ATC SCM11s. There's a listing on audiogon currently.
Recommendation on soft dome bookshelfs under $1K
I am looking for a purely music setup with an old receiver to listen to records, tapes and CD's. I'd like bookshelf speakers (or MTM sized speakers) with soft dome tweeters. 6" or 6.5" drivers are preferred as it has to handle bass without a sub. I'd prefer to buy used mid-to-high end, with a budget of $1000 for the pair. Recommendations?
- ...
- 20 posts total
As I see it, soft dome tweeters are a means to an end, a particular sort of sound you want in the treble. Could I assume that you want a smooth, natural treble devoid of ringing, overshoot, and peaky resonances that often accompany metal dome tweeters? May I suggest an alternative with a completely different tweeter design that fits your other needs (no subwoofer, good match to vintage receiver) and budget ($1K max)? I just attended an open house at my local high end dealer, and GoldenEar was there to demonstrate their Aon 3 standmount speakers. Instead of a soft dome, GoldenEar uses a Heil-typ folded ribbon tweeter. What struck me immediately upon hearing it is that its treble is devoid of tweeter ringing and overshoot. In fact it revealed to me how much ringing and overshoot my brain has been filtering out over the years with conventional pistonic tweeters. This ribbon tweeter has a response out to 35Khz, meaning that it has a very fast rise time, meaning that its detail retrieval is superb. But unlike so many speakers that have hopped up treble to give us that "ambience and air," the Aon conveys the natural detail of a live performance without the hot treble of a resonance nor the edginess of overshoot and ringing. Second, this is an efficient speaker, especially for a standmount. Standmounts are typically 84-87dB efficient, but this one is 90dB. The demo system was a 60wpc Peachtree integrated and it never wanted for power, dynamics, bass definition, or slam. These should be a good match for your vintage receiver. Third, assuming you take some care in placement (i.e., about 2' from the wall behind them), these speakers have excellent bass. They sound like mid-sized floor standers and are pretty much flat to 40 Hz and are spec'd to 38 Hz. The bass was clean, extended, fast, and well-defined. If I were in the market for a $1K standmount (or a $1K floor stander for that matter), these would be at the top of my list. Usually a small standmount can't be efficient *and* have extended bass, but the Aon has an exceptional 7" mid/woofer and is augmented by two side-firing 8" passive radiators in a sealed cabinet with no parallel surfaces. The GoldenEars are not too hard to find and audition. I suggest you give'em a shot. |
- 20 posts total