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Accurate speakers for a verity of genres?

Hello guys – I’m looking for L/R speakers to fill a 15x15 room – the budget is <4K (new/used). I’m not much of a PC user and was recommended by a good friend of mine to post here for advice.

I don’t have subs yet, so wanted something that could extend into the mid 30’s if needed. I will get subs next year so it’s not a big deal. My background is in music (have a degree from NYU) and come from a family or producers. Being that the speakers will be in my living room, I want something nice looking, and also capable of home theater usage and powered by a receiver.

I’m pretty young (under 26) and my musical tastes are leaning towards the more compressed side. Pop and some rock if I’m feeling casual, house or funk if I’m reminiscing and “real” hip-hop if I’m looking for stories or lyrical material. All mood dependent. I’m ‘classically trained’ and very critical in many genres’ being exposed to them my entire life though. Unfortunately, I do not listen classical music in my home although I do respect it. My instruments of choice are typically percussion based rather than string based and I really like both hard hitting bass and rolling basslines - but clean bass. Never boomy despite the musical choices.

Some examples of the types of music I listen to

Common – The People http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7B2VgRShew
The Roots – Boom http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyLEgfp4b-k
Nicolay and Kay – As the world turns http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Q-apEQa8Vg
Geoffrey Oryema – Piri Wango Iya http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL4F21FAD18930ECDC&feature=player_detailpage&v=HIoY_7qCOHk#t=68s
Afefe Iku – Mirror Dance http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja1LS1AkN-Y&feature=related
Sigur Rios- Festival http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=RpKOawpMtsk#t=309s
Nosaj Thing – Aquarium http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPfDjZAct-0
LP – Iridescent http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLYiIBCN9ec&ob=av2n
James Blunt - I’ll take everything http://www.youube.com/watch?v=LX9sn5aAp_8
Sublime – Santeria http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEYN5w4T_aM&ob=av2n
Metallica – Unforgiven ½ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoTcb6vtGEo
Alicia Myers – I want to thank you http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9wGnnwBc9M
Jackson 5 – Hum Along and Dance http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xRcmIDj2cc
Level 42 – Starchild http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOpYmMyo1FM

Strange eh? I enjoy an accurate sound, that isn’t harsh in the upper band. Perhaps I have sensitive ears nowadays. I know to appreciate flat req response, and smooth off-axis response, great crossovers, etc. Now the question is – Where do I begin looking? Thanks for your time!!!!
bthought
jayben
4 posts
 
Bthought-- i am located in NYC and i too listen to a lot of hip hop, glitch bass production like Nosaj, Common, etc.. (plus every other genre) and have settled on PSB Platinums after going through a few other speaker families. Tbonedeluxe suggested PSB Synchrony as well. I think the concept here is a neutral sounding box speaker that is not genre biased. I really think you are correct in seeking an accurate neutral sound. You know you've got your system right when certain tracks come through with (for example) warmth you didn't know was there. It's awesome!
martykl
3,578 posts
 
One more idea:

$600 will buy a pair of Magnepan MMGs

$1150 will buy a pair of SVS sealed subwoofers

$400 will buy a Velodyne SMS-1 subwoofer management system (it corrects the subwoofer response for room induced effects, fine tune the top end roll-off of the subs, low cut the mains). It takes work, but this thing will allow a seamless "hand-off" from the MMGs to the SVS subs.

All items are sold on-line (the Velodyne from audioadvisor.com, the rest from the respective manufacturers) with money-back policies. It's a low risk way to go - if it doesn't move you, you can send it all back.

At $2150 this will get you a reasonably neutral, very nice sounding, manageably sized, full bandwidth system.

It should be well suited for your tastes and need for deep bass, but if you're still in the city and have neighbors that share a floor or walls, you'd better go easy on the volume knob or you won't be be very popular.

Marty
bthought OP
15 posts
 
So your recommending going light on the speakers but focus on the subs.
being in NYC I really can't have subs unless I keep things low. What would you recommend other than Maggie? I have pets who may destroy it.
bthought OP
15 posts
 
Thank you, perhaps I dont need huge floor standers for my needs? I really need to reconsider.

Maybe great ID subs, great floorstanding monitors, and a capable speaker would meet my needs.

I need a way to limit the subwoofer though (through a switch?)

Perhaps one day ill move and take full advantage of it.
martykl
3,578 posts
 
My recommendation was based on your taste in music, which appears to put unusual emphasis on the bottom octaves - relative to...say, a folk music enthusiast. In this case, a sub sat system will IMHO offer the best bang for the buck. Your note that you expect to add subwoofers down the road indicates that you're thinking this way, too.

I figured that I'd offer an in-budget option that got to the endgame without waiting.

The SVS looks to be a great value in subwoofers and the Maggie is IMHO a flat-out great value speaker that lacks only bottom end impact. Add subs and you're in great shape, provided that you can get seamless integration, which brings us to...

The Velodyne SMS-1. It's a great device that will get you there on seamless integration. However, the automatic set-up mode sucks. Set it up it manually and do it carefully and you will great results with the Maggie. One nice feature - there are programmable presets for subwoofer EQ. You can program the Velo to allow for both full range, full-on sub output and a reduced output "night" setting. IIRC, there are 6 presets that you can "tailor" at set-up and you can choose between them with buttons (like a car radio).

I mentioned the MMG because it's a terrific performer and a real steal at it's asking price. As to alternatives, there are many, depending on your tastes. You might consider the little Carver CRM ribbon monitors which can sometimes be found for $1K/pr. Even more limited in low end extension than the MMG, they are very good speakers without any real bottom end to speak of. You could also look at the Gallo A'diva or the smaller Ohm 100 (or maybe the MWT) omnidirectional speakers. I've owned all three of these speakers and can recommend any of them. For my taste the Ohms are the pick of the litter and the MMGs are the value leader. The A'diva is a surprisingly good performer (with a sub), given its tiny size and modest price tag.

Really good speakers with enough bass to do justice to the music you like tend IME to be kind of expensive. However, there are a lot of great speakers out there once you eliminate the need for extended bass response. If you're eventually gonna add subs, I say take advantage of the economics and add the subs from the outset. (BTW, for +/- another $500, you can get a pair of Rythmik subwoofers instead of the SVS. I'm told by many I trust that the SVS subs are terrific performers, but I own the Rythmiks and can recommend them from experience.)

Good Luck

Marty
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