Favorite mini-monitors?

alan m. kafton · « **Reply #20 on:** 10 Apr 2007, 09:37 am »

Diapason Karis.

griller · « **Reply #21 on:** 12 Apr 2007, 01:25 pm »

Various ProAcs, Spica TC50 (what a bargain in that day), Totems. And now I'm just breakin in a set of 5 ACI Emerald Xls and they are sweeeet!

Mortsnets · « **Reply #22 on:** 12 Apr 2007, 05:43 pm »

On the cheaper side:

Fulton 80
Celestion 3 (original sealed box)
RA Labs Mini-Reference
Paradigm Atom

(these are probably too big to qualify)
Kef 103.2

(powered near field)
NHT M00

chgolatin2 · « **Reply #23 on:** 12 Apr 2007, 06:19 pm »

Van L Speakerworks monitors are simply AMAZING

vinyl anachronist · « **Reply #24 on:** 12 Apr 2007, 07:05 pm »

Quote from: griller on 12 Apr 2007, 01:25 pm

Various ProAcs, Spica TC50 (what a bargain in that day), Totems. And now I'm just breakin in a set of 5 ACI Emerald Xls and they are sweeeet!

I love TC-50s!

Danny Richie · « **Reply #25 on:** 12 Apr 2007, 08:11 pm »

Quote

I love TC-50s!

Those were quite good in their day.

I designed an upgrade for that speaker that brought the performance level up to todays standards. Bringing the component quality up was a major improvement. Fixing a lobbing error was another big plus too.

The pair I was given to upgrade had one bad tweeter, so they were replaced with our GR-T2 tweeters. That was another significant improvement.

They really are good now. See upgrade: http://www.gr-research.com/spicatc50.shtm

vinyl anachronist · « **Reply #26 on:** 12 Apr 2007, 08:46 pm »

Quote from: Danny on 12 Apr 2007, 08:11 pm

Quote
I love TC-50s!

Those were quite good in their day.

I designed an upgrade for that speaker that brought the performance level up to todays standards. Bringing the component quality up was a major improvement. Fixing a lobbing error was another big plus too.

The pair I was given to upgrade had one bad tweeter, so they were replaced with our GR-T2 tweeters. That was another significant improvement.

They really are good now. See upgrade: http://www.gr-research.com/spicatc50.shtm

That looks very interesting. Are you using these at your house now?

Danny Richie · « **Reply #27 on:** 12 Apr 2007, 08:55 pm »

Quote

That looks very interesting. Are you using these at your house now?

No, it was a mod that I made for one of my customers. He also suggested releasing it as an upgrade kit since there is a little bit of a cult following for this little speaker. So I made it available as a kit.

vinyl anachronist · « **Reply #28 on:** 12 Apr 2007, 10:39 pm »

Quote from: Danny on 12 Apr 2007, 08:55 pm

Quote
That looks very interesting. Are you using these at your house now?

No, it was a mod that I made for one of my customers. He also suggested releasing it as an upgrade kit since there is a little bit of a cult following for this little speaker. So I made it available as a kit.

Very cool! I came so close to buying a pair a few years ago, and wish I had. I had blown the tweeters on my Snell Type Js in 1990 or so, and was looking for a replacement. I had already heard the TC-50s in a store in Pennsylvania and knew they were a step up from the Js, so I started on a quest to see if anything could beat the TC-50s in its price range ($550). I couldn't find anything, although I did like the Signet SL-260s a lot, and they were only $450. The only reason I didn't wind up with TC-50s is because I started listening to a bunch of $1000 speakers, and came away with the Spendor S20s that are featured in the new issue of TONEAudio. Then I spent the next decade immersed in British hi-fi.

But I still get a little excited whenever I see a pair of TC-50s or Angeli.

Joe Nino-Hernes · « **Reply #29 on:** 14 Apr 2007, 02:54 am »

Quote from: chgolatin2 on 12 Apr 2007, 06:19 pm

Van L Speakerworks monitors are simply AMAZING

I agree with that! That crazy old man is a genious.

My other favorite mini-monitors are the Harbeth HL-P3ES-2, the Spendor S3/5 (any LS3/5a for that matter) and the ERA design 4.

shep · « **Reply #30 on:** 14 Apr 2007, 07:11 am »

For Spica lovers, The Epiphany from Odyssey was the "modern" re-do of this design. If I'm not wrong, there's a new version in the works. 500$ seemed like a lot of dough at the time. I ended up with some crap used things instead. Real dumb!

