[kirch]

Greetings Gassers.  Considering aesthetic changes to the system (again).  Currently have Audio Note OTO Signature Integrated 10 wpc and Audio Note AN-J SPe speakers.  Sounds terrific. 

Considering something smaller though like a monitor size.  And I don't wanna be limited to having to sit in a sweet spot.  Augmenting lows with a sub is something I'd also consider (gasp).  Some of you guys have been in my listening room, so you know how big it is (15 x 25 w/10' ceiling).

Price - what my AN's are currently worth - I'm thinking $2500, hopefully less.

Let the suggestions begin!  Thanks!

Kirch

[sharpsuxx]

What kind of sound are you after?  How small of a speaker are we talking about? 2500 for used or new?  What kind of music do you listen to? Just all the generic questions.

[kirch]

Good questions -

New or used? Probably used.  Re types of music, if they don't sound good with everything, I'd rather not have them. (Open large can of worms here.)  I expect a smaller monitor to have excellent highs and mid range while understanding the lows will probably be lacking.  Thus the sub mention.

Type of sound I'm looking for?  I can only say my favorites have been from Von Schweikert and Audio Note, not necessarily in that order.  I like my highs and mids to sound realistic and revealing, yet non-fatiguing.  The amp I use helps in the latter aspect.

The AN J SPe's I currently use are quite large for a "monitor".  While they're stand mounted, they are somewhere between a floor stander, and what I consider a monitor.  I'm not looking for mini monitors.  I just tried the Wavetouch Audio Grand Teton's.  Loved the size but wasn't crazy about their looks.  Or the fact that they pretty much require me to sit in a particular spot to appreciate their sound stage.

Helpful?

[kentj1948]

The problem you face is that most monitor speakers tend to be on the inefficient side of average so your choices are kind of limited.  Here are some speakers you might investigate.

Coincident Speaker Technology Triumph Extreme II, 94dB, $3000 list, made in Canada.  coincidentspeaker.com

Klipsch Palladium P-17B, 94dB, $4000 list, might be larger than you want.  klipsch.com

Teresonic Magus, 98-100dB, $5000-6000 list, depending upon model.  teresonic.com

Another thing to consider would be having Ryan Scott of Vapor Audio build you something custom.  vaporsound.com

Let us know what you decide to do.  Kent

[Bob in St. Louis]

Ryan has some real good sounding monitors that are in that price range. Forgive me, I can't recall the model name. The "Breeze" maybe?
Not sure about the SPL though.

[JLM]

Omega (here at Audio Circle) offers a few single driver desktop/stand-mounts ($595 - 1095/pair) with 94 dB/w/m efficiency, F3 = 45 - 65 Hz.

Reference 3A $3290/pair MM DeCapo BE is a 2-way stand-mount with 92 dB/w/m efficiency rated down to 42 Hz.

Decware $995/pair monitors are larger 2-way stand-mounts with 94 dB/w/m efficiency rated down to 42 Hz.

Notes: 

 - Many manufacturers "stretch" their efficiency ratings
 - Benign impedance curves can help make speakers easier to drive
 - Deeper bass response makes higher efficiency harder to obtain
 - Deeper bass can also reveal poor damping (not uncommon of tube amps) that result in "bass bloat" (flabby, loose, poorly defined)
 - The above examples show that size and price help provide deeper bass

[lokie]

Stirling Broadcast LS3/5A

Haven't heard them personally but look good on paper (benign impedance) and are well documented and beloved by many tube enthusiasts.

[sharpsuxx]

I think as you are posting this in the GAS forum you gotta give Ryan at Vapor Audio a call, he lives in High Ridge area and makes the Stiff Breeze that are 91db efficient and in your price range for sure. 

Other than that, I have owned the Klipsch and although they certainly are efficient I found them very fatiguing and upgraded/downgraded to a pair of X-SLS.  Other speakers I would recommend that fit the bill, would be Sonus Faber, they make a great speaker in your price range, you can audition their wares at Music For Pleasure in Brentwood/Webster Groves.  The guys that run the shop are pretty cool too so you could probably bring your amp to audition, they also carry Dynaudio but I haven't been terribly impressed by the C2.

There are many things you could find in that price range, but I think those two are my favorites and you could audition them and buy them locally.

[kirch]

Thanks everyone for your input!  I ended up ordering the 98 db Outlaw 1.5's from Lou at Omega.  Of course I was initially looking for something a little smaller, but you know how that goes.  They are smaller than what I'm replacing though, by a couple inches.  Should be about three weeks or so for delivery.  Sold the Audio Notes in a just few hours on Agon. 

http://www.omegaloudspeakers.com/omegaoutlawopenb.html





I'm getting the Cherry finish and the matching custom Sound Anchor stands, although I still have time to change my mind on the finish . . .

On another note, anyone have any thoughts on Decware flea powered stuff?  Scott?  All this is your fault so you better chime in with something

Thanks again - kirch

[Guy 13]

Thanks everyone for your input!  I ended up ordering the 98 db Outlaw 1.5's from Lou at Omega.  Of course I was initially looking for something a little smaller, but you know how that goes.  They are smaller than what I'm replacing though, by a couple inches.  Should be about three weeks or so for delivery.  Sold the Audio Notes in a just few hours on Agon. 

http://www.omegaloudspeakers.com/omegaoutlawopenb.html





I'm getting the Cherry finish and the matching custom Sound Anchor stands, although I still have time to change my mind on the finish . . .

