coming into it I sort of knew what would win, and that’s the Luxman 509x. It was exactly as advertised....very precise and powerful with no slowness to speak of and little coloration. We even compared it to 1.2k Mcintosh monoblocks and I felt the Luxman gave up very little if anything, but that’s a story for another thread. I was listening on Focal Sopra 2’s and have to say they did not suck! So while that’s a possibility they are really darned big. I would love to hear other suggestions on where I might look to find a somewhat neutral speaker that supports primarily indie rock (think Wilco, The War on Drugs, even low fi favorites like Guided By Voices) as well as jam bands (Phish, GD) and classic rock. Also if it’s any help we listened to Magico’s the same day and I didn’t care for them nearly as much. A bit warm for my liking.

Ideally footprint is a bit smaller, and has a center channel that isn’t 24w x 12" high since that would be challenging on most racks. Price maybe 10K per pair MSRP but i’m flexible for the right product.  Would considered used.  Brands on my radar include: Revel, Monitor Audio (clear winner last time I did this, but wasn’t shopping quite as upmarket), Focal (maybe one notch down from Sopra?) Kef and maybe Paradigm. I’d really like to get feedback on people’s experience with these combo’s, and knowing what I’m favoring at least start in the right spot. I’m in a big metro area so should be able to find a dealer with most anything.

Thanks very much in advance.

EW
128x128mtbiker29
mastering92
870 posts
 
Great post. Glad that you provided a lot details about your set up and what kind of sound you prefer.

Luxman is an excellent brand. I've heard some of their more expensive stuff before and I was impressed. Like you said, very little coloration and the ability to drive speakers with authority; quite convincingly without slowing down. These characteristics are typically trademark features in high-end made-in-Japan audio gear. 

Based on your personal preferences, I would go with Focal's -I've heard  the Sopra #3 and it is a technical masterpiece in terms of raw performance. Plenty of detail...instruments and vocals (especially female vocals) have that sharp bite - think Diana Krall and Roxanne Potvin. No part of the spectrum is recessed and they are very welcoming with expansive imaging (depending on the song/recording studio/microphones used) I was impressed. And it takes a lot to impress me.

If you're going for Focal, look for their speakers that use Beryllium or Magnesium. Above all, read plenty of reviews before you decide.

Japanese amplifiers tend to bring out the very best in any set up. 

Cheers and good luck! 
mtbiker29's avatar
mtbiker29 OP
156 posts
 
Thanks mastering92.  I forgot to mention that another goal would be a very wide sweet spot, which the dealer mentioned Focal was great at.  So much so that he turned speakers 45 degrees outward and they still sounded surprisingly good.  

If I were to move down the Focal line would you expect similar (albeit not quite as good) characteristics?  In other words are they pretty consistent?  

Thanks again!  
erik_squires
15,654 posts
 
Have you heard the MA platinums???
erik_squires
15,654 posts
 
Also, don't forget the room. :)
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