Need advice on Speakers + Amp

Zepplock · « **on:** 30 Jul 2007, 05:40 pm »

Hello,

I have a fairly small room (~10' x 10')
And I need to get new speakers and amp.

the budget is ~$2500.
I listen to 50% 60's - 70's rock (floyd, zeppelin, beatles)
Maybe 20% classical music and %30 jazz, modern rock, etc

So I was thinking about:
av123 Rocker RS450
Strata Mini (probably does not fit into the budget)
Monitor Audio RS6
Canton Ergo 607 DC

Does anyone have any impressions on these speakers and what amp would be good. I was thinking Onix SE3 tube (35wpc)

Thank you.

Big Red Machine · « **Reply #1 on:** 30 Jul 2007, 05:53 pm »

The Minis need a much bigger room, even the 450's may overpower you in a 10x10 space. How about their X series? Have owned them and they will only set you back a few hundred.

Or go for some new MTM's from Salk or smaller bookshelves that may work just as well if you ever move to a larger space?

Zepplock · « **Reply #2 on:** 30 Jul 2007, 05:58 pm »

Thanks for a prompt reply!

I really want to have floorstanders. I don't like how bookshelves look on the stands.
So are there any other small floorstanders like RS450?

And if I go with RS450 - what amp should i get?
i guess even Onix SE3 will be an overkill?

Thank you!

zybar · « **Reply #3 on:** 30 Jul 2007, 06:10 pm »

Besides the Salk Songs, a few others to put on your list:

SP Tech Minis
Omega Speakers (lots of models to choose from)

Amp choices depend on your speaker selection.

You probably won't need much power given the size of your room and the speakers listed above.

George

miklorsmith · « **Reply #4 on:** 30 Jul 2007, 06:21 pm »

With classic rock, I'm thinking a speaker that's a touch soft in the top would be a good thing. Guitar tone would be very important. I haven't heard the hemp Omegas, but I'd put them tops on the list for consideration.

zybar · « **Reply #5 on:** 30 Jul 2007, 06:35 pm »

Quote from: miklorsmith on 30 Jul 2007, 06:21 pm

With classic rock, I'm thinking a speaker that's a touch soft in the top would be a good thing. Guitar tone would be very important. I haven't heard the hemp Omegas, but I'd put them tops on the list for consideration.

Guitars with the Omega Revolutions and Vista Audio i84 integrated sounded quite good yesterday when we were listening to that combo at my gathering.

George

Zepplock · « **Reply #6 on:** 30 Jul 2007, 06:51 pm »

Quote from: zybar on 30 Jul 2007, 06:10 pm

Besides the Salk Songs, a few others to put on your list:

SP Tech Minis
Omega Speakers (lots of models to choose from)

Amp choices depend on your speaker selection.

You probably won't need much power given the size of your room and the speakers listed above.

George

So I guess SP tech is http://www.4sptech.com right?
I didn't find any "Mini" speakers. Do you have a link?

Thank you!

Double Ugly · « **Reply #7 on:** 30 Jul 2007, 06:56 pm »

Quote from: Zepplock on 30 Jul 2007, 06:51 pm

So I guess SP tech is http://www.4sptech.com right?
I didn't find any "Mini" speakers. Do you have a link?

Thank you!

SP Tech is in the process of completely revamping their website.

For info on the Mini, click here.

Audio-den · « **Reply #8 on:** 30 Jul 2007, 07:25 pm »

IF YOU LISTEN TO USHER V602 AND A IA7V2 YOU WILL BE IMPRESSED ENJOY ALAN

lcrim · « **Reply #9 on:** 30 Jul 2007, 07:38 pm »

The room size is very small. The advice to try Omega Hemp driver speakers w/ a nice low cost EL84 integrated is very good. I had a pair of Vandersteen 1C speakers before I got a pair of Hemps from Louis. The 1C's are terrific bargains that are also quite efficient @ 90dB and are decent w/o a sub as well. They would be fine in a small room as they are not terribly directional. They are usually available used on A'gon for about 1/2 the new price. They do require banana connectors but you can get a full taste of the high end for a reasonable cost. That Vista Audio amp, is another nice entry level piece that would work nicely too. New production EL84 tubes are cheap and I think sound terrific. My 2 cents.

Zepplock · « **Reply #10 on:** 30 Jul 2007, 09:58 pm »

Well I just realized that I can't have any speakers with back port.
So mini's, rocket and monitor audio are out.

hemps are have to be away from the wall and wide as well, which is sad.

I guess Timepiece Mini will be ok for me.
I'll need to add stands.

WEEZ · « **Reply #11 on:** 30 Jul 2007, 10:28 pm »

IMO, in a small room..you would do well to consider a sealed monitor. They will produce satisfying bass without over-powering/over-loading the room. When you move to a larger space...a sub can always be added; and will blend well with the sealed monitor.

