searching for speakers + amp for 7,000$ - Page 2

have not heard the Homage's but I would not buy them without audition first. and audition them at home. if that's not possible then I'd look elsewhere.

 

the ones on Audiogon included the stands, so it seemed a good deal. but they're sold

 

it all comes down to what you like to hear, whether they're $500 or $5K irrespectively

10 x 10 is a pretty small space. I wouldn't recommend Klipsch horns or big panels, you're just going to overload the room, or compromise the speakers and get poor sound. I think you'll be best off with a two-way monitor. I'm unsure if Vapor Audio ships worldwide, but if they do, buy a Cirrus. If not, there are plenty of other good two-ways - Monitor Audio PL-100, Dynaudio Confidence C1, Usher Be-718, Volent VL-2, KEF 201/2, Merlin TSM, etc. I'm sure you can find one you like.

 

Connect your computer to an asynchronous USB DAC like the Ayre QB-9, and then use a nice integrated amplifier like a Primare, or Simaudio. You should also consider some type of room treatment, spaces that small and especially square spaces can be just a nightmare in terms of acoustics. Ceiling and wall diffusors and some bass traps can help your room sound larger than it is.

Edited by DaveBSC - 8/30/11 at 5:09pm

take a look at decware. the DNA horns are the smallest full range horns on the planet. flat down to 20hz.

"DNA's image with world class showmanship and create an immersibly deep sound-stage since they were designed to be placed AWAY from the corners."

 

In other words, well out into the room. In a 10x10 space, that may not be possible. Also, you really should hear a FR speaker before you buy it. Their sound is shall we say "unique" and to me at least, unpleasant.

I will second the Vapor Audio suggestion.

 

I have a 10 x 10 room and these speakers before very well.  They perform very well in my larger family room too when I have a few people over.

 

I bought them without having heard them and though I had a few concerns I found that my concerns were unfounded once I had them.

 

Darcy 

I think I've seen some positive things about Vincent, but I don't have any first hand experience with their products. $500 spent on a Focal speaker is $500 wasted. You can do better.
 

Speakers worth checking out are the LSA .5, which is a baby version of the well regarded LSA-1, the Monitor Audio Silver RX1, the ERA D4 and D5 (now sold by Peachtree), and anything by Paradigm or PSB - usually tough to go wrong there.

http://philharmonicaudio.com/philharmonic3.html

With $3k, I'd look hard at DIY. You can have the drivers shipped much more reasonably than full cabinets.

Then find a cabinet shop to build the cabinets. Surely, someone nearby builds kitchens. The price won't be that bad, either. The cabinets I run were a little over $200. I assembled and finished them, but could have paid another $300-$400 for that.

For some great designs, look at Zaph|Audio, Linkwitz Lab and Troels Gravesen. They document their designs better than any commercial manufacturer I've seen. Further, the builder community has a wealth of resources. Models I'd look at would be the Zaph ZRT and Linkwitz Pluto. Parts, shipping and assembly will be in your price range. These should outperform anything bought new at retail prices.