[zybar]

A friend is searching for speakers (new or used) and I was curious what you guys would recommend.

Here are a few parameters:

-  Recommendation must be full range (down to say 30Hz)
-  Must work in a living room (can't be way out into the room, six feet tall, etc...)
-  Must have good to very good WAF
-  Would prefer that it didn't need need a mega wattage amp to sound its best 
-  Is willing to go the sat/sub route to achieve full range

Companies already on this person's radar screen:

- Salk
- Gedlee
- Vandersteen
- Devore
- Dynaudio

Thanks for your input.

George

[roscoeiii]

Maybe one of the two Gallos (stratas & sub, or Ref 3.5) described in this review? Depending on specifics of what is good re: WAF, these may work well:

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/gallo9/ref35.html

[arthurs]

George - I would add the Ascendo C-8 to your friends list.  I've heard these a couple of times now and found them to be excellent and hit all the criteria you listed...

[rajacat]

The AudioKinesis offerings look interesting . If your friend couldn't find a stock model that precisely fit his needs perhaps Duke could design some custom speakers like he did for AC member jsalinga.http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=74071.0


-Roy
-

[srb]

-  Would prefer that it need need a mega wattage amp to sound its best 

Just checking, I've never heard anyone say that they would prefer that a speaker needed a megawatt amp to sound its best.
 
Are you sure you didn't mean to say "would prefer that it didn't need..."?  Maybe that's what the first of the two needs was supposed to be.
 
Steve

[zybar]

Just checking, I've never heard anyone say that they would prefer that a speaker needed a megawatt amp to sound its best.
 
Are you sure you didn't mean to say "would prefer that it didn't need..."?  Maybe that's what the first of the two needs was supposed to be.
 
Steve

Thanks for catching that Steve.   

I made the correction.

George

[srb]

Thanks for catching that Steve. 
I made the correction.

I had to ask, as back in the early 70s, a stereo store I had selected to do business with, recommended that the best way to get great sound from a speaker/amp setup was to buy the most inefficient sealed speaker you can find and power the bejeezus out of it.
 
I ended up with a mid-range EPI and a Phase Linear 400.
 
Steve

[toobluvr]

Proac Response D series  (superb WAF, bottom vented for flexible placement)

Daedalus  (easy to drive)

don't know the price but maybe the new Acoustic Zen Crescendo?    (mmmmmmm, transmission line bass!   ;  front ported = easy placement (theoretically))

[rahimlee54]

I'd check out some selah audio stuff.  Maybe a custom short line array?

[toobluvr]

While very good, Selah and Salk are typically in the mid 80's efficiency range, and therefore do not meet the last requirement.

[roscoeiii]

Emerald 2.3s?

[zybar]

While very good, Selah and Salk are typically in the mid 80's efficiency range, and therefore do not meet the last requirement.

I can't speak for the Selah models, but some of the Salk models definitely don't need a mega watt amp to sound good.

George

[Mariusz]

3A Grand Veena

[DARTH AUDIO]

A friend is searching for speakers (new or used) and I was curious what you guys would recommend.

Here are a few parameters:

-  Recommendation must be full range (down to say 30Hz)
-  Must work in a living room (can't be way out into the room, six feet tall, etc...)
-  Must have good to very good WAF
-  Would prefer that it didn't need need a mega wattage amp to sound its best 
-  Is willing to go the sat/sub route to achieve full range

Companies already on this person's radar screen:

- Salk
- Gedlee
- Vandersteen
- Devore
- Dynaudio

Thanks for your input.

George

Von Schweikert's new Vortex VR-33 Under $5K.. And that's a steal!

[Big Red Machine]

While very good, Selah and Salk are typically in the mid 80's efficiency range, and therefore do not meet the last requirement.

HT2 TL's are about 87 and the Soundscape is more efficient IIRC.  Songtowers are 88.  While the HT3 is only 84 it can sound good with less than a nuclear reactor next door for power.

[toobluvr]

Given the budget, I thought he'd be shopping in the higher end Salk range, which I thought were all fairly inefficient.  But I could be wrong.   

Also depends on your definition of  "mega-amp".  To me, over 150wpc is mega.

[mca]

I second the Daedalus speakers. Beautiful hardwoods, easy to place, easy to drive and best of all, great sound.

[Big Red Machine]

Given the budget, I thought he'd be shopping in the higher end Salk range, which I thought were all fairly inefficient.  But I could be wrong.   

It'd be cool to see another pair of 10" Soundscapes in the $10k region and they sure seem to be a much easier load to drive.  I thought they were in the 88 region as the bass module is very efficient.  Certainly the HT3 is more difficult at 84.

[gsm18439]

Zu (Definition MKII) or Audio Note.

[JLM]

I'm always curious as to why a price range is listed without some of the more germane parameters like imaging, detail, tone, listener fatigue, listener age, musical preferences, impedance/reactiveness, dipole/bipole/array/point source dispersion, etc.  Especially at this price range.  Excuse me, but is this an audiophile in pocketbook only?

Personally I'd shy away from over spending if room placement and WAF are listed as priorities before some of these sonic attributes.

And at this price point I'd only shop the brands/models that I could audition at home.