Big, big room -- which 10-20k speakers?
Get the big Maggies and a "bigger" amplifier to drive them. With your budget, you can get the new Maggie 20.7's; if you want to spend less, you can get the 20.1's. The Maggies will love all of that room to "breathe". I know this sounds self-serving, but I would consider selling my 20.1's so I can get the new 20.7's. You won't regret getting the big Maggies, just as long as you give them enough power. George |
These would be my choice for that room in the $10K range, if available. |
Further down the path after living with Tannoys, I subsequently had (2-3yrs with each) - ProAc Response 4 - ML Prodigy - MG 20.1--drove them using FMA611/ARC REF600 MKIII + REF3 + dCS stack. While the MG20.1 had some beautiful natural room filling sound with great staging (albeit slightly diffused), IME, they lacked that little lower midrange snap, and midbass punch (dynamic) essential into waking up certain instrumentations to life (drums, rim shots etc). Bass was big, but weighty they're not (without aid of good subs). I then reminisced, and missed the good tonality (accuracy/beauty) of my old Tannoys + valves. Which even with only 50 tube watts pushing, filled my rather large old room with ease, and had amazing bass to boot which literally shook door/windows (some serious air they moved!). Hence, thus far, Tannoy Westminster/Royal, Classic Audio, JBL K2 (Everest - over budget?) are the few good candidates recommended which I personally feel will slip in just nicely into your current set-up. Of course, adding a nice little tubed amp, plus newer source when budget permits later will easily up the ante - Still.. best try to keep it simple, I'd say. |
I can tell you that when I heard the Classic Audio Repro speakers at RMAF in a VERY big room, they could play rock at realistic levels (not earbleed, but real kick-a$$). And remember, the room size we are talking about is almost 21,000 cu ft., more than twice the volume of the 30 x 30 x 12 room that Rtilden referenced. No knock on the Tylers; I've never heard them. Agree w Atmasphere and Johnk that the laws of physics and the logarithmic power/volume relationship pretty much dictate a high efficiency design. |
OK, guys, I'm chiming in again here. One day I will try to post photos of my room. I have read many helpful replies from Atmasphere over the years, and I find it hard not to go along with most all of the things he says. And considering his exposure to so much of the possibilities available, I would tend to defer to him. Yep, he's earned his street cred. My exposure is limited, but my listening room is actually a little larger than I had posted, and my Woodmeres do an excellent job with my CODA 15.0 amplifier. How loud do you need, boys? Huh? My spl meter reads 105db or more anytime I want to crank it. But my ears tell me that is not smart. I'm in this for the long haul, and so are my ears. Classical and jazz are my main venues, and I listen as loud as is reasonably practicable, any time I like, and dammit, my room and my seating position are experiencing realistic levels of concert music, at 5-20 rows back in a concert hall, depending upon the recording. Remember, this is my home, and I live in it daily. I do not base my knowledge upon hearing a rig in some showroom one time. I am by no means saying that my results could not be improved by different or larger speakers, but I am very pleased with my system and do not wish for any "more" delivery than I am getting. The OP tasked us with a budget, and I am respecting that. This post is offered only to give some perspective to the OP, from a music lover who listens daily in a rather large room. |
