Any WARM, MUSICAL speakers out there?


I have been auditioning a number of speakers in the under $12k category, and I am frustrated at the almost total absence of any "warm", "musical" speakers out there. They are almost entirely the so-called "accurate" or "analytical" variety. Example, to my ears anyway: the Wilson Sophia. Very accurate, analytical, COLD and non-engaging, even through CJ tube gear. One would think that some of the CJ warmth and musicality would have come through, but the Sophia did not alow ANY of that!
I would like to find a musically engaging, warm speaker that does an excellent job with human voices and midrange detail, as the Cremonas do. I will be pairing the new speakers with Conrad Johnson tube electronics. (Yes, they are lush and warm, but that is what I like!)
The ONLY ones providing the warm musicality I seek that I have found are the Sonus Fabers, such as the Cremona. I found the midrange and uppers magical and musically involving.
However, they are not good at rock and roll. Electrostats such as Quads are even worse in that regard. As Sam Tellig pointed out, they (Quads) do NOT rock.

Note: There are no Legacy dealers (for the Focus 20/20) anywhere near me, and the Klipschorn so-called dealer near me only had two of the very smallest models available for audition.

My only two remaining ideas I have are Silverline (as in Sonatas or the new Bolero) and Vienna Acoustics, such as the Mahler or Strauss.However, the Vienna dealer only carries solid state electronics, and I want to hear them through tubes. Does anyone think that either of these might fit the bill?
In his review of the Sonus Faber Cremona in the Aug/Sept. 2003 issue of The Absolute Sound, Wayne Garcia writes,
"...It is one of the few full-range speakers from the non-analytical school (particularly those under ten grand) that I would even mention in the same breath as MartinLogan or Quad." (p.75 of TAS)
Does anyone know what the other "few" might be????!!!
Any ideas?

Thanks
Steve
bigpowerballs
Coincidence speaker technologies Total Eclipse
These HAVE to be on your shortlist. EVER SO slightly to the warm of neutral. Their performance is faultless, and easy to drive. Dunlavy, Wilson, blah blah blah. The Total Eclipses I think rule at this price point. Full-range bliss!

Frequency Response: 24 hz - 25 khz +/- 2db
Sensitivity: 94 db - 1 watt @ 1 M
Impedance: 14 ohms
Power Requirements: 7 watts - 500 watts
Dimensions: 52" H x 9" W x 22" D
Weight:165 lbs ea.
Price: $7,999.00 /pair US

BTW, Your amp has more to do with musicality than you speakers.
Have I got a speaker for you! And, you'll save some $$$$. I had the same budget. I ended up buying a pair of $13k speakers. I also, around the same time, had a wonderful deal presented to me on a pair of Sonus Faber Electa Amator IIs: I thought I'd keep 'em for bedroom/office speakers.
Well, after a month or so of head-to-head, the megabucks speakers went home. I just couldn't justify the extra 10K dollars!
Though they don't reach as far as the others did, I haven't yet (going on six months now) felt the need to add a sub. These speakers, btw, will fill a large room: mine is about 25'x16' (with cathedral ceiling), and opening out to a large kitchen and very large lanae.
I use a 220/w/side amp (Edge NL-10) and I'm very happy.
This SF is very happy, incidentally, playing rock at high volumes...