Thelonious Monk · « **Reply #31 on:** 14 Apr 2007, 11:28 pm »

thanks for all of the great speakers you mentioned, guys! right now i'm putting together a nearfield computer as source system and mini monitors are my only option, and now i've got quite a few speakers to read up on. anyone have any opinions on:

nsm audio 10s
role audio skiff
atc scm7

these are three speakers that i've been considering for the <$2000 price range. the one thing i like most about hifi equipment is going to extremely loud volumes without clipping, and that's one thing minimonitors generally aren't good at. the thiel pcs system is one of those "you want to turn up the volume pot. not because it sounds bad at low levels, because it's one of those few speakers that can be turned up insanely high and still sound great" speakers. are there really any of these "budget" speakers that have that SPL capability, while not being beasts (under 12" high, less than 7" wide)? i've heard good things about the scm7 in this respect, max spl of 103db

Quote from: Psychicanimal on 9 Apr 2007, 02:10 pm

Here's some very special little speakers:

Modwright Swans M-1

Four Bybees, Jena Labs internal wiring, all 4 x-over boards cryo treated, new resistors & Auricaps, Deflex panels (all white stuffing removed ).

Try beating them for the money...

***

link? can't find anything on the modwright site.

doug s. · « **Reply #32 on:** 14 Apr 2007, 11:48 pm »

thelonious,

if you really want excellent monitors that are small, and that you can crank loud, you need to hear the proac tablette reference 8 signatures. these speakers are actually a bit better than the also excellent proac 1sc's imo. and, they're tiny - 10.5"h x 6"w x 9"d. i had a pair (crossed over to subs at 70hz) in a 28x36x8.5 room, & they played as loud as you like. i also heard them in a 14x22x10 room w/o subs, & they still did fine. $1800 retail, they show up used for ~$1200... in fact, there's two pairs f/s on agon right now:
http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrmoni&1179118500
http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrmoni&1179060784

info from proac's website:
http://www.proac-loudspeakers.com/tabref8sig.php

here's a pic of one of the pairs f/s on agon. mine look great in ebony...

i also think the diapason adamantes lll's & the meret re's are exceptional, but these are a bit larger, not really "mini" monitors..

doug s.

WEEZ · « **Reply #33 on:** 15 Apr 2007, 12:12 am »

Thelonious, I would concur with doug s., re: the Proac Ref. 8 Sigs. Great little loudspeaker!

I suppose it would all depend on where/how you plan to place the speakers. The NSM's being sealed, would be a bit more 'placement flexible', if that matters. I exchanged a few e-mails with Erol Ricketts @ NSM regarding the sonic differences between the Model 10 and the Model 10S. He indicated that the Model 10 is a bit more recessed in the midrange, giving it a more 'european' sound; where the Model 10S is a bit more 'lush' in the midrange. The 10 uses a Seas tweeter; the 10S uses a Morel tweeter. (The reason I e-mailed him was because I may be setting up a small system myself in the near future).

He also indicated that the 10 will have more 'perceived' bass than the 10S due to the slightly recessed midrange. He also indicated that despite the low sensitivity (typical of small speakers) that the impedence stays flat and high so the load is 'easy'. He said that in a small room, he has run them with a 10 watt T-amp with satisfying results. He recommends the 10 with tubes; and the 10S with solid state.

Hope this helps a little...

good luck!

WEEZ

ps: they're on 'sale' thru tomorrow..

Thelonious Monk · « **Reply #34 on:** 15 Apr 2007, 02:17 am »

yeah, i had a little email chat with nsm and they told me the same thing; i think i won't need a beefy amp as long as i'm not using 82db, 4 ohm speakers, due to the close proximity i will be to whatever monitors i choose.

thank you for the proac reference 8 suggestion. they look like exactly what i'm looking for, the perfect balance of dimensions and bass extension. and great choice of veneers too; black ash, mahogany, ebony, birdseye, and even yew. it also looks like the integrated amps i've been scoping are at the high end of its power handling; a good thing, more downsizing. and if i don't quite have deep enough pockets, the non-signature version looks like it's about $400 less on average. i'll try to hear a pair.. not an easy task, kentucky is an audio black hole.

edit: just a note, i'll be using an hsu research subwoofer in tandem with whichever monitors i choose. so far it's down to the atc scm7, nsm 10s, and now the proac ref8 looks like a good contender.

doug s. · « **Reply #35 on:** 15 Apr 2007, 04:38 am »

Quote from: Thelonious Monk on 15 Apr 2007, 02:17 am

yeah, i had a little email chat with nsm and they told me the same thing; i think i won't need a beefy amp as long as i'm not using 82db, 4 ohm speakers, due to the close proximity i will be to whatever monitors i choose.