Have a look at www.nsmaudio.com and read about the Model 10 and Model 15. Then go to www.avahifi.com and read about the integrated amplifier. Or try www.selahaudio.com and look at the Hiddenite under 'kits'. (I think it's available assembled also).

Any of these options would be within your budget...or pretty close.

Good luck,

WEEZ

zybar · « **Reply #12 on:** 30 Jul 2007, 11:29 pm »

Quote from: Zepplock on 30 Jul 2007, 09:58 pm

Well I just realized that I can't have any speakers with back port.
So mini's, rocket and monitor audio are out.

hemps are have to be away from the wall and wide as well, which is sad.

I guess Timepiece Mini will be ok for me.
I'll need to add stands.

Did you talk to Louis at Omega?

The Omega Revolutions I own sound best close the wall (mine are about 12-14" away).

George

Double Ugly · « **Reply #13 on:** 30 Jul 2007, 11:50 pm »

Zepplock -
I own the Mini's big brothers (Timepiece 2.1s) and they're a foot, maybe a foot-and-a-half from the wall. It may not be ideal (it isn't for most speakers), but my speakers sound better than fine IMHO. Consequently, I don't believe the Minis will be an issue in your room.

Even so, if you have concerns, I'd go to the SP Tech circle and ask Bob. If he thinks you should look elsewhere, he'll tell you. He doesn't want returned speakers any more than you want to return them.

-Jim

doug s. · « **Reply #14 on:** 31 Jul 2007, 03:13 am »

besides the mini's mentioned above, i would strongly consider the proac tablette 8 reference signatures. even tho they're stand-mounts & have rear ports. while they (and most all) speakers will sound better away from walls, in a 10x10 room, you don't really have much choice. and, they are killer sounding speakers. they retail for $1800, & come up f/s used every now & again, for ~$1200. these tiny speakers sound amazing, even in much larger rooms. i can't imagine doing any better than them in a small room. unless you place them directly against a rear wall, the rear ports will not be a deterrent...

doug s.

Double Ugly · « **Reply #15 on:** 31 Jul 2007, 04:06 am »

From the "FWIW" department...

You mentioned needing stands for the Minis. If you decide to go that route, you may want to take a look at stands from Core Furniture.

They match the Mini's walnut front panel very well IMHO.

-Jim

JLM · « **Reply #16 on:** 31 Jul 2007, 11:25 am »

Zep,

ACI (check here at their circle below) sells a couple of very nice standmounted speakers. The Sapphire XL is currently on sale. These are all the speaker you'd ever need in a 10 x 10 room. There are definite advantages to starting this way and adding a sub (or two) later if/when you move into a bigger room. OTOH even on sale they cost around $2000 with matching stands. These are very high quality and high value, especially during their moving sale. Warning: I'm a "speaker guy" so I'd heavily bias my budget towards speakers.

Amp choices boil down to features: (like number of inputs, remote, tone controls, provision to add a sub); if tubes interest you (or can you take the heat in that little room); and the kind of sound you're after. There are a number of interesting used integrated tube amps available on audiogon.com or you could go new with a Cambridge Audio or NAD amp.

Odyssey Audio builds great stuff at very good prices and offers amp/speaker packages in your price range (see circle below).

2gumby2 · « **Reply #17 on:** 31 Jul 2007, 11:34 am »

I would second the recommendation for the Usher "V" series speakers. These are some of the highest value speakers I have ever heard. I heard them at RMAF last year and came away very impressed.

Zepplock · « **Reply #18 on:** 3 Aug 2007, 04:00 pm »

Update:

Well I emailed Bob@sptech and he gave me some recommendations on Mini's. And an introductory rate is a sweet deal. It's just hard to buy speakers without giving them a try.

I also auditioned Vienna Acoustics (Bach and Mozart), they were a bit "muddy" to me. Maybe bad amp/cdp - in magnolia you never know.

I auditioned Usher v-604 and I liked them more than Viennas. Usher's had good bass but sound was a bit narrow.

And finally I tried Tetra 120u and that was a winner, It's amazing that a speaker of that size can produce such well defined open and wide music. They are also ported on the top so can be wall mounted or placed next to the wall. The only downside is that they go to 50hz only - which may not be a problem in my small room and they are $1800 which is more that $1500 I planned to spend on speakers (plus they need stands/wall mounts). But the sound quality was simply great. Clean sound from instruments, very deep soundstage and they are built very well.

I plan to listen to Totems, Sonus Faber, Quads next.

Thank you guys for help!

Vapor Audio · « **Reply #19 on:** 3 Aug 2007, 04:26 pm »

There are tons of great choices in that range, even if you just stick to AudioCircle vendors. You definately should checkout the GR Research/Raw Acoustics offerings as well. There are a couple Open Baffle choices you can get finished and delivered for that price.

The SP Tech speakers are a fantastic choice as well.

Hey, Al (Raw Acoustics) is doing an OB2X demo tour right now ... get on the list so you can listen to some open baffles for yourself in that room.