From what has been already suggested above I would recommend Vivid, Sonus, Vandersteen and I would add Gershman Acoustics especially for female vocals.
Speaker Upgrade ... Please Help Me
1st post on Audiogon so be gentle :)
I want to upgrade from my Paradigm 85F speakers. My headend is the Gold Note DS-10 Plus Streamer\Dac\Preamp (with PSU-10 power supply) feeding into a Coda 8 amplifier. I listen mostly to Tidal but have a Marantz ND8006 if I want to listen to CD's. My room isn't great, "L" shaped with the speakers at the corner. It's 9.5" x 24" with 8.5" ceiling (open room beside). One speaker has no wall beside it and the other a window which I put a thick blackout curtain to reduce reflections. There are large rugs in all 3 sections. I have 3" x 3" burlap bags filled with Rockwool Soundproofing insulation in the corners behind the speakers. I listen to lots of male and female vocals (Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Jason Isbell etc.), Pink Floyd, Rage against the Machine, Tool, Chick Corea, etc. a wide variety for sure.
My budget is $10,000 to $15,000 Canadian which is $8,000 to $13,000 US$. I think the 85F's are a decent speaker and I want to make sure that the upgrade is easily noticeable. Do I need to save more to make a significance jump? What I want is a better speaker in all areas, tighter bass and more prominent mid range. I don't find the trebles harsh on the 85F's but then again my hearing is about 13K max. I have access to a medium amount of speaker selection but in-home demos aren't allowed.
First I listened to Opera Callis Divas, I loved the air between the instruments but I thought the low end was weak. The next was Aurum Cantus Genesis which was way over my budget (head-end was $$$$$ too) but the salesman wanted to give me a point of reference. It sounded amazing but at the same time it didn't draw me in musically, almost too analytical. Tried the Martin Logan ESL-11A and I don't think electrostatics are for me. Paradigm Persona 3F were nice but I guess I expected more. Really liked the Focus Kanta 3 but thought they were a little expensive and really didn't like the looks. The Paradigm 120H I liked too but I have a hard time buying speakers with built-in amps, It just seems like a point of failure and that I wouldn't be using my amp to the fullest. Not sure why the 120H stood out, it seemed I didn't care about the details and just got lost in the music, I also like the idea of ARC to help with the room. Next on the list is Legacy Signature SE's and maybe B&W. All the above were with different rooms and electronics except the Personas and Kanta 3.
So my questions are
1. Having a long narrow room would speakers like the Kanta 3 and Legacy Signature be too large and overpower the room2. Are the speakers I'm looking at be a major upgrade to he 85F's or I should save more $$$3. Speaker suggestions that would work with my front end are welcome but I really would like to listen to them first and lots of brands aren't available here in Edmonton.
Thanks Audiogoners
I want to upgrade from my Paradigm 85F speakers. My headend is the Gold Note DS-10 Plus Streamer\Dac\Preamp (with PSU-10 power supply) feeding into a Coda 8 amplifier. I listen mostly to Tidal but have a Marantz ND8006 if I want to listen to CD's. My room isn't great, "L" shaped with the speakers at the corner. It's 9.5" x 24" with 8.5" ceiling (open room beside). One speaker has no wall beside it and the other a window which I put a thick blackout curtain to reduce reflections. There are large rugs in all 3 sections. I have 3" x 3" burlap bags filled with Rockwool Soundproofing insulation in the corners behind the speakers. I listen to lots of male and female vocals (Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Jason Isbell etc.), Pink Floyd, Rage against the Machine, Tool, Chick Corea, etc. a wide variety for sure.
My budget is $10,000 to $15,000 Canadian which is $8,000 to $13,000 US$. I think the 85F's are a decent speaker and I want to make sure that the upgrade is easily noticeable. Do I need to save more to make a significance jump? What I want is a better speaker in all areas, tighter bass and more prominent mid range. I don't find the trebles harsh on the 85F's but then again my hearing is about 13K max. I have access to a medium amount of speaker selection but in-home demos aren't allowed.
First I listened to Opera Callis Divas, I loved the air between the instruments but I thought the low end was weak. The next was Aurum Cantus Genesis which was way over my budget (head-end was $$$$$ too) but the salesman wanted to give me a point of reference. It sounded amazing but at the same time it didn't draw me in musically, almost too analytical. Tried the Martin Logan ESL-11A and I don't think electrostatics are for me. Paradigm Persona 3F were nice but I guess I expected more. Really liked the Focus Kanta 3 but thought they were a little expensive and really didn't like the looks. The Paradigm 120H I liked too but I have a hard time buying speakers with built-in amps, It just seems like a point of failure and that I wouldn't be using my amp to the fullest. Not sure why the 120H stood out, it seemed I didn't care about the details and just got lost in the music, I also like the idea of ARC to help with the room. Next on the list is Legacy Signature SE's and maybe B&W. All the above were with different rooms and electronics except the Personas and Kanta 3.
So my questions are
1. Having a long narrow room would speakers like the Kanta 3 and Legacy Signature be too large and overpower the room2. Are the speakers I'm looking at be a major upgrade to he 85F's or I should save more $$$3. Speaker suggestions that would work with my front end are welcome but I really would like to listen to them first and lots of brands aren't available here in Edmonton.
Thanks Audiogoners
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- 23 posts total
- 23 posts total