thank you for the proac reference 8 suggestion. they look like exactly what i'm looking for, the perfect balance of dimensions and bass extension. and great choice of veneers too; black ash, mahogany, ebony, birdseye, and even yew. it also looks like the integrated amps i've been scoping are at the high end of its power handling; a good thing, more downsizing. and if i don't quite have deep enough pockets, the non-signature version looks like it's about $400 less on average. i'll try to hear a pair.. not an easy task, kentucky is an audio black hole.

edit: just a note, i'll be using an hsu research subwoofer in tandem with whichever monitors i choose. so far it's down to the atc scm7, nsm 10s, and now the proac ref8 looks like a good contender.

i have never heard the standard ref 8, but based upon what proac says about the differences between the midwoofers, i would try to stick w/the sigs. re: power, in the 14x22x10 room i mentioned, power was supplied by the manley stingray; it did great in triode mode, which is 25wpc...

also, another adwantage of buying used is that you can try a speaker in your home by yust buying it - you won't take a big financial loss when re-selling, if it's not to your liking...

doug s.

kavu · « **Reply #36 on:** 15 Apr 2007, 09:18 am »

How much experience do you have with diapason adamantes III? I've been curious about that speaker...

doug s. · « **Reply #37 on:** 15 Apr 2007, 04:43 pm »

Quote from: kavu on 15 Apr 2007, 09:18 am

How much experience do you have with diapason adamantes III? I've been curious about that speaker...

well, i have been interested in the adamantes since i flipped when i heard a pair of the original adamantes' at a s'phile show in nyc back in '96. since then i knew that some day i'd have a pair in my listening room.

i am listening to a pair right now. they're being driven by a pair of manley mahi's, in triode setting, crossed over to a pair of vmps larger subs at 67hz. when i 1st hooked them up, i was using a refurb'd & modded to the max fisher sa300b. the lll's are excellent - great soundstaging, & very detailed. but, i had to remove the grilles to get 'em to sound their best. i was actually quite surprised that they made that much of a difference. they just didn't open up w/the grilles on.

as to how they compare to the other speakers i presently own, well, i have yet to listen to my proac ref 8 sigs since i have moved to my present dwelling last september, so i cannot really state with any certainty how the sigs compare, in my present rig. i do know, tho, based upon my prior experience w/the ref 8 sigs, that they would be wery competitive w/the adamantes lll's - considering the price differential, the ref 8 sigs would be a compelling choice.

my other 1st rate speakers (imo) are a pair of coincident victory's. but, prior to hooking up the victory's, i was using a pair of sansui sp2500's i scored on craigslist for $25. i had these in my rig for ~6 weeks. so, it's been almost 4 months since the victory's have been in use. for a brief synopsis of my feelings about the sansui's, check out this link:

http://audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=93549&highlight=sp2500

upon 1st hooking up the adamantes lll's, it was my impression that the victory's had the lll's beat in all areas - soundstage, detail, dynamics. i was actually a bit disappointed w/how the adamantes were doing. nice, certainly, but not mind-blowing, the way i remember, when i 1st heard them. removing the lll's grilles, as i stated before, made a big difference, & definitely closed the gap; whether they are now equal to the victory's, i really would need to re-install the victory's to find out. but, i suspect the victory's would still have the edge. there's something about the victory's custom hi-vi research sourced ribbon tweet, & having 97db/1w/1m efficiency, that makes the victory's a really astounding speaker, imo. and, it affords the opportunity to play w/low-power amps. i have a modded almarro a205a mkll amp that is amazing w/the victory's. i should really see how it does w/the adamantes', as they are pretty efficient in their own right, at 91db/1w/1m... it might actually work, as my speakers are crossed over to subs...

in any event, the adamantes lll's are a fantastic performer in their own right, & they really are beautiful. aa

doug s.

kavu · « **Reply #38 on:** 15 Apr 2007, 08:24 pm »

Thanks for all that info on the adamantes....One other question...do you know how they would fare with high quality solid state? I have an atc sia2-150 integrated (150wpc) and I'm looking to replace some quads...so I've been taking my time.

doug s. · « **Reply #39 on:** 15 Apr 2007, 08:37 pm »

Quote from: kavu on 15 Apr 2007, 08:24 pm

Thanks for all that info on the adamantes....One other question...do you know how they would fare with high quality solid state? I have an atc sia2-150 integrated (150wpc) and I'm looking to replace some quads...so I've been taking my time.

hi kavu,

i suspect they would fare the same as *any* speaker - they would be good w/high quality solid state, but tubes will always be better!

i think my pair of electrocompaniet aw75dmb stereo amps are excellent. but they only drive my subwoofers now, since i tried tubes on the mains.

doug s.