15k USD Speakers for Classical and Pop Extended Listening, Near setup, Low volume

Dutch & Dutch 8C. I haven’t listened to a pair.

If you can find a pair of Sonus Faber Guarneri Evolutions get 'em but they have to have the Sonus stands to work their best.. Maybe a sub too.

 

Classy,

You do not mention the ceiling height but as it is an office I will guess

between 8-9 feet.

You are fortunate to have a great shaped room that will help any speaker.

 

If you have flexibility in laying out the desk in the room the sound will be better by employing the long walls for speaker placement.  Yes you will be closer which

actually improves the sound. Instead of placing the desk between you and the

speakers why not place it on one side or the other from the listening chair?

The suggestion for using DSP is a good one. 

If you are able to utilize the space to it best advantage any speaker you choose

should be pretty good.

As to which brands-you inclusion of the ATC makes me wonder if warmth is

really your preference. It is a very good speaker and perhaps for classical

very good. But I have also heard it is not good for lower listening levels. 

My brand suggestions would be- Fritz Carrera 7 BE . Great for low level and detail

yet very warm. At $3k a total steal. As good if not better than the Pulsars for my

ears. Yes I did an a/b in my home with these two. 

The Dutch and Dutch-also had an a/b in my home- are better in lows and maybe miss than the Fritz but you lose the highs which are amazing. Fritz 7BEs need a sub or two. 

Borresens are a great sound and important to audition. 

 

After that I would consider the Franco Serblin Essence MSRP $20k but

some places will discount. This one may be the best for the classical you listen

to. They are to me the prettiest Box speaker going.

 

Good luck my friend!

Remember only your ears count in this decision.

 

@ilikeclassical You have a great room for your office. I think you can get a floor stander in there easy. Not too big though.

Just for giggles why not try moving your desk back a bit more and them move your chair closer to the speaker side and listen with your back to the speakers. You will have 0 obstruction between the speakers and your ears. The only way I do it with my office and Livingroom (facing the speaker).

Anything between the speaker and me is a sonic irritant.

Some of the photos I have seen of office systems makes me think people do not spend too much time in those spaces. Last year, I had 2 full-time jobs and spent a min of 18 hours a day in the office. Great thing I had incredible sound to help me make money.

@jeffseight @yyzsantabarbara -

Thanks both for your time and complements. I am occupying just one third of the room with my desk and chair. Rest of the room is empty. So I have lot of flexibility. Ceilings are vaulted which go 9ft at lowest level and 15ft at the highest level.

I agree with ATC is not great a low listening levels. I found that today evening reading on some forums. I tried the ATC at a hifi store - so understand that setup was not like my office. I also listened to Harbeth and the same time and in that setup like ATC more than Harbeth.

Any thoughts on Buchardt A700 LE? Reviews claim that they have a good low level listening.

I am also guessing that both of you are suggesting that I put the speakers on the both sides of my chair for best audio. Is that correct?

@ilikeclassical look at my office. It was a PIA to make sound great. I have 6 monitors and 1 silent computer. I sit at the desk and have NOTHING between the speakers and my ears. I say do the same thing for yourself or at least try it out.

Office System | Virtual Listening Room (audiogon.com)

I am not a huge classical music listener, but I would think you want something with depth and a big soundstage. The Maggies are great at this type of sonic presentation. They also have less issues with side wall reflection. All of these points on how the sound gets to your ears are important in a small space. Especially, if you have ears that get irritated by bad sound and spend a lot of hours working.

As I said before the LRS+ is killer in my smaller space. In your space it would also be great, maybe even a bigger Maggie. However, if I were you I would also consider the 

Diptyque audio - Hauts-parleurs plans Haute-Fidélité - dp107 at $8k

Diptyque audio - Hauts-parleurs plans Haute-Fidélité - dp-140MKII at $18k

for your space. The reason being that the above 2 speakers are supposed to sound like a cleaner Maggie. The LRS+ is not the cleanest sounding speaker to me, but with my CODA #16 amp it is just beautiful. The above 2 speakers are supposed to have even better ribbons than the LRS+. 

I am not going to try the Diptyque speakers because I think my room is too small and I do not want to mess with a good thing. I have less margin for error, unless I use the DSP I mentioned earlier.

For a monitor the Yamaha NS3000 at $15k CAD would be great. Definitely, better drivers than the KEF Reference 1 and many others. I have the bigger NS5000 and the drivers on that are unsurpassed. Nobody has a tweeter, mid, and 12-inch woofer made from the same material, with the material having the same performance characteristics of Beryllium.

Lucky for you both suggestions I make are available in Canada for demo. Not so in the USA.