On another note, anyone have any thoughts on Decware flea powered stuff?  Scott?  All this is your fault so you better chime in with something

Thanks again - kirch

Hi Kirch.
For what it's worth,
I have a Decware SE84C+ Single Ended Triode - 2 wpc (Electro Harmonic el84)
with Omega 7F Open Baffle dipole and I am very happy with the sound.
Enough power for a medium size room.
Of course, since I love bass I have a self amplified sub-woofer,
because Open Baffle don't give much or even no bass.
Lots of details, micro harmonics.
Soundstage is good.
Sweet spot also good.
Not really non fatiguing, but it's very good compared to my previous set-up
with Audio Nirvana 8" wide range.
For what you want to do, I think you will be happy.
Of course, you won't put them against a wall.
Good choice and if you need help:
Louis, Rob and the guys here at Audio Circle.

Guy 13
 

[Scott F.]

Now don't go blamin' me for your obsession 

Should be interesting to hear your impressions of the Omegas. I've only heard Louis' oldest designs. They were OK but they led me to the Lowthers. On the Decware side, they are nice little amps and resonably priced. Not the last word in resolution but nice.

Tell you what, before you invest in one, give me a call and let me bring by my pair of Consonance Cyber 211s. They at 16wpc SETs. Compared to your AN that is a pentode wired in triode, these transmitter tubes will take absolute command of whatever speakers you have and will make a jaw dropping difference in the sound. You need to hear the difference before you commit to a different amp.

Let me know after you get some hours on the speakers.

[kirch]

Sounds cool - thanks Scott -

b

[Quiet Earth]

Hi kirch,

I'm not part of the regional group, but I think that you are making a backwards move. I think you should have kept your Js until you actually listened to the Omegas. I own two different pairs of Omega speakers and also a pair of Audio Note Es. I have also spent a good amount of time listening to the Js. Even though Omega speakers are a good perceived value they don't come anywhere near the level of quality that Audio Note speakers do. Certainly not the J SPe. Also, Omegas will not pressurize and fill the room the same way that the Js do, so I think you may be disappointed in that regard as well. (You said that you don't want a limited sweet spot. I'm not sure if anyone actually read that part.)

All too often we buy stuff based on what is said on the internet and the excitement that surrounds it. Only after we own something for a while do we understand what we have, or what we had. Anyone who has actually lived with a signature Otto and J SPe would never tell you to buy a Consonance amp and Omega speaker. But the internet is an authority in and of itself, and there would be very little to read otherwise.

Having said all of that negative stuff, I hope that I am dead wrong and you like the Omegas more than your Js. I really do!  I realize that my personal experience and preference is not a baseline for everyone else. I am probably in the minority again. Just saying this so you know I am not trolling.

Please do yourself a favor however, and keep your Otto Signature for a little while longer. At least until you know for certain that you have replaced it with something much better. In my personal opinion Consonance does not make a single amplifier that will come close to sounding as good as the Otto signature. Also, the very last thing you will need with your new Omegas (or any high efficiency speaker) is more power. You will want more quality, but not more watts. Going from Audio Note to Consonance is yet another backwards move IMO.

Last but not least, please look up "Baffle Step Compensation" or "Baffle Step Correction" while you wait for your Omegas. It is something that you might want to try once you have had your new speakers for a while. It's actually very cheap and easy to do, and you will learn more about speakers and have fun doing it. You'll see......

Good luck! (Honest  )

[kirch]

Appreciate the input.  I like to try different audio setups.  I've had terrific ones and not so terrific ones.  I have to say I've never had one that made me say "man, this sucks".  Just different.  I've had what I consider three "nirvana" systems, but I still sell them and move on to something else.  I figure, hey what the hell, no balls, no glory.  I'll sell them if I don't like them.  That's how this hobby works for me.

Re the Consonance and the Omega, I know the guy (Scott) who mentioned that I might try them together and I respect his opinion.  He's bought, sold and made more stuff that I'll ever even come close to and he's steered me in the right direction on many occasions. 

Lastly, pretty much everything I've ever bought, I've bought without having the chance to listen to.  Stuff with tons of reviews, stuff with few reviews.  I'll be sure and post my thoughts on the Omega Outlaws after I've had a few weeks with them.  Who knows, they might blow me away! 

Kirch

[Quiet Earth]

Hi kirch,

Ok, that's cool. That makes total sense to me. If you enjoy mixing it up every once in a while to get a fresh and different perspective, then different is definitely what you are going to get. So, good choice there.

I think the Omega sound is quite a bit different than the Audio Note sound in that the Omegas are much more forward and direct but with less finesse and beauty than Audio Note. Perhaps the Omega sound is a little too immediate for me, even with baffle step correction. As a VoiceOver guy it might be something that you fall in love with though. I also discovered through trial and error that my 8" Omega Hemps don't sound as good with triodes as they do with pentodes or solid state, yet the smaller Fostex based Omegas sound really good with a triode amp. I never did figure out why that is. The 8 inchers are way more efficient than the 4 inchers. 

 Anyway, that is something that you will get to decide on your own. especially since yours are a brand new model and probably altogether different than the older Omegas I have.

Well, have fun with it. It's always fun to mess around with new gear.

[DaveC113]

The new Omegas are amazing, I think you'll be very happy kirch... 

I haven't found much under $5k I would prefer vs the Omega RS5 based speakers.