Help with new speakers

Well Gary ... welcome to our crazy hobby. It's a merry-go-round from which you can't easily get off. Look, I'm not telling you *not* to flip the Tributes. I've been there and done it with lots of gear. Some flips worked out ok for me and other flips not so ok.

All I'm saying is that what the Tributes did to that other darling speaker brand was not pretty. And being a founding member of the SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Amplifiers), I really felt badly for the other brand speaker. :(

Other members have advised folks about how to do system make-overs. So far the best advice I've read is to start with the speakers and match backwards. If you're close to any B&M stores, audition various speaker brands. Post your thoughts on A'gon. Even better, research other threads that may contain comments that are already posted.

Perhaps the best place to start even before doing all of that is tell us how much you want to drop on speakers. That will at least give the group an idea of the market niche you want to be in. Then, as I sugested, work backwards.

Last point, be mindful of speaker/amp electrical compatibility issues. The topic is complicated, but suffice to say, very important. One extreme example. I would not want to see you drop $10K on a top grade SET amp and then buy amp crushing speakers. That's when the SPCA is called in.

Good luck and let us know what you decide to do.

Cheers.

Gary ..., you posted that "[m]y choices are b&w, totem, golden ear, paradigm, mcintosh, dyn, and focal. Thats it.
Ive owned all of these brands except golden ear and totem which i just dont like ...."

Tell me about the B&Ws and Focals. These speakers have garnered some good comments. In particular, I am interested in your reactions about the Focals, especially the 1038 Be IIs. I ask about the 1038s because they have the beryllium tweeter which is a very special driver. I've seen some preowned Focal 1038s (v2) going for $8500 or so here on A'gon.

Can't comment much about B&Ws, other than to say that the higher end models can be amp crushers. Better have plenty of watts and currents, i.e., high quality SS amp.

That's all. I'll turn the floor over to you and the others.

Well, now we know what you have and why you want to replace the speakers, but you're still not telling us what specifically you're looking to improve upon or what aspects of sound reproduction are most important to you. Without that information our recommendations are not nearly as useful as they could be -- actually they could be counterproductive since the Paradigms are pretty good in their own right.

That aside, I think it's great you sold your amps as now you can buy amps/speakers that will compliment each other sonically and work well together functionally -- as it should be IMHO. And -- sorry to be so blunt -- I think you should sell your preamp too as it will be a significant weak link in your audio chain. Once you find the right amp/speakers it may be as simple as partnering a pre from the same maker as the amp, but maybe not.

Anyway, if I'm you and looking at this price level I'd suggest taking some good long road trips to hear speakers that are of interest. Again, telling us what characteristics are most important to you would be most helpful in letting us guide you to what might be worth travelling to hear. Or, alternatively, you can use the recommendations as guidelines as to what to buy used, and if they don't work out you can hopefully sell them at little or no loss if they don't significantly improve upon the Paradigms.

Frankly, since you're just looking for a change and seem hesitant to tell us what specifically you're looking for it makes me think you're not really sure of what you're looking for. If that's the case I'd seriously recommend taking some roadtrips to go listen to some well-regarded high-end speakers so you can start to find what really knocks your socks off. That would be better than any recommendations you're likely to get here. In any event, best of luck in your search.

In looking at the equipment you list, my personal feeling is that you'd be better off upgrading the preamp and amplifier before you give up on the speakers. Rotel is good stuff but not as nuanced as higher end equipment, and the speakers you have could probably let you hear the difference in the improved electronics. But what do you mean the room WAS 10 by 12? That's a small room, and I wonder if you can get the best out of any full-range speaker in a room of that size. Are you going to be using a new, larger room? If not, I think you might be best served using smaller speakers designed for smaller rooms (think stand-mounted monitors); that way the room isn't overloaded and you're not listening to speakers that are intended to be listened to at a distance of 10 feet or so. Just my $.02.

Firstly, Not trying to be mean at all, so please don't take it that way.
Secondly, I'm not real familiar with your gear.

With that being said, I'd change everything EXCEPT your speakers, chair and acoustic panels.

I'm sure someone else can better guide you on what to keep, but I'd fill the "I need something new and improved, bug" on a new amp (which you need), a better pre amp that pairs well with your new amp, and get different cables to match your new set-up...

I've switched out gear for a lateral move, or sometimes, for something I didn't like as much, and that feeling sucks. I hate it when I spend hundreds of dollars and drive hundreds of miles, only to end up with something that I didn't like as much.

Again, where do you live? Maybe someone here from the gon can help you out